How to Install a Balance Wheel in a Mantel Clock

Open the back of the mantel clock. If necessary, use a screwdriver to remove any screws that might be securing the door on the back of the clock.

Look for the screws that attach the clock movement to the clock case. The movement is the set of gears, springs and so forth that actually operate the clock. The case is the outer body of the mantel clock. Use the screwdriver to remove these screws.

Pull out the mantel clock movement. Gently detach the clock face from the movement. The clock face is attached to the movement by small metal tabs that fit into the movement. Use pliers to straighten the tabs so that the clock face can be slipped out of the movement.

Look inside the movement. Underneath the part of the movement to which the clock face was attached, there is a small pin. This pin is attached to the balance wheel spring. The balance wheel spring is located directly above the balance wheel. The spring looks like a metal coil. Pull out the pin that attaches the balance wheel spring to the movement.

Turn the balance wheel of the mantel clock to release the balance wheel spring above it. The balance wheel spring will come free of the hole by the pin and also a slit on the opposite side of the spring.

Use the screwdriver to unscrew the screw on the bottom of the movement that is located directly underneath the balance wheel. Carefully remove the balance wheel. Replace the old balance wheel with a new balance wheel.

Use the screwdriver to screw the balance wheel screw back into place. Thread the balance wheel spring back into the hole and the slit. Push the pin back into the hole. Put the clock face of the mantel clock back onto the movement. Use the pliers to bend the tabs down slightly to hold the face in place.

Place the movement back into the mantel clock. Use the screwdriver to tighten any screws that hold the door of the case in place. Wind the clock, and the balance wheel should begin to tick.