Jump to content

Missing tooth - repair?


p2n

Recommended Posts

Thought I was in for a bit of success - broken mainspring. Ordered, arrived and fitted.

Testing the gear train before refitting the balance and it kept skipping.

A closer look and there is a tooth missing on the mainspring barrel

If I solder the gap, then file out a new tooth will that be string enough? I'm assuming that if left it will only get worse with the impulse shocks to the next tooth around?

 

P3210006.thumb.JPG.b4f8cb63d05b428e11a62f141680c3c9.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, p2n said:

Thought I was in for a bit of success - broken mainspring. Ordered, arrived and fitted.

Testing the gear train before refitting the balance and it kept skipping.

A closer look and there is a tooth missing on the mainspring barrel

If I solder the gap, then file out a new tooth will that be string enough? I'm assuming that if left it will only get worse with the impulse shocks to the next tooth around?

 

P3210006.thumb.JPG.b4f8cb63d05b428e11a62f141680c3c9.JPG

On the mainspring barrel i have seen it. Look at this. https://anderstestarblog.wordpress.com/tag/tandinfallning/

Edited by rogart63
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow - thats fine work. I don't think I could do that but I could adapt the idea. If I remove the broken tooth, file and solder in a piece of brass, I could file that into teeth. Assuming I can find a file small enough...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Silver solder would be stronger, but lead solder will do a fine job. First, find a piece of brass suitable for the job. You need to file a slot into the barrel and solder it in. You can use a spirit lamp and some flux. You will need to clean the piece of brass to use, use a emery stick to clean it off. With various needle files, file the brass into the shape of the tooth making sure you have the correct height, thickness and shape. You will need burr files or some people call them rotary files to remove the inside waste so the spring can sit proper. Test it before you put the movement back together, you might have to make slight adjustments. If you have never done this type of work before you might like to practice on a clock wheel, which is bigger to get the idea on what to do, if you make a mistake it does not matter.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • The wheels turned fine. I set the escape wheel in the epoxy when it had just ‘skinned’ and wasn’t set, made sure it spun with the 4th wheel, and let it set.    After cleaning I assembled the barrel and wheel train - all fine. Moving the barrel the escape wheel spun freely. I put a bit of 9010 in my epoxy setting.    It went wrong when I put the pallet fork in. It wasn’t seated right (no jewels) and the escape wheel  knocked a pallet jewel out. I have no idea how to reset a pallet jewel - epoxy again? I’m not spending any more time on this one - it’s missing hands and the front half of the case anyway, and I have more watches ready to put on the bench. 
    • No John, we don't want Mark to change anything, we are just scared of losing a brilliant forum and losing contact with each other.  As pointed out, this forum is full of knowledge and I for one,  consider the regulars friends. I would hate to lose contact with you and the others.   PS, this forum is really important to me. 
    • one little minor problem with your chemistry experiment here which is what exactly is epilam? In other words is it an exact substance with the chemical you specify or is it a term? For instance originally it was steric acid either dissolved in some sort of solvent or it was applied by vaporizing it. Then now it's all kinds of different things the watch companies all have different ideas there's a whole bunch of patents. So is not always an exact substance.   let me snip out a image from the patent that I attached up above. Notice I highlighted something it seems to disagree with your evaluation.  
    • I guess You had to try, as it would be hard to sleep without that try, but, I know the result before the experiment... As I told before, the friction will be so big that the wheel will not turn. The pivots have to be thin and polished - the bigger the number of the wheel (2th, 3gh, 4th...), the thinner the pivot. What You are trying to do is possible, but forming the new thin pivot must be done on lathe. Thus the wheel will get shorter, but can have new pivot without the drilling for normal standard repivoting. Then piece of brass can be soldered under the pivot hole in the bridge and new hole drilled in it to form the new bearing.  Well, this way is not the recommended one, not quite correct, but it is possible to do for the excersize... When I say lathe, lathe may be verry simple, someting like turns, but made of what one has in reach of his hands. If You want to try, I will try to guide
    • yes by all means let's gather up our weapons tar feathers find the nearest tree in case Mark is not agreeable to our terms on our demands and storm his Castle. I don't quite understand what you're trying to do here? In other words you want Mark to somehow guarantee that the group will live on forever no matter what? You want Mark to somehow change his business model of what is trying to do or should we just take the group away from him? oh and is quite possible that Mark never realized that his discussion group would take on a life of its own. That the members of the group would like to continue on forever.  
×
×
  • Create New...