Ordering mainspring

[OceanSprint]

Hi. Complete newbie here. I am on Level 2 in Mark's courses. He says in lesson 2.4.5 that the best thing to do when servicing if in doubt is to buy a new mainspring. I don't have a mainspring winder, so will follow his advice on my first project. But how do you order a mainspring? what are the measurements to make? presumably there are left and right handed springs, and I should note which when I take out the old one ? I am going to try an old pocket watch off ebay, so it may not be a recognisable make/model (calibre I think the word is). Thanks so much for any advice and sorry if this has been asked before - I did search the forum.  

[JohnR725]

55 minutes ago, OceanSprint said:

He says in lesson 2.4.5 that the best thing to do when servicing if in doubt is to buy a new mainspring.

when Mark gives that piece of advice he doesn't explain how to order mainsprings?

The problem now is is a complicated subject.

57 minutes ago, OceanSprint said:

on my first project

if you have a first project that be a good thing to start with as opposed to generic of trying to cover everything.

1 hour ago, OceanSprint said:

left and right handed springs

if the mainspring is brand-new and a package there is no left or right. It just depends on which way you push it in. If you use a mainspring winder and its left then you have to have a handle to wind it in the right direction. Or if you're doing pocket watches which sometimes are left the sometimes the older winders will wind in either direction.

1 hour ago, OceanSprint said:

I am going to try an old pocket watch off ebay, so it may not be a recognisable make/model (calibre I think the word is).

okay I see you answered my question farther down. If you're working on modern watch their sites where you can look up the part number and then order the mainspring that way and there's a lot of things you just don't have to worry about it comes in a nice package you inserted in your good to go but it talking about a pocket watch

it depends on who's pocket watch you won't know until you get it. So you need to know the type of the end and because it's a pocket watch they come in a whole variety of ends I'll see if I find your picture. Then the typical measurements are the width of the spring that's how high it is the thickness of the spring and the length of the spring. This is watch repair people are creative typically at least now everything we in metric. But typically American pocket watch Sprint's are either in inches metric or Dennison which is another measurement and the length is typically in inches. Ho and a modern mainsprings might miss the diameter the spring in other words so you know it's going to push in the barrel and typically don't have that with pocket watches.

then depending upon the pocket watch you may have to get a mainspring Winder. Any of the ends that have parts that stick out beyond the width cannot be shoved in they will not go to where there supposed to be. Typically these would be T type end Springs we have to leave vulnerable bit out of the winder put the whole thing in the barrel yes I know it's a complicated but I'm skimming over the details and then rotate around until the TV goes into the hole or slots or whatever it's supposed to go into then you hold it down was something stout and then you can push the spring out if you're lucky it stays in place

then some images Dennison chart helpful as I said for American mainsprings. Another chart showing the various types of ends of the mainspring. Then picture of a variety of packages a mainsprings over time. Now we give you a clue of how the number systems work pending upon who manufactured them they'll have a part number unfortunately you may not actually have a cross reference to what that part number means they can live in making mainsprings over a very long time so in which case you go by the dimensions.

oh and then there's the other fun with pocket watches. If it's American pocket watch and you have the reference material you will find that you can't actually look up the mainspring possibly depends on which company in other words you get a size that you don't get a thickness because the thickness depending upon the particular watch. Now that's less of a problem today because at one time you could I had several different thicknesses corresponding to the jewel account of the particular watch. In other words a seven jewel watches going to need a stronger mainspring and at 21 jewel watch. But today that problem is been solved because are lucky if we get one mainspring and whatever you get is the spring you're going to get. Then as a minor power differences between the vintage blued steel spring and the modern white spring that changes things a little bit but if you only get one spring that sits.

If you're dealing with unknown watches which is what your description was if you're unfortunate somebody is change the mainspring to something else and that it makes it more challenging to figure out what you're going to put in their. Or they got creative and modify the mainspring. I have a watch at work that should be a T and spring but it now has a protruding steel part for either a tong end or possibly a whole length spring somebody was creates if. Then often times of the older pocket watches you're not going to find an exact spring.

so hopefully answered some your questions

 

Mainspring - DennisonChart.pdf

[OceanSprint]

Many thank for the very detailed answer - I will try to figure this all out !  I cant find any video on YouTube about sizing and ordering mainsprings, and every video of people who repair watches either always use a mainspring winder or just say "I ordered a new one". Perhaps there is a need for a good video on mainspring ordering ? Mainspring winders are very expensive for a new start (apart from the Chinese cheap ones which everyone says dont use).

 

Thanks again.

[JohnR725]

okay I can see him not quite answering your question. How to order a mainspring? First identify your mainspring. You will note that since watches a been made for a very long time zero Bill kinds of variations there is not a hard fast quick rule on how to order mainsprings unfortunately.

For instance if it's an American pocket watch the procedure I follow is I usually take the old mainspring out look at a various reference materials to see what supposed to be in their verify that what came out matches what I think is supposed to go in. Then I look on my mainspring list to see what is available and I order that.

Suppose it's a modern watch well you could go to the link here

https://www.cousinsuk.com/search?searchTerm=Mainsprings by Size - Watch %26 Pocket

this is a very popular place for ordering mainsprings and other watch material will notice on the right-hand side is a bunch of PDFs like calibers and then you get your mainspring number then you go back to the site look up the number and hoped it it's hasn't been discontinued.

then I'm attaching a PDF of the mainspring Log. It demonstrates the problem of the various manufacturers have different numbers. You'll notice on the American pocket watch listings the list the factory number and then there are number. If you go up to the picture I have of all the various packages noticed bestfit it's on the top.  notice the number on the package 613K. I point this out because this listing is for that brand of mainsprings you can look in the catalog on page eight ill find the mainspring listed. So this is basically a best fit listing I'm not sure if the cousins website will actually build a use those they're usually using a different manufacture.

then I know it's not YouTube a link to it Waltham mainspring  information booklet on both listings if you scroll down you can download them as PDFs. The other one is this a nice manual on watch repair.

https://archive.org/details/TM9-1575

something on vintage Waltham mainsprings

https://archive.org/details/mainsprings00walt

 

MainspringsCatalog2018.pdf

[Mark]

How to choose a new mainspring - watch repair tutorial
https://youtu.be/CZfFkv0FLX4

[OceanSprint]

Many thanks for all the excellent advice.

Mark, also many thanks for responding. I am very much enjoying the courses and have just stripped down my first pocket watch. The link you posted above is to a private video? Perhaps it is part of another course? I have only enrolled into Levels 1, 2 and 3.

Thanks

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, OceanSprint said:

enrolled into Levels 1, 2 and 3

someone sent me a screenshot the level 3 which you already have so this is where you'll find it. according to the person who said it was really a good lesson.

[OceanSprint]

Yes, thanks John - I see it in the list now ! But the course won't let me jump ahead of myself (quite rightly) and I am still in the dis-assembly part of Level 2. I will try to press on and finish the course now, but I got carried away with enthusiasm and took apart an old pocket watch following Level 2 instructions, as the Chinese ETA clone for practice still has not arrived from eBay after several weeks of waiting, and I couldn't wait to have a go at a real watch !  Just for info, I attach a photo of the mainspring I successfully extracted last night. Now I just have to wait for my eBay ultrasonic bath !

[Mark]

9 hours ago, OceanSprint said:

Many thanks for all the excellent advice.

Mark, also many thanks for responding. I am very much enjoying the courses and have just stripped down my first pocket watch. The link you posted above is to a private video? Perhaps it is part of another course? I have only enrolled into Levels 1, 2 and 3.

Thanks

My apologies. I had meant to send a direct link to the lesson c3.4.2 but I copied and pasted the wrong link from my spreadsheet. If you are enrolled on level 3 then you have access. Thanks @JohnR725for your help.