I broke a spring and made a new one

[LittleWatchShop]

This New York Standard Watch is NOT precision.  Anyway, due to that, this spring got broken so I had to make a new one.

I bought a set of feeler gauges from Harbor Freight for $5.

Then I picked the one of equivalent thickness to the broken spring.

I glued the original spring to the feeler steel and then used a sort of miniature dremel tool to cut it down to get it close. Then I finished with a diamond file.

It is not precise, but it is working just fine.

This watch is my "learning" watch...learning the deeper things of watchmaking...like shellacking pallets on a fork and now, making a spring.  If this were a fine watch, I would have continued to fine tune this until it was almost identical.  But, I have proven the concept, so I am moving on.

[KarlvonKoln]

Good stuff.  I like reading about this kind of thing.  It makes the rest of us less stressed out if a part breaks or goes missing, knowing that someone has demonstrated that such things can be remade.  I used my little lathe, a die plate, and a slotting file, and made a screw.  I didn't *need* to make it, but it helped me so much just to know that I could.  Doing things like this help us grow as watchmakers.

[oldhippy]

Using your own initiative is the way to go. Excellent work. 

[watchweasol]

Well done LWS    thinking out side the BOX      

[Paul80]

Excellent work, can I ask how you made the hole ? Did it drill OK or was it punched out or some other method.

I am thinking feeler gauges are too and to drill.

Thanks

Paul

[LittleWatchShop]

39 minutes ago, Paul80 said:

Excellent work, can I ask how you made the hole ? Did it drill OK or was it punched out or some other method.

I am thinking feeler gauges are too and to drill.

Thanks

Paul

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

i started with pivot drill bits and was able to get a good center before it broke. After a couple other lousy bits, I remembered that I had some carbide PCB bits. That worked but was a little small. I finished the job with a broach.

[jdm]

13 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

Next time try first a good center punch, being exact the difficult part, make a cross marking, there are also special loupes made to be more accurate. The resulting divot not only centers the drill but also give some flank for the cutting edges. Always use the lowest possible speed and good lubrication, even for small and shallow holes.

[LittleWatchShop]

37 minutes ago, jdm said:

Next time try first a good center punch

I probably need to make one because, I don't think I have one suitable for this.  You think starting with blue pivot steel is a good option for making one? 

[jdm]

2 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I probably need to make one because, I don't think I have one suitable for this.  You think starting with blue pivot steel is a good option for making one? 

I would buy ready made, quality if possible.  

[Plato]

1 hour ago, LittleWatchShop said:

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

I made something similar not too long ago. I drilled the hole first then glued the part to the steel. Great idea in using feeler gauges, I'm pinching that! 

[LittleWatchShop]

1 hour ago, Plato said:

I drilled the hole first

I should have done that...will do it in the future!!

[LittleWatchShop]

1 hour ago, jdm said:

I would buy ready made, quality if possible. 

I will get this one and see how that goes!

[AndyHull]

On 2/13/2022 at 11:16 PM, LittleWatchShop said:

 

I bought a set of feeler gauges from Harbor Freight for $5.

Then I picked the one of equivalent thickness to the broken spring.

Thanks for that tip. I've been wondering where I could find some suitable thin spring steel to try to fabricate a few small items. I was also planning to try etching stuff from thin sheet to see if that is possible at watch part scale.

Accurate masking, and etchant I think I can possibly manage, since you should be able to use copper printed circuit board techniques, but obtaining spring steel shim stock had me scratching my head.

Feeler gauges can be picked up for next to nothing on Ali Express and ebay, so I have no excuse now for not giving it a try, other than the usual suspects. Lack of spare time, and laziness.  

Just over three quid on ebay and the following search string "Metric 13 Blade Feeler Gauge 0.05 to 1.0mm Spark Plug Measure Gap Tool Set UK" should get me something to experiment with.

They are even cheaper on Aliexpress, but the shipping times are longer. Not that it really matters, since I am unlikely to get a chance to experiment with this for a while.

Edited February 15, 2022 by AndyHull

[LittleWatchShop]

6 hours ago, AndyHull said:

Accurate masking, and etchant

I hav done a lot of pcbs and pretty good at it. What chemical would you use to etch steel?

[nickelsilver]

5 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I hav done a lot of pcbs and pretty good at it. What chemical would you use to etch steel?

Ferric chloride works great (I think you use the same for pcbs?). I don't know if I would make parts by etching, but scale modelers often make things that way.

[AndyHull]

As @nickelsilver says, ferric chloride should work (although it might not work on stainless, I'm not sure), and yes, you can use ferric chloride to etch copper PCB material and copper (and brass sheet so far as I recall).

There is a "howto" here -> https://www.wikihow.com/Acid-Etch-Steel

 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by AndyHull

[nickelsilver]

It works fine on stainless; I got a 0.05mm+ depth in about 5 minutes in 40 degree ferric chloride on some 316L.

[LittleWatchShop]

1 hour ago, AndyHull said:

There is a "howto" here

Indeed! FeCl can etch steel when mixed with water.  I have plenty of that from my PCB work.