Help! I have a Regula 25M cuckoo clock that gets hung up sometimes as it begins the "Coo" part. The rod raises the first bellows, then that's it. there is no interference with wires, etc. I have found that if I rotate the "star wheel" (back side)counter to the direction it wants to go (i.e. counter-clockwise from the rear), then it continues to go as it should - and sometimes does. Does anyone know what is causing this? I don't. Thanks you.

Jim Fischer

Hi Jim,

Is that a 30 hour or 8 day, and has it been serviced recently?

Best,
Tom

Tom,

Thanks for responding. It is a Regula 25M (1 day) movement. It is relatively new, worked, then was moved to another house, and never worked there. The people hung it on the wal for over a year before getting me to service it.

I found that the suspension and crutch were bent badly. I fixed that, and got it into beat, and it ran well. The mysterious hanging up of the first bellows only occurred in the first few hours of running, and hasn't recurred in days of flawless running. I spoke with Tom Seaman in Oregon (author of cuckoo clock repair book). He suggested that perhaps a pivot was worn (not old enough), or that the pin on the gathering pallet was bent (but if so, why has it stopped sticking?). As time goes on, it seems likely that the 1 year of non-use may have allowed oils to gravitate, and leave some dry spots. As it runs, perhaps the oil is spreading around where it needs to be (the clock was cleaned and oiled a couple of years ago, and does not appear to need it again.) At any rate, the problem seems to have gone away - but the mystery is still there. Your thoughts, please.

Jim Fischer

Hi Jim,

In my experience 8 day cuckoos are severely underpowered, and a little pivot wear can stop the party. Since this is a 30 hour, that doesn't apply.

My advice is to take a good look at the strike train. You want it to run for as long as possible before it has to do any work. That way it gets running and gains momentum before having to strike a bell or lift a bellow.

I know that you don't need the following, but a noob might so I'll type it. Take the weight off. Put your finger on the chain wheel and get ready to turn it back and forth. Put another finger on the fly so it can't turn. Torque the wheel both ways while watching the pivots. If any of them are flopping around, that pivot needs polishing, and the hole needs bushing. That pretty much applies to all trains on all clocks.

That said, I've seen 30 hour cuckoos whose pivot holes were so worn that the gears *fell out*. Not so with 8 days. The weights are not 8 times heavier. One slightly worn pivot hole can spoil the bunch.

Best,
Tom

Tom,
Thank you very much. I am a relative nooby ( at this for just about 1 year; 3 years on watches). I did note the slight pivot movement of which you spoke. Since it was relatively new and had been serviced, I didn't think that that could be the problem. I will have a chance to observe this clock over the coming years (clock delivered to customer already), and I will note my service record book accordingly. Thank you for your kind and expert assistance.

Jim Fischer