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Hairspring Havoc

LiamB

By LiamB
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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LiamB Member

LiamB

Posted
Posted

Would anyone know how to straighten out the overcoil on this hairspring? It is from a slimline Bulova movement and the mis-shaped overcoil causes the hairspring to sit out of flat so that rubs on the balance wheel. The spring is just slightly out of flat, which would not cause problems on most watches but because of the movements slimness it is a real problem! 

 

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watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

Posted
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I such a case two pairs of tweezers  and a great deal of patience and a steady hand, There is a good U Tube video by Mark on just that.  Before venturing to attempt the job have a look at Marks video then re assess the job based on what you have watched, if you feel confident carry on if not seek further help.all the best in your endeavour,

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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

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I find the overcoil very difficult to work on as it is not resting on a flat surface. You need steady hands and make very small adjustments. I recently wrecked a Universal hairspring trying to make a tweek like the one you need. The overcoil somehow got wrapped in the coils. :thumbsd:

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canthus Super WRT Addict

canthus

Posted
Posted

Like many I have wrecked several hairsprings.  Often it is just tweezer control.  Working under magnification it is easy to misjudge dimensions, and often I have released the tweezer, with it opening too much only for it to mangle the hairspring. I now have a small elastic band fitted to the shank of the tweezers to limit how much they open when released. The elastic band can be moved up and down the shank to adjust the tweezer gap at the tips.  I have found this helps considerably.  But I still manage to wreck some!!!!!

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nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

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Two tweezers on a hairspring is always the last resort. Sometimes the only way though. If I was doing this and it was too weird or too little access to do installed with the balance (preferred way), I'd put the spring alone on the cock and try to get it as good as possible then finish with balance in.

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saswatch88 WRT Addict

saswatch88

Posted
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mark has some great videos on hairspring manipulation, unfortunately this is one of those things that will be very difficult to explain to someone with words. Best thing to do is watch videos, even videos really dont do much justice. I practice on scrap hairsprings, because one thing is tweezer pressure. Knowing the right amount of pressure is key, too much pressure can cause your hairspring to go in a completely different direction than you initially intended. Me personally I have no patience ( yes i know, why do i repair watches then? well somehow it calms me down kinda like building model airplanes, but the frustration still comes out here and there) so i always just replace the hairspring if its available.

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