Modern Grandfather Clock Weights（现代的老爷钟的重量）.pdf

5/28/2013 Modern Grandfather Clock Weights Modern Grandfather Clock Weights Since much of the work I do involves overhauling grandfather clocks, problems relating to their designs and performance have been part of the challenge. The plot thickens with modern mechanisms because they are mass-produced in prodigious quantities, made possible by newer methods of production and choice of raw materials that facilitate time-saving and cost-cutting techniques essential to mass production and the long-term reduction in costs to the consumers. While these techniques are truly effective in cutting costs, they frequently compromise the overall quality and durability of the products. One technique frequently used by manufacturers is to use the same weights for several different mechanisms, making it possible to order larger quantities of particular sizes, thereby benefiting from economies of scale and lower cost per unit. I have seen many clocks made since the 1960’s that have weights that are far too heavy. For example, I have a German clock with a Kieninger movement (one second pendulum, Westminster chime, chain driven, ca 1968) with a 9 pound time weight, giving the pendulum extraordinary overswing. Antique clocks, while frequently equipped with heavier weights than necessary, have movements that were less precisely engineered than the modern, machine-made ‘technowunders’, which makes them more forgiving to work on. For example, the antique British grandfather clocks (circa 1830) with recoil escapements frequently have 17 pound time weights, yet they work well! I began collecting data by recording information about the mechanisms that came in for repair and weighing the weights that came with them. After overhauling them, I would observe and compare