Hairspring Manipulation

[chaplin37]

I struggle with manipulating hairsprings when they are out of round or flat and im sure im not alone. I love the video that is posted by mark about this, my question is would it be best to have a microscope while trying to repair hairsprings? I struggle with my 10x loupe to see where the bends are when it is out of flat and am thinking about buying a microscope to be able to better repair them. Thanks everyone.

[clockboy]

I struggle with manipulating hairsprings when they are out of round or flat and im sure im not alone. I love the video that is posted by mark about this, my question is would it be best to have a microscope while trying to repair hairsprings? I struggle with my 10x loupe to see where the bends are when it is out of flat and am thinking about buying a microscope to be able to better repair them. Thanks everyone.

It is a difficult job but it gets easier the more you work on them. I improved my manipulating by practising on old duff hairsprings & adopting my own methods. For me for getting the spring round I found holding the spring with good quality tweezers & bending the spring with a pin. Also for me getting a spring flat I found putting the spring over an appropriate size hole on a small stake & pushing it towards the hole. But this works for me but I dare say others have their own methods. The bottom line is lots of practice is the only way to improve.

[Ado213]

In answer to your original question, yes it's most beneficial to use a scope, "see it big and adjust small" is the motto on hairsprings. The only restriction on a scope is the working height you may have over the spring, obviously you need enough of this to get your tweezers and teasers in there.

The benefits of using a scope over loupe is the vertical view, this helps in checking the coils are perpendicular to the horizontal.

The uniformity of the coils is most important to achieve good isochronism, if your not uniform in both form and space you will suffer in terms of position and mainspring power drop. Most people with a modicum of hairspring tweeking can get a good result in a couple of positions at full wind but when half wound it goes to pot !!

Remember when your spring was originally formed it was a perfect coil, that's how it should be when your finished, or as close as you can get

To give you an example of extremes, think shadow graph. A dark room, a flash light with the hairspring in front of it, and a white wall a distance away showing the hairspring shadow projected on to the wall.

If the distance between the torch/ hairspring and the wall was large enough it would give you exceptional magnification of the whole spring and not just an isolated area. It's total form and your view of this would be probably the best you could get, every flat or kink could be easily seen, that what your aiming to achieve.

Hairsprings are always difficult to work on but time and patience pay dividends, limit your spring work to an hour or so, clear your work area of all obstacles and have only your tweezers and teasers to hand. Remember the slight distraction can ruin your hours of work.

[Geo]

Very interesting Ado, I feel an experiment coming on.

[clockboy]

In answer to your original question, yes it's most beneficial to use a scope, "see it big and adjust small" is the motto on hairsprings. The only restriction on a scope is the working height you may have over the spring, obviously you need enough of this to get your tweezers and teasers in there.

The benefits of using a scope over loupe is the vertical view, this helps in checking the coils are perpendicular to the horizontal.

The uniformity of the coils is most important to achieve good isochronism, if your not uniform in both form and space you will suffer in terms of position and mainspring power drop. Most people with a modicum of hairspring tweeking can get a good result in a couple of positions at full wind but when half wound it goes to pot !!

Remember when your spring was originally formed it was a perfect coil, that's how it should be when your finished, or as close as you can get

To give you an example of extremes, think shadow graph. A dark room, a flash light with the hairspring in front of it, and a white wall a distance away showing the hairspring shadow projected on to the wall.

If the distance between the torch/ hairspring and the wall was large enough it would give you exceptional magnification of the whole spring and not just an isolated area. It's total form and your view of this would be probably the best you could get, every flat or kink could be easily seen, that what your aiming to achieve.

Hairsprings are always difficult to work on but time and patience pay dividends, limit your spring work to an hour or so, clear your work area of all obstacles and have only your tweezers and teasers to hand. Remember the slight distraction can ruin your hours of work.

Excellent post great explanation and I agree 100%. Good magnification is a real help with good light. Getting all the coils the same distance apart & with the same angle/round is really important certainly for the final bend.

As a bit of a side issue some springs adjust with the tiniest amount of pressure & I wonder if this is because of their age & it has lost some of it,s strength.

[chaplin37]

Thanks everyone, any recommendation on a good pair of tweezers?

[bobm12]

For hairspring tweaking #4 or better, #5 and of course they must be $$Dumont or $$horotek or $$$Bergeon. Even though they are $$$ they need to be dressed for this job.

 

Cheers,

 

Bob