Horace Whitlock's Clock Oil Kit: This kit Comes Complete to Clean and Oil Any Mechanical Clock; Including a downloadable, Easy to Follow Step by Step Instructions.

This kit contains everything you need to lubricate a mechanical clock. I had the movement of my 1920's German grandfather clock rebuilt around 2012. The process was more expensive than the value of the clock. It kept excellent time before it started to slow down and then finally stopped running in April 2024. The clockmaker had retired, so I was stuck. After a little bit if Internet research, I discovered that the process isn't terribly difficult if all the clock needs is cleaning and lubrication.Make sure you mark the weights. They can vary depending on their purpose. Set the time to 12:00 so it is easy to put the hands back on correctly. I removed the pendulum and weights and removed the movement from the case. Once I had the movement on a bench, I removed the remaining pendulum mechanism and the clock hands and face. This exposed all of the pivot points on the movement. Each point needed cleaning by scraping the remaining oil / dirt off with the provided wooden tool. It comes off looking a bit like graphite. You need to get all of it out if possible. I then added a TINY amount of oil to each point with the oiling pins. I added a thin coat of grease to the hands mechanism. I was able to hand operate the chiming movement, but the clock movement still seemed frozen. I reassembled the face, hands, and pendulum movement, reinstalled it in the clock and put the weights back on the chains. The movement came back to life almost instantly, but it was rough sounding. I let it run without the pendulum and re-leveled the clock. The movement started sounding regular. I added the pendulum and adjusted the hammers for the chimes. The entire process took less than an hour.About a month later, the movement is about 2 minutes fast. I'll take that any day from a 100 year old mechanism. The process is a bit intimidating. There are plenty of videos online that may help you understand the process, but your experience can greatly vary depending on your clock. I was lucky since my clock was built during the German Great Depression. The only complication on the movement is the chimes. Based on my consumption of the oil and grease, the kit contains enough product to provide many services. I put the box it came in in the bottom of my clock for next time.Based on my research, make sure you get genuine clock oil. Do not use WD-40, 3 in one, sewing machine oil, gun oil, synthetic motor oil, or any other light oil on your mechanism. There is a chance it will be damaged. This oil is extremely thin. Also, it is better to use a tiny amount of oil and add additional if needed. Otherwise, you have to dissemble the movement to clean the movement to remove the excess oil. The oil with dust / grime in it acts like fine sandpaper on the soft brass. The holes can distort over time and then you have to rebuild the movement with bushings in order to get the hole back on center.If this sounds too intimidating, you should consider finding a clock maker if possible.

The media could not be loaded. I inherited my grandfather's beloved Bentina mantle clock many years ago, which he always kept in fantastic condition. While it's always been a little temperamental, I've learned it's nuances and have been able to keep it running for the past 28 years. However, two years ago it finally stopped chiming and then the pendulum stopped running. I took it to a local clock repair shop and they wanted nearly $1000 to repair it, which I unfortunately don't have and am not even sure the clock is worth it, other than sentimental value.Seeing it just sitting there on the bookshelf made me investigate how I might be able to fix it and I stumbled on a YouTube video that highly recommended this clock and oil kit. After downloading the instructions, I set to work on cleaning the bushings and all the components and soon things were spinning and chiming and working! It took several cleanings with the wooden pick, and several times around with drops of oil (I believe my clock was stripped of all oil - shame on me!), but with patience and care, I was able to completely repair my clock! Oh the sweet sounds after 2 years! I did also have to get a new suspension spring for the pendulum, but between that and the clock oil, I saved $950 on what it would have cost to have that shop repair it. More than anything, fixing it myself and learning more about my grandfather's clock (and clock repair in general) made this process that much more satisfying.I highly recommend this product and will now be sure to keep my clock cleaned and properly oiled year after year. Thank you for this miracle product!

The instructions that came with the kit are impeccable. All items contained in the kit are quality and as described. Further, there is a well-made tutorial video, along with detailed (20 page!) written instructions. Or, if you are too impatient to read the author’s thorough work, there is also a summary document that is a faster read.Sadly though, it turns out that the sophistication behind the method used to secure my clock’s hands, and the method used to secure the clock workings to the carcass, were beyond my mechanical ability to remove. I own a grandfather clock, stamped with “made in Germany”. I could remove the minute hand without issue, which was secured by a nut. But the hour hand was locked in place by some sort of cotter pin and square nut assembly that, try as I might, I could not figure out how to remove. I was afraid I’d end up breaking something.Even though the hour hand could not be removed, I wondered if I could still remove the clock’s workings. I took a look. Rather than simple screws, there are fancy nuts and bolts and a wooden track of some sort that apparently allows the user to slide out both the mechanism and the clock face from the clock’s carcass. I would have to remove the clock’s chime assembly, in order to make room for the clock’s workings to slide out. And, it seems I would have to pivot the entire assembly 90 degrees in order to clear the chime’s mounting wood.While I didn’t want to give up, I simply decided that I was in real risk of damaging the clock with my rudimentary guesses on next steps. I ended up following the instructions to clean and lubricate the clock using the methods described by the seller. Only, I did the cleaning against the rear of the mechanism only (as I couldn’t access the front of the mechanism while it was mounted). And, I performed the cleaning while the mechanism was upright in its cabinet, not laying flat on a work bench. So, I suppose it is possible that the minimal oil I applied, according to the seller’s instructions, would just follow gravity and not stay in the lubrication points as intended.The clock is running and I would like to think the lubrication has helped - it was working prior to my work, only I was winding it more frequently than it did in its younger days.I think the seller did everything possible to enable my success here, and I give highest marks for the purchase.