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Old 24th Jan 2018, 10:12 am   #1
thomaslane
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Location: Midhurst, West Sussex, UK.
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Default Smiths Electric Clock. Stopped.

Morning everyone.
I was looking through a lot of the threads on Saturday whilst I was waiting in a long queue at the barbers but couldnt quite find what I was looking for so thought id register and see whether anyone on here was able to help me.

I have a Smiths Sectric table clock (with a larger T) which had been working fine and then stopped randomly.
I could hear it buzzing so thought id take a look inside.
Ive put a little light oil with the tip of a screwdriver on the various cogs inside, and have checked that there is power getting to the coil.
Although im an engineer of sorts this is not my area of expertise by any means and so please excuse my incorrect terminology.
The windings are encased in a metal box which appears to still be magnetised when the power is on. The stator? presumably has to sit just so in the middle of the magnetic field without touching the sides. Is this correct? In which case the rear securing plate doesnt seem to be particularly worn but I just wondered if I am missing something or whether the entire middle of the coil is supposed to be lubricated.
The other end of the stator seems to fit into a hole ok and match up with the worm gear. There is also a little sprung metal flap which seems to act as a non return spring so the stator will only go in one direction.
I attach some pics which may help.
There is a separate issue with the alarm namely the on off knob appears to be broken in the off position but separate to that, the copper tab makes contact and sounds the alarm but when the alarm time adjusting knob is tightened back up, it pulls the tab off the buzzer despite it appearing to be at a time/ position when it should still be maintaining contact.

Anyway, apologies for the uninvited rambling but any assistance would be appreciated. This looks to be a lovely little clock and although it has no sentimental value (I found it in a boot fair) I would like to get it working again ideally.
One point is that it had a two pin plug. Does that mean it should work with polarity switched? Ive rewired it to a three pin plug and it had been working in this configuration prior to it stopping.

Many thanks in advance
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Old 24th Jan 2018, 11:17 am   #2
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Smiths Electric Clock. Stopped.

Hi Thomas, and welcome,

Comments below, but my guess is as it's been working previously, the oil on the pivots has turned to grease and some or all have seized up. You will really have to dismantle the movement and wash everything out. Not as bad as it looks if you take plenty of pictures!
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomaslane View Post
Morning everyone.
I was looking through a lot of the threads on Saturday whilst I was waiting in a long queue at the barbers but couldnt quite find what I was looking for so thought I'd register and see whether anyone on here was able to help me.

I have a Smiths Sectric table clock (with a larger T) which had been working fine and then stopped randomly.
I could hear it buzzing so thought I'd take a look inside.
Ive put a little light oil with the tip of a screwdriver on the various cogs Wheels shouldn't be lubricated, only pivots. inside, and have checked that there is power getting to the coil.
Although im an engineer of sorts this is not my area of expertise by any means and so please excuse my incorrect terminology.
The windings are encased in a metal box which appears to still be magnetised when the power is on. The stator? Rotor presumably has to sit just so in the middle of the magnetic field without touching the sides. Is this correct? Yes. In which case the rear securing plate doesnt seem to be particularly worn but I just wondered if I am missing something or whether the entire middle of the coil is supposed to be lubricated. No.
The other end of the stator seems to fit into a hole ok and match up with the worm gear. There is also a little sprung metal flap which seems to act as a non return spring so the stator will only go in one direction. That's right.

One point is that it had a two pin plug. Does that mean it should work with polarity switched? I've rewired it to a three pin plug and it had been working in this configuration prior to it stopping. As it's AC there's no polarity as such but it's not a bad idea to add an earth as you've done.

Many thanks in advance
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Old 25th Jan 2018, 11:19 pm   #3
thomaslane
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Default Re: Smiths Electric Clock. Stopped.

Great thanks Mike. That’s good to know. I will tackle it this weekend.
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Old 26th Jan 2018, 1:12 am   #4
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Smiths Electric Clock. Stopped.

If you don't feel confident about dismantling the mechanism completely, you can bodge it by applying a small amount of WD40 from a screwdriver blade or needle oiler to the pivots. Don't just spray it everywhere, and wipe off any surplus with a bit of rag. Let it soak in and move the mechanism by rotating the motor shaft. Once the clock starts to run, leave it running for a few days, then relubricate the pivots with (ideally) clock oil or sewing machine oil. WD40 alone is a poor long term lubricant (it is mostly white spirit).

Mike's suggestion of a complete stripdown is a much better solution in principle, but that's no use if you're left with a box of bits with no idea how to put them back together. Only you can make the decision.

Smiths electric clock movements are tough as old boots and will survive a lot of abuse, including inappropriate lubrication.
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