Jump to content

The balance wheel stops !


Recommended Posts

Hello,I dismantled an automatic mouvement that I took from a Sewor.

The problem is that when I reassemble it, everything is okay, I put on the balance wheel which spins, but when I screw the balance wheel bridge, tjr balance wheel stops.

The pivots aren't broken, the spiral looks okay...

I don't understand !!! Can someone please help me !

Thank You !

Post Scriptum : It worked before I dismantled it :(

Here is some pictures :

930aa0af3aadca9dcb231f7d13bb0537.jpg

8087e782c53c1a4d71afedee7f0bc1d8.jpg

6faef89ff2f47c209a7acf5b94d8c3fa.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you re-assemble the end pivot stones in the right position? check if one (or both) are upside down?

If not, might be that the handshake is to tight. If that is the case, under the balance cock just make a small scratch in the metal (making the balance cock a micro thicker) to marginally increase the space for the pivot between the jewels. This will allow the balance to rotate more freely. This is not something you would need to do often and only on very old movements, so it might be just the stones that are not er-assembled right. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did you re-assemble the end pivot stones in the right position? check if one (or both) are upside down?
If not, might be that the handshake is to tight. If that is the case, under the balance cock just make a small scratch in the metal (making the balance cock a micro thicker) to marginally increase the space for the pivot between the jewels. This will allow the balance to rotate more freely. This is not something you would need to do often and only on very old movements, so it might be just the stones that are not er-assembled right. 

I didn't disassembled the end pivot stones ! So the problem isn't from there ! I will keep your idea of making a small scratch in the metal in a corner of my head, thank you.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi As a starter do what Nucejo suggested and fit a shim under the balance cock. For example a dial washer or aluminium foil   just to increase the endshake on the balance staff.  What appears to be the problem is lack of endshake.

Okay ! Thank you !
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You showed the cock and balance assembly in second picture, that is when you had the chance to visually inspect if both pivots are intact and undamaged.

If lower and upper pivots are both undamaged and balance stops as you tighten cock screw, then end stones are pushing on pivots.

You can guage but shimming is prefered as it is not destructive. 

Place a piece of thin aluminum foil under the cock, to raise the cock.

There is a slight chance of bent pivot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You showed the cock and balance assembly in second picture, that is when you had the chance to visually inspect if both pivots are intact and undamaged.
If lower and upper pivots are both undamaged and balance stops as you tighten cock screw, then end stones are pushing on pivots.
You can guage but shimming is prefered as it is not destructive. 
Place a piece of thin aluminum foil under the cock, to raise the cock.
There is a slight chance of bent pivot.

Okay, Thank you very much !
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, AdrianNOGUES said:


No the movement is almost new !

Just because it is almost new you could have done something during the service....did you take the balance out properly? Did you you check balance staff under very high magnification? Did you peg the jewels and Possibly push them out of position? Did you reattach the hairspring to the regulator stud properly that is if you removed it from the cock during service? I would agree with shimming the balance cock but this should rarely need to be done on a fairly new movement. I would put money on a cracked jewel/bent staff ( which could happen if you seated the balance wrong when you screwed it down)  also you should check the pallet action make sure it snaps back and forth before putting in the balance issue could lie there too. Also pallet and or Impulse jewel could have gotten loose during cleaning, esp if you used IPA for long periods.

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

686f2b53f63dd61cf40a541aba48cd52.jpg
Here is a better picture of the balance wheel.
I looked on the internet and some balance wheel doesnt have a thin pivot on the top and some have.
So I'm asking myself is this one broken ? It would be logic. Sorry for all the people I contradicted, and thank you for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, AdrianNOGUES said:

+33s/d, 204 of amplitude, 0.0ms beat error

the reason for asking the question is if I was running before it should be running again and you shouldn't have to put shims under the balance wheel that correct for I have no idea what?

then your first picture was taken at the wrong angle as it's really hard for me to see what I think I'm seeing? It almost looks like the balance bridge is not down all the way it's up a little on the right-hand side? you should make sure the balance bridge is down tight and parallel and that the balance wheel can still spin before you put the screw in

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

the reason for asking the question is if I was running before it should be running again and you shouldn't have to put shims under the balance wheel that correct for I have no idea what?

Absolutely. I was surprised to see that this kind of advice given promptly when the practice is generally frowned upon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the reason for asking the question is if I was running before it should be running again and you shouldn't have to put shims under the balance wheel that correct for I have no idea what?
then your first picture was taken at the wrong angle as it's really hard for me to see what I think I'm seeing? It almost looks like the balance bridge is not down all the way it's up a little on the right-hand side? you should make sure the balance bridge is down tight and parallel and that the balance wheel can still spin before you put the screw in
 

I agree with you ! Thats why for me the aluminum foil etc etc is the last thing I want to do ! For me I need to solve the problem, not avoid it !
On the picture, you're right, the cock wasn't down all the way because it was the only position where it allowed the balance wheel to spin, it was straight though (not one side more engaged than the other)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely. I was surprised to see that this kind of advice given promptly when the practice is generally frowned upon.

Me too, it's not a good solution when you know that after you, watchmaker will have to solve the problem, the only thing it does is avoiding it to make it much important later :(
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Michael said:

Your photo is not that clear, but unfortunately it looks like you have lost your top pivot. It should be the same as the bottom pivot.

Indeed, well spotted. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi    The fitting of a shim is NOT a fix its a diagnostic aid in as much as to slightly increase the end shake of the balance when trying to determine the problem, and once proved on way or the other, then removed and look to rectifying the problem.   I have had watches where the end shake was adjusted by digging a divot in the plate there fore raising the the balance cock and increasing the endshake also had them with shims in to do the same both left as a permanent fix    Not reccomended.   

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Thanks, This watch was in a box of old scrape units that a friend gave me. They used to be his late father's who was a watchmaker before the war and then continued later in life. I picked this one out as it looked like it had potential, and I liked the dial, it's been a bit of a learning curve for a beginner but I was determined to get it going. Now I'm on the final lap it feels good. I'm just wondering whether to invest in a decent set of hand placement tools or stick with the cheap Chinese red thing I have, decisions decision 😆
    • An update, for everyone who contributed advice, and for those who come after with a similar problem. Based on the answers received, I decided to work on the face of the hammer first. I used a square degussit stone to guarantee a vertical surface to work against, and ground the face back until it was square across 90% of the depth. I was conscious of the risk of removing too much material.* After I'd got the shape how I wanted it, I polished the surface with lapping film. To cut a long story short, it did the trick and the hammer hasn't slipped off the cam since. Of course, that wasn't the end of my problems. Have a look at this video and tell me what you think is wrong. https://youtu.be/sgAUMIPaw98 The first four attempts show (0 to 34 sec.) the chrono seconds hand jumping forwards, the next two attempts (35 to 47 sec.) seem "normal", then on the seventh attempt (48 to 54 sec.) the seconds hand jumps to 5 sec. and the minute counter jumps to 1. The rest of the video just shows repeats of these three variants. I solved it by rotating the minute counter finger on the chronograph (seconds) runner relative to the cam.  I'd be interested to hear your opinions on that. It seemed to be the right thing to do, but maybe I've introduced another problem I'm not aware of. * What is the correct relationship between the two hammers and cams, by the way? Should both hammers strike the cams exactly at the same time, or is it correct for the minute counter hammer to be a bit behind the seconds hammer? In this picture, I removed the adjusting screw at 1, and the hammers are contacting the cams simultaneously at 3 and 4. I had to turn the screw down tight to achieve this condition after stoning the seconds hammer and replacing the bridge.
    • It was easy enough to pop off. Once I had the cannon pinion hanging on the blades of the stump, I got my #2 tweezers on the gear attached to the staff and levered it down. That way none of the force was on the brass wheel itself.   I reinstalled it and the bridge, and it looks like a small but reasonable amount of end shake. It also spins easily with a blower. It stops quickly, but I think that's due to the large shoulder and about what I'd expect from this wheel.  
    • Oh, right. For some reason I was picturing a monocoque case in my head. Good looking watch!
    • Well said Ross. My reason for the thread, i like many of us dont want to lose the forum, such a well knitted group of individuals i feel. But things can happen out of anyone's control. Would be nice to have something in place just in case, if anyone has any ideas please speak up. 
×
×
  • Create New...