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I'm in shock. Ultrabloc? Hercules? Unisafe? DeSade?


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Greetings, all.

Now I have experience with a few different types of shock-protection devices. Incabloc, Shock-Stabil, and now a mystery three-armed spring that I haven't identified. Is there a tip or special tool for installing those three-armed monsters?

Truth be told, I lost the hole-jewel/setting during cleaning in a semi-freak accident. I ordered what looks like the right one for the Gruen 505-6/Std 96-4 movement and set it in the surround. Trying to manipulate the spring in is giving me fits. Is a special took advisable for this? Any help is appreciated. Thanks ahead of time. Image attached of what type of spring it is. Cheers.

 

GruenShock_1.jpg

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Found one of these on a Baumgartner movement (158?) installed in a Sicura.

It is tricky to work with it but not if you improvise a bit.

In situations where parts might jump around and get lost I place the movement in a transparent plastic ziplock bag and then work on the movement like that.

One advantage of the bag is that you can use it like some sort of rodico (minus the sticking part) and press lightly on the components at hand so that they won't move or jump around.

You can already insert one of the feet into the recess by sliding it in/underneath and when you do that try to position the 2nd foot into the spaced out slot that allows it to fit inside/underneath the incabloc system. Then rotate and do the same with the third.

That's how I did it.

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Thanks, Chopin. I actually had two of the arms in, but the third one seemed to be fighting due to the height of the jewel, or? I like the plastic bag idea a lot. I may try that here and with other sinister parts that sprout wings which take them to oblivion. I'll give it another shot tomorrow or Wednesday. Thanks again. Cheers.

 

 

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There is a tool/s specifically for this spring but I made one out of a piece of peg wood. A hole drilled into the centre of the peg wood and three groves filed (i used a screw slotting file) for the prongs. Then just sit it on top of the spring and twist. If you do not have these tools just use fine tweezers to twist but have a piece of peg wood over the spring to catch the flyer.

5a5ddf2c010d5_ScreenShot2018-01-16at11_16_40.png.592ff5bffbf88c815ba1e0edc4200865.png

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Thanks, Clockboy, I appreciate the heads up on the tools. I had seen them for sale over the years, but as I was into old pocket-watches,  I didn't have a use for them. Now I do.  And thanks for the pegwood idea as well.

BTW, I was looking at a book I have by Jendritzki last. Aside from it coincidentally containing a Wittnauer factory technical sheet for the model I worked on for my nephew last month, it had a page on KIF. While it is a different configuration, it might work. I definitely need to have more downward force, as the jewel seems to tip, making one side rise and increasing tension on the spring at that point. I'm attaching that Kif blurb. Thanks again. Cheers.

Oh, and if someone can instruct me on how to add to the technical data, I'm all eyes. I think the tech data I have for the Wittnauer 11K series could be of value. I already scanned it, but may have to do it again, as the files are too large, and my Paint program won't even open them. But I digress...Help here is appreciated.

Kif.jpg

Edited by MrRoundel
Correct spelling of author's name.
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Have a coulpe of movement that has that type of spring also. Think one could be a FHF 96 and one is a EB or Baumgartner movement. I use a toothpick in the hole and then just spin the spring until it's sits right. Almost like a Seiko or Slava movement. 

 

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It is indeed an FHF/Std 96-4, branded Gruen. I'll try replacing the spring using a toothpick and/or narrowed/hollowed, pegwood. I hope it works, as the watch worked fine before I cleaned it. It just hadn't been serviced in many years, so I thought it a good idea. I lost the hole-jewel through an escape-hatch in my mechanical cleaner. I thought the Inca jewel might be a bit small to be save in there. Oh well...Thanks for your help, and the recommendation for Gimp. I'll check it out. Cheers.

Edited by MrRoundel
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  • 11 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Well, where does the time go anyway? I hope everyone's been well since my last check-in. It's been a while since I've worked on a watch, but the weather's keeping me indoors more, so I'm back at it a bit. Thank you all for your help so far.
I decided to take another go at this Gruen 505-6/ST 96-4 that I lost the jewel on. Using the working-through-plastic-bag and toothpick trick, I was able to get the upper Trishock spring in place, but the lower is still giving me fits. It just seems that the hole jewel I got from Cousins, Inca 711.11 either doesn't drop down far enough, or doesn't accommodate the present cap jewel. The combination seems to sit too high, which makes the angle too steep to get the spring arms in the recess. The top of the cap-jewel sits higher than the plane of the spring recess.

Is it possible that the ST 96-4 versions that utilize the Trishock spring rather than the Inca, use different sized jewels?  In looking for a parts movement, I notice that most of this model use the more common Incabloc shock system, not the Trishock. Any help is appreciated. Thanks ahead of time. Cheers.

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Check my post titled removal, cleaning , installtion of jewels, to save the next spring.

The thread will continus showing techniques, just havn,t got a chance to get with it.

As for the lost part, a powerful magnet often finds it for you.

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13 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

As for the lost part, a powerful magnet often finds it for you.

My cleaner was in an area that offered no hope for finding such a small part. Plus, it was a hole-jewel, which I should think is in a brass setting, so a magnet wouldn't help much. That said, was rather surprised that the brass colored shock springs seem to have enough iron in them to be attracted to a slightly magnetized screwdriver. Either that or there was some other sort of attraction taking place. I sure seemed magnetic.  So, yes, it seems that I could have used a magnet to find the shock spring I lost a while back.

Thanks for your response. Cheers.

 

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Providing you are comfortable with balance complete removal, doing so would, Eleminate the risk of damaging the pivot as you push to get the spring installed. The bridge would be under your full control to a point you can get the task done without kif spring tool. 

 

 

 

 

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