A very common scenario we hear daily in our shop is: "I think my clock is just wound too tight, and now it won't run".

To say I over wound the clock, and now it won't run is like saying I put too much gas in my car, and now it won't run. We take the position you should fully wind the clock, until it hits the end of the mainspring, and won't wind any further. This is the only way to insure the clock will run and chime/strike for a full week (or month if you have a 31 day clock).

Some of the reasons people do not fully wind the clock are:

They fear they may break the mainspring: If you tried to break the mainspring on most any clock it would be a challenge you would most likely fail at. Mainsprings are very strong, but can break at anytime. I have seen 100 years old clocks, with what appears to be the original mainspring , and have also seen new new clocks with broken mainsprings. This is something no one has any control over. Typically, mainsprings breaking are not a major issue, but do happen on occasions. When we repair a clock we inspect the mainsprings for cracks, crystallizing, or any sign of weakness or fatigue. If it has any issues we replace it. If a mainspring breaks it does not necessarily happen during winding, even thought that may be the case in some situations.

Years ago a retired watchmaker told me his experience with "blue steel" mainsprings found in watches at that time. It was known that "electrical storms" would cause the mainsprings in watches to break. One day he had 20 mainsprings to break on watches they had repaired, and were being tested before the customer picked them up. This was after an "electrical storm". It caused the watchmaker a lot of grief. Years later they started making a special alloy mainspring that is referred to as "unbreakable". This ended that problem they experienced then.

So don't be timid about winding the clock, fully wind it.

They were told to not over wind the clock or it will not run: Years ago on mechanical watches a situation call "Overbanking" could happen on some watches. When you wound the stem the last turn, and hit the end of the mainspring it caused a tiny part (roller jewel) to jump outside the pallet fork, thus stopping the watch. The watch owner would take the watch to the watchmaker, and on occasion was told he over-wound the watch. The truth is the customer did nothing wrong. The fault was the watch. Had that particular watchmaker been capable, or willing to correct an adjustment in the watch, this situation would not have happened. Watches have what is called "banking Pins" to prevent this from happening, but sometimes it was not adjusted properly. For whatever reason some watchmakers passed the problem on as the customer over-winding the watch. I believe this is where people became timid about fully winding their clock.

Pendulum clocks do not have a balance escapement to cause "Overbanking", so it is not an issue. You will know when your clock is fully wound; it comes to a sudden hard stop. At this point it is wound, and contrary to what you have probably heard, you did not "over-wind" your clock.

It is wound too tight: Not all mainsprings wind in a forward or clock wise direction, as some people assume. There are different combinations of winding patterns on clocks. Some may wind in a clockwise direction, where others possibly a counterclockwise direction. It is not uncommon for one mainspring to wind counterclockwise and the other mainspring on the clock to wind clockwise.

I said all that to say: I have had customers bring in their clock after a recent repair, and say their clock won't run. Upon examination we discover the clock is completely run down. At this point I hand the customer a key and ask them to wind the clock as they normally do. I am told it is fully wound and they can't wind it. After they attempt to wind it to prove to me, I notice they are trying to wind in the wrong direction. Then I will once again show them that not all clocks wind in a clockwise direction. They assumed that counterclockwise was backwards, and I guess it is. That just happens to be what that clock requires to be wound.

Keep in mind, a mainspring will only wind in one direction. There is no correct direction. It could be either direction, but only one way for one mainspring.

Another situation I have found is the mainspring is too strong for some customers to fully wind. It may be due to arthritis, age, etc. They just may not physically have the strength. In this case I have had customers who would have to wind their clock twice a week to keep it running.

There is also the "Little Lady" who has a clock we recently repaired, but it won't run very long. After having her wind the clock as she normally would, I discover it is closer to being run down, than it is to being fully wound. She just does not have the strength she did a few years ago. She lets me know, she has wound the clock for 50 years, and she knows how to wind her clock. Yes this is true, but without the strength, she can not wind the clock enough to run a full week. I may gently explain: You may find it easier to wind the clock a bit more often.

Would you expect your car to drive as far on a half full tank of gas as you would on a full tank? Neither can a half wound clock run a full week?