Not a whole lot of shakin' goin' on

July 18, 2008 1:07 PM

My clock with Elvis facade has lost his swing. Anyone with advice for getting my Elvis clock to work again?

If you've had any success getting one of these to work -- as in, getting the hips to swing like a pendulum again -- please offer your suggestions here. Thanks!

posted by skyper to grab bag (6 comments total)

Go to ebay. Buy one for $10.

If yours has sentimental value then you can just replace the motor like-for-like, but I guarantee you that for $10 it's cheaper than the time and effort you're going to put into trying to do clock repair. And if you take it to a clock shop...you could have a wall of Elvis for that cost.
posted by arniec at 1:54 PM on July 18, 2008

It seemed like I was able to have it working at one point wherein the pendulum/hips swung on their own momentum if I hung it on the wall *just right*... Like a metronome, I thought. A battery was there to run the clock hands but I had thought I must need to achieve some kind of balance with the hanging of the clock to get the legs to swing on their own. So it does in fact run on a motor?
posted by skyper at 2:49 PM on July 18, 2008

Not quite Elvis but here are some potentially applicable tips from Kit Kat. I believe both clocks use a magnet to keep rocking parts rockin'. The legs/tail need to hang in a way that is delicately balanced so even small amounts of dust/crud can end the dance of the King.
posted by quarterframer at 3:03 PM on July 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is a stupid question, but have you tried replacing the battery?
posted by qvtqht at 3:27 PM on July 18, 2008

Gooogle "Clock Parts". A replacement motor and pendulum cost me $12.
posted by Raybun at 4:26 PM on July 18, 2008

Yes, I had replaced the battery which helped the hands but not the movement of the pendulum, which had worked even with the battery out when I had the balance just right.
I'd always wondered what exact principle kept this kind of thing working -- magnets make sense for the clock I've got in particular. Thanks.
posted by skyper at 8:20 PM on July 18, 2008