Re: [FWDLK] On-going clock repair saga...

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From: Eastern Sierra Adjustment Svc <esierraadj@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: L-FORWARDLOOK <L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, Feb 17, 2012 2:08 pm
Subject: [FWDLK] On-going clock repair saga...
OK, since it's a slow news-day, and this 'thread' has evinced some
discussion, I don't think that I've yet posted these two bits of
information, on what the clock-doc has discovered.

I do plan on posting some show-and-tell pics, further to amuse y'all....


2/14/12 : ....afraid that I have to tell you there are some interesting 
problems.
We like to call them challenges, right?

The serious issue is that the points are installed and aligned 
incorrectly so
that instead of closing head-on, they have been hitting each other on 
the side
when they have closed. The result is that the points have been 
completely worn
away on the side where they have been making contact. You can see it in the
picture below where the points are closed, but not actually making 
contact with
each other. You can also see that each of the points has been making 
contact
with the opposite armature, instead of the opposite point. The result, 
you can
see in the next two pictures is that the sides of the points are 
completely worn
away.

The only way to fix this is to rebuild the armatures to realign the points.
Then, we can run the clock with what's left of the points. Since there 
is only
about half of the surface area left on the upper point, what's left of the
points will want to wear much more rapidly than they should.

This is a big deal, Neil, and I really haven't figured out yet what will 
be the
safest way to approach the problem. What I don't want to do is make it 
worse
while I'm trying to make it better.

THEN: he discovered/wrote this:


2/15/12 :  I thought you would be interested to know that I worked on 
your clock for a while
this  evening, and what I have determined is that the problem was not 
caused by factory
error. When I look very closely I can see evidence that the problem with 
the points was
caused by someone who had removed the coils and then put them back 
together incorrectly --
with some pieces actually missing, if you can even believe that.  This 
is not what I expected,
but this does make more sense than a factory error.  And it explains why 
I have never seen
a failure like this before.

I'll continue to keep you posted.

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