Saturday, March 29, 2008

Grandfather Clock

Our gandfather clock which we inherited from my aunt is over 30 years old but has been silent (no ticking or chimes) since before Christmas and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

This morning we decided to to bite the bullet and visit John Bouwman, Clockmaker in Burlington to see what possible repair would cost. We discovered that a home visit would cost $150 just to have John walk in the door - repairs & parts on top of that.

The Bouwman's, husband & wife, were very helpful, however, and gave us some things to look for and also the encouragement to try & repair the clock ourselves - something we had been reluctant to try.

Soon we had the front & back off the clock & the chimes removed. Thanks to the Bouwman's advise the problem was soon apparent but not the solution. While I was downstairs looking for new & larger tools (a male answer to many problems) my keen eyed wife solved the problem & within minutes the clock was back in action.

Now the thing will probably keep us awake all night with its chiming : )

Many thanks to John Bouwman, Clockmaker. If any of you need clock or watch repairs please keep John in mind. He is located on John Street at the corner of Lakeshore in Burlington.

7 comments:

Don G said...

Bob, you didn't tell us what MRV did to the clock to make it run.

Patti said...

"new and larger tools" - that's funny!

So what DID mrv do?

D_Morrison said...

I just LOVE Grandfather clock's. My wife has no idea why I love them so much but we all have our hobbies right?

Bob said...

Don & Patti:
I didn't know the techical terms but mrv was able to move the "whatsit" from the wrong slot in the "thingy", put it in the right slot & now the clock works!!

d_
we have 3 chiming clocks, one musical one & at least 3 more that just tick loudly.
mrv thinks I may have a problem - she is probably right : )

Kelly said...

THAT is a completely technical explanation ... i understood it perfectly! ;)

Patti said...

yup, worked for me too.

Dougie G said...

My father-in-law made his own grandfather clock. He did a very nice job. I'm not convinced that it keeps accurate time. I guess it's more of a decoration than a time piece. The chimes are nice and I love the wood. It really adds character to a room.