Mainspring Winder Question

[Don]

On Mark's mainspring winder video he winds an automatic mainspring. When winding a regular mainspring with a hook on the end, do you wind it all the way into the winder or do you leave the hook out? Or do you just break the hook off trying, like I did? [emoji26]

Thanks, Don.

[bobm12]

Sorry to hear you broke the spring Don, it happens once in a while...I did once too! Although I can't answer your question I would like to suggest -- if you don't have a high mainspring demand/output/business/can't think of the right word here -- to try it by hand. I do all of mine that way. I suppose a winding tool is better but I've never used one.

[Marc]

You have to wind it all the way in otherwise you can't install it into the barrel.

It's very easy to catch the hook (manual wind spring) or bridle (auto) in the entry slot of the winder barrel which makes life difficult.

What you need to do is to stop winding just before the end of the spring enters the winder barrel and then feed it into the winder with tweezers.

[Don]

No worries, Bob. It was a practice spring. I've tried by hand and with two different types of winders. I'll do some more practice with this one and maybe try hand winding again.. I liked your explanation in another thread about hand winding bringing you closer to the work or something like that.

 

Thanks very much Marc. Exactly the information I needed!

[Mark]

Indeed, as Marc says, wind as far as the hook and then feed it in with some brass tweezers.

 

It is also advisable to remove the tension by turning the crank backwards, maybe two turns. And this is because when you feed in the hook, sometimes the hook will slip all the way around inside, and then back out of the gap and then catch. If you reduce the tension first then this will not happen. If you reduce the tension too much so that you can't push the hook through then you can always crank it up a bit.

 

Hope i'm being clear :)

[Don]

Thanks much Mark. Makes perfect sense. I'll try it this weekend.

[Mark]

Thanks much Mark. Makes perfect sense. I'll try it this weekend.

 

Good luck Don :)

[tpt]

I'm tooling up to start my BHI distance learning diploma and on advice from forum members will start tinkering with relatively cheap Seiko 7S26 movements. 

Please could you advise me whether I need a mainspring winder and which one?... or point me in the direction of a video showing how it's done by hand please?

 

Many thanks!

 

Tim

[Don]

Hi Tim,

 

Here's a hand winding video:

 

http://youtu.be/GjZj3XTGTHs

 

I ruined a couple of mainsprings trying to learn how to hand wind and decided I just wasn't good at it. So I bought a set of winders, which took forever to arrive. In the meantime I successfully wound a mainspring by hand and decided it wasn't as big a deal as I'd made it out to be. If you can afford a set of mainspring winders, they will help - especially with automatic springs. If not, you'll probably pick up hand winding faster than I did.

 

Be careful buying old sets from eBay. If the hooks are really worn, they'll be practically useless.

 

Don

[tpt]

Many thanks Don,

I'll take a look, then practice practice practice.

[clockboy]

I have been considering purchasing the Bergeon half set of winders. But getting the extra barrels is a problem.

I enquired with Cousins if they could supply specific winders as ad on's for example Rolex & ETA calibers as I had seen them being sold in the USA for  $85

Cousins contacted on my behalf Bergeon who stated that these specific winders where at present not in their catalog but will be in the future & therefore will be eventually for sale at Cousins.

Also the winders that are being sold by the USA supply houses are not Bergeon but will probably work with the Bergeon winders.

[Don]

Many thanks Don,

I'll take a look, then practice practice practice.

 

You're very welcome. Actually, the hardest part is getting it started, because of the recurve of the barrel end of the spring.

 

As you know if you read my original post, I managed to make using the mainspring winders difficult too. :rolleyes:

 

 

I have been considering purchasing the Bergeon half set of winders. But getting the extra barrels is a problem.

I enquired with Cousins if they could supply specific winders as ad on's for example Rolex & ETA calibers as I had seen them being sold in the USA for  $85

Cousins contacted on my behalf Bergeon who stated that these specific winders where at present not in their catalog but will be in the future & therefore will be eventually for sale at Cousins.

Also the winders that are being sold by the USA supply houses are not Bergeon but will probably work with the Bergeon winders.

 

Interesting. Ofrei in the U.S. has individual drums and arbors listed on their website. Some say Bergeon and some do not. I inquired about ordering individual barrels and arbors. At first they said it was a backorder and then they said they were out of production. ???

Edited February 26, 2015 by Don

[clockboy]

Don, it was Offrei that Cousins contacted and the reply was that they are not Bergeon but should work with a Bergeon winder.

It was just me trying to save some money. The full set kit is £800 & half set £400 so me thinks that buy the half set & add to it as required but this seems difficult.

My present winder has worked great until I tackled a Rolex & it was not up to the task. It is a lot of money to spend but as the saying goes "you only get what you pay for" 

Edited February 27, 2015 by clockboy

[Don]

Don, it was Offrei that Cousins contacted and the reply was that they are not Bergeon but should work with a Bergeon winder.

It was just me trying to save some money. The full set kit is £800 & half set £400 so me thinks that buy the half set & add to it as required but this seems difficult.

My present winder has worked great until I tackled a Rolex & it was not up to the task. It is a lot of money to spend but as the saying goes "you only get what you pay for" 

 

I see. None of the Rolex specific sizes says Bergeon, but the individual barrels and arbors of the standard sizes are Bergeon.

 

I was thinking the same about saving money. The half set is an extravagance for a beginning hobbyist, but I ordered that and the next two sizes of barrels and arbors. They sent the half set and some combination of the barrels and arbors, but said the rest were out of production. Also, the 5355 set only has sizes 0 to 6. I'd probably seldom if ever use the smaller sizes and I'll probably need higher than size 6. So I had my wife leave the room and I ordered the full set. I'll either use them the rest of my life or I can always sell them and get a good chunk of the money back. It's a shame they can't be bought individually. Mark wrote in another post that he mostly used sizes 4-9.

[clockboy]

Don, I have been considering the same BUT a lot of money. I am still tempted to purchase the half set & purchase one of the Offrei ones to see if it works.The problem is there are no real bargains any more on eBay & it's going to be a very expensive test.

 

Wondering if Bergeon are scaling down on their production of tools. They no longer make a Platex tool & now looks like they don't make some of the barrels & arbours. Worrying times for pro,s & hobbyists.

Edited February 28, 2015 by clockboy

[Geo]

They no longer make a Platex tool

?????? ;)