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How do I quiet down a mantel clocks chimes?

My girlfriends clock chimes loudly every 15 minutes. How can I make it quieter? I can’t turn off the chimes, she will just turn them back on.

My dad collected old mantle clocks as a hobby. He repaired them and we’d have more than a dozen chiming 24/7! Eventually we figured out that clipping small wooden clothespins on the chime coil mutes a mantle clock to a tolerable level.
If the chime coil is not visible from the front, you can stuff a plastic packing peanut in its center. Depending on the type of clock there will usually be an acess panel in the back of the case from which you can reach the chime coil.
Another method is to pad the end of the hammer which strikes the coil. We flattened a cotton ball and used string to tie it around the end of the hammer to soften the metal-to-metal blow on the chime coil or bars.

You can also set the whole clock on a piece of foam board to keep the shelf from amplifying the sound. Be careful not to upset the level of the clock.
You really don’t want to bend or damage any part of a clock as that will lower its value.

8 Responses

  1. michael G Says:

    Bend the hammers back a bit.
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  2. Annette M Says:

    there should be a switch close to where you set the time, to do the quiet mode. Try that, Mine has one and I silenced it
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  3. loralaey Says:

    Thrown them out the window, lol
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  4. ohhhdear Says:

    My dad collected old mantle clocks as a hobby. He repaired them and we’d have more than a dozen chiming 24/7! Eventually we figured out that clipping small wooden clothespins on the chime coil mutes a mantle clock to a tolerable level.
    If the chime coil is not visible from the front, you can stuff a plastic packing peanut in its center. Depending on the type of clock there will usually be an acess panel in the back of the case from which you can reach the chime coil.
    Another method is to pad the end of the hammer which strikes the coil. We flattened a cotton ball and used string to tie it around the end of the hammer to soften the metal-to-metal blow on the chime coil or bars.

    You can also set the whole clock on a piece of foam board to keep the shelf from amplifying the sound. Be careful not to upset the level of the clock.
    You really don’t want to bend or damage any part of a clock as that will lower its value.
    References :
    experience

  5. lukeee Says:

    Sledgehammer will fix it quick smart
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  6. Garfield Says:

    Stuff cotton balls in the chimes.
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  7. Irv S Says:

    Put a small piece of cloth tape on the chime
    where it’s hit by the hammer.
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  8. split dog Says:

    If it has electronic chimes ,just stuff the "speaker" tube w/ cotton balls to mute the chime a little or a lot.
    If it is mechanical ,you can apply one or more layers of duct tape or such in a few places on the bell or gong.
    If it is a coil type gong , cotton balls between the coils will tone it down .
    Cotton balls in the speaker man myself.
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