Dickory Dickory Dock Clock (2024)

G

George Epple

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May 28, 2009
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  • Jan 24, 2018
  • #1

Hello, I have very recently purchased a model 1, Dickory Dickory Dock clock. I have however discovered that the mouse latch release is not working... so the mouse stays at 1:00. The movement looks to have been modified. As I understand, the release lever is actuated by the count wheel... but not in my movement. Nothing connects the count wheel to the mouse trip lever. The movement runs and strikes properly. I would very much appreciate any help or suggestions to get this clock working properly. Please see photo.

Thanks
George

shutterbug

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  • Jan 24, 2018
  • #2

That's a lot different than my spring powered one, but mine has a gear with missing teeth. When the mouse reaches the high 1:00, that gap allows it to free fall to the bottom 1:00 and start over.

G

George Epple

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May 28, 2009
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  • Jan 24, 2018
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Yes, I understand that later mouse clock models had a very different movement. This is the first model. The clock movement is in the bottom of the case. The movement has a lever that at 1 o'clock is supposed to pull on a wire that connects to another lever on the top of the case. The top lever is where the mouse is resting. When the lever is tripped... the mouse falls to the bottom. It appears that someone didn't understand how the lever was supposed to work... and now it doesn't. If someone has one of these early movements please let me know how it's supposed to function. Thanks again!

George

R. Croswell

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Apr 4, 2006
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  • Jan 24, 2018
  • #4

I've never seen a Model-1 up and personal but your movement is essentially very similar to my Model 2. The mouse release is different but not that much different. There is a snail-like cam behind the gear shown in the photo markup. The left end of lever B moves up as the right end moves down on the cam. The upper end has a tab that catches the stop pin. There should be a long wire from point A to the mouse drop unit at the top of the clock - the length is critical. Linkage "C" appears to connect lever "B" to a wire that turns an arbor to move lever "A" to cause the mouse drop. I don't have a picture of another model-1 so not sure what is original and what is not. Some how when lever "B" drops off the snail-like cam, lever "A" has to drop as well or nothing happens. Don't forget, they stopped making the model-1 shortly after production started because they didn't work. The prototype apparently did work but I suspect this will require a lot of critical tweaking to get it reliable. At least the movement runs ok.

(On my model-2 lever "A" is attached directly to lever "B" at the pivot so there is no need for that linkage)

RC

R. Croswell

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  • Jan 25, 2018
  • #5

In the publication, Elmer Ellsworth Dungan and the Dickory Dickory Dock Clock, by Charles Terwilliger, Supplement to the Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectoes, Inc., summer 1966, pages 8-9 there are pictures of a Model-1 movement. The mouse release lever ("A" in the photo above) is in the same place as shown in George's pictures, but linkage "C" is not shown. I can't tell from the pictures in the article just what moves lever "A". It would appear that perhaps the linkage in George's pictures

may

not be original. I would caution that there were variations in the model-2 and one would assume perhaps in the model-1 as well. Does anyone have photos of a known to be original model-1?

RC

This website has a picture of a Model-1 movement and the patent info. Like the photo in Terwilliger's article, this one does not appear to have the external linkage shown in George's pictures.
Dungan & Klump History, Dickory, Dickory Dock Clock, Antique Clocks Guy: Antique Clocks and Mechanical Musical Instruments. We bring collectors and buyers together. Always the highest quality antique clocks available; fabulous antique automatic musical instruments.

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shutterbug

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  • Jan 25, 2018
  • #6

It should be possible to manually trip that upper lever, to see if the mouse will fall. If it does, you have a linkage issue. If it doesn't, there's another issue in the upper area that needs attention.

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George Epple

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May 28, 2009
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  • Jan 28, 2018
  • #7

Hello all... I have finally figured out how this model Dickory Dickory Dock clock works. In my clock the, mouse lifts a lever at the top of the case... after the 12 o'clock hour. The lever is connected by a long wire to a lever in the clock movement that blocks the strike fan, when lifted. The mouse continues on it's way to 1 o'clock and on it's way, the clock movement has tripped the strike... but since the mouse has lifted the top lever.. the strike fan is blocked. As the mouse is further lifted by the chain "finger" going around the top sprocket, the mouse eventually falls off of the finger... thereby dropping to the bottom and letting the lever drop and unblocking the fan.. the clock strikes 1 o'clock. In this way the mouse always drops exactly when the clock strikes 1 o'clock. I do not know if this is how the type 1 movement normally functions or if this is some variation. After some very minor adjustments... it works as it should.
I thank you all for your help!

George

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Dickory Dickory Dock Clock (2024)

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