Hi All. I am new to clock repair. I have a New England Clock Co Regulator thats about 25 years old. It stopped running and I'd like to take it apart and clean it, as a goal. I am not going to try anything more involved as a novice. Ive bought and viewed 2 on-line instructional videos eg. Tascione's, and read a couple books. My concern is the spring winder (I know its tricky, and I'm am not very coordinated) . Is there any tools that are safe but not over $100.00 ? I almost feel that I'd like to borrow one from my neigborhood clock shop (which I will not do) before I invest in one. Any suggestions? Tim

Do you at least have some (spring)clamps and some way to let the springs down before trying to take it apart? You could then take the springs to your local clock shop where they could clean the spring for you. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you could how you could do this operation.

greg

Thanks Greg, I appreciate the idea which is a great solution. The Spring clamps I can handle.
Take Care

Hi Tim,
You will need to hold the springs with the clamps, but you should have a suitable let down tool, to control the speed of let down. I have read about people using a broom handle that was slotted to fit over the winding key that came with clock and I guess it will work. But here are a couple suggestions on this page from Timesavers. This is my favorite supplier for any clock repair stuff. This page includes a set of clamps, and a spring winder that are reasonable. Also I found from Timesavers a neat tool for letting down springs also. You will be able to wind up the springs after cleaning with this tool also. Also its a pretty good idea to use leather gloves and safety glasses for "just in case" things don't go as planned.
I hope this helps some.

I hope this helps a little.

This is the Timesavers page with the clamps and spring winder. Some use no more than soft wire or hose clamps to hold the springs also. You have to be safe and you don't want to hurt yourself or the clock. Just keep that in mind!

Bill, Thanks for the assist. I'll check Time Savers out. Tim G