Keeping chains from tangling
No more tangled chains or ropes! Have you ever spent frustrating minutes trying to unravel a longcase or cuckoo clock chain? Or, even worse, have you stepped on a chain hanging over the edge of your bench and brought the whole movement down on the floor. If you have, this hint is for you.
Having previously kept chains under control by wrapping them around my fingers and then securing the bundle with a rubber band, masking tape or a plastic/wire tie, I know how often they come undone and, even if they don’t, can still become tangled. So I came up with this little gadget.
It had to be simple and quickly made if it was to be successful, especially if l was going to make them ‘disposable’ and give the clock back to the customer with the gadget in place.
I used a length of wooden venetian blind slat from our local recycling shop, but of course any thin ply, mdf or even strong card will work. For longcase-sized clocks I found a size of about 4.75in by 1.5in by 8in overall to be about right. For cuckoo and smaller type clocks they can be about 4in by 1in or thereabouts. When you have wrapped the chain around it, now secure the chain with the rubber band or plastic tie as in the photograph. When you later release the chain, hey presto, no tangles!
If you have a bandsaw, tablesaw or jigsaw you can make up a couple of dozen inside 20 minutes. You could spend that length of time untangling a stubborn chain and doing your blood pressure no good at all!
Brian Barkworth, Australia
