My 25-year-old cuckoo clock hung on the dining room wall silent for over two years. Finally, this month, I decided to see if I could repair the clock to produce the comforting, hourly cuckoo whistle ...

In my mind's eye, I see my grandmother winding her cuckoo clock in the early morning. She'd pull the antique metal chains, set the hands to read the correct time and tap the pendulum to begin the task ...