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Balance spring fell out of regulator pin.

Hawaiikook808
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Hawaiikook808 Member

Hawaiikook808

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Aloha All,

My Seiko 4R35B movement stopped working today. Upon closer inspection, it looks like the balance spring came out of the regulator pin. This is my first time working on a balance. Any advice on how to get this spring repositioned (back to normal)? I'm pretty sure that while adjusting the beat error on this movement, I must have turned the stud (I didn't even know they turned), and the spring eventually fell out.  Will the spring go back to even spacing when it's back in the pin, or does it look bent?

Thanks,

Frank  

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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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Hi Frank, you have dived headlong into the deep end. Hairspring work has to be the scariest thing a newbie has to tackle.

Your hairspring appears to be bent and just putting it back into the regulator would not allow the balance to work properly. It might start oscillating but the performance would not be good.

The proper thing to do is to unstud the hairspring, remove the hairspring from the balance, reinstall the hairspring on the stud carrier, reshape the endcurve and centre the collet to the balance jewel hole.

This challenge would either make you or break you. Hope that you will be able to fix your watch.

Welcome to the world of watchmaking. 

Watch this video. It think it'll give you an idea of the task ahead.

From your 1st photo, I think you have a etachron type stud. Let me see if I can find a video on how to remove it from the arm.

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Hawaiikook808 Member

Hawaiikook808

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Thank you so much, Hector and CJ. I appreciate the tech sheet and the video.

Gasp, I think I will make the attempt. What's the worst that can happen? I think there may be a new balance complete in my future, though.  I'll update the post and let you know the result.

R,

Frank  

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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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2 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

The proper thing to do is to unstud the hairspring, remove the hairspring from the balance, reinstall the hairspring on the stud carrier, reshape the endcurve and centre the collet to the balance jewel hole.

just one little minor reminder here this isn't your normal balance wheel. 

2 hours ago, Curare said:

Have read of the Tech Sheet attached on the balance section page 12.

pages 17 and 18 are what you really want to be looking at.

4 hours ago, Hawaiikook808 said:

I'm pretty sure that while adjusting the beat error on this movement, I must have turned the stud (I didn't even know they turned), and the spring eventually fell out.  Will the spring go back to even spacing when it's back in the pin, or does it look bent?

normally studs don't turn but this watch has the etachron system designed for lots of adjustment. Personally I would try to rotate the stud back to where it's supposed to be. If you're lucky you didn't actually bend it at the stud it just looks really bad as the stud has been rotated grossly out of position.. I think things will look a lot better if you put the hairspring back where it's supposed to be by rotating the stud. it's hard to tell if you actually did bend it at the stud or not we won't know until you rotate the stud back more or less where it's supposed to be.

Then you want to pay attention to the manual of how to put the hairspring back in the regulator pins because yes they rotate also and they rotated specific directions otherwise bad things will happen to your hairspring. so initially you can open up the regulator as wide as it can go and don't worry about closing it until thing everything is right then you can close them a little bit

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Hawaiikook808 Member

Hawaiikook808

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Aloha and thanks for catching all these small but important details, John.  I'm going to give it a shot. The good news is I have a parts movement here with a perfect complete balance.  I will place them side by side for visual reference when doing what you outlined.  It's been a while were I've had a hobby in which I joined a forum.  I forgot just how helpful everyone can be. Mahalo. Frank.

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