Not a whole lot of shakin' goin' on
July 18, 2008 1:07 PM Subscribe
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!
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!
Response by poster: 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
posted by skyper at 2:49 PM on July 18, 2008
Best answer: 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]
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
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
posted by Raybun at 4:26 PM on July 18, 2008
Response by poster: 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
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
This thread is closed to new comments.
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