Help, From the clock guys! I had a dream this week on this Schatz &Sohne 400 day movement and dail only model 49 born 12-54 maybe trying to fix need help.The windng wheel pivot is broke, need hands and a base, What else? Is this just a dream or do i have a better chance of flying? I no very little about clocks. Thanks for any help. Ted
Ted you may find parts on Ebay. These type of clocks the 400 day clocks do go cheap on Ebay, you might find a similar clock at a good price in decent shape on Ebay. Of all the clocks i have, the 400 day types, usually the same problem.Broken suspension spring and or pallet problems. These clocks are not easy to work on, but are a challenge. I know a little about them and want to learn more.
You may be able to get parts from Horolovar Company; I think there was a post about them not long ago. It may cost you more to restore this one than to buy another; that's my opinion for what it's worth. I bought the last one I got at a flea market a couple years ago for $20.00. It's a Kundo and had a plastic dome, but I found a glass dome to fit at the local Salvation Army Thrift shop for $0.99.
Posts: 676 | Location: Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA | Registered: December 08, 2002
Ted, I may have the parts you need. Give me exact measurements of the back plate of the movement, and escpecially the distance between the mounting holes in the posts on the bottom of the movement. Also, any writing on the back plate. You can email the info and we can take it from there. I may even have the correct suspension spring for it.
Tom
Posts: 2537 | Location: Mount Angel, Oregon in the U.S.A. | Registered: November 19, 2002
Thanks Tom, Got all the parts I need in mail from you yesterday they are great. Will spend some time cleaning this up and then putting together is going to be a task may need help clock guys! Regards TED
Update, Put everything together on Sunday cleaned the movement. And its been running about 15min fast but still running.Will put photos up later. What is a good way to clean the brass on this? I feel good about this my first clock i've worked on. Thanks Tom and everyone. Regards Ted
...well done Ted, you're a natural!!! ...re cleaning the brass: in my case, what doesn't come clean for me when I've got the clock apart and bathed, I then use 'Simichrome' on the affected areas, again while it's apart, and follow with an ultrasonic bath...wouldn't use any cleaners on the 'piece when it's assembled (except for the base) for fear of leaving clogging residue behind...sounds to me me like all you have left to do is to 'tweak' the rating nut clockwise to get it 'in-time'...
Way to go Ted, good work.Is this the first clock you have worked on? Did you have to replace the suspension spring on this one? I am going to start working on the 400 clocks soon. I hope to see some pictures of your clock when you are finished.
When cleaning the brass on 400 day clocks, be aware that parts may be coated with lacquer. If cleaning with something like Simple Green doesn't work, and you start using polish, like Simichrome, then you will go through the lacquer. Once that is started, there is no stopping until the whole thing is stripped clean of the lacquer. Even the plates of the movement have a lacquer finish.
Great job! Thanks for posting the pictures.
Tom
Posts: 2537 | Location: Mount Angel, Oregon in the U.S.A. | Registered: November 19, 2002
Update, Five days and still ticking, Did two tweaking on the rating nut got her to within 1 min a day. I just want to thank Tom, Jim, and kevin for there help. Regards Ted
You are doing good Ted, these clocks are the most difficult i think to time them and work on them.You will find also the temperature in your house will make this clock run a little quicker or slower. All the best in your clock work.
Some of the full size Schatz 49 like your's have a maintainging power spring in a seperate barrel. I think it is on what they call the "third wheel" (what do I know). Does your's have this? It was only offered for about one year before they discontinued it. It was to help it have a more continuous power over the 400 days, and they say it allowed them to be able to run for 500 days.
I'll try to put some pictures of one in here some day. I ended up finding several of them.
Andy
So many clocks, so little time.
Posts: 1190 | Location: Indiana in the U.S.A. | Registered: November 25, 2002
About cleaning plates, If the brass looks good I leave it alone and DO NOT put the plate into clock cleaning or rinsing solution. That will take the lacquer off. Hand clean the pivot holes with pith wood instead. (I do this on some lacquered plate grandfathers too)
If lacquer if flaking off anyway so it needs polishing, go ahead and run it through the cleaning process. Some lacquer will still cling, but it gets most of it off and you can polish off the rest. Relacquer and peg out the holes again before assembly.
The real key to getting one of these to run 400 days (assuming there are no escapement, suspension spring or mainspring issues) is setting the beat exactly even. Not easy to do when it is 7.5 seconds between the beats! I finally bought an electronic timer last year so I can now set the beat to within 0.1 seconds. If everything else is good these clocks will run way past 400 days.
