How To Move A Grandfather Clock

One of the services we provide is to move a Grandfather Clock form one location to the next. Many moving companies will pack your Grandfather clock for you and although most of the time they do a good enough job, many do not. We get called out to repair Grandfather clocks after they have been moved and improperly packed.

Although its best to have a professional clock company pack your Grandfather clock to be moved, sometimes it might be hard to find a qualified company to perform this job for you. Packing the outside is not a big deal, the outside case is a large piece of furniture and needs to be prepared and wrapped just like any other furniture. Its the insides of a Grandfather clock that is the most important part of the clock to be prepared for a move. 

We have listed a few procedures you might want to consider before packing and moving your own Grandfather Clock or if you are having a moving company move the Grandfather Clock, you might want to consider having them follow these procedures as well.

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How to Pack my Grandfather Clock for Moving.

Follow these easy steps and you are on your way to moving your Grandfather clock.
Always start with the weights down about 3 – 4 days of the move.

Items you will need:

gloves, scissors, newspaper, painters tape, packing tape, a large blanket, 2 rubber bands, 2"x4" soft foam and about 40 minutes.


1. Open the side access window (if any) and move them to a safe place where you may not step on one and break it.


2. If the clock has cable holding the weights, insert 3 – 2″ square Styrofoam blocks that came with the clock above each pulley between the cables. If you do not have a Styrofoam block, make a tight square of newspaper about 2″ inches in diameter and hold the block or newspaper square above the pulley as you wind the weights one at a time until they stop with the paper or Styrofoam block jammed above the pulleys. This procedure prevents the cable from tangling when the weights are removed. You need to keep tension on the cables.


3. For clocks with chains, raise the weights so the clock is about half wound (middle of the clock). Use a piece of thin wire or twist ties to string the chains together just where the chains protrude below the movement and tie the wire together; this action will secure the chains so they do not come off their sprockets. These need to be tight or the chain will come off the sprocket.


4. Remove the weights while wearing gloves and look at the bottom to see if they are marked “Left – Center – Right” . If not, mark them so they can be replaced to the same position on the clock for installation later. For clocks with chains, secure the chains by bunching them from bottom to top and wrapping them in newspaper and place a rubber band around the package so that they do not move around and possibly damage the finish. Package up the weights carefully as not to dent the brass casings.


5. Remove the pendulum by holding it from the middle and slightly moving it up. It should un-hook from the pendulum leader easily. DO NOT FORCE IT. The pendulum guide needs to be so that it may not move around during moving and it should never be under a lot of tension in any direction. You may take one or two full width pages of newspaper and gather the loose paper around the pendulum guide. Use just enough so it remains loose, but unable to freely move around.

6. You will need to support the chime rods. The chime rods are the long black (some are silver or brass) rods hanging in the back section of the clock behind the movement. Usually you can see the rods hanging below the bottom of the movement. Using some foam, push the foam up each rod until you get to the smallest rod. Once all the rods are supported by the foam you can use some painters tape to secure the 2 sets together. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the chime rods, they will break off easily. All you are trying to do here is to secure them all together allowing them to become rigid the grandfather clock will be safe to transport.

7. Inside the clock you will see the hammers that will strike the chime rods. These hammers will need to be supported using the rubber bands on your list. Secure all the hammers on each side so they will not move during shipping. you can use some painters tape on this step along with the rubber bands.


8. Reinstall the access panels and lock them in or tape them from the inside (glass to wood) so the windows will not come out and break during moving. Close and lock the door(s).


9. Wrap the clock to protect the furniture.  A queen size comforter should completely surround the clock. If not try any large blanket. Wrap the blanket around the clock and tape the blanket closed. Wrap the tape twice near the top of the clock all the way around, once near the middle and one near the base.


10. The clock can now be carefully moved to its new location. If the clock is a newer clock, you may move it on its back if you have followed the instructions above to the letter. Older clocks may need only to be moved in an upright position because of the weight of the movement and the way the movement may be fastened to the case.

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Feel Free to contact us with any questions.

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