Tips on moving an antique tall case / grandfather clock.

This article will show you the steps to pack a grandfather clock for moving. It will be simple steps followed by explanations that will be easy to follow and understand. So the first step is to go ahead and grab the weights off the chains within the grandfather clock. It’s imperative that you do not grab these weights with your hands, more often they are made out of metal and if you grab them with your hands the oil on your hands will transfer onto the metal and it will stain and show up. Then you’re going to want to set it down on a safe spot. You can use cardboard and paper, go ahead and bring both sides of the paper inward and then roll it together with the weights, this is the most secure method we find of keeping it tightly packed and having some kind of defense against other objects rolling around and tapping it. Also pack them in a box with some cushioning like packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Next comes the pendulum, of course this is the heaviest and largest object, this is also the most visible object within the clock, you should treat this with great care. The same process of grabbing it with paper because this is still metal and your hand will still transfer oil onto it. Go ahead and lay it down safely onto the paper wrap, then move it at a slight angle to make sure it’s fully on the paper and you can completely wrap it. Of course the pendulum won’t fit in the same box as the weights, unless you have a very big box which of course is not recommended. What you can do is to take a flat piece of cardboard and you are going to go ahead and make your own box, a sort of secured shell around the pendulum for its own purposes.

Next you are going to go ahead and grab the chains with newspaper or bubble wrap, your choice, but it’s important that you keep these chains together and you are going to go ahead and bundle them up. This of course, is to protect the glass of the door and the outside of the grandfather clock from any potential damages while moving, this can include scratching or even cracking. This is something you do not want to achieve at all costs, so you can wrap it in paper and then you can go ahead and bundle up. Make sure it’s tight, tape it around a few times to get that tension in there so it holds itself together. Then go ahead and place the box with the pendulum and the package chains inside the clock, that way you know it’s there and secure and it’s in the same place where it’s going to go whenever it’s put back together. Next thing you want to do it to secure the glass for the move. Of course we all know that whenever you move something, there’s always a risk and in this step you are trying to avoid that risk as best as you can. For a grandfather clock this may include making an x with tape over the glass. It’s important you use painters tape because it doesn’t leave a residue like other tapes would on glass, you want to make sure it is holding itself there, but it’s also not leaving behind. The reason for doing this is to basically prevent and make sure that if the glass in the event does shatter or crack, it doesn’t fall everywhere or doesn’t fly off in the move. This tape will hopefully hold any pieces together and maintain its shape to the best of its abilities.

The last step is to stuff it with paper. This prevents the box with the pendulum inside it and the package chains from moving around and shifting. Even though there is a low chance that they will scratch the wood or even mark the glass, you want to try to prevent that as much as possible, so those papers can provide tension to secure the box and the chains within. It is just an extra bit of precaution that will secure it. Now it’s ready to be padded and packed away in the truck for the move. Lastly you want to take the door key and save it in a safe place. If that door flies open during the move it could be catastrophic but once it’s locked you can go ahead and pad it and pack it into the truck.