Do Cuckoo Clocks Need to Be Oiled? — Cuckoo Clock Maintenance?

If you have a Black Forest cuckoo clock, you might be wondering if it needs to be oiled and how often to keep up with this maintenance.

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How Often Should I Oil My Cuckoo Clock?
As a general rule, cuckoo clocks should be oiled every two to three years; average wall clocks need to be lubricated every three to five years. Oiling keeps everything running smoothly, so don’t skip it. We recommend posting a sticky note on the back of your clock, listing the dates of any maintenance. Also, set a calendar reminder on your phone or desktop, so you don’t forget when it’s time to oil your cuckoo clock.

Why Do I Need to Oil My Cuckoo Clock?
Anything with gears and metal moving parts will need to be oiled, just like parts of your car. You need to keep up with the oiling maintenance on any mechanical clock because if the movements get dry, it will cause severe damage to the clock. Not to mention the clock will not work correctly, and metal will be grinding against metal. Inside the clock’s delicate movement box are carefully placed “oil sinks,” or oil wells, next to the plates and pivot holes where the axles connect. These oil sinks lubricate the clock in all the right places.


What Kind of Oil Should I Use on My Cuckoo Clock?
The best oil to use for your cuckoo clock is one that is synthetic and high quality. Horace Whitlock's Clock Oil is specifically designed for all mechanical clocks. Since you don’t need to oil your clock often, it’s best to buy dedicated oil for clocks instead of using just any old oil. The oil designed for clocks should stay put — as opposed to the oil used for things like sewing machines, which is intended to spread. So you may think you can use whatever oil you already have, but we suggest buying the correct oil — and never use WD40 on your cuckoo clock or any clock. The WD in WD40 stands for water displacement. When oils come in contact with WD40 the oil is displaces and removed from its location, leaving behind a thicker motor oil type lubricant that is not intended for precision equipment such as a Cuckoo clock or any other clock for that matter. You can find the right oil easily at many online retailers or visit your local clock store. A popular oil brand that comes highly recommended is Liberty. The clock oil has a long needle at the tip that can maneuver into hard to reach places and place the oil in the right spots.

Where and How Do I Oil the Cuckoo Clock?

Cleaning and oiling a Cuckoo clock is not that difficult. Most clock shops charge quite a bit to service a cuckoo clock. On the Horace Whitlocks home page, you will find a free downloadable PDF guide that will walk you through this process.  We suggest you down load this file and read it carefully. Although its not directly for a cuckoo clock, it is a generic file for cleaning and re-oiling any type of mechanical clock. Once your comfortable with the information, we suggest you purchase a good quality oil and get started. Horace Whitlock's Clock cleaning and oiling kit is the perfect kit that includes everything you will need to clean, re-oil and service your cuckoo clock.
Although the kits instructions suggest you remove the cuckoo clocks movement, this is not necessary, you can do a good cleaning and re-oiling by  opening the back to access the movement box and specifically the pivot points.  Wipe around them gently with a soft cloth provided to remove any excess dirt and old oil deposits. Using a pivot cleaning stick also provided, you’ll clean the area more closely. Do not use Q-tips for this. Place a drop or two of oil in the oil sink, but do not overfill — and be careful not to disturb other working parts of the clock.
We put this cleaning and re-oiling kit together with the instructions with the hobbyist in mind. Although we do sell these kits to both the hobbyist as well as professional clock repair shops.

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