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Looking for balance wheel problems recommendations

FredrikP
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caseback WRT Addict

caseback

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1 hour ago, FredrikP said:

Omg. Did not want to stir up this much discussion! I thought that I start small in the newbie sections to not get to embarrassed 😅. I really appreciate all the support and comments.

Update: I've managed to do the easy part separating the hairspring from the balance without any damage (hopefully 😀). See attached picture

So the next step for me is to buy a tool for the roller to remove that, then look into on how to actually separate the wheel from the staff. I will watch the recommended videos and read into the forums!

One other thing. I'm planning on "harvesting" the roller jewel from another balance to repair the one missing it's jewel. What is the best way of dissolve shellac from the roller jewel and will the roller jewel just slide off nicely when the shellac is dissolved ?

 

separated_hairspring_from_balance.jpg

The fastest way is using heat. There are several post on this forum on using and/or making a pallet heater. I use a "copper" coin on a hotplate. IPA (not the beer) works slower by softening/dissolving the shellac. Same methods for applying the shellac.

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JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

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2 hours ago, FredrikP said:

Omg. Did not want to stir up this much discussion! I thought that I start small in the newbie sections to not get to embarrassed

The purpose for the newbies section is where questions can be asked and anyone who participates with an answer is supposed to answer the question.

I often thought in addition to this section where all questions will be answered no matter what. We should have a section of answers to common questions preferably with out a discussion.  This is where the common things could be a commonplace and then the fine details of specific watches or whatever specific for the person could be answered in the discussion without repeating so much material.

So you've asked the question in the right place and if we have a lengthy discussion it's exactly what it's supposed to happen.
 

2 hours ago, FredrikP said:

One other thing. I'm planning on "harvesting" the roller jewel from another balance to repair the one missing it's jewel. What is the best way of dissolve shellac from the roller jewel and will the roller jewel just slide off nicely when the shellac is dissolved ?

Typically alcohol is used to Dissolve shellac although there are other substances that will work. Then elevating the temperature will speed things up considerably. Woodworking stores can be a interesting place in that they will have substances for dissolving shellac as it's used as a wood finish. Plus they will typically sell shellac in flake form. Although unless you have a lot of friends they usually sell it in a bag enough the last million years. At least if it's used for watches. Then you do want to make sure it's a natural shellac that hasn't been processed I have a vague memory of somebody having I think was somehow processed in it didn't quite work right but I can't quite remember the exact discussion. But I do know that the flake shellac from the woodworking store works really nice as somebody gave me some of the bag that they had purchased.

Then whether or not the roller jewel slides out will basically be your discovery. Depending upon a variety of factors roller jewel's can range from a loose fit all the way to where basically their friction in the hole. Then depending upon how well they fit you can also be a challenge when inserting them again that it stays in place while you're putting the shellac on. This is where sometimes dissolving the shellac In alcohol in making a Glue works well to hold things in place. Then shellac is used because when it's warmed up you can move the roller jewel around and get it exactly where it's supposed to be versus variety of other substances that shouldn't be used.

Then now that your hairspring is free of the balance wheel just a reminder you want to keep that hairspring with that balance wheel. A typical newbie question is something happen to my hairspring which is quite common it mysteriously gets tangled up can I swap with a an typically you cannot. That's because each hairspring was specifically manufactured to go with that balance wheel to just keep your hair Springs and balance wheels together.

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FredrikP Member

FredrikP

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Hi all again,

Thanks for support. Today I managed to repair and solve some problems I have been struggling with the for a couple of weeks, learning as I go along. I'm very happy to share the results of my first repair. Given that I dared to play around with the hairspring I realized what the problem was I now have a fully working Homer 1800 movement. This is the result of trying to fail and learn from your failures.

Just wanted to share.... For me this is a Hugh achievement. Thanks everyone!! 

I will continue to work on repairing my faulty balances, hopefully I20241112_001753.thumb.jpg.a5497b29734fdc3bb5487208c40cb70c.jpg will post here going forward!

 

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