Cuckoo Clock Setup Instructions - Text from Bavarian Clock Works

 

CUCKOO CLOCK SET UP:

1.      Hang the clock level on the wall using an anchor rated for 50lbs or more. See anchoring your cuckoo clock in section below.

2.      Carefully unwrap the chains underneath the clock and lower them to the floor so they are hanging free of one another

3.      Unlatch the cuckoo door

4.      Hang the pendulum on the clock, attach the weights, then wind the clock by pulling each weight up to the base of the clock.

5.      Push the pendulum to one side or the other and release it to start the clock.

6.      To confirm that your cuckoo clock is operating correctly advance the minute hand clockwise to the nearest hour or half hour and listen for the cuckoo and music for musical clocks. Be sure to let the cuckoo and music run its full cycle before advance the minute hand again. You can repeat this process as many times as you like to witness the wonder of your new cuckoo clock.

ADJUSTING THE SPEED AND ACCURACY OF YOUR CUCKOO CLOCK:

1.      First move the shut-off switch to the off position to disable the cuckoo and music. DO NOT ADVANCE THE TIME WHILE THE CUCKOO OR MUSIC IS PLAYING. If the music an cuckoo are on you must wait until they are finished to advance the time. You can advance the time freely if they are off.

2.      Carefully advance the minute hand clockwise until you reach the current time. This may take a little time and several times around the dial to get to the hour you want. Always set the time with the minute hand and do not manually advance the hour hand.

3.      Let the clock run for 4 hours to see if it is running too fast or too slow. Once you know how many minutes you have lost or gained in the 4 hour time period, multiply that by 6 to determine how many minutes are being gained or lost over a 24 hour period.

4.      Example: Your clock was 5 minutes slow over a 4 hour period so ( 5 minutes x 6 = 30 minutes). This means we are losing 30 minutes over a 24 hour period. Now let's adjust your clock.

5.      To adjust the speed of you clock you will need to adjust the decorative pendulum slide. If your clock is running slow you will need to move the slide up. If your clock is running fast you will need to move the slide down. How far you will need to move the pendulum slide depends on how fast or slow your clock is running.

Here's a good rule of thumb:

For every 1/4 inch you move the pendulum slide it will make a difference of about 10 minutes over a 24 hour period. So using our example above where we were losing 30 minutes over 24 hours, we would want to move the pendulum slide up 3/4 of an inch to correct the issue.

The manufacturers are pretty good about setting them close to where they should be so adjustments are usually pretty minor. Make minor adjustments over time until you get you clock dialed in with precision. It may take a little patience and tinkering but you'll have it down before you know it!

 

 

ANCHORING YOUR CUCKOO CLOCK TO A STUD:

Hanging a clock by anchoring it directly into a stud is the best and most secure way to mount your cuckoo clock It is generally recommended that you use a screw with a minimum of 2 inches in length for going through the drywall and into a stud. Be sure to leave a 1/2 inch or more exposed outside the wall so the screw will fit firmly into the mounting hole on the back of the clock. It is also recommended that the screw have a large head and be installed at a slight downward angle as shown below. This is the most secure way to hang your cuckoo clock.

 

HANGING YOUR CUCKOO CLOCK WITHOUT A STUD:

If you simply cannot locate a stud or have your heart set on a spot that does not have a stud behind it a good alternative is to use a zip or zip-it wall anchor. We generally recommend an anchor that is rated to support at least double the weight of your cuckoo clock. Anchors rated at 75 pounds or more will usually do the job. These anchors can be purchased at Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and many other local hardware stores. Again, anchoring a cuckoo clock directly into a stud is the preferred and ideal way to mount it but a solid zip anchor is a very good alternative.

HANGING A CUCKOO CLOCK AT THE PROPER HEIGHT:

We are often asked, How high should I hang my cuckoo clock? The best answer is to set your anchor between 6 1/2 and a 7 feet depending on the height of the clock and whether or not you mind having a few inches of chain on the floor when your clock is fully wound. For larger clocks set the anchor at 7 feet and for those with a height under 15 inches you can go a little lower.

Remember, Cuckoo clocks are designed to be mounted and viewed at a slight angle above the site line. The bottom of a larger clock (wood not weights) will be about 6 feet off of the ground if the anchor is mounted at the recommended height of 7 feet. If you prefer to have your clock to hang a little lower that's okay. Just realize that you may either have some of the chain gather on the floor when the clock is fully wound or for confident do it yourselfers you may choose to remove some links from the chain to shorten it a bit. Remember that a shorter chain means winding the clock a little more often. We generally do not recommend altering the chain length of a new cuckoo clock as it can impact the warranty. Just putting all the options out there for you.