Schatz 8 Day Cuckoo Clock

 

 

I just overhauled a Schatz 8 day cuckoo clock. The movement is model 50 (has a 50 in the circle on the back plate). The customer has the top piece, so I could not include in in the photo. The nicely made movement has some surprises!

  • The movement plates are very classy with the design of a bird worked into them,
  • Separate controls for door and bird – bird goes in and out with each cuckoo while the door stays open,
  • The cuckoo and time train are on the opposite sides of the movement, compared to the majority of cuckoo movements,
  • Very large teeth on the time first and second wheels.

The weights are 2 lb, 12 oz. and 2 lb, 14 oz.

My job no. 4492. This clock had probably seen years of use, as many of the pivots needed to have wear removed and be polished. I installed 14 bushings.

The circle on the back plate says:

JAHRESUHRENFABRIK
50
GERMANY

The rectangle says:

NO (0) JEWELS
UNADJUSTED

Jahresunherfabrik means “Year Clock Company”. This was the company’s name for many years, as they started out as a manufacturer of 400 day or “Anniversary” clocks. In the early 1950’s they became known as Aug. Schatz and Sohne.

 

The photo above was made before the movement cleaning, as the dirt in the engraving makes the lettering show up better!


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78 comments

  1. Yes it does click on the hour and the half hour. I pull the string and it makes a clicking sound like an arm is pivoting up and down but nothing happens.

  2. It shouldn’t be wound too tight. Something could be loose or stuck, does it make a “click” noise at the time the cuckoo should play?

  3. Yes the leather was just replaced and when manually manipulated it makes noise, both sides. My uncle had it before he sent it to me. He also said that it coo coo’ed the day he packed it up. He had it well packed with bubble wrap. Could something have come loose or could it be wound to tight?

  4. It could be wear in the movement, or it could be something simpler. Is the leather on the bellows good?

  5. My father bought, now my Schaltz Coo Coo Clock, in the 1950s when he was in the Navy, while in Germany. I just got it and it runs great. The only problem is it won’t coo coo. The weight is all the way to the top. If I remember my grandmother told me that you could not over wind this clock. The clock was over wound but I solved that problem. So the problem is HOW DO I GET THE COO COO TO COO COO?

  6. The way to adjust this is to grasp the HOUR hand at the center and rotate it aorund to the hour that the clockis cuckooing. Thenuse the MINUTE hand to set the clock to the correct time.

  7. I purchaed a Schatz cuckoo clock recently from the Buxton Antique fair here in Derbyshire. It is not like the photo above; it has a bird on the roof apex and a maple leaf motif, but the mechanism looks the same. At first I could not get it to work, but by judicious tiny adjustments of the sliding pendulum, it finally started. This is VERY critical. Now I am highly delighted with it! It looks great against the white wall of my cottage.

  8. Hello I have a Schatz 8 day cuckoo clock (hunting) but it doesn’t have the top piece. Do you know how can I get one? And some of the numbers are missing. Where can I get these? Can you help? Thanks.

  9. I have a Schatz and Sumne 8-day cockoo clock. The minute hand is broken. Where can I purchase a replacement hand?

  10. It is best to get new material and recover the existing bellows (to keep things original). You can buy material from timesavers.com.

  11. Bill I purchased a clock with this exact same movement was able to get it working correctly but it needs 2 new bellows they have the trapezoid shape
    would you know where i could purchase them? Also
    thanks for posting this info as i have found it helpful.

  12. bill thanks this clock runs great until the chain jumps. where can i getthis chain@ 42 links per ft.thanks fred

  13. Bill, I got this same movement and it had nothing with it. I built the case and pout everything in it and its running but the chain jumps down the brass deluxe chain I put on is for a # 34 movement 48 links per foot is this right? thanks Fred

  14. It is used for synchronizing the cuckoo, it it is cuckooing the wrong hour. Every time you pull on it, it will cuckoo the next hour or half hour. Do this again and again until the cuckoo is correct.

  15. Great information! I have an 8 day. What is the little string with the ball hanging down under the right side for…I assume to control the bird(?). If so, how does it work?
    Thanks!!

  16. Hi, I have a Schatz 8 day movement ( same as Pictured above ). Do you know what chain it uses, i.e. how many links per foot? Thanks

  17. Just unpacked a relative’s 8 day clock, hung on wall. Assume the two weights go on the outside chains-the one to the rightwas pulled up close to the clock. Problem: Can not get pedulum to work. Any advice before I head off to clock repair person? Thanks, ED

  18. I recently purchased a Schatz 8-day. My third. The case is missing the bird door. Is there anyone out there that may have one to sell. Original weights will help also. Thanks

  19. Thank you for posting this information! It is very helpful and I’m counting myself lucky. We bought a cockoo clock at auction very cheaply and it fell to me to “get ‘er going”. There were 2 sets of weights and various odd parts. With some experimentation, it is indeed going (tilted a little to the left!), cockooing with good voice, and what looked like missing paint is the Schatz 8-day lable. The clock is painted red, white and blue with a bird on the pendulum. A lovely clock. She may never make it to the antique booth! Thanks again for this posting!

  20. First, make sure that the clock is flat against the wall and not leaning forward. Make sure that the metal wire that the pendulum hands on is not rubbing on the slot in the bottom of the case. Listen to the tick-tock of the clock – it should sound even. If it sounds uneven, tilt the clock to the left or right until the ticking sounds even.

  21. I would appreciate your advise deeply. I am 18 and I have a cuckoo clock birthday gift since I was 14. I moved my clock off the wall for a while and now that I hung it back the pendulum mechanism moves very fast without the wooden attachment to it, but when I put that wooden attachment ON, the pendulum stops swinging. So the whole thing does not work. I cannot afford to send it out to repair it. Can you advise me how to do it by myself????PLEASE:)

  22. One thing to check: be sure that the tail of the cuckoo bird is above the lifting wire. If the wire gets above the tail, the bird may not go all the way in.

  23. Bill. My grandfather just got an 8 day cuckoo clock and he realized that the cuckoo came out on the half hour. When he tried to adjust it so the cuckoo would come out on the hour, it worked, but now the cuckoo won’t go back into the clock, if you could help us out on this ordeal, I would be very grateful. Thank you, Caleb.

  24. Hi Bill. I have just purchased a Schatz 8 day cuckoo clock with exactly the same mechanism as the one in your pictures, except mine has engraved ‘AUG SCHATZ & SOHNE’. Everything on the clock works fine, but it gains about 15 minutes every 45 minutes! Is there some simple way of adjusting this? I can’t see anything obvious inside the clock. If you can help, that would be much appreciated. Kind regards, Wayne.

  25. I have the same problem as Betty..comment 18. Two of the three chains are pulled up tight, and the pendulum ticks for 12 cycles before quitting. Are the tight chains the problem?

  26. hi bill, i am reading through your web page with interest, i also have a SHATZ 8 day cuckoo clock which i can not get to work, i beleive it is the escapement verge, it is badly worn, is there any where i could purchase one? many thanks, mick.

  27. I have an old clock of my Dad’s with a one-day mechanism. I have disassembled and cleaned it and reassembled it but apparently there is a trick to aligning the cuckoo train because mine is going coo-cuck. I have figured out roughly what I need to do but it means complete disassembly so once I get there I am hoping you can tell me a sure fire way to aligning the gears correctly so I only have to reasssemble it one more time?

  28. Hi there, I too have the same clock as above.My clock was given to me, the pendulum will not keep going, The cukoo works when I push the hands around, so that weight works, but the other one doesnt move, and is pulled up tight, is this the problem.. Thanks Betty

  29. The first thing to try is to level the clock by EAR. Listen to the clock ticking. If the tick – tock is uneven, tilt the clock to the left of right until it sounds even. This might be all it needs. Also be sure that the clock is flat against the wall and not leaning out, which could cause the wire that holds the pendulum to rub on the slot in the bottom of the case.

  30. I have this exact same clokc right dfown to the bird brass design on the inside and the 50 in the circle. The problem I have is that I took it off the wall to clean it (as I hae done many times before) and now the pendulum will not keep going. I would like to know:

    1. Is there something very smple I can do to get it to continue to sway
    2. What is this clock worth so I cna determine if it is worth fixing and
    3. Do you have any idea what it would cost to repair the problem ??

    Thanks Tom

  31. I JUST came back from an old flea market where I bought this same clock for $10.00. It has been in someone’s garage for who knows how long. It appears to be in fine shape externally, but it is missing the weights and four of the numbers on the dial face came off, but were still with the clock. The insides look to be in good shape except for the two bellows which I believe are dry rotted and have holes in them.

    My question is this… I have only worked on one other clock in my life, and seem to have a natural ability, as I have absolutely no training or background in clock repair. My mother was the same way… I have seen her completely take apart the insides of many clocks including several cuckoos, clean, repair and reassemble them. When I saw this clock today I knew I could get it back in working order but I want to research how to go about doing it the right way.

    Can anyone give me some pointers as to where I would go to learn about what to use to clean the various parts of the inside of the clock and the proper way of doing it? What order do you go in when disassembling the inner working… etc. Where can I buy new weights and bellows…. basically anything you are willing to share with me as a result of your experience. I don’t want to take this to someone else, as I actually bought the clock with the idea of tackling this as a project or possible new hobby.

    Thanks !
    Chuck :- )

  32. Terry,

    Does your movement look like the one above? If so, then you have a Schatz. Actually, from the information that you give, I would say that you have a Schatz – with an age mentioned above – after 1950.

    Mike

  33. I just purchased a cuckoo clock with a “JAHRESUHRENFABRIK” and “Germany” stamped in a circle around the number 50, but it doesn’t have a “Schatz” label on it. It has a two chain mechanism, elk head, hanging rabbit and pheasant, with a gun and bag under the face. It has the handwriiten number 9512 written in pencil (on the back cover and in the housing, and these numbers match) and the initials “JFJ” stampped into the back cover near the wound wire gong. Can anyone give me any information on year of manufacture, etc. of this clock?
    Thanks,
    Terry

  34. I use the same cleaning solution for all metal parts except the chain. The movement must be taken apart for cleaning. The chain may not need cleaning, or you can clean it in a warm soap and water solution. I don’t recommend using an ammoniated solution for cleaning the chain, as it may end up looking non-uniform.

    Both weights are the same.

  35. I am ready to clean my Schatz cuckoo. Did you place the non-brass metals (black pieces and chain) in the same cleaning solution as your brass pieces? It is interesting that the weights are different weights. I will have to check mine.

  36. The “50” represents the year this movement was introduced, 1950. This is probably when Schatz started making cuckoo clocks.

  37. I have a similar cuckoo with that movement. Does the 50 represent the year 1950?

    My clock is the typical cuckoo with two birds on the side – as opposed to a hunter’s cuckoo clock. The “Schatz 8-day” is written on the door of the cuckoo, instead of below it.

    When did Schatz start making cuckoos – do you know?

  38. i have just inherited a schatz & sohne 8 day clock..could you give some details on the value or it..my mom received it round WWII..any help would be greatly appreciated….Taz

  39. Unfortunately, I don’t have one of these in the shop to examine. You may be able to find a clock or movement for parts on eBay.

  40. Hello Bill
    I read your blog with interest as I have come into possesion of a Schatz 8-day cuckoo clock which has apparently fallen off a wall and deemed irrepairable. The mechanism has come apart but on re-assembling it it was found that the gear betewen the drive and the hammer and bellow levers on the strike side was in fact missing. I was wondering if you would be able to assist with the dimensions of the gear wheel and the attached pinion dimension as we are having extreme difficulty in locating a suitable replacement. It would be extremely helpful if you were aware of how many teeth were on the gear and /or the pinion. The movement is stamped KU50 AUG-SCHATZ & SOHNE and measures 92 X 84.5 ml with a 32ml gap between the plates. If you are aware of anyone who may supply the required gear and pinion this would be extremely helpful. I reside in the UK. many thanks for your help Regards Malcolm Beavers

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