The most important aspect of setting up an old clock is patience and a small level. The Swedish and Danish clocks are very simple. They depend on perfect balance and alignment in order to function well. So please be patient while you enjoy learning to set your new old clock up in your home.

Words of caution

1. Cleaning....dust the outside with a feather duster. These clock faces were painted with alkyd type paint but the numerals and decorations were done in INDIA INK. So do NOT wash the face or spritz it with windex, however tempting or the clock numerals will instantly dissolve. Just close your glass cover and admire from the other side!

2. Strings...Before you do anything --make sure the strings are straight and neat.

3. Weights....you need to put them on the string loops BEFORE you wind or the strings will wind up into the clock head and you won't be able to get to them easily again.

Most of the Mora and Bornholmer clocks are seven day clocks. Directions for winding and setting the time down the page on the left.

Børge (in blue jeans) and Alan Grace taking a clock down for cleaning and repair.

Place your clock body against the wall. Clocks were often bolted to the wall for stability. If you wish to tie or bolt your clock to a wall, look for little holes that you can use once again. Here you see a hole on the back of the head.

Here is one more little hole for securing a string to the wall. It is in the middle of the body back.

To work properly, clocks must be perfectly level in both directions. Do this before you place the clock works on the body! Check on each side.

and on the front.

Before you place the clock works, take a look at them. Make sure the string is wound evenly and hangs straight and has not twisted around anything. Look at the back of the clock. You will see a vertical assembly with two small crutches. This is where you will hang the pendulum.

The face of the clock is placed gently on the stand.

The face of the clock must be centered exactly. Look for pencil marks on the body for guides.

Take the pendulum in one hand and place in the lower body with the round pendulum part hanging down and facing front. Insert the pendulum upwards through a little boxed area in the body to the head.

Then gently insert the very top of the strap through the top crutch of the works. On most clocks the pendulum works best if the strap is as far towards the clock back as possible, but you may need to experiment with this.

Insert into the bottom crutch.

The pen is pointing to the bottom crutch. The strap must hand loosely and be towards the body back of the clock as much as possible. In other words, the pendulum can not swing freely is it is jammed into these supports. So place gently and look for a good vertical appearance and flexibiity.

Make sure that the glass face is latched firmly before removing or replacing the head.

The clock head is removed or replaced by sliding on horizontally.

Setting the time....

To make it easier to hang the weights, check to see if your ropes with the little brass pulleys are exposed in the body opening. If not then wind your clock now. This makes it easier to hang the weights. If the ropes are up pretty far then you can wind your clock when you are done with assembly.

Open your face plate and place the clock key on the left winder. Turn your key clockwise. This winds the bell chime.

Place the clock key on the right winder and wind clockwise. This clock definitely winds clockwise. On occaision we have had a clock which winds counterclockwise on the right, so please experiment a bit with this if you are not sure or ask us! This winds the pendulum mechanism.

To set the time, please move the large hand only in a clockwise direction. We repeat ONLY in a clockwise direction.

Wait for the bells to chime at the hour. Please do this slowly. Never push the hand backwards. Please use care here.

These are seven day clocks!

When to move the hands....

We also strongly recommend that you do not move the hands until the hands are out of the 10 of and 10 after position. Just wait 20 minutes until the hands are in the 20 past or 20 of the hour position then make your adjustment.

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Turn the little brass pulleys so that the hook hangs down.

Hang the weights on each pulley. The weights will be marked.

It should look like this!

Before you close up, set the pendulum swinging gently from side to side. A tiny push will do it. The pendulum must not be scraping against the back of the clock. If so, go back and check your steps.Make sure the pendulum is moving freely, that the ropes supporting the weights are not twisted and that the body is level.

If your dial is drooping when you unbox it, then you will need a butterknife to fix this...

Please look closely and you will see that the dial hands are mounted on a conically shaped piece of metal. If the clock is moved or rattled, the dial hands can slip forward. Decide where you want your hand to be, move it into position, then with the butterknife, slip the blade between the hands and push the dial gently back towards the face of your clock.

You will be pushing it back onto the cone and it will tighten just enough to hold itself in place.

If your floors are terribly uneven (like ours!) then you can shim the works on the interior to balance them. If the pendulum doesn't sound quite right then this is the problem. It is swinging more to one side than another....

Because of our striped wallpaper it is very noticeable that this clock is not standing straight.

Make a shim of cardboard.

Push it even evenly.