BYN Teardown and restore...

[mcass]

Ok well I've started on another project. This will be my 4th. I'm posting here rather than in walkthroughs because I honestly don't know what I have or what I'm doing on this one.

I'm going to go ahead and post the tear down photos here and would appreciate any info about this watch anyone can provide. All I know is that the brand name is BYN. It appears to have a stopwatch function, an unusual pallet fork, and rusty as hell. Nothing looks broke except possibly the main spring but I'm not even sure about that quite yet.

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[vinn3]

i like the term "open and inspect".  how will you remove the rust?

[mcass]

i like the term "open and inspect".  how will you remove the rust?

LOL.... Not quite sure yet but I do have a couple of ideas. Most of it looks fairly surface but I don't know we'll just have to see. i'll keep you updated.


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[mcass]

Well so far it seems to be working. I filled a small glass bowl with tea and it appears to be doing something. I had read somewhere that tea contains tannin acid which will counteract rust. If you look in the pics (one using a flash and the other without) you can see a dark swirl coming off the rusted area.




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[mcass]

Earl Gray by the way...not that it matters LOL.


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[mcass]

Well I left the parts in the tea overnight. When I got up this morning it had turned as black as coffee. I changed the solution and again when I got home from work, the same thing. Parts are looking much better. I've made fresh tea and am going to leave them sit again overnight and see what tomorrow brings.


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[RyMoeller]

I tore down a Mickey mouse watch a few months back that had a movement that looks a lot like that one- I think mine is a Baumgartner 134.  Unfortunately I didn't realize the bushings for the balance were removable and lost the bottom one during the service which has resulted in the watch awaiting my solution (which I'm still mulling- perhaps I'll replace the bush with a jewel).  Anyhow, the movement appears about bullet proof and have very large parts compared to most other Swiss movements which made it a real treat to work on.  It too had a little rust but it cleaned up quite nicely.

Good luck with your repair.  I'm interested in seeing the end result.  Early chronographs really tickle my fancy, especially the lesser known movements.  Pin pallet chronographs in particular are a rarity.

[mcass]

A couple updates and questions here. First, the tea actually did a fine job of removing the rust. However in its place was still dis- colored metal.

Because of that I've decided to attempt to polish the pieces. Thus far I have used small brush attached to a Dremel with Flitz liquid polish. I've run it at the lowest speed and it isn't doing a bad job.



I think next I will clean the parts in lighter fluid and then after words buff them with another Dremel attachment.



So that's where I am. In the process of sitting in the tea though I had two gears come apart that had been stuck together.



Off the top of my head I'm not sure which these are not how they interact with one another. Should they be "stuck together" or work independently of one another?

Also I have opened thee main spring because I thought it had an issue.



Indeed it appears so. How does the spring attach to the center? I've never dealt with a moan spring before.



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[mcass]

At second look with a loupe I do see an oblong hole in the main spring which appears to hook on the center post of the housing. I don't know if it was or if it came loose when I opened the housing. Other than not being attached it doesn't appear anything is broken. What's my next step?


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[StuartBaker104]

Normally, the barrel arbour, which is attached to the barrel cap in your picture is a seperate piece. This goes in the centre of the spring so you can see it is attached before fitting the cap.

If you wish to remove the spring for cleaning, there are plenty of tutorials on the web showing how to fit a mainspring by hand (without a winder tool). Take care when removing it - start at the centre, one coil at a time and hold the remaining coils in with your thumbs.  Do this well away from you bench full of tiny pieces!

 

[mcass]

It's tough to see in the picture but as I'm reassembling, I notice that on the lever controlled by the two case buttons, at the end, there is a small pin that appears to interact with the balance wheel. The pin at the end of the lever comes off the bottom and then is bent to about 30 degree angle and rests on the balance.

Can anyone explain what it's purpose is and how it functions? I'm concerned about how it touches the wheel, why it touches the wheel, and when should it?


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[mcass]

Got it back together and gave it a wind. She wouldn't start beating. I pulled that lever off thinking maybe it had something to do with it but still nothing. I can move balance by hand and it does interact with pallet which appears to contact escape. Keyless works seem to function properly. Still won't beat though. Any ideas?


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[szbalogh]

This is Roskopf system movement. The minute wheel is directly driven by the mainspring barrel, no second wheel. I think that the complication has to do something with the second hand and the buttons. Maybe one can start and stop the second hand. Not a chronograph, since you cant reset and have only one second hand to for measurement.

Yes, the two buttons are there to start and stop the watch by release or holding the balance wheel.

There is a picture with the center wheel (second wheel) is hidden under the barrel. It is driven by the gear next to the escape wheel. 

If You wont getr a good reading in the timegrapher, then try with 17280 beat/hour setting!

Edited October 30, 2016 by szbalogh

[mcass]

Well I disassembled her a second time and put her back together and she still doesn't work. The gears seem to interact with each other much better than they did the first time and if I manually move the balance wheel, escape wheel does it performs correctly. I just can't same to get the balance to beat on its own.


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[vinn3]

keep on till you figure it out.

[mcass]

Discovered something. At the end of the balance cock there is a small hook hanging on the underside. 2-3 coils of the hair spring were over that hook. That doesn't seem right but I don't know. What is that hook for??? If you zoom in on the pic you should be able to see it! I've not seen one of these before.




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[Geo]

I've moved this to "Watch repairs help and advice".  There is more chance someone will be able to assist you with your questions.

[rodabod]

Can you re-take the photogrpah through a loupe? I can't see any detail.

[mcass]

Definitely a balance wheel issue or pallet. If I remove both, upon winding I am able to transfer energy through all gears to the escape. If I install pallet and operate by hand, escape wheel does step. Once I install balance, nothing unless I tickle it and only under those circumstances. It will not maintain itself.




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[StuartBaker104]

The hook is supposed to have the first coil of the hairspring, just after the stud, run through it. On a more expensive movement you would typically have a straight curb pin and a "boot" which form a box for the hairspring to run through. The boot can be rotated to remove the hairspring. This box forms the operating anchor point for the spring and by moving this along the spring by rotating the regulator you can make the effective spring length shorter or longer and hence make the watch run faster or slower.

It's hard to tell from your photo but it looks like the second coil runs through the hook rather than the first. Try sorting this then make sure when the balance is installed that the hairspring is flat and touching nothing else.

If that doesn't make any difference then you should remove the balance, release any power from the mainspring, remove the pallet fork, then reinstall the balance on its own to make sure that it can move freely - just a puff with a blower should be enought to get it moving.

 

[mcass]

Can anyone tell me if they see any issues with the hair spring and balance wheel that might keep it from beating on its own?


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[mcass]

https://vimeo.com/191408107


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