Incabloc spring came free

[Orologi67]

the plate side incabloc spring came free while i was gently pushing it up to take out the jewels.  It seems impossible to reinstall it into the hing slots.

Do i need to push out the metal bushing slightly to get it back in place?  The spring is undamaged but i dont know any other way to reset the spring without damage.  

Can someone give me some process tips?

Thanks so much.

I find these settings to be the most difficult part of the watch cleaning process.  I now work in a white creme brulee bowl in case of pings.  I reassemble the entire movement with a cleaned balance wheel/hairspring.  Then i place the movement in its holder down into the ramekin to do the incabloc removal. The wall of the ramekin stops the sideways pinging from sending the object across the floor into oblivion

Hairsprings have nothing on these incablocs!

 

[Ishima]

That's unfortunate, but don't despair. 

You can approach this in two ways, if you're nervous about trying anything with the block... well... if it came out it should mean there's a way back in without that, but it is harder, i've only had to do it one time, the slot barely showing proud of main-plate by a micron, you need to use rodico to handle the spring, and peg-wood to make adjustments, poking it here and there, and just try to slide it back in somehow, that is once you've located the opening. (at least that's how i did it)

Another time i did have to use a staking set to partially punch out the block, this made getting the spring in a lot easier, but it is a job in and of itself, not especially difficult per se, with the right punches and a bit of precision on your part, but as i'm sure you understand you probably dont want to upset the blocks original position too much, getting it back in more or less exactly how deeply it was to begin with, i can't imagine there's a lot of tolerance there before you'd cause a problem, it worked out well for me though. 

[yankeedog]

I hate them. I generally  have luck inserting the base into the slot with a screwdriver and then  getting  the prongs In one at a time. Keep your work  surface  clear ! It makes it easier  to find one should it go flying.

[HectorLooi]

Yes, happened to me before. 

Usually it's the Chinese movements that have this problem. It traumatized me so much that I have a phobia of opening incablocs.

The problem is using fine tweezers to hold the spring and trying to muscle the end into the hinge hole. It'll will rotate and ping into oblivion. 

I found a simple solution to this. You need to hold both ends of the incabloc spring simultaneously in order to manipulate it into the hinge. I used a pair of eyebrow tweezers for this, about 3-4 mm wide. ( Just borrow one from your boss when she's not looking. )

Grip across the entire spring, get one end of the spring into the hole first then muscle it in or use a screwdriver to nudge the other end in.

Works everytime. But it still give me the shivers to pop open an incabloc.

[Orologi67]

Thanks everyone.

I have a very good punch set made by K & D.  I also have a seitz jeweling tool.  I compared both for bases, punches on k&d, pushers on seitz.  I came to the conclusion the the punch set was better for the job but i did use a setiz base.  I knocked out the bushing ever so slightly and that darn spring just slid in.  Then i punched it gently back into place.

It may be a micromilimeter not deep enough.  Im gonna test it out.  I already have the jewels back in it.

I wanted an easier way but there wasnt one.  I had to take off the calender works, the pallet fork, the automatic mechanism gears.

What a mess.  Seems to me they could make these easier to take on and off.  These incabloc springs

[les13]

I was just about to ask the same question. Lots of good suggestions here. Thanks everyone!

[Nucejoe]

22 minutes ago, les13 said:

I was just about to ask the same question. Lots of good suggestions here. Thanks everyone!

What question, shock spring comming off? 

[les13]

What question, shock spring comming off? 

Yes, I opened the spring on a Seagull 6498 and before I could get it closed, it hopped on to my workbench. After several tries to get it back in place, I broke one of the legs off.

[jdm]

9 minutes ago, les13 said:

Yes, I opened the spring on a Seagull 6498 and before I could get it closed, it hopped on to my workbench. After several tries to get it back in place, I broke one of the legs off.

The Chinese don't use genuine Incabloc, but their own slightly different versions. Problem is, the slot where the spring hinges may be a bit wider, so an Incabloc won't hold in there. You can post a good picture and measure all sizes accurately.

[Nucejoe]

Oh, you still have a lot to break to catch up with the crowed. 

 

[JohnC]

I have had this happen quite a few times, although my phobia now includes any shock you have to press and turn to set in place (lost a Diashock today). Orologi67 I think the ramekin is a good idea. So far my strategy has just been to lay the shock spring on top of the block, and then using pegwood or tweezers, to gently press one side of the hinged end back and into the slot. Then once that is in, I poke the other side of the hinged end forward and down. At most the spring is rotated about 70 degrees from the line of the slot, and it seems to slide in nicely most of the time. I find that whenever I try to hold onto the spring and push the other end in, the risk of pinging is greatly elevated.

Now whenever the arms are not locked under the plate, I hold a small piece of pegwood behind the spring, to keep it from sliding out the far end. I've had this problem a lot with the top shock spring, but never with the bottom - presumably because the block is pushed far enough into the plate that there is an effective backstop for the spring.

Just want to emphasize that it is definitely possible to get it back in, with persistence. I have seen lots of suggestions in the past that the whole balance assembly has to be taken apart. This is not the case.

[Nucejoe]

 

 

 

 

  

Edited August 22, 2020 by Nucejoe
THERE YOU IS.

[JohnC]

Right when I thought I had dreamed up a new tool...