Cuckoo Clock Operations Guide

1. Silent Lever. Most River City Cuckoo clocks have a "silent" lever on the side or bottom of the case. Place the lever in the "on" position if you want your clock to "cuckoo" and play music (on models so equipped). In the "silent" or "off" position, both cuckoo and music are silenced. Avoid placing the lever on "silent" as the cuckoo is sounding; you may, however, move the lever to "on" at any time.
2. Start the clock and place it "in beat." Gently swing the pendulum to one side to start its momentum and initiate the clock's ticking. Listen carefully - if the ticking lacks a perfect or regular rhythm, your clock will run for only a few minutes and then stop. Swing the base of the clock a little to the left or right until the ticking is even. Many owners place a faint pencil mark on the wall along one side of the clock. This can be used to reposition the clock if it is accidentally moved.
3. Set the time by moving the long hand (minute hand) clockwise or counter-clockwise. If the short hand (hour hand) is accidentally moved out of place, the hour indicated by the hour hand will disagree with the cuckoo count. You can gently hold the hour hand near the shaft and turn it clockwise or counter-clockwise so that it correctly indicates the number of hours counted by the cuckoo. Then, using both thumbs, push the hand down on the shaft (back towards the dial) to tighten.

   In the event that your clock stops running and the minute hand won't move forward, turn the minute hand counter-clockwise one hour, then slowly advance it clockwise or counter-clockwise to the correct time and repeat No. 2 above.

4. Winding the clock. To wind your clock, firmly pull the free ends (ring ends) of the chains to raise the weights to the base of the clock.

   To avoid the chains coming off the sprockets inside the clock, always keep the weights on the chains. Avoid roughness in winding and never pull on the weights themselves as this may damage the chains or ratchet mechanism.

   It is impossible to overwind your cuckoo, however you may damage the chains if you continue to pull on them once the weights have reached the base of the clock.

5. Regulating your clock. You can adjust your clock to run faster or slower. To make your clock run faster, unhook the pendulum and slide the pendulum carving up a bit on the pendulum stick; to make the clock run slower, pull the carving down a bit. Reattach the pendulum to the pendulum leader at the base of the clock.

   Set your clock using an accurate time source after each pendulum adjustment. Once your clock is accurately regulated, you can mark the back side of the pendulum stick with a pencil indicating the position of the carving on the stick. If the carving is accidentally moved, you can easily replace it to its correct position.

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Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Operations Guide

The Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Operations Guide and other Cuckoo Clocks at The Clock Depot.

 

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