Why doesn’t my clock strike the correct time?

IF YOUR CLOCK IS MODERN, and the strike and the time on your clock don’t agree, it’s because the hour hand has been moved.  There is a gear on the shaft that the hour hand is on that controls the strike, and that seldom gets out of adjustment.

To correct the strike, move the minute hand to the next hour and count the strikes.  Leave the minute hand at the 12:00 position, and SLIDE the hour hand to match the number of times that the clock just struck.

For example, lets say that the clock indicates 3:00, but it only strikes twice.  Leave the minute hand at 12:00 position, and slide the hour hand from the 3:00 position, to the 2:00 position.  That it!  Then leave the hour hand alone, and set your clock to the correct time.

IF YOUR CLOCK IS AN ANTIQUE, AND…

THE TIME AND STRIKE DON’T AGREE, several things could have happened.  The clock could have run down, and it kept running after it quit striking, or the minute hand could have been set backwards while the clock was getting ready to strike.  In either case, move the minute hand to the 12:00 position, and slide the hour hand to match the number of times the clock just struck.  Once you have the clock coordinated, advance the minute hand to the correct time.

YOUR CLOCK STRIKES THE HOUR AT THE HALF HOUR AND THE HALF HOUR AT THE HOUR, you will have to listen to your clock.  Advance the minute hand toward the hour or half hour position (somewhere around 5 minutes before it strikes) and you will hear a click and a “whirr”.  In clock terms, we have unlocked the strike train in order to let it get prepared to strike.  We call it “warning”.  If we use a car analogy, we have shifted the transmission from park to drive, but our foot is still on the brake.  To correct the strike, advance the minute hand toward the hour position, and let your clock go into warning.  Once it finishes warning, BACK UP the MINUTE HAND 10 0r 15 minutes.  The clock will strike.  This will advance the striking 1/2 hour.  Count the number of times the clock struck, and slide the HOUR HAND to that hour.  Your clocks time and strike will now agree.  Now, just advance the MINUTE HAND to the correct time, and you are all set.

If the clock gets out of sequence during the week, the clock will have to be adjusted by a repairperson.

In both cases, you will need to make sure that the hour hand doesn’t touch the minute hand anywhere.  If they touch, the clock will stop. Simply push the hour hand collet towards the dial.  The hour hand needs to jiggle like a loose tooth.