3D printed Hairspring Holder

[Tmuir]

Over the last 2 weeks at my watch and clock repair class we have been learning how to manipulate hairsprings.

We were shown that if you sit the hairspring on a sheet of glass and have it raised up by a 1 or 2cm over white paper the shadows of the hairsping are out of your way making it easier to see what you are doing.

After the first night of playing with hairsprings I went home and designed myself a holder based around some 50mm spare torch glass I had lying around.

I also added cross hairs to make it easier to work out where to hold the spring when adjusting it.

This is my end result.

Should anyone have a 3D printer and want to make one themselves I've uploaded it to Thingaverse. The glass I used was 50mm diameter and 1.5mm thick, but it should also work with 2mm thick glass. The parts are made to friction fitted so you don't need to glue it so it can be taken apart if needed to clean the glass.

Bottom photo shows a clock hairspring I had fixed and I'm in the process of attempting to make it a breguet overcoil, for no other reason that practice

Thingaverse Link to STL files

[Watchtime]

Technology advances....well done. Who would have thought this would be possible 10 years ago

[praezis]

Why use the simple way when you can have it complicated?

For the same purpose I use the top of a 10ct aluminium box (there are plastic ones, too) with glass window. In the side wall I cut a light window.

Frank

[Tmuir]

Only simple when you have it available. :-)

Besides it gave me an excuse to use my 3D printer which I hadn't used for a while and I've been wanting to make something for use in my watch repair course for some time, but until this I couldn't think of anything to print that I thought would be of suitable quality

[matabog]

I use a 10mm thick plexy 50mm/20mm with different diameter holes in it