A mainspring winder thread based on - am I able to soak the whole barrel with the mainspring in?

[Mark]

4 hours ago, Zero said:

I'm struggling to understand how all of this relates to the topic "How should I use lighter fluid to clean my watch parts?"

Very good point - I have split the topic into a new thread.

[Neverenoughwatches]

4 hours ago, Zero said:

I'm struggling to understand how all of this relates to the topic "How should I use lighter fluid to clean my watch parts?"

Lol it doesn't apart from the fact that they both relate to watch repair. Me thinks we diverse. Since we diversifying whats the weather like where you are ? In old Uk its waaayyy too bloody hot

[Zero]

4 hours ago, Kalanag said:

After having tinkered with different 3D printed winders I see the arbour with hook as the key component. This component can not be printed. I‘m not too happy with the staple pin design as it doesn‘t provide a defined circular winding geometry for the highly loaded arbour side of the mainspring. I also have seen microscopic shavings on the wound spring due to the sharp edges of the spring rubbing on the briddle PLA material of the winder. But that‘s just my personal experience.

Both the arbour and hook are metal parts in the RS winder. They are not 3D printed. Watch a more recent video:

I have wound multiples dozens of different sized mainsprings using the RS winder. Literally like hundreds of times each. And I check for kinks under a digital microscope every now and then. I don't recall ever seeing plastic shavings. I do use lube, and clean up with rodico before first use.

Despite your opinion of the staple pin, in reality it works very well. It is a much softer steel than the mainspring. It gets consumed after a couple of uses, and you just build a new one using the StapleJig. Also, if you are creative enough you can easily find other materials to substitute it, it doesn't have to be staples only.

[Shane]

On 8/23/2022 at 4:50 AM, Mark said:

but you never know if damage has occurred unless, of course, if you remove it again to inspect

 

8 hours ago, gbyleveldt said:

As Mark said earlier, you won't know you doing it wrong till you unwind it again to check.

I do appreciate where you both are coming from and with what both of you are saying.  I will be looking into some type of mechanical aid, especially for automatics (they can be quiet fiddly).

In the meantime, the only barrel conveniently located (that I already wound the spring into by hand) was that of an AS 976 that I am working on just for the practice.  I unwound the carbon steel spring, set it on a flat plate.  It looked pretty much what I remembered it looking like when I took it out the first time.  Not perfect but functional for the situation.  So I wound it back in.  The only difficulty was at the first full turn.  I did not have the hook set and the spring wanted to get behind the first coil.  Other than that everything went fine.

Shane 

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 minutes ago, Shane said:

 

I do appreciate where you both are coming from and with what both of you are saying.  I will be looking into some type of mechanical aid, especially for automatics (they can be quiet fiddly).

In the meantime, the only barrel conveniently located (that I already wound the spring into by hand) was that of an AS 976 that I am working on just for the practice.  I unwound the carbon steel spring, set it on a flat plate.  It looked pretty much what I remembered it looking like when I took it out the first time.  Not perfect but functional for the situation.  So I wound it back in.  The only difficulty was at the first full turn.  I did not have the hook set and the spring wanted to get behind the first coil.  Other than that everything went fine.

Shane 

Without looking further into it i would expect an old carbon spring to take less abuse than an alloy. If you are a fan of old swiss watches then they often crop up. There is definitely a potential for distortion as Mark and Gert state, its about finding a way to minimise that without breaking the bank. The first two outer coils are the hardest while making the tang stay against the barrel wall ledge. Once they stay in position the pin vice with the needle does keep the spring close to the barrel while the remainder of the coils feed in easily. The last coils and hook eye then just fall into place. The technique I'm sure could be refined to something better still

[Shane]

1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Without looking further into it i would expect an old carbon spring to take less abuse than an alloy.

That's why I mentioned that.  Usually I do not have the previously mentioned issue but I did and wanted to totally transparent.  Not sure that I can visualize the process that you have described in the above reply.

Shane 

[gbyleveldt]

4 hours ago, Shane said:

 

I do appreciate where you both are coming from and with what both of you are saying.  I will be looking into some type of mechanical aid, especially for automatics (they can be quiet fiddly).

In the meantime, the only barrel conveniently located (that I already wound the spring into by hand) was that of an AS 976 that I am working on just for the practice.  I unwound the carbon steel spring, set it on a flat plate.  It looked pretty much what I remembered it looking like when I took it out the first time.  Not perfect but functional for the situation.  So I wound it back in.  The only difficulty was at the first full turn.  I did not have the hook set and the spring wanted to get behind the first coil.  Other than that everything went fine.

Shane 

Heh, sometimes being overly passionate (I call it something else but the swear filter here just bleeps it out) for doing something the “right” way makes me blind to other realities. So I tend to come across as being dismissive about things I don’t agree with, as the case here with manually winding in main springs.

That being said, let me quote something else I said in another thread for a little perspective:

Many people choose to not remove these because it's difficult and that's ok. Most people here are hobbyists and they service these for their own use, so far be it from me to criticize anyone who don't have the skill, patience or equipment to do it. If you charge for your work, then that's an entirely different conversation.

So yeah, your circumstances differs from mine. It’s a hobby after all and you don’t charge for your work. Spending 100’s of dollars on something you’ll use infrequently might make little sense to you and that’s ok. Take me with a pinch of salt; my opinion shouldn’t detract you from your enjoyment of this hobby.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, gbyleveldt said:

Heh, sometimes being overly passionate (I call it something else but the swear filter here just bleeps it out) for doing something the “right” way makes me blind to other realities. So I tend to come across as being dismissive about things I don’t agree with, as the case here with manually winding in main springs.

That being said, let me quote something else I said in another thread for a little perspective:

Many people choose to not remove these because it's difficult and that's ok. Most people here are hobbyists and they service these for their own use, so far be it from me to criticize anyone who don't have the skill, patience or equipment to do it. If you charge for your work, then that's an entirely different conversation.

So yeah, your circumstances differs from mine. It’s a hobby after all and you don’t charge for your work. Spending 100’s of dollars on something you’ll use infrequently might make little sense to you and that’s ok. Take me with a pinch of salt; my opinion shouldn’t detract you from your enjoyment of this hobby.

Absolutely not a problem a Gert. I respect everyones opinions. And ideas often change for me as i progress, something i did last year that i was more than happy with is now an old idea that has been improved upon. At my start i was constantly looking for winders as i thought they were a complete necessity and the few second hand ones i have cost  around two hundred gbps. I was sorely disappointed when i found they rarely fitted hence my resignation to hand winding. The problem i have is having to work on such a varied genre, that being old swiss. Your information has given me things to think about so cheers for that matey .

[gbyleveldt]

3 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Your information has given me things to think about so cheers for that matey .

Haha, as long as my information doesn't push you off a cliff I'm happy!

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, gbyleveldt said:

Haha, as long as my information doesn't push you off a cliff I'm happy!

Not at all matey. I fully respect and appreciate your knowledgeable advice.

[Shane]

9 hours ago, gbyleveldt said:

Take me with a pinch of salt; my opinion shouldn’t detract you from your enjoyment of this hobby.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.  Please don't mind me as well.  My wife frequently says that no dead horse is safe within my reach.  As you have suggested some of our situations are different and we all must make our own living.  For some of us that living supports and furthers our hobbies.  For others it's a necessary obstruction to them and their progress.  Without the support of our more experienced members providing their knowledge and encouragement, the rest of us would not, could not improve.  An apprentice would not only have that knowledge and encouragement but also supervised access to his master's tools.  After acquiring his own skills and manufacturing his own tools, would set off to repeat the process with another enthusiastic youth.  Apprenticing virtually has its drawbacks.

Thank you all.