Is there a technique for installing this shock spring

[Lc130]

It's spent more time airborne than on the bench.  The rim that it sits in doesn't have a break in it like other shock rims.  Somehow the U needs to be compressed and bent down into the rim.

Not surprisingly, the rim is nicked up from others doing battle.

Any advice?

[nickelsilver]

Get the two fingers under the lip, then push straight back until the ear can enter.

[Nucejoe]

I got a funny feeling you will carry out this with ease yet the MS battle remains risky. 

I hope you plan to remove both adjust and stud arms, just the cock/ mainplate,  You would have more control if the part is unattached.

Best wishes

 

 

[Marc]

To be fair (and not particularly helpful since the spring has already been removed) the trick is to not remove them in the first place. They are designed such that once the tail is free the whole spring can be hinged upwards, pivoting around the tips of the arms until the cap jewel can be slid out from underneath. Reinstallation of the cap jewel is simply the reverse sequence.

Interestingly, these are not strictly shock absorbers, rather they are just retaining clips. The design of shock absorber settings is such as to allow the pivot to enter further into the setting under shock until a shoulder on the staff, which is much more substantial than the pivot, contacts the jewel and arrests the movement without damaging the delicate pivot. The spring then returns the staff to its operational position. If you look at the pivots of the wheels served by these settings you will find no such shoulder as the pivot is already substantial enough to withstand most knocks without ill effect. Also the springs flex only very little as a function of the mass of the wheel they support, unlike the shock protection set up on balance wheels where you have a comparatively large mass, a very fine pivot, and a lot of flex in the spring.

That being said they probably do flex under extreme shock and as such may help to protect the pivot.

[Lc130]

1 hour ago, Nucejoe said:

I got a funny feeling you will carry out this with ease yet the MS battle remains risky. 

I hope you plan to remove both adjust and stud arms, just the cock/ mainplate,  You would have more control if the part is unattached.

Best wishes

 

 

Yes, thank you.  I had oiled the pallet jewels by mistake which I think may have caused the sluggish balance issue.  I have stripped the watch down and cleaned it again.  I will follow all of the good advice I've received when reassembling.

[Lc130]

2 hours ago, Marc said:

To be fair (and not particularly helpful since the spring has already been removed) the trick is to not remove them in the first place. They are designed such that once the tail is free the whole spring can be hinged upwards, pivoting around the tips of the arms until the cap jewel can be slid out from underneath. Reinstallation of the cap jewel is simply the reverse sequence.

Interestingly, these are not strictly shock absorbers, rather they are just retaining clips. The design of shock absorber settings is such as to allow the pivot to enter further into the setting under shock until a shoulder on the staff, which is much more substantial than the pivot, contacts the jewel and arrests the movement without damaging the delicate pivot. The spring then returns the staff to its operational position. If you look at the pivots of the wheels served by these settings you will find no such shoulder as the pivot is already substantial enough to withstand most knocks without ill effect. Also the springs flex only very little as a function of the mass of the wheel they support, unlike the shock protection set up on balance wheels where you have a comparatively large mass, a very fine pivot, and a lot of flex in the spring.

That being said they probably do flex under extreme shock and as such may help to protect the pivot.

Thank you.  This is helpful to a beginner like myself.  I thought it was unusual that the design was so difficult.  Now it makes sense that the intent was not to remove it.  

[Klassiker]

These are Kif Duofix I think, and Seiko have a similar design called Diafix. Here's a video showing how to open and close them. As Marc said, the trick is to not remove the spring, but I made the same mistake a while ago when I first encountered them, thinking they are similar to Incablock, and you bend the legs inwards. I had nothing but trouble with them to be honest, even after I'd understood the right technique. Lost springs, lost cap jewels, broken springs. It is also very difficult to find spares. In the end I replaced the entire bridge, because I couldn't get the spring back in in one piece. Incablock is a dream by comparison.

Here's a video showing how to open and close them. He gets down to business with the correct technique after 3:30, but the bit you need starts at 12:15. Good luck!

 

[Lc130]

Many thanks for the video.  I'm away at the moment but look forward to trying it.  As a beginner, I note that I should also use rodico during installation.  Frustrated I didn't think of that..

[Barnaby]

Once they're out they're a nightmare to get back in.

Recently after one came out in the wash, after a lot of struggling to replace it I realised that the spring wasn't staying in place because the two arms (legs?) had become slightly compressed. With a pair of tweezers I expanded them slightly, then they had enough tension to stay under the retaining lip.