Care & Maintenance

Care and Maintenance

We have created this page to give you tips on how to care for and maintain your clock for many happy years to come.

 Cases

The case should be lightly dusted regularly, taking care not to knock the clock.  We recommend not use any polish or cleaning products on the case unless instructed so by the clock manufacturer or a clockmaker.   Clocks where the case can be opened should also be dusted regularly also again no cleaning products should be used.   If the clock is wall mounted make sure the weight of the open door doesn’t knock the clock out of level. Remember to avoid the dusting the dial.

Dials

Care should always be taken not to touch the dial.  All types of dials can be affected by the moisture from your hands which is corrosive to the dial.  Fingers and hands also deposit dirt and grease which will damage the dial and hands over the life time of the clock.  For vulnerable dials the use of rubber gloves is recommended when moving the hands.  Never attempt to clean a dial yourself.   If the dial needs to be cleaned we recommend you contact a local clockmaker.

Moving your clock

If you decided to move your clock somewhere else in your home or if you’re moving house, special care should be taken.

On a carriage clock you have to secure the balance wheel before it can be moved.

Mantel clocks should only be moved once the pendulum has been removed.

Wall, Longcase and Grandfather clocks need the weights and the pendulum removed.   Care should be taken with weights as the chain or guts need to be secured in some way so they don’t unravel in transit.  The manufacturers instructions should give some indication how best to do this.

Servicing

Your clock will need servicing and we would recommend having it serviced about every ten years whether your clock stops functioning or not in this period.  If you leave your clock until it stops functioning altogether then the work required to get it functioning again will be much more extensive thus possibly costing you more.   Don’t attempt to service the clock yourself and only take it to a fully qualified clockmaker.   Some clock manufacturers may have their own clock servicing workshops but we have a clock repairs page with a list of clockmakers throughout the U.K. who would be able to take on any such clock repair.