The center arbor carries two pins, L and L¹, to unlock the train through the lever J, as it is really a half hour striking clock. The count hook, A; locking hook, C; count wheel, E; pins, P, and other parts have similar letters for similar parts as in the preceding figures and need not be further explained, as the mechanism is otherwise similar to the Seth Thomas movement shown in [Fig. 92].
CHAPTER XVII.
CLEANING AND REPAIRING CUCKOO CLOCKS.
The cuckoos are in a class by themselves for several reasons, all of which have to do with their construction and should therefore be understood by the watchmaker. They are bought as timepieces by but two classes of people: those who were used to them in their former homes in Europe and buy them for sentimental reasons; and those who admire fine wood carvings as works of art and desire to possess a finely carved cuckoo clock for the reasons which govern in the purchase of paintings and statuary, bronzes, and other art objects. For this reason cuckoos have never been a success when attempts have been made to cheapen their production by the use of imitations of wood carving in composition or metal. The use of cuckoos in plain cases, with springs instead of weights, has also been attempted with the idea of thereby securing an inclosed movement, as in ordinary clocks; but while it offers advantages in cleanliness and protection of the movement, such clocks have never become popular, as they have lost their character as works of art by being enclosed in plain cases, or have become rather erratic in rate by the substitution of springs for weights.
The use of exposed weights and pendulum necessitates openings in the bottom of the case through which the dust enters freely and this makes necessary unusual side shake, end shake and freedom of depthing of the wheels and pinions and also the use of lantern pinions and an amount of driving weight in excess of that necessary for protected movements, as there must be enough weight to pull the cuckoo movement through obstructions which would stop the ordinary movement.
Repairers therefore should not attempt to close worn holes as snugly as in the ordinary movements, as when this is done the clock generally stops about three weeks after it has left the shop and a “comeback” is the result. Lightening the driving weights will have the same result, as the movement must have sufficient power to pull it through when dirty. As the plates and wheels are generally of cast metal, cutting of pivots from running dry is frequent in old clocks, and where it is necessary to close the holes care must be taken not to overdo it.
Another point where repairers fail is in not polishing the pivots. Many watchmakers seem to think that any kind of a pivot will do for a clock, although they take great care of them in their watchwork. Rough and dry pivots will cut the holes in a clock plate deep enough to wedge the pivots in the holes like a stuck reamer and stop a clock just after it has been repaired, when if they had been properly polished the job would not have come back.
The high prices of wood carving in America and the necessity for its genuineness, as explained above, has resulted in making it necessary to spend as little as possible for the movements; hence we ordinarily find a total lack of finish on the movements, and this, with the great freedom everywhere evident in its construction and the apparent excess of angular motion of the levers, combine to give it an appearance of roughness which surprises those who see them but rarely.
It has been frequently suggested by watchmakers that if the cases only were imported and the movements were made by the American factories better results should be obtained, in appearance at least. They forget that the bellows, pipes and birds, with their wires, are parts of the movements and the cost of having these portions made in this country is prohibitive, so that the whole movement is imported. Arrangements are now being made by at least one firm to have the frames and wheels made of sheet metal by automatic machinery, instead of being cast and finished in the usual way, and when this is done the appearance of the movements will be greatly improved, so that American watchmakers will regard them with a more kindly eye. So far as is known to the writer all cuckoo movements are imported, although one firm is doing a large and constantly growing trade in such clocks with cases made in America.