I acquired a Seth Thomas mantle clock, movement #124. It run for about a minute then stops hard like it gets stuck. I tried different level positions with no luck. The movement is very clean. Almost new looking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

It could be a couple of things Larry:
1.Try tilting your movement or clockcase until you get an even "tic-toc" sound.Once you achieve that sound note which way you had to tilt your movement to achieve it and kink or push your crutch to that high side.That way when your movement is sitting level it should be in beat.
2.You may have too much lock on your pallet/escapewheel teeth which may be causing the pallet to lock up on a tooth or two.Look for the eccentric arm which raises the pallet up or down and raise it slightly.Before you do that though mark the original position of the arm with a Sharpie so you will have a reference in case adjusting it didn't help.I usually tap the arm with a small punch but you may be able to use a pair of pliers.Use your reference mark to guide you.It doesn't take much to correct that problem.
I can't guarantee that this will solve your problem but it's certainly worth a try.
Respectfully,Bob Fullerton

Larry,
Welcome to Ch. 185. That is a pretty hard question to answer without having the movement in hand. However, there are a few things to look for. Even though the movement looks clean, it could be dry. Do you know when it was last oiled. It could also need bushing. If the pivot holes are worn, even though the movement may have been recently cleaned, it will still not function. The striking or chiming mechanism may be jammed, as can happen during transport. The depthing of the escapement may need adjusting. There could also be a bent tooth, perhaps on the escape wheel.

Do what you can to check these things out, and let us know what you find.

Thanks a bunch. I oiled it and I'm now looking for bent teeth etc. I'll let you know what I find if I can't get it running. Thanks again.

Thanks again for all your help. I did some work as you all instructed (re oiled movement. And slightly bored out the screw holes attaching the pallet so I could slightly raise it from the escape wheel) and got it running with the exception that I had to block the right side of the case 1/2 inch high to get to stay running. Now I have to try bending the crutch so as I can get the case level and still work. Thanks for your help and any advice on the crutch or other fix.

Forgive my ignorance and I hope I've got the terminology right. Not exactly sure what the crutch is. Is it the part you hang the pendulum on, or what the suspension spring hangs through and is part of the verge. Thanks

Larry,the part you hang the suspension on is called the suspension post.The part the suspension spring passes through is called the chops.The part that the suspension rod passes through is called the crutch.The crutch is the device that gives the impulse to your pallets as dictated by the amplitude of the pendulum.I believe the #124 has a friction fit crutch that rotates around the pallet arbor as opposed to a fixed crutch that is anchored to the pallet arbor.That being the case what you would do is reach in your case and take your fingers and push your crutch over to the side of the movement you have your blocks under.Don,t force the issue,push it a little at a time,remove the blocks,and see if you're getting an even "tic-toc".This is strictly trial and error.In the course of bending your crutch you may push it to far that way.Try lifting the case up on the other side to check it if it sounds better.If that is the case push it a bit to that side.One method some of the repairmen use to put a clock in beat is to overswing the pendulum and let the entry and exit pallets bottom out on the escape wheel,basically letting the movement find it's own center.Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but that is another way of adjusting the beat.
I don't have a #124 in front of me but it seems to me that there should be a provision on one side or the other of the pallet arbor for a drop/lock adjustment.You shouldn't have had to modify ant screw holes.You may want to take another peek at it.One more thing,you'll want the minimal amount of drop (clearance betwwen the tip of the pallet and the tip of the escape wheel tooth) between pallet impulses.Too much drop and your pendulum won't have good amplitude,too little drop and the pallet will more than likely hang up on the escape wheel.Play around with it a bit,you're not going to hurt anything,Just make sure you mark the location of the pallet adjustment arm on the movement plate for a reference guide.
Best of luck with your adjustments.
Bob Fullerton

Larry,
this is not the #124 movement. If I had not packed all my books already I would have taken a scan of a 124 for you. However, this and the descriptions from Bob should hold you in good stead.

Hope this helps.

If the crutch is flat, and not a round wire, then it is often the case that the verge is friction tight on its arbor and by holding the verge and moving the crutch, rather than bending it you can adjust the beat.

Larry, this link will give you some more movement part descriptions.
http://www.bhi.co.uk/hints/clock.htm
Mike C.

I thank you all a bunch. Now I understand what I have to do. Thanks again.