TAKING CARE OF YOUR CLOCK

Transport
As a general rule, always carefully remove the pendulum before moving the clock anywhere, even for a short distance. Suspension arm or suspension spring could be damaged by not doing so. For mantel clocks, always hold them from the bottom part, never from the top, as you don't always know its weight, and clocks may not always be assembled as solidly as they seem.

Positioning
Try to avoid positioning the clock anywhere where it could be subject to a lot of vibrations, being on a wall, a floor or a mantelpiece. After having installed the clock in its desired place and having returned the pendulum in its position, get the pendulum to swing by a gentle push and attempt to put the clock 'in beat'. Clocks are not supposed to do 'TICK-TOCK' but rather 'TICK-TICK'. In other words, the beats should be as even as possible for the clock to keep good time (and to keep working altogether).

Winding
Carefully open the door and don't bang it open, be careful of the hinges.
Always hold the main body of the clock while winding with a key as sometimes the effort required can be substantial and it could move the whole clock in an unwanted position. (especially wall clocks)
Always stop rewinding when it becomes suddenly hard to rewind any further. Do not try to reach the end of the mainspring at any cost.
Never use a key that's too big, it will wear the winding arbors very quickly.

Adjusting the Time
If the clock tends to either gain or lose a little time, this can be adjusted quite easily, most of the time. For 8-day clocks, time should be adjusted on its average when it has almost done its cycle. In other words, a clock may very well gain 2 or 3 minutes during the first half of the week and lose them back later in the week. On average after 7 days it would then be correct and be adjusted properly. If however at the end of the 7 days it has gained 5 minutes, then adjustment is necessary as follows: most clocks have a pendulum with a screw adjustment fitted. Just turn this screw ½ turn at a time per adjustment and move the bob up or down very slightly with it. What makes the clock go faster or slower is the length of the pendulum. The shorter the pendulum, the faster the clock.

Setting the Time
To set the clock to its right time, always move the minute hand only.
Always move the hand forward only, never backward.
When moving the hands on a striking or chiming clock, it is advisable to let the clock strike whenever passing the hour, and/or the ½ hour, and/or the ¼ hours (if applicable)
To put the time backwards, it is better actually to stop the clock until the time comes to start it again

Setting the strike on a clock with countwheel.
With this type of strike, the countwheel is usually visible at the back of the clock. There is no synchronisation between the time displayed on the dial and the strike mechanism. If for any reason the strike missed once, it will continuously be ½ hour late until corrected. To re-set the strike, try this : move the minute hand to 2 minutes before the strike (on the hour or the 1 /2 hour), then move it backwards approximately 10 minutes. This will force the strike count to move forward 1 position, without moving the time accordingly. You can do this as many times as necessary until the strike is in sync with the time displayed.

Setting the strike on a clock equipped with rack strike
With this type of strike, the strike is always synchronised with the hours displayed on the dial. So if you need to move the hands forward to reset the time, you do not need to stop and wait for the strike every hour or ½ hour. However yo do need to let the strike of 12 o'clock work fully before continuing to advance the hands manually any further. If the strike is de-synchronised with the hours displayed, only a professional can reset this for you.

Lubrication.
Do not lubricate the clock, as it only requires very little oil in very specific places, and only special lubricants should be used. Over-lubrication or lubrication in the wrong places will do more harm than good. Leave that duty to a specialist clockmaker.

Æsthetic Maintenance
Clean the outside of the clock by dusting only. The glass can be cleaned with a damp cloth, taking particular care of the hinges, which may be old and fragile.
Never use any brass-cleaning mixtures to treat metal case parts.

Enjoy!

If in any doubt, always ask a specialist.