Sourcing or making a balance staff

[Scouseget]

Hi from Edmonton, where it's currently a balmy -20 deg C - but I digress....

I'm currently servicing a lovely Longines pocket watch, circa 1941, which needs a new balance staff. I don't have the old one (please don't ask why;  let's just say it magically disappeared) but have identified its Bestfit catalog number. The problem is of course that Bestfit is no longer in business so I'm hoping that they also printed supplemental info with the actual dimensions of the staffs included in their main catalog. I get the feeling I'm probably living in a dream world however as I can't find anything that indicates such supplemental info exists but on the off chance, does anyone know if it does, and if so, where I could access it? 

To illustrate how difficult this has been so far, I have purchased another seemingly identical Longines movement (for parts), also a 18.89 caliber, but it's balance was a different size so that didn't work. I then sourced a balance shaft from Europe but, you guessed it, it was also the wrong size. Longines actually produced 4 different models of the 18.89 caliber pocket watch, and apparently they all have different size balance staffs - why???

It's time I manned up and made my own balance staff as I do have a watchmaker's lathe and everything needed for making one, well other than the expertise to do so, but it's about time I at least tried but, alas, no dimensions for the reasons stated above. 

Any help you can give will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[JohnR725]

Bestfit isn't out of business they just went online. Then it's not always entirely helpful in that usually their staffs were oversize. That way you could reduce it to fit your watch. Then unfortunately the online does not have pictures.

http://www.bestfitmaterial.com/

Then is your movement the one found at this link?

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_18_89M

Next website should be helpful balance staffs and the dimension and there are variations as you have already commented.

http://www.balancestaffs.com/longines.php

Then I can't quite remember where I've seen it but there are instructions on how to make a staff if you don't have the staff to measure from.

 

[Scouseget]

22 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

Bestfit isn't out of business they just went online. Then it's not always entirely helpful in that usually their staffs were oversize. That way you could reduce it to fit your watch. Then unfortunately the online does not have pictures.

http://www.bestfitmaterial.com/

Then is your movement the one found at this link?

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&2uswk&Longines_18_89M

Next website should be helpful balance staffs and the dimension and there are variations as you have already commented.

http://www.balancestaffs.com/longines.php

Then I can't quite remember where I've seen it but there are instructions on how to make a staff if you don't have the staff to measure from.

 

Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for, thanks very much. I think I can now get the dimensions I need to make one, or at least try to make one myself. It'll be an interesting exercise but should be doable - I think!

Best regards