6/8/19

Adjusting the Flags of the Wee Willie Clock



A builder needed help adjusting the flags of the Wee Willie clock.  He sent the above picture and question to Clayton and here is Clayton's response:

Thanks for sending the picture, Frank.  Helps a lot.

It looks like you simply need, in one of the ways listed below, to alter the distance between the pins and your flags by a tiny bit.  

You want just enough clearance from the time the one pin leaves the flag to the moment that its opposing pin contacts the other flag.  Apparently you can't get that clearance with the way the pins are set into the escape wheel (crown wheel), or because the center wheel arbor pivot hole is too far back, or because the crown wheel is too far forward, or because the flags are just a hair too long.

Here are some options to try;

1) The simplest route, if you have the room, it to simply move the center arbor forward a bit.  That will relocate the verge pivot hole so that you may have room to allow the flags more freedom.  You'll  need to slightly adjust the loop up at the top, too.

2) You can measure the distance from the end of the escape pin to the end of the flag, divide by two and shorten each flag at the sander.   

3) Instead of shortening the flags you could opt to push the escape pins into the escape wheel just a hair, but if your pins already all at the same height it would probably be the best course to simply shorten the flags.

4) You could also simply bend the existing flags into a bowed, or "C" shape.  One flag bowed one way and the other bowed the other.  Bending them in such a manner would shorten them but still allow you to avoid sanding to shorten the straight flags you have right now. 

So there are four possibilities.  Personally, I think I'd first move the arbor forward and if that didn't work, try bowing the flags.  By bending them out, and then back in again you automatically shorten them so that the escape pins can be alternatively released and caught.

One of those options should get your Wee Willie swinging happily.

Keep me posted.  


Enjoy!


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I love comments, but in order for me to have more time playing in my sawdust, I cannot respond to them here. If you have a technical question, please do not post it here, or I will have my wife answer it for me and her technical knowledge is highly suspect. For technical questions, check out the FAQ section of my website, or find my email link there. Mahalo and Aloha, Clayton