Jump to content

The What Was The Problem Thread.


jdm

Recommended Posts

This can be funny and challenging. Present a problem without immediate evident cause, of which the cause has been found and fixed, give some elements, and let other guess. The cause must be a very definite fact please, not just "it was dirty inside" :)

I'll begin with what happened to me today. Seiko movement is disassembled for servicing. It is put back together the bare minimum to have it run, at first it runs but because of poor amplitude and large positional variance the balance cock is removed to examine and manipulate the hairsping, this two or three times but all of a sudden it starts making snow on timegrapher which doesn't reveal amplitude (sorry no pic). Removing the balance again doesn't reveal anything visually.

Anybody?

Edited by jdm
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was the end of the hairspring slack in the stud or collar?

 

You got it right! I had an hint when, in despair I poked the stud arm a little and it started behaving, just to go crazy again after few moments. I was puzzled. Then with the balance removed again I found the hairspring was moving freely in the end stud. Pressed it and it's good so far.

Edited by jdm
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll give it a shot.  But since I am such an amateur watch repair hobbyist, this case might be a no-brainer for many of you who are already experts.

 

Early last year, I received a non-working 1969 Omega Constellation featuring the venerable Omega 751 movement.

 

After replacing many parts, I was able to restore the watch.  

 

The problem was, the watch will run for several hours and keep good time but once it stops, with the second hand between the 35 to 40 second mark, it will stop intermittently after that.  The second hand will stop at the same spot everytime - around the 35 to 40 second mark.  

 

Shaking the watch, moving the stem, adjusting the time will restart the watch.  

 

There was no problem with the way the hands were installed.

 

At first, i thought it was due to a fiber (we have a yorkie running freely inside the house) on the escape wheel, but, even after striping and cleaning the movement, the watch will still stop the same way].  

 

When it runs, the second hand moves smoothly.  When the second hand stops, everything in the watch stops.

 

Here's a picture of the movement *before* I found out (or rather, I fixed by trial-and-error) the problem.  Note that the auto-wind mechanism was removed in this picture.

 

post-603-0-70354900-1454219553_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I knew it was too easy for you guys.   :bow:

 

In my case, I first suspected the slightly bent sweep second hand pinion.  But I figured it could not have caused it to stop at the same spot.

 

I also suspected a tooth of one of the gears in the train was damaged but after inspection, everything was in order.

 

I ignored the friction spring thinking that as long as it presses on the second hand pinion, it won't matter that it was not centered.  As it turned out, its edge/corner blocked a particular pinion leaf from turning.

 

Adjustment of the friction spring to proper shape solved the problem - and my hair pulling.   :thumbsu:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the détente has broken off the set bridge/cover plate for the keyless works.

 

thumbsup.png

 

Wow, didn't take long at all, I'll have to find a harder one next time ;-)

 

Part on order, just have to wait for it to travel from the other side of the planet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the détente has broken off the set bridge/cover plate for the keyless works.

Agree. It should have a little arm that has broken off. In some movements with this fault when you go to wind it changes into setting the hands because the piece that prevents this happening has broken it can also jam the winding and won't wind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the keyless-works were in place, they might have been dirty. Or the intermediate minute wheel had a problem.

 

Maybe dirt or other things might have got in between it and the mainplate. Or maybe it was bent and touching the mainplate creating excessive friction.

Edited by matabog
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Yes, "Sold out" is difficult to understand. There doesn't seem to be a lot going on. It's been nine months since any new video was published on the Watch Repair Channel. The Level 4 course on watchfix.com has been in progress for what feels like forever (several years!?). Maybe Mark's enterprises aren't doing well or perhaps already so profitable there's nothing much to motivate him for more material. Or, perhaps these days he's more into crochet. The real reason is probably something entirely different but it would be nice/interesting to know. I don't mean to sound gloomy or pessimistic, but I wouldn't be surprised to be met by an HTTP 404. Every day feels like a gift.
    • Steel has some funny properties, or at least counterintuitive. The modulus of elasticity is effectively (not exactly, but close enough) the same for steel that is annealed and hardened. What changes is the point of plastic deformation* . If the movement of your spring doesn't pass that, it should work fine. It looks a little thick, I would thin it a bit maybe from the main body out about halfway, maybe 10-20% thinner (not in thickness, along its form). But if it works it works!   *So- if you have two bars of the same steel, one annealed, one at 600 Vickers (general hardness watch arbors might be), clamp them to a table so the same length is hanging out, and put a weight on the ends, they will bend the same amount. But if you continue to add weight, then remove it, at a point the annealed bar won't return to its original straightness. That's the point of plastic deformation. But up to that point, as springs, they are the same. However- their wear characteristics will be very very different. And getting the hardened bar past its point of plastic deformation takes a lot more effort.
    • @JohnR725 now that you've mentioned it. This is actually the second aftermarket spring (same place and brand) I ordered as the first one broke. The eye on which the arbor pulls on, broke off on the first spring after the first wind, and also it was a bit to large for the arbor. Looked like on one the second picture in the 2nd group. The second one was exactly the same, I had to bend it a bit, to give it a more prominent curve to the end of the spring so that the arbor catches the eye.  Also I believe both were 5-10mm shorter. Not that I writing that, I feel a bit dumb, as the spring might actually been the problem all along, although its advertised as a substitute to the original...     
    • The CS70 is the only one they show as annealed.  A further search on ebay, I found CS75 and CS100 annealed carbon steel strips  e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314072784422
    • 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.
×
×
  • Create New...