Cleaning a cuckoo clock should only be attempted if you have some mechanical knowledge of the workings.

Antique Cuckoo Clocks especially should be treated with the upmost respect as cleaning could do more damage than you could afford to fix.  If you decide to have a go just take care to use the proper cleaning materials.

The internal workings of an old cuckoo clock are quite complex. The mechanical movement is a combination of wood and metal, to what degree will depend on the age of the clock. The movements are not easy to remove and if possible leave it intact and try to clean around it using some basic tools. First it will be dusty so use a compressed air can available from photo and computer shops to blow off loose dirt and grime. Be very careful around the bellows that make the ‘Cuckoo’ sound, these are more fragile than almost any other part. There are two bellows in each clock one for the ‘cuck’ and the other for the ‘coo’. Often there may be some wear to the bellows themselves. The fabric can be replaced but it is easier to install new units available from a cuckoo parts supplier. Take heed here if you are messing around with an antique cuckoo clock, replacing old for new may impact on its value.

Depending on how the clock has been treated there may well be a lot of dried up oil around. This can slow the clock and you will need to remove it all if you want you cuckoo clock to keep good time. Careful what you use, the best cleaner is a concentrated ammoniated clock cleaning solution. Just mix 1 part of this solution to 8 parts of water to clean old clock oil from the movement.  Use a cotton swab and try not to soak the internal movement, use just enough to accomplish the cleaning job. Don’t expect to get the clock back to pristine condition. The internal workings of an antique cuckoo clock will have aged over time and is never going to look new again. In fact you could destroy the value of your old cuckoo clock if you tried to achieve such a goal, just remove what you need to make the clock work properly.

When you are satisfied you need to replace the lubricant. There are several options our favourite being graphite. This is a dry powder and is ideal for cuckoo clocks as it is not absorbed by the wooden parts. Alternatively could use a very light oil like WD40 but you are better going to a cuckoo clock parts supplier to see what else is available.

Finally if the your clock is valuble its best not to even start to clean its better left to an expert.  However if you managed to get this far then you need to set up the clock again so that it keeps good time, that’s the subject of another article.

Inside a cuckoo clock…

Technorati Tags: cleaning clocks, cuckoo clock care, cuckoo clock cleaning repair, cuckoo clock movement

Tags: cleaning clocks, cuckoo clock care, cuckoo clock cleaning repair, cuckoo clock movement

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 10:52 am and is filed under Antique Cuckoo Clocks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.