Still Learning...Its Good For The Brain!

  It is time to work the brain a bit!  Two of my grown kids keep after me to learn new things.  "You have to keep the brain active, Mom.  Don't let it stagnate or it will lead to other things."  Sorry, kids.  My brain is already there.  Still, I try hard to learn something new each day but some learning projects take longer than a single day.  Last year, I decided that I have a burning interest in antique, key-wind clocks.  My grandparents' clock sat idle on the mantel for years and years without ever a single tick so it was time to (ahem) "fix" that clock.  For the longest time, I sat and looked at the inner workings without ever touching a thing.  I wanted to see just where and how things were supposed to work.  Then, I started tinkering with the clock and after a couple of days...it worked!  My discovery was that it had been overwound and the pendulum arm had been bent.  Two minor repairs and the clock has been ticking away and chiming correctly since!  Success!  Then, the obsession grew!  More clocks were added to the collection.  Each had a small repair to be tended before it was happily ticking away.  This hobby is fulfilling to say the least.  I know that I will never be a professional clocksmith but the brain is challenged and that is a good thing.

  Today was a rainy day so to fill the time, I decided that another clock repair was in order.  This time, the clock worked but stopped occasionally and had to be restarted.  The springs were wound but the pendulum action would die out and the clock could not keep correct time.  I gingerly opened the little door on the back and peered inside.  Everything appeared to be in working order.  There were no broken springs, bent pendulum arms or even overwound springs.  There was, however, a good bit of goo on the inner workings.  It appeared that someone had decided to "oil" the clock with some type of spray lubricant.  Well, there was nothing to do but get to cleaning.  I am not yet comfortable with dismantling the entire clockworks so I did a "spot" clean.  Accessible parts were all gently cleaned of the bluish gunk and wiped with a lint-free cloth.  Suddenly, the clock started ticking without the pendulum even in place!  

  The plan is to let the clock fully "run down" before any further cleaning is attempted.  Afterward, the remaining goo will be removed, the clock oiled and the pendulum replaced.  Yet another addition to the ticking in the living room!  There are now ten working clocks with only one needing repair.  I shall wait for another rainy day to tackle that one.  Lesson of today's repair job...folks do not oil your antique clock with spray lubricant!  There are a number of oil sinks where the gear shafts sit in the clock plates (front and back).  ONE teeny, tiny droplet of oil in each sink does the job.  You do not want oil running everywhere AND make sure to use a quality clock oil...NOTHING ELSE! Ok...so I have you up-to-date on what I learned today.  The brain is working!