Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well!  Been working on a Venus 175 for the last while that needed a few things.  Last on the list was the minute recorder spring, which I have found replacement options for but they are all quite pricy.  So I decided to have a go at making my own.  I have never attempted anything quite like this so this was a very new experience for me.  I did still have the damaged spring which was snapped in half, so I was able to use it as a pattern for the new spring.  I glued the 2 halves to the stock for the new spring.  After much filing and figuring this is what I came up with.  Test fitting and function was good so all that was needed was to tightening it down for the last time.  This is where the low comes in with the final picture.... how quickly things can change with one slip in this hobby of ours!

SPRING.jpg

SPRING2.jpg

SPRING3.jpg

SPRING4.jpg

Posted
3 minutes ago, Stevelp said:

This is where the low comes in with the final picture.... how quickly things can change with one slip in this hobby of ours!

Good work but looking at the 2nd last picture the section was made so th8n that In my opinion is not surprising it has snapped. Also, in some cases it's beneficial to harden the spring for extra strength.

Posted

Thank you.  yes it is quite thin.  The original spring measured 0.01mm and I went to 0.04mm as I was concerned to go any further so it is thicker than the original.  I used a feeler gauge for the stock which I thought were hardened, but if not, thanks for the info I will try that the second time around.

Posted
27 minutes ago, Stevelp said:

The original spring measured 0.01mm and I went to 0.04mm as I was concerned to go any further so it is thicker than the original.

Are you sure about that? It's impossible for a setting spring to be only one cent of a millimeter thick. Try flexing a 0.05mm feeler blade to get an idea of how thin and fragile steel is at that thickness. There are 0.05mm mainsprings, but are made of hardened special alloys. I world try again making the spring as thick as possible while it fits and work mechanically.

Posted
10 hours ago, Stevelp said:

This is where the low comes in with the final picture.... how quickly things can change with one slip in this hobby of ours!

Nearly! You'll get it done right on the next attempt. 

  • Like 2
Posted

Thanks Plato for the encouragement!  Yup I’ll give it another go.  I guess thats a positive out of these situations, you learn what to do better with the next one😋

  • Like 1
Posted
5 hours ago, Stevelp said:

817841E8-ED74-440F-9B17-DC76B38674A1.thumb.jpeg.f43c0c7a5ac3cfe92019df7ae4d280df.jpeg

Impressive work! Just wanted to mention that I have the exact same type of caliper and it is surprisingly exact. I'd say it is usually only off by 1/100 of a millimetre (or so). Anyway, for any precision measuring I use my Bergeon micrometre  (very proud and happy to own it) as seen in this post measuring my AliExpress jeweling tool anvils and pump pushers.

Posted

Have another go! I'm sure your second attempt will be even better. try to keep the thin section at a consistent thickness. If you used a file so far, maybe try with a stone?

  • Like 1
Posted

Thanks VWatchie!  Wow that is a great looking micrometer no doubt!  I think I may have to invest in a bench micrometer as well in the future for projects such as this.  Yes I had a little trouble keeping the thickness consistent throughout the thinnest portion of the spring.  I held the piece upside down in a hand vise while filing because upside down was the only way to grasp the piece enough while filing.  Before I knew it the piece was so thing that I couldnt file the middle anymore without the possibility of snapping it.  So I will work the top more next time before moving to the bottom.  Would you have a recommendation as to what kind of stone I should consider?

 

  • Like 1
Posted
9 minutes ago, Stevelp said:

Would you have a recommendation as to what kind of stone I should consider?

I have never made any watch parts, so I'm afraid I have no advice to give. I think/hope @Klassiker will have some tip for you!?

The only stones I use these days for my tweezers, screw drivers, etc. are diamond stones. Amazing piece of equipment as they only need water and are super efficient.

Posted

Sorry, before I misunderstood what this part is for. I still think that the thin section is not 0,01mm but some amount more than that.  But what's important is not measuring precisely, but making it. The original may not have been just cut off or machined, it may have been pressed between dies in the thin section. And almost certainly it is not made of the same material the OP has at hand, and is heath treated. Reproducing all that in the right sequence at home could be difficult, so perhaps one should think out of the box. When something can't be made as one piece, it could be made in more. For example one could try glueing a strip of 0.04 feeler gauge to the two "bigger" sections.

  • Like 1
Posted

My thought was, that filing a thin section would be difficult, as even the finest teeth have a tendency to snag. Also, files don't leave the best surface finish behind, and scratches are stress-raisers. So that's why I suggested a stone. I have a selection of the midget Degussit profiles, and I would try with one of those. 

The video posted by Plato above is a must-watch (12 to 17 minutes in). Mark makes the spring uses diamond files which I don't have but are probably even better for this job than stones (less fragile) so if you are buying new, maybe get a set of those. The method he demonstrates, of glueing down the part onto a larger plate to support it during the final stages, is invaluable.

Posted

Thanks Plato for the link, I’ll give that a watch!  Klassiker, I hadn’t thought of the surface finish problem, that makes total sense.  I was aware of it for mainsprings but it didn’t cross my mind for this application.  I’ll look into those files for sure, as I’m sure they have many applications.  I had glued my piece to thicker on as well but as things were filed thinner and thinner I found it extremely difficult to remove the residual glue without potentially damaging the piece.  I soaked it in 99% IPA and tried acetone as well but it was still very difficult to remove.  I’m curious to watch and see what Mark uses.  

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Hi, this is the first place I found when looking for advice so I hope someone could advise me.  Im completely new to touching watches but I’ve always wondered how they work.  I’ve bought a cheap movement, an ETA replica to take apart and rebuild.  Im thinking I’ll need some screwdrivers, tweezers, movement holder and a loop? My goal is just to have a go first and see if I enjoy it enough before buying more tools.  Do I buy cheap tools for now and get better quality tools later if I enjoy it like I think I will? or will the cheap tools be a pain and take some of the fun out of it?  With quality tools being relatively expensive I’m unsure what to buy.    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
    • Yeah I have seen 44-56 documented for Elgin 18 size elsewhere. I have the style of gauge that's like a set of feeler gauges and I never noticed before today it is faintly stamped "Elgin". Pictured is the way I have been measuring. I am going to go to a larger jewel than the 42 that had been in there. I recently won an auction on a big set of Fitrite jewels all in the little bottles, to discover that the what's actually in the bottles bears no relation to the chart of sizes printed on the box. In most cases it seems to be all mixed so in fact I have about 24 little bottles and thousands of assorted jewels of all diameters and lengths, which is better than nothing. But since I don't have a micrometer with a table, measuring for the exact diameter will be a big job. Instead I will test a lot of them in the fork slot the same way I measure with the gauge. But this is still the next thing. I have to get the escapement to unlock first.
    • it would be nice to have the exact model of the watch the or a picture so we can see exactly what you're talking about. this is because the definition of Swiss watch could be a variety of things and it be helpful if we could see exactly the watch your dealing with then in professional watch repair at least some professionals they do pre-cleaned watches. In other words the hands and dial come off and the entire movement assembled goes through a cleaning machine sometimes I think a shorter bath perhaps so everything is nice and clean for disassembly makes it easier to look for problems. Then other professionals don't like pre-cleaning because it basically obliterates the scene of the crime. Especially when dealing with vintage watches where you're looking for metal filings and problems that may visually go away with cleaning. Then usually super sticky lubrication isn't really a problem for disassembly and typically shouldn't be a problem on a pallet fork bridge because there shouldn't be any lubrication on the bridge at all as you typically do not oil the pallet fork pivots.  
    • A few things you should find out before you can mske a decision of what to do. As Richard said, what is the crown and all of the crown components made of . Then also the stem .  The crown looks to have a steel washer that retains a gasket. So be careful with what chemicals you use to dissolve any stem adhesives or the use of heat. You might swell or melt the gasket unless you are prepared to change that also . The steel washer maybe reactive to alum. Something I've just used to dissolve a broken screw from a plate. First drilled out the centre of the screw with a 0.5mm carbide . Dipped only the section that held the broken screw in Rustins rust remover. This is 40 % phosphoric acid. 3 days and the screw remains were completely dissolved, no trace of steel in the brass threads. A black puddle left in the solution.
    • I suppose this will add to the confusion I have a roller jewel assortment. It lists out American pocket watches for Elgin 18 size and even 16 size it's a 50. But not all the various companies used 50-50 does seem to be common one company had a 51 and the smallest is 43. American parts are always interesting? Francis Elgin for mainsprings will tell you the thickness of the spring other companies will not even though the spring for the same number could come in a variety of thicknesses. But if we actually had the model number of your watch we would find it probably makes a reference that the roller jewel came in different dimensions. So overlook the parts book we find that? So it appears to be 18 and 16 size would be the same sort of the arson different catalog numbers and as I said we don't have your Mongol know which Log number were supposed to be using. Variety of materials garnered her sapphire single or double but zero mention about diameters. Then in a section of rollers in this case rollers with jewels we do get this down in the notes section Roller specifications but of course zero reference to the jewel size. I was really hoping the roller jewel assortment would give us sizes it doesn't really. But it does show a picture of how one particular roller jewel gauge is used  
×
×
  • Create New...