How to fix a ticking but stopped clock?

August 25, 2015 6:36 PM

This clock stopped working properly a few months ago. It still ticks but the hands don't move. I know it's not an expensive piece, but it was a present from my niece and goes so well with the decor that I'd like to keep it if possible. How would I go about fixing it?
posted by orange swan to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

is it wind-up or battery? if it's battery, most likely it just needs a new battery (they sometimes do the ticking but not moving thing when the battery is almost dead - don't know why).
posted by andrewcooke at 7:11 PM on August 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

You can likely replace the actual clock itself, keeping the frame, faceplate, and hands. Cheap clocks usually just have a generic plastic clock attached to the back. Have a look and see if you can open it up, remove the hands from the shaft and remove the clock itself. A replacement should run you a few dollars.
posted by ssg at 7:36 PM on August 25, 2015

I agree with andrew. I've seen battery clocks do that when the battery runs down far enough. There's enough power to try to move the axle, but not enough to jump to the next gear tooth.
posted by Bruce H. at 8:51 PM on August 25, 2015

I agree, it almost certainly just needs a new battery. We've got a couple of those sorts of clocks and that's exactly how they behave when the battery is low, ticks, but not enough power to turn the movement.
posted by bonehead at 9:29 PM on August 25, 2015

Response by poster: I replaced the battery with a brand new one when the clock first stopped working and it didn't help. It's definitely a malfunction of the clock itself.
posted by orange swan at 4:11 AM on August 26, 2015

Does the back of your clock have a small black plastic box mechanism on it, like this one?
If so, as you can see, they're quite cheap to replace. Buying a new one might be the simplest thing.
posted by bonehead at 6:59 AM on August 26, 2015

a couple of people have mentioned replacing the box. i've never done that, so they may want to correct me, but i would check first whether you can access the hands. if the hands are behind a glass / plastic front (i can't tell from the photo) then you need to be able to remove the front so that you can push the hands onto the new spindle(s). (otherwise, you'll remove the old box, and the hands will fall to the bottom of the clock and be trapped there).
posted by andrewcooke at 7:03 AM on August 26, 2015