Jump to content

hairspring repair

gina

By gina
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

gina Member

gina

Posted
Posted

Hello,

I'm brand new to this forum and also to watchmaking. I've barely disassembled and reassembled a BFG 866. That was great. And then, I bent a hairspring. And then another. So...my first question would be: is there a point where a hairspring is too far gone to be repaired? 

 

Thanks ahead for the answer!

g

watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

Posted
Posted

Hi Gina  there is a time when the spring is beyond saving usually when its a rats nest or the kink is so sharp that the molecular structure of the metal is damaged and any further flexing will cause it to snap.  Most soft distortions when the spring is not flat or the coils are not even causing them to touch and that causes rate errors are in all probability salvageable with care and deft use of the tweezers or manipulation tools. The subject has been covered before and the references can be found via the SEARCH box at the top right of the home screen.   We have all managed to butcher a spring or two during our carees.    Cheers

  • Like 2
gina Member

gina

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, watchweasol said:

Hi Gina  there is a time when the spring is beyond saving usually when its a rats nest or the kink is so sharp that the molecular structure of the metal is damaged and any further flexing will cause it to snap.  Most soft distortions when the spring is not flat or the coils are not even causing them to touch and that causes rate errors are in all probability salvageable with care and deft use of the tweezers or manipulation tools. The subject has been covered before and the references can be found via the SEARCH box at the top right of the home screen.   We have all managed to butcher a spring or two during our carees.    Cheers

OK, thank you. I did search the forum, but will look again for more detailed tutorials.

gina Member

gina

Posted
  • Author
Posted
6 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Hi Gina   I posted one on balancespring needles,  lookup "balancespring needles" there was some response to that.

Oh, cool. Thanks!

JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

Posted
Posted

What you need to do is purchase broken watches off of eBay.  Watch repair is all about continuously practicing. Practicing putting the gears in and out for instance without breaking pivots. Practicing working on hairsprings much nicer if it's a disposable watch that you purchase that's never going to be fixed. So you can destroy the hairspring learning how to work on it. Versus trying to fix the hairspring of something good where it is going to take a lot of practice to learn how to fix it.

  • Like 1
gina Member

gina

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 3/2/2020 at 1:21 AM, JohnR725 said:

What you need to do is purchase broken watches off of eBay.  Watch repair is all about continuously practicing. Practicing putting the gears in and out for instance without breaking pivots. Practicing working on hairsprings much nicer if it's a disposable watch that you purchase that's never going to be fixed. So you can destroy the hairspring learning how to work on it. Versus trying to fix the hairspring of something good where it is going to take a lot of practice to learn how to fix it.

Thank you John. That's good advice. Fortunately, these are cheap movements, and I'm using them as practice. Would love to learn how to fix what I break before I try working on anything of value! 

Btw, everyone is so nice here. Glad to be a part of this forum.

  • Like 1
nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, Nucejoe said:

Countless spare hairsprings were produced during the past hundered years, what dose that tell us? 

 

Hahaha, that even trained watchmakers kill them sometimes! I mangled a microscopic one last week in a Lecoultre 426, the balance diameter in that is about 5.5mm so you can imagine the hairspring. Got it back in order luckily; I don't have very many springs that small.

  • Thanks 1
dadistic Distinguished Member

dadistic

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

 the balance diameter in that is about 5.5mm so you can imagine the hairspring.

Yikes!

  • Haha 1
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Shadaar
      Older Emporio Armani watch needs fixing

      By Shadaar · Posted

      Hi Tigermuffins, Replacement parts for Armani watches are, in my experience, rather difficult to find. This is because not a lot is known of the movements and parts that have been used and there is very little information available. I repaired one myself for practice and spent a LOT of time finding a replacement wheel. That particular watch used a Chinese movement, that I could only identify after doing a lot of research. I think your best bet would be to find a second hand watch of the same model, or one of the models that were released around the same time, and use the stem + crown form that one. I found attached article of its release and probably one of the other tank models would also work. Maybe one of the other members has more info on the movement used for this model, then you could try to find a replacement stem and a (generic) crown.  Good luck on your first project!
    • Embezelled
      Where it begins

      By Embezelled · Posted

      The Citizen movement is 3ADJ. One reason I have some hope that the crown/stem didn't snap is that the end looks clean rather than broken. I've got 2.3 mm of threaded "stem" coming from the cap. Let me see if I can take a picture with sufficient detail to show it.
    • AndyGSi
      Where it begins

      By AndyGSi · Posted

      I expect the stem on the Citizen will have snapped but if you're luck they'll be enough protruding from the crown to unscrew it. Do you know what movement's in the Citizen and what all the movements look like for general condition.
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Seeking advice on installing watch crystal.

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      There are specific dies that will mostly fit this crystal shape, but I just find it easier doing them by hand. Occasionally the odd one can be difficult, there is a workaround, and it isn't by force . Same Andy, generally it's possible to get 2 1/2  sides in before a little pushing is required. Things usually tighten up when the crystal is skewed too much, typically on smaller ones, I tend to try keeping them as flat as possible to the case lip Have a measure up to see how well it does actually fit. Often the old ones were designed to be trimmed to size ( maybe not this one as it looks like a square version of a high dome, but still may trim down a little ) Manufacturers probably thinking it's easy to take off, impossible to put anything on. I think would need something central of the crystal inside, while pushing the corners outside. 
    • Tigermuffins
      Older Emporio Armani watch needs fixing

      By Tigermuffins · Posted

      To anyone who might be able to help. I am coming up on almost 20 years since I bought an Emporio Armani Meccanico AR 4205 watch. Sadly the crown and main stem is now missing due to an unforeseen accident. I went to my local store, they sent it in for repairs, but returned it due to being a model that has gone out of date. The watch itself is not very expensive, but it holds a great sentimental value to me. So I figure it would be a nice small project to get it fixed on my own. But since this is my first dive into wristwatch repairs, could anyone point me to somewhere on the web where such parts could be bought? Or if there are parts from a different model that would work on this? Any and all assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated :)
×
×
  • Create New...