Diplomat 1000-1m grandfather clock

QuestionEdit

Hello,

I have inherited a Diplomat 1000-1M Grandfather Clock and the Pendulum only swings for about a minute then gradually looses it motion. I checked the manual and adjusted the anchor arm to ensure that it moves evenly from left to right. I also listened for the beat to verify that the time between beats are equal. However I did notice that i am missing a beat adjustment screw. Would this one screw cause the pendulum to loose its movement? If so, where could I find a replacement Beat Adjustment Screw? Thank you in advance for any assistance you could provide.

AnswerEdit

I presume the beat adjustment screw you refer to is located upon the pendulum leader. If so the best bet would be to acquire a whole new leader. This item would be available from any clock material house. (Merritt's Antiques, TimeSavers, Empire Clock or Ronell Clock.) However, I doubt that this is your problem. You state the clock was inherited, I presume, therefore, that the clock was not running for at least several days. If the clock had not been recently cleaned and fresh lubricants applied it is highly likely, that through lack of motion, the atmospheric dirt accumulated on the clock works has congealed with the lubricant causing considerable friction. This would explain why the clock does not want to run. I suggest you have one of two things done. 1). Have the clock cleaned. 2). Acquire a clock lubrication kit and lubricate the clock yourself, in accordance to the instructions provided with the kit. Such kits are available on the inter-net. One such location is <howtorepairclocks.com/clock-oil.html>