Ridgeway clock

Question

QUESTION: hi william,this is brian . i recently had my ridgeway clock cleaned and the guy who cleaned it did a very good job on it,but i was wondering that is it ok to leave the clock locks gears off and run it like this? the guy who cleaned it said that it would be better to leave them off cause it would jam the clock up and stop it is this true or not? the locks are the little gears behind the face plate that lets you wind it so far and makes it stop at the bottom when the weights get low and they look like little sprockets. thank you, brian

ANSWER: To my way of thinking the job is not done until every thing is restored to its proper operating condition. Whether or not the works were functioning or not has nothing to do with anything. In my opinion your repair person has not finished his work. The stop works, installed by the maker, is integral to the full operation of the clock, as intended by the maker. I do agree that the clock will run and keep time, however, one of its safety features has been deactivated. This is your risk, not the repair person's. I suspect the repair person does not understand how the stop works functions and has taken the easy way out, palming off his job as done. Frankly there is no way I would accept this. ---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: WILLIAM THIS IS BRIAN AGAIN,OK WILL IT HURT TO LEAVE THE STOP WORKS OR CLOCK STOPS OUT AND WILL IT HURT ANYTHING ABOUT THE CLOCK? IF SO I WILL MAKE HIM PUT THEM BACK,BUT THE REASON THAT HE LEFT THEM OUT WAS IT WOULD JAM THE CLOCK AND MAKE IT STOP. I AGREE WITH TOU ABOUT PUTTING THEM BACK ,BUT ITS LIKE ANY OTHER SAFETY FEATURE LIKE SEAT BELT ALARM IN A VEHICLE, IT DONT HURT IT BUT IT REMINDS YOU.I JUST WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING ,IF IT DONT HURT IT I MAY LEAVE THEM OUT . THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP

Answer

Installed correctly, as it was at the factory, the stop works would never stop your clock. The feature is designed to prevent gear and other damage through pulling the chains up to far. By neutralizing these components you open the door for such damage. It might not happen, that's a risk you have to determine yourself. Placing the stop gears in their correct positions is not at all difficult. Any competent repair person, and yeah some incompetents, could readily perform that task. Again, I personally would not accept such lack of craftsmanship. Sorry I cannot be of tangible help. Regards WJP

Question

Ok... I have a Ridgeway clock that i am trying to get a pendulum for. I believe that it is a Grandmother clock because it is not large enough to be a grandfather clock. I have searched and searched on the internet and can not find anything about this particular clock, or even a picture of another one like it. I will give you all the information that I have on the clock, and I hope that you will be able to help me. In the owners manual it says "The Ridgeway Clock Has An "E" or "G" Movement, The Old Warranty card is still in the bottom of the clock with this information on it...Model Number 309, Movement E, Finish White, Serial Number 560. Inside the top door of the clock is a sticker that says The Connoiseur Collection By Ridgeway. The address on the Reply envelope is Ridgeway Division, Gravely Furniture Co., Inc, Ridgeway, Virginia 24148. The clock has a green velvet like backing around the clock and behind the weights and where the pendulum should be. That is about all I know. Any info you can find would have to help me. Thanks so much for your time and help, it is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks, Ashley

Answer

Ashley, there is very little published information on modern production clocks, concerning configurations such as movements, pendulum, etc. I have the last reference book put out by Ridgeway in 1997. The 2002 clock catalogs I have use 4-digit numbers for the clock models, so yours with a 2-digit number is probably quite a bit older. It had been quite some time since Ridgeway was a division of Gravely. Ridgeway is no longer in business and was bought out by Howard Miller in 2005. In my movement reference there is no reference to an "E" or "G" movement. The only reference codes are 2-digit. However, the important information I would need can be found on the back plate of the movement. If you can send me all the information you find there, I can probably determine what pendulum you need. It would also help if you could send me a clear digital photo of the back of the movement showing the pendulum hanging configuration. My shop email address is below.