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Interior Design & Decor
A Look at Cuckoo Clock Movement
The inside mechanics of cuckoo clocks
maintain virtually the same design since the day they were first
created in the Black Forest of Germany. While the parts are now
sometimes made out of metal and plastic instead of the all wood
versions that started it all, the weights and counterbalance
mechanisms that help them perform accurately and to imitate the
sound of the cuckoo bird have not changed much in almost 300 years.
A mechanical movement run by weights that hang from the bottom of
the clock drives the action of most cuckoo clocks. Most clocks have
three weights, while some larger more complex versions require three
weights hanging from the front of the cabinet. They are commonly in
the shape of pinecones and must be pulled periodically, depending on
the model. Spring-driven cuckoo clocks never really caught on and
subsequently are quite rare.
Black Forest cuckoo clocks run on a set of wheels that lock gears
and provide the power necessary to swing the pendulum back and
forth. Every time the pendulum makes a complete swing back and
forth, one tooth of the wheel is released from the escape wheel.
Each time a tooth escapes, the time train moves forward, resulting
in a very small movement of the minute hand. When you first bring
your new cuckoo clock home you will need to test its timing against
a battery operated clock of some kind. If you measure the difference
in time between your cuckoo clock and “real” time, you can then
adjust your cuckoo clock to perform more accurately by adjusting the
weights that hang beneath the housing. It’s always an educated guess
rather than an exact science, and old fashioned cuckoo clocks are
never one hundred percent accurate, but patience and readjustments
made every twenty four hours over a few days will get your clock
functioning as close to perfection as possible. The standard rule of
thumb is to try to get your clock to miss only a few minutes per
week and live with it.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
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