Omega 30 t2 pc - balance wheel stuck

[Khan]

Pardon me, what's CGS? 

Attached is the original hairspring. Struggling with it without stressing about it. I'm fixing the vertical twisting first and then the horizontal circuling. This practice makes your fingers really steady. Going back to regular servicing feels remarkably easier. 

[Nucejoe]

CGS Stands for Centimeter, Gram, Seconds, its a metric system of measurements and abstractly used in horolgy to refer to hairspring strength.

The two springs you got, are of the same family generation, meaning have the same strength and only differ in length to resonate to different frequencies, much like a guitar spring. The resistance a hairspring puts up to the motion of balance wheel is fundamental to the beat the complete balance produces.

As for this bent hairspring, thanks to largely undisturbed coil it is perfectly sortable in my book, you might streigthen the bends and kinks first and wind the outer circle of the coil a bit larger in diameter to increase the distance with the next inner circle, which eliminate the chance of the two outer coils to foul each other( one getting on top of the other).

I hold the stud and run gently the spring in between your tweezers until all bends are streigthened,  you can just clap your tweezers on any kink to take it out. 

Good luck.

 

 

[clockboy]

Looking at the existing spring that could be manipulated. However manipulating hairsprings is not as easy as it first appears. Practice, practice and more practice is a must. Choosing a replacement hairspring is also not an easy task. I have lots of hairsprings in my stock and it is amazing how, despite this when a replacement is required I do not have suitable donor. Hairsprings have to to be the correct strength, length and turned in the correct direction. Most hairspring centre studs have one side which is chamfered and this is the side that sits on the balance. The rule of thumb for strength is when attached to the complete balance assembly it should dangle 1/2" when held by its outer  coil. 

[JohnR725]

14 hours ago, Khan said:

Only hairspring is replaced. Everything else is untouched to the watch. Visually, it looks the same as the original hairspring. But I dont know if it makes any difference?

One of the things you have to be careful about is if you look at the link below you're right there all in the same family. But look carefully at the descriptions just because of the same family doesn't mean that everything interchanges.

 

9 hours ago, Khan said:

It comes from a cal. 268 as I remember. 

If you look at the description of 268 versus your watch and even the picture notice that the balance wheel description is a little? Let's quote "268: ring- instead screw balance" Your balance wheel appears to have screws the picture of the 268 appears to not have screws. But as you pointed out to the same family it shouldn't matter should it?

I will let somebody else who likes to toss out CGS numbers explain in detail what it means.

Here's the problem with CGS numbers it's not exactly an exact science we have a problem. Then in your case You will probably find that your CGS number is different anyway that's an even bigger problem. But even if it was the exact same CGS number we still have a problem. Up until recent times the manufacture of balance wheels even though they look all the same isn't super precise. This means that every single hairspring Has to be matched to the balance wheel by a fun procedure call vibrating. This is why hairsprings are not listed as a separate component it's a balance complete.

American pocket watches with over coil hairsprings the companies found it easier to pre-manufacture the hairsprings to get the characteristics they desired. Then to get the balance wheels to match they change the timing screws. So in the catalog hairsprings are available or were available along with the associated with timing screws.

As you've discovered your hairspring isn't the right hairspring for your balance wheel. As you like your hairspring better than the old one you're going to have to modify the balance wheel to fit your nifty new hairspring. As others have suggested remove a pair of opposite screws to keep the poise. Then see what effect that has your more than likely going to have to remove several pairs of screws. Then the funds going to be where you're probably going to be unlucky and you really good and up needing half screws which you don't have. This gives you a couple options either timing washers to increase the weight they will allow more precise control or you're going to have to modify a pair of screws to reduce the weight.

Then we'll see what other undesirable consequences may or may not occur. That's because hairsprings are more than just used for timekeeping but as your balance will be light in weight you probably won't suffer. It be much worse of the balance wheel ended up being really heavy for a hairspring that was wrong possibly.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Omega_268

[Nucejoe]

Hairsprings were/are produced with traditionally preset values of CGS.

In house manufactured hairspring were generally utelized on as many calibers as possible, unless a technical neccessity called for production of different CGS, since both calibers at hand are to beat the same and of the same family, I'd be very surprised if CGS varies between members of same family/ generation, unless design frequency is improved( increased).Your balance complete will produce the beat with considerable accuracy, the wheel will loose its poise therefor percision if you unscrew a weight, which according to nickelsilver manifests in hunderds of a second. 

While spring production was inherently inexact, each weight is in effect a micro-poiser, as we can clearly see on the wheel, two weights are not screwed down all the way to the last pitch of their thread allowing furthure adjustment of the poise, specially useful when the wheel gets restaffed or otherwise interfered with, In addition to weight washers you can remove material off of each weight with a fine file if not on lathe.

You might even forget the weights for the benefit of the poise and simply cut the hairspring shorter to speed up the rate. Vice versa dose not hold true if the ballance complete ran fast. 

 Weight- HS length are in fact two parameters left at disposal of repairman to use in combination in building a decent balance complete. 

Its down to repairman's skill and nowadays to availabilty of parts as well. 

Regards Joe

 

[Khan]

Hi Nucejoe 

The hairspring seems too solid or thick to smoothen it out by sliding the tweezer along it. That first vertical twist is challenging to level down. I have tried positioning two tweezers at the first twist (when looking into my latest image), and then twist the right tweezer towards me..but it mostly change the the twist close to the stud. But I might need stronger light to diagnose the twists and locating tweezers properly according to the shades of the spring due to twists.

By the way, I'm impressed of the passion and knowledge sharing provided in this forum, very much appreciated indeed. 

[Nucejoe]

You might consider laying a section of the HS on flat surface of glass and gently slide a needle over it,  this will lets you press on the springas you like,  works like a treat taking the kinks out as well as streighens somewhat, try AND continue in 3 to 4 mm sections, observe and evaluate the outcome, before you move on to the next section.

The reason for going in small sections is to observe and keep the spring vertical to coil, as you streighten,  vertical so circles come out parallel when you wind the coil.

Avoid pressing too hard on the spring as you may worsen a fatigue in crystaline structure of the spring.

Good luck.

 

[Khan]

Wow, interesting. I can imagine the procedure. Thank You very much for the help. Will try that and luck I need as well. 

[rodabod]

I’ve already posted it once, so won’t repeat the same info, other than to say: the hairsprings are not the same. They can’t be.

I’d suggest you try to get a hold of the original balance rim, or purchase another balance-complete. The original hairspring is toast in my opinion, but may be good for practicing on.