Gilbert clock gaining time?

[slattery51]

I have just repaired a Gilbert kitchen clock with "steel plates"...all is good running just fine,,only problem is
it gains about 4 minutes a day,, and the pendulum is as low as possible, and almost scraping the bottom of the case..??
Could this be caused by the suspension spring,, as the pendulum is correct for the clock,,everything looks good,, and I am
at a loss to figure out the problem..Could somebody give some suggestions...nothing has been changed in the clock as far
as I can see...I have no more room for pendulum length.....just asking for a few ideas........Thanks....

[Clocks-R-Me]

Hello Slattery
Yes the suspension spring might be the problem if it has been damaged, repaired or replaced. Does your clock have a regulating device that is accessible through the dial? If so then suspension spring could be suspect if pendulum bob is adjusted to lowest possible position.
If you are certain that the correct pendulum bob is being used then replacing the suspension spring/leader might do it for you. If it does have the dial adjustment then what I do is replace the spring/leader, set the chops on the regulating adjustment so that they are about halfway down the spring and then start trimming off small sections of the end of the leader until it keeps time to within a couple of minutes a day. Then I can fine adjust the timing using the through dial adjustment.
Hope this is helpful,
Dan

[slattery51]

Thank you Dan for the response,,, the clock is an Old Kitchen clock,, with the correct pendulum..no other problems exist.. I did change out the suspension spring, and lengthened it a much as possible,,, also picked out one with a couple of thousands shaved off the thickness, and so far it is just picking up a couple of minutes, per week,,,I will move the regulator nut down slightly more and see if that corrects it....usually I have no trouble regulating this types of clocks but this one seems to be a puzzler.???? I will post more later......Thanks again for the input,,,, Peace,, and Best Regards.....Dave.