I have a German Franz Hermle skeleton chiming mantle clock which I think I have now overwound because the key spun round with terrific force – injuring my finger in the process! Being a skeleton clock I can see the workings, but not inside the major round shaped casing the spring movement. All cog wheels can openly be seen.
The key will not wind any more, but curiously enough, when I manually wind the clock forward by the big hand for about 24 hours, it happily ticks away - for hours! However, the movement stops instantly if the small component which acts as a ratchet to the main cog wheel is displaced.
Don't know if I have explained the above very well but will apprciate if any abber can advise me if this is a job for the clock expert?