The gear train is in place, and all that's needed to make the clock run is to add a weight. As a temporary weight, I use a soup can suspended by a cord wound on the drum on the main arbor. I add lead shot to the can until there is enough to make the clock run reliably. At a later time, I will melt the shot and pour it into an appropriate weight shell.
It's always an exciting time when a clock first runs. There are a few surprises, sometimes, both positive and negative. The negative surprise this time came when I found that I would be unable to use the regulator as I made it earlier. I had not forseen a conflict between the regulator and one of the train arbors. The problem is correctable without too much trouble, and I'll cover modifications in a later installment.
The other surprise is that the clock runs much better without its lower balance bearing, even amazingly better. Only one jewel is needed to stabilize the balance, and the reduction of friction is such that the clock will run for a week powered by a weight which weights less than a pound and a half -- a pound and a half of lead makes a cylinder 1.5" wide by 2" tall. A very tiny weight, indeed, and it drops only 11 inches in the course of a weeks running.
The balance turns a robust 1.75 turns per oscillation. It vibrates a bit if the clock is jarred, but stabilizes quickly, and the action of the escapement is uneffected.
My work on the clock for the time being will be to observe and test the operation of the clock as it runs. There's not a lot to finish -- a regulator, motion work, a dial and hands, a base, and finish work on the plates and other parts.
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