Face and Bell Check - The Clock Tower, BITS Pilani

Face Work

Decoupled the bevels at the center by lifting the vertical bevel and supporting it on a small block
Rotated the individual faces (Pankaj made note of the resistance faced)
Noticed that SR face was balanced such that the minute hand returned to the horizontal position no matter where it was let go.
Play in the shaft
Bearing appears to be the same type as in the bell hammer set up.
Set the faces at 12.02 pm and left them to see when the clock stopped again.
The clock had slowed by 1.15 and was lagging behind (showing 1.10)

Bell work
1. Inner casing(white) of the control cable coming out with the inner metal cable at the gong machinery end.
2. Kink in the control cable may be causing some disturbance in smooth operation.
3. Hammer was badly in need of lubrication
4. Lubricated the bell bearings and the control cable at the bell end
5. Need to get crimps(or the cycle thing -forget the name) to seal the ends of the control cable and maybe a rubber cover to prevent shit from getting in
6. Need a walkie talkie app for communication from the bell chamber to the machinery room

Welcome!

The most iconic landmark in the quaint, little hamlet that is Pilani, the BITS Clock-tower brings with it more than half-a-century’s worth of history and tales aplenty. Occupying a central place in BITS folklore, over the years, attempting an ascent of this structure was something of a rite of passage for every BITSian who hopped onto the life-mobile and sauntered off into the sunset.

As clock-towers go, this specimen is about as unique as they come – its array of 10 bells, gives it an unparalleled musical range among its brethren nationally, and it certainly hits rarefied notes on a global scale. That it has had to suffer in silence for the last 30 years is a deafening tragedy, with reports from its heyday extolling how its chimes could be heard from miles away!

Over the last couple of years, there has been a dedicated student-run initiative to restore this tired behemoth to the pristine glory of its yesteryears. Mentored by a group of recent alumni, a team of able hands and minds have made great strides in this regard.

Wishing you well, ye old Methuselah. Long may you enthrall generations hence!