How to center a hairspring

[DaveL]

This is a Elgin 3/0 7 jewel movement the hair spring is off center with some bends/ kinks, any ideas thanks

[spectre6000]

If you straighten out the bends and kinks, it should recenter.

[DaveL]

Thanks 

[Neverenoughwatches]

20 hours ago, DaveL said:

This is a Elgin 3/0 7 jewel movement the hair spring is off center with some bends/ kinks, any ideas thanks

You will need some nifty straightening out of the end curve and maybe a tweek of the hs at the stud to bring to center.

[JohnR725]

we can't see the picture of the other side is this a flat hairspring or in over coil hairspring?

[Nucejoe]

Dave,  high magnifictaion and fine tweezers makes a lot of difference in sorting out hairspring. 

[DaveL]

Thanks to all I will give it a go, a flat hairspring

looks fine until the stud is installed in the cock

Edited March 6, 2023 by DaveL

[JohnR725]

it would be helpful to have a picture of the other side of the balance wheel without the bridge attached so we can see how the terminal curve looks.

[Neverenoughwatches]

40 minutes ago, DaveL said:

Thanks to all I will give it a go, a flat hairspring

looks fine until the stud is installed in the cock

Thats the two fixed points of contact of the balance cock holding the spring. The top staff pivot ( indirectly via the collet ) and the stud. 

2 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

it would be helpful to have a picture of the other side of the balance wheel without the bridge attached so we can see how the terminal curve looks.

Are you thinking maybe someone has tried to straighen an overcoil into a flat spring by mistake ? The terminal curve looks quite beat up John.

[JohnR725]

7 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Are you thinking maybe someone has tried to straighen an overcoil into a flat spring by mistake ?

actually what I'm thinking is typically on Elgin watch especially older is it's an over coil. It be easy to tell if we had the other side view or if we had the serial number of the watch we could look that up. It just doesn't quite look right for a flat hairspring. but it still could be a flat hairspring it be easy enough to tell from the other side. Plus it's easy to remove from the balance bridge just loosen up the stud screw and push it out and it's easy enough to get it back.

[DaveL]

Ok on further inspection it appears to be a over coil 

Thanks for all the help

[JohnR725]

20 minutes ago, DaveL said:

Ok on further inspection it appears to be a over coi

typically with American pocket watches that's what you're going to find and that's what it looked like.

I enhanced your photo a little bit it appears to be your missing your over coil and yes the stud isn't quite where it's supposed to be. Typically things like this happen if somebody lifts up the balance bridge in the balance stays behind the hairspring gets stretched of what looks like the rest they hairspring is relatively flat.

Ideally when you're practicing with hairsprings it be nice if you had some practice hairsprings to practice with. in other words is nice to have something that you can break because you probably break it before you get good at fixing hairsprings. Then ideally for something like this it be nice to find an example watch the look at how it's over coil is formed because yours is missing.

[DaveL]

Thanks John, it was this way when I bought it,non running .I do have some other springs to practice with I will play with them first