Seiko mainspring barrel

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, Tiny said:

slipping on the winder arbor,

If the center part is too big for the arbor you have because you stretched it or it's just too big because then that can be an issue. Because trying to close the modern white spring is by compressing them they can break. Supposedly heating up your pliers or whatever hot really hot minimizes that but I haven't tried. Then when you're trying to close the center part it's best if you put something in the center to squeeze it onto because if you try to squeeze with out having something in the center it breaks.

This comes up occasionally with American pocket watch mainsprings where the Swiss ones are more generic and they are designed for the specific watches so occasionally they'll be too big and it's always a fun thing to try to close them. For certain watches like Waltham is usually best to try to get an original new rules stocks bring because even the other end which has a whole it is really critical sizing and visible but abandon a little filing in the whole mill have to be perfect or else.

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 hours ago, Tiny said:

I noted that it was slipping on the winder arbor, I could hear a click in side and it stopped advancing inside the winder so not only a kinked spring but also a stretched spring  where the arbor is fitted. 

so this would I think have an affect when winding the spring when the watch is all restored and surely running poorly. How would this problem be solved. would it just be the case of replace.

 

Hi T. Yes if the hook on the winder isnt catching the eye on the spring then its likely  that it wont catch the barrel arbor hook either. But you will see that happening anyway when you insert the spring into the barrel and feed the barrel arbor onto the spring. The inner most coil of the spring where the eye is should be a tight fit onto the barrel arbor so the the eye doesnt slip off the hook. The inner coil may need a gentle pry to get the arbor into place,gently wriggling the arbor at the same time. Also T did you have the spring the right way round on the hook of the winder ?

Edited May 21, 2022 by Neverenoughwatches

[aac58]

Tiny, keep in mind that the hook on the winder arbor is at a height that is good for some mainsprings, but with many MS if you insert them to the end of the arbour the hook will not align with the hole on the spring, so you have to keep it a bit separate from the "wall" of the arbour, you have to make sure the hook is inside the hole before trying to wind it.

Also, you may of course be seeing kinks in the spring while it is into the barrel. You probably know this but I'll show it just in case: for automatic MS, you can see a weird shape when it in the barrel, caused by the bridle of the spring, and when it is out of the barrel, you'll see a small kink also caused by the bridle. So the two areas the I've marked on the pics below are normal and they are not kinks.

Edited May 21, 2022 by aac58

[Tiny]

@aac58 

That is exactly what I was doing, pushing the spring to far down on the shaft so the hook was not engaging. that will teach me not to look at the shaft with out a loop.

 

I have just received my third main spring well second really as the second was damaged from the get go  it's in the sonic cleaner at the moment. I am still waiting for the glass, should be here next week hopefully The case and strap is all cleaned up and waiting for glass and movement.