Singing Once Again

I purchased an old cuckoo clock at a yard sale. It was mostly intact, just needs new hands, a weight and a set of bellows. I carefully removed the face and back to gain access to the movement. I removed the movement from the case and cleaned and oiled it. Not being an expert on clocks it certainly looked like everything was there. So I placed it back in the case and began experimenting with the weight and pendulum. The pendulum I made from an old dowel rod I had in the attic. Having done some reading on the subject via Google I figured it should be about seven inches long. The weight to drive the mechanism was a different matter altogether. I found no data to tell me how much weight should be used, so I started just using fishing sinkers. From looking at other weight driven clocks I knew the weight should be fairly heavy. After adding about a pound or so it began to tick. It took the better part of a day,on and off, to get it to this stage.
Before proceeding further I want to make sure it stays running. I have temporarily mounted this clock on a door frame. It is nothing to look at being mostly dismantled but has been happily ticking away for a couple days now. It is a one day clock, meaning you have to " rewind " it every twenty four hours. I've had a few hiccups over the last day or so with it but for the most part it is good to go. So now I'm proceeding with the next phase. Repairing the bellows and mechanism to make it go cuckoo. Not much point in having a cuckoo clock that doesn't cuckoo now is there ? They are quite small being only about an inch wide and an inch and one half long. Finding the proper material for the bellows is proving to be difficult. The size inhibits my choices. I will persevere however. It is just a personal challenge.
As I sit here writing this little blog I can hear the steady tick-tock of that clock. I had forgotten what a pleasant sound it is. It is comforting in its' regularity. Somehow reassuring. We live in a noisy world nowadays. Television ,radio, cell phones playing music. We are seldom without some form of entertainment going on. I enjoy the silence of the morning and the stillness in the evening. A little tick-tock is the perfect accompaniment. Reminds me of simpler times.
At Grandpas house you can hear the sound of a percolator coffee pot brewing a fresh batch and the ticking of the clock. I like to keep the noise down. I've got a hard enough time hearing as it is. Too much noise jangles my nerves. I'm looking forward to hearing a cuckoo. I'll get that bird to singing once again.