Ask the supplier? Can you post some pictures and explain more about the problem?

If e-mail doesn't work, telephone is less ignorable, so it'd probably be a good idea to try them.

Regards,

Richard.

[quote]

The pallets are made of what looks like SRBF

[/quote]

.

That would, in my opinion, be a poor choice of material.

MichaelG.

Alan, there's a US based guy I know who has made an H1 replica and published a description – I have a copy which I can email to you if you PM me your address? I know some people with practical experience with the escapement too who I could put you in touch with – where are you located? I'm told that actually the escapement is very tolerant and should not need much fine tuning, so I think you probably have a simple assembly error.

"It is also unclear whether the arms of the two pendulums should be symmetrical about the centre boss. When I set this equal the rear quadrants naturally bias to the end of their curve rather than central so have a restricted movement."

They should not be symmetrical! As there does not seem to be a balance spring (which H1 had) they are compound pendulums relying on imbalance for their restoring force, so the moment arm to the lower bob should be greater than to the upper. If I knew the dimensions I could probably calculate where the pivot point should be (if I knew what the design period is!).

"The pallets sit at the centre of each of the pendulums bosses and should 'flop' (for want of a better word) in and out of the EW as the pendulum arms rock."

They should not "flop". Before a pallet engages with the EW it is supposed to be kept in position relative to the pendulum by the spring against a stop. As the pendulum swings the pallet moves in to the EW and hooks on to a tooth, recoiling the wheel, so the other pallet "hops" out of engagement with its tooth. The pallet stays hooked on, recoiling the wheel a bit further, then the pendulum starts to swing the other way while the EW's torque imparts energy to it, before being released when the other pallet hooks on to a tooth the other side of the wheel.

Geneically speaking, grasshopper escapement action should be that the engagement of one pallet releases the other which to use your term flops out of the escape wheel. The pressure of the wheel on each pallet in turn holds it in contact. If you start with a pallet engaged and the pendulums stationary it shout stay engaged whilst there is power on the train. If you take the power 'OFF' by rotating the escape wheel slightly backwards the pallet should spring out of engagement. The escapement obviously needs one pallet engaged as any one time otherwise the train will just run out of control so don't let go of the escape wheel when you do the above if you have power on the train.

The swing of the pendulum should bring each pallet into engagement directly after which the pendulum 'controller' will leave it behind engaged in its tooth on the escape wheel.

Probably best if you provide power on the train by finger initially untill you have got things something like near and have understood the escapement.

Take a look at

**LINK**

which is a GIF of the action, and I know it does not look like your arrangement but the basic action is common to both.

Feel free to google other examples untill you are sure you know what it is supposed to do.

I cannot tell easily from your pic how your clock works but it would seem that it uses springs rather than a gravity counterbalance to create the release (falling away) action.

Hope this helps.

regards Martin

Edited By Martin Kyte on 23/06/2017 11:01:33

Edited By Martin Kyte on 23/06/2017 11:02:16

I fail to see how comments on choice of materials help the OP.

The design can be assumed to have been working at some stage so the clock needs fixing not redesigning however valid or otherwise the comments on choice of material.

and by the way, the preferred material for the RAS  regulator pallets is snakewood because it is close grained and hard.

regards Martin

Edited By Martin Kyte on 23/06/2017 12:24:46

"has a double action to push the pallet arm in both directions."

Or as drawn the tail of the spring acts as a stop (*B) and the end(*A) provides cusioning for engagement.

As it clearly has a counter weight this would seem the likely candidate for the disingagement force. The spring action I think should provide a cusion to the pendulum motion driven engaging action. I would suspect that the spring should not be in contact with both ends and that there should be a certain amont of free movement in the pallet. That would take *B out of the action which would make more sense to me. The escape wheel then limits the forwrd movement of the pallet and the spring at *A the kick back. When the spring moves forwards with the pendulum it gathers the pallet and move it into engagement with the escape wheel again.

I'm not sure where you started from on this clock was it fully assembled? Like are all the bits where they should be?

regards Martin

"snakewood was not only a dark brown but was also with patches of darker areas."

It is indeed KWIL. and I am not saying that is what is on this clock.

It looks like this

**LINK**

regards Martin

I think one thing you need to get right before doing anything with the escapement is to get the pendulums with the same period and the"gearing"between them such that they hang vertical and parallel when neither pallet is engaged.