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My first steps in the dark arts

Pip

By Pip
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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Pip WRT Addict

Pip

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Since I’ve started tinkering I’ve considered hairspring manipulation to be some kind of black magic witchcraft, practiced by watchmakers who are quite probably in league with the Devil. So of course, it was only a matter of time!

 

Had a spare half an hour or so yesterday so I pulled out a mangled hairspring I’d put aside which was from a Seiko 6119 iirc, and set about it.

I’m by no means finished yet but I found the process both frustrating (trying to move the twisted coils to get to the one I wanted to manipulate) and very satisfying when one loop goes back about where it should.

 

If anyone has any hints or tips feel free to shout!

 

I started with this:

1184b89ec3b4ab986371edea2f7c42c0.jpg

 

Took it off the balance to reveal:

b7f74bc23c0e4e4ec87ec54b03d8041c.jpg

 

And after half an hour or maybe a bit more got here:

29392f52ead7eb786e2df3e40ea01c89.jpg

 

I’m pleased so far but won’t get another chance to tackle it until the weekend.

 

I also have another one that is lovely and concentric but is a fantastic cone shape. No idea yet how to tackle that, but I’m sure some of you will point me in the right direction.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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quantieme WRT Addict

quantieme

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Pip said:

 

Since I’ve started tinkering I’ve considered hairspring manipulation to be some kind of black magic witchcraft, practiced by watchmakers who are quite probably in league with the Devil. So of course, it was only a matter of time!

 

Had a spare half an hour or so yesterday so I pulled out a mangled hairspring I’d put aside which was from a Seiko 6119 iirc, and set about it.

I’m by no means finished yet but I found the process both frustrating (trying to move the twisted coils to get to the one I wanted to manipulate) and very satisfying when one loop goes back about where it should.

 

If anyone has any hints or tips feel free to shout!

 

I started with this:

1184b89ec3b4ab986371edea2f7c42c0.jpg

 

Took it off the balance to reveal:

b7f74bc23c0e4e4ec87ec54b03d8041c.jpg

 

And after half an hour or maybe a bit more got here:

29392f52ead7eb786e2df3e40ea01c89.jpg

 

I’m pleased so far but won’t get another chance to tackle it until the weekend.

 

I also have another one that is lovely and concentric but is a fantastic cone shape. No idea yet how to tackle that, but I’m sure some of you will point me in the right direction.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

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quantieme WRT Addict

quantieme

Posted
Posted

you have done well there to get to that in half an hour , it is definitely one of the more challenging and frustrating aspects of watch repair.

i believe the method for a coned hairspring is to hold the collet and the outer coil and pull through the spring in the opposite direction, good luck with it all.

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vinn3 Distinguished Member

vinn3

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, Pip said:

 

Since I’ve started tinkering I’ve considered hairspring manipulation to be some kind of black magic witchcraft, practiced by watchmakers who are quite probably in league with the Devil. So of course, it was only a matter of time!

 

Had a spare half an hour or so yesterday so I pulled out a mangled hairspring I’d put aside which was from a Seiko 6119 iirc, and set about it.

I’m by no means finished yet but I found the process both frustrating (trying to move the twisted coils to get to the one I wanted to manipulate) and very satisfying when one loop goes back about where it should.

 

If anyone has any hints or tips feel free to shout!

 

I started with this:

1184b89ec3b4ab986371edea2f7c42c0.jpg

 

Took it off the balance to reveal:

b7f74bc23c0e4e4ec87ec54b03d8041c.jpg

 

And after half an hour or maybe a bit more got here:

29392f52ead7eb786e2df3e40ea01c89.jpg

 

I’m pleased so far but won’t get another chance to tackle it until the weekend.

 

I also have another one that is lovely and concentric but is a fantastic cone shape. No idea yet how to tackle that, but I’m sure some of you will point me in the right direction.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

   there are videos AND  books that show "this art".   vin

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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

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Posted
23 hours ago, quantieme said:

you have done well there to get to that in half an hour , it is definitely one of the more challenging and frustrating aspects of watch repair.

i believe the method for a coned hairspring is to hold the collet and the outer coil and pull through the spring in the opposite direction, good luck with it all.

I had a hairspring that was badly coned. You have to stretch it a LONG way before you have any effect on the shape. There's a risk it will break at the  collet.

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