Mainspring winders for pocket watches, what are the options ?
-
Recently Browsing
- No registered users viewing this page.
-
Topics
-
-
Posts
-
By HectorLooi · Posted
That is around 60-70°C, depending on how thick-skinned your fingertips are. I've always wondered if that really helps. It isn't hot enough to temper steel. Is it only to allay our fears of breaking of the pivot? And if the pivot breaks, we can console ourselves that we had tried our best. I normally put my soldering iron tip, set to 250°C, at the point where I wish to bend the pivot and heat it for about 30 seconds. Does that work? Honestly, I don't know. But at least that is at tempering temperature range. Have I broken any pivots trying to straighten them? Sure! But at least I've tried my best. 😅 -
By nickelsilver · Posted
I straighten pivots like this routinely. Get the part running true in the lathe, not counting the pivot. Heat brass or nickel tweezers in alcohol lamp until you can barely hold them, and use them to coax into alignment. -
By ClaudioCavalli · Posted
Thank you ColdWind, I did try the alum solution and albeit slow (I am on my third bath of 6 hours at 70° C with a solution of 10ml of water and 2.5g of alum) it seems to be working. I can now screw in the new stem, at least a few turns. I expect that at some point I will be able to screw the stem in all the way. Perhaps next I will try a bigger bath. I wonder if the limited amount of alum is slowing down the process? An happy side effect of the alum bath is that it removed the oxidation from the crown!! claudio -
This will take some time. I need to do some reading and watch a video or two…Thank you for all the detailed help @nevenbekriev -
What size was the barrel as Bergeon do up to 19mm but they aren't cheap. In the past I've made some of my own using stainless tube and a suitable arbor from my set. Edit If I was making one again and had to buy the tube I'd go for brass. You'd need 3 tubes of reducing diameters and a couple of plastic disc for the pusher part as sketch below.
-
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.