You may think that moving a grandfather clock is easy and that you simply pick it up and take it to the new house; however, this is not the case. A grandfather clock needs to be dismantled and packed carefully so that you can be sure it is still working when you get to the other end. Your moving company may have somebody on the team who has been trained how to do this properly, but here are a few tips if you want to pack the clock yourself .
The weights should be removed one by one and packed separately, protected with bubble wrap. Ensure that each one is labeled – ‘left’, ‘right’ and ‘center’ – so that they can be put back in the right place. The weights may look similar but they are not the same. All shelf parts should also be removed and packed carefully.
Take out the pendulum and pack it, preferably using the original box. Take special care with this, watching out for the suspension spring at the top. If you can remove any decorative spires on the top of the clock then you should do so – most are easy to take off.
Once all the removable parts are packed, the clock case itself can be wrapped in a furniture blanket and taped up to protect it from scratches and damage. Your professional movers will know that the clock should be kept upright while it is being moved, as laying the clock down flat means that there is more risk of breakage.
