I just repaired a standard size 400 day clock by Herr (Horolovar back plate #1159). This clock seems to be a copy of the Schatz standard 400 day clock (movement model 49) but is not as well finished. This clock needed more pivot polishing than most 400 day clocks. Quite often a Schatz 49 will need 3 pivots polished (T2F, T3F and T4F) but this one needed 8 pivots polished (T2 – T5 front and back). Also the verge (pallet assembly) on this clock is not as well adjusted as on the Schatz. When the depth is set so that the drops are equal, the locking is not as deep as I would like. It has a one piece pallet assembly like the Schatz, so you can’t correct the lock by moving one pallet out. I made the best compromise adjustment and the clock runs well.
Another annoying thing with this clock was the process of installing a new suspension spring. A .004 inch thick spring was specified in the book. but it made the clock run fast. The next thinnest available spring is .0038, which is too thin. So I removed the blocks and fork from the spring two times to thin it. Finally after being thinned with 90 stokes of 600 grit abrasive paper, the clock could be regulated.
My Job 4496.
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The movement probably needs to be taken apart and cleaned and oiled, including taking the mainspring out of the barrel and cleaning and lubricating it. I recommend you buy the “Horolovar 400 Day Clock Repair Guide”, which shows where to position the fork (note that I have found that the fork should be slightly lower (see this post http://clockinfo.com/posts/95). The repair guide also has lots of other information about 400 day clock repair.
I just bought a model 49 Schatz 400 day clock and am trying to get it going. It appeared to only need a suspension spring and I replaced it with a new Horolovar .0040″ one. My problem is that after giving the pendulum a couple of turns to start it, it slowly stops turning at all, after about 10 minutes. I can move the pin and verge freely and have adjusted the fork, up and down the spring, have turned the saddle so that the number of rotations in each direction is equal and have set the Fast/Slow wheel to the max Fast setting. Do I need a larger spring to get more torsion? I also wound the clock and it only needed about 6-8 turns.
Thanks.