page_title: Conservation and restoration of clocks
section_title: Regular Clock Maintenance
hierarchical_section_title: Conservation and restoration of clocks / Preventive conservation / Regular Clock Maintenance
caption_attribution_description: English: Ruhla alarm clock
context_page_description: The conservation and restoration of clocks refers to the care given to the physical and functional aspects of time measuring devices featuring “moving hands on a dial face” exclusive of watches. Care for clocks constitutes regulating the external environment, cleaning, winding, lubrication, pest-management, and repairing or replacing mechanical and aesthetic components to preserve or achieve the desired state as specified by the owner. Clocks are typically composed of multiple types of materials such as wood, metal, paint, plastic, etc, which have unique behaviors and environmental interactions, making treatment options complex. The materials used and the complexity of clockwork warrant having a Horological Conservator complete the work.
context_section_description: Regular maintenance of a clock can ensure its long-term preservation. Conservation experts advise clocks need to be serviced regularly. A clock is a complex mechanical contraption made of a variety of materials and with many small moving parts . Even under perfect conditions lubricants deteriorate. Clocks should be examined and re-lubricated every three years.  After five years, and certainly no longer than eight years, the whole movement is advised to be dismantled and ‘cleaned’ if excessive wear and expensive attention is to be avoided  
  Visual inspection can determine whether a clock should be cleaned and/or lubricated, whether any signs of infestation and/or damage exist, and whether a clock should be wound and/or set to the correct time. 
  Regular maintenance also applies to the environment surrounding the clock to ensure that the correct storage conditions are present.
  a. Cleaning, polishing, and lubrication
  Regular clock surface dusting can negate opportunities for corrosion or abrasion as a result of dust buildup. It should be stated that such surface cleaning can also result in a loss of information about a clock’s history, as “[...] various “dirt” or “salt” deposits can provide precious clues to an objects past [...].”  Loss of clock function due to clockwork wear can be avoided through regular clockwork cleaning, polishing, and lubrication performed by a trained professional. In performing such maintenance, a professional will disassemble clockwork so that it can be thoroughly examined “[...] for worn or broken parts, fatigued springs and accumulations of dirt or oil.” 
  Cleaning clocks consist of multiple steps, which may or may not all be done as part of a treatment plan: washing, ultrasonics, rinsing, drying, polishing, refinishing, chalk brushing, and pegging out. At this point, should cleaning be the only treatment employed, the pieces could be reassembled with proper lubrication; however, depending on the type of clock, the pieces could also be primed for further treatments to the various parts such as mechanisms, frames, wheelwork, pivots, mainsprings, screws and screw threads, escapements, balance springs, pendulums, etc.
  b. Winding and setting
  In order to function as time keepers, and to prevent damage to clockwork, clocks must be regularly wound. An established winding schedule eliminates the threat of over-winding."Traditionally, the job of winding the clocks was given to an horologist or a trained individual. Winding had to be done at certain times of the day; ideally when the temperature was just right and the room vacant. Each clock had its own unique keys, doors, and intricacies within the mechanisms."   Regular winding can also ensure that clockwork is still functioning. In setting the correct time, the minute hand is turned clockwise to the desired time.
  When hand setting a clock, manually moving the hour or seconds hand rather than the minute hand to set the time can be damaging, as can be counterclockwise hand turning. Moving the minute hand ahead on a clock by several hours when setting the time can also lead to clockwork damage. For this reason, “Rather than turning the hands forward through several hours it is better to stop the clock and re-start it when the time matches that on the dial.”
caption: Ruhla alarm clock. Image copyright owned by Maksym Kozlenko.
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