Clock Repair
A Bench Reference for Movement Servicing and Escapement Adjustment
★★★★★3.2 · 5 reviewsby Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Stop guessing. Master movement servicing and escapement adjustment with bench-ready procedures, exact values, and troubleshooting tables.
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About this book
You've cleaned a few movements, maybe replaced a mainspring, but when a clock stubbornly refuses to run, you're left guessing. This book gives you the systematic approach used by professional restorers—focused entirely on the movement and its escapement. It's not a beginner's overview; it's a bench reference that lives next to your work, with numbered procedures, exact tolerances, and settings-by-material tables that take the mystery out of the job.
From the first chapter, you'll learn how to evaluate a movement before you touch it—measuring wear, checking pivot condition, and identifying the likely culprits. Then you'll move through the core techniques: proper bushing installation, pivot polishing, and the critical art of escapement adjustment. Whether you're working on a 400-day clock, a Vienna regulator, or a striking mantel clock, the procedures here are adaptable and precise. You'll learn how to set pallet depth, adjust drop and lock, and fine-tune a balance or pendulum escapement until it's truly reliable.
The final sections are pure bench tools: a comprehensive troubleshooting guide organized by symptom, cause, and fix, plus quick-reference tables for gear ratios, pivot sizes, and lubrication specs. With this book, you'll stop relying on luck and start working with intent—every repair done right, the first time.
Reader Reviews
Richard White
★★★★★I've been repairing clocks for a few years and thought I knew most of this, but the section on anchor adjustment finally made the difference for a stubborn Vienna regulator I had. The tables are handy, but some of the procedures assume you have a depthing tool and other specialized equipment that I don't have yet. Still, it's a solid reference for the money.
Kimberly Roberts
★★★★★This book is well-organized for bench use, which I appreciate. The troubleshooting tables are the best part—I've already used them twice to fix a strike issue and a balance problem. My only complaint is that some of the diagrams are a bit small; I had to squint to see the pivot polish illustrations. But the content is accurate and practical.
Kathleen Martin
★★★★★I bought this hoping to get more confident with escapements, and it does deliver on that. The step-by-step for pallet adjustment is clear, and I like that it gives exact numbers instead of 'feel'. However, I was expecting more on the actual repair of worn pivots and less on theory. The chapter on bushing installation is good, but I wish it had more photos of real wear patterns.
Steven Mitchell
★★★★★Finally a clock repair book that treats me like I've already cleaned a movement. The movement evaluation checklist alone is worth the price—it's saved me from wasting time on movements that were beyond repair. The 400-day clock project was exactly what I needed, and I got my Kundo running within a day. The troubleshooting tables are now my first stop when a clock acts up. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to move past the basics.
Linda Nguyen
★★★★★Decent book, but not for complete beginners. I've done a few clock repairs and felt comfortable with the language, but I can see how someone with less experience would get lost. The chapter on escapement geometry is thorough, but I had to reread it a couple of times. The reference tables are useful, though—I keep it open on the bench when I'm working. Good value for the price.