Pallet moved in fork slot indications?

[Nucejoe]

What symptoms indicate pallets having moved in/ out inside the fork slot.

Thanks for all advice and discussions in advance.

 

 

[nickelsilver]

There's no way really other than checking the escapement functions. Some forks have a significant gap at the back where the jewel sits, some none, generally somewhere in between. As even a move of 0.01mm will have a real impact on performance there's no shortcut.

Luckily it seems few forks get 'adjusted' willy nilly as it requires heating up, on the other hand I think every American watch with eccentric bankings I've seen has had the bankings put in the weirdest positions.

[oldhippy]

You can get fluttering, that is where the pallets escape to quickly from the teeth of the escape wheel, causing very little movement from the pallets, normally caused by a chipped pallet stone or pallets set in correctly.   

[Nucejoe]

@oldhippy! So am I correct thinking that, at one extreme the fork flutters( observable when balance removed, provding power ), at other extreme we get escapement locked up, ie; as we nudge the fork, it jumps to left/ right but will not let a teeth escape. 

Therefore, the correct pallet position is somewhere in between the two extremes.

@nickelsilver  am I correct thinking that, at one extreme, improper pallet position can produce unhealthy large ampliude.

Both gentleman thanks for advices.

[nickelsilver]

Nucejoe, if the run to the banking and/or drop lock are too small (yet still functionally safe) then yes there could be too much amplitude, causing rebanking.

[Ronp]

If you have an advanced Witchi timer you can also look at the noises the escapement makes with a resolution of 20 ms. It will give you in that view also the amplitude for both sides of the balance wheel movemnts. If they differ more than 10 - 15 degrees  you also have an indication for an issue with the depth of the palletstones. If you see a lot of jitter on the trace mode, also an indication of an issue with the pallet fork/stones. 

 

Most simple, take your microscope at 20 - 40 magnification and look at the interaction of the palletstones with the teeth of your escape wheel. Quite often it is very clearly visible if the depthing has shifted of the stones.

 

br

 

Ron