Jump to content

Mainspring winding

kevinb95
 Share

Recommended Posts

kevinb95 Member

kevinb95

Posted
Posted

Second newbie question for the day.  I've taken level 1 and 2 of Mark's course.  During the "how to use a mainspring winder" lesson he mentions if it's not catching you may have it backwards or upside down.  If I twist the other direction it would catch.  Do I turn clockwise or anti-clockwise?  I guess I don't know how I would know if I have it upside down?  I'm playing around with an old Vantage watch, bought my Watchcraft Bracelet mainspring winder.  I think this is going to take a lot of practice, I kept having an issue where a) I didn't know which direction I should be going, but always got it to catch, however it would seem like the spring would float up and down in the winder barrel, so it wasn't in a nice neat spool.  When I tried to press it back out it would shoot all over the place.  On my fourth attempt it just went in a huge knot and split.  So I guess now I have to buy a mainspring.  *womp*womp*  lol   Is there some trick I'm missing in the video to successfully do this?  Thank you experienced guys for putting up with and helping out with my newbie questions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
transporter Super WRT Addict

transporter

Posted
Posted

I Only have a cople of he multi barrel winders at the moment but i always have to wind clockwise, as you would when winding the the watch by the crown, when you say you are pushing itout and it springs everywhere are you pushing it directly into the barrel, from what you are writing it sounds like you are allowing it to just come out the barrel and expecting it to say wound, im probably wrong but that is how it reads.

as for the spring catching or not, sometimes it doesnt catch and others it does, on my winders i fit the spring onto the winder then feed it into the winder barrel, that way i know it is hooked and ready for winding, when fully wound i turn anti clockwise so as to release the spring from the arbor and to allow it to be pushed into the barrel

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TimFitz WRT Addict

TimFitz

Posted
Posted

Also do a small drawing of the barrel with the old mainspring so yo remember. Print it and tape it to your bench. After you do a lot of mainsprings it will become second nature.

Practice makes perfect, you will be all right ,with a little time:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kevinb95 Member

kevinb95

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks everyone.  So as a rule it's always clockwise for winding the mainspring into the winder?  To transporter's question. The gap in my mainspring winder where the spring threads through has a enough width that the spring doesn't necessarily coil over the top of the previous turn, it may be higher or lower in the winder.  I think this is making it shoot out.  One time I was able to get it in a good coil, put it into the barrel and pushed the button to push the spring from the winder into the barrel, but it didn't stay in the bar rel, it flung all apart.   I have the same winder set in the attached picture.

post-38-0-83567500-1388280209_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kevinb95 Member

kevinb95

Posted
  • Author
Posted

An additional question for anyone in the US.  Where do you get mainsprings from?  The suppliers listed in resources don't seem to have much and the websites aren't very easy to use.  I saw Mark's video and from the Cousins website I found it super easy to get the GR code for the mainspring I need.  Finding it on the US suppliers websites is turning out to be a challenge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, kevinb95 said:

An additional question for anyone in the US. 

Even from the US you can use Cousins UK. No VAT, reasonable shipping cost and delivery times, no customs fees for you. No need to be fixated on domestic suppliers in this global market age.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • VWatchie
      Without Our Forum

      By VWatchie · Posted

      Yes, "Sold out" is difficult to understand. There doesn't seem to be a lot going on. It's been nine months since any new video was published on the Watch Repair Channel. The Level 4 course on watchfix.com has been in progress for what feels like forever (several years!?). Maybe Mark's enterprises aren't doing well or perhaps already so profitable there's nothing much to motivate him for more material. Or, perhaps these days he's more into crochet. The real reason is probably something entirely different but it would be nice/interesting to know. I don't mean to sound gloomy or pessimistic, but I wouldn't be surprised to be met by an HTTP 404. Every day feels like a gift.
    • nickelsilver
      Setting lever spring

      By nickelsilver · Posted

      Steel has some funny properties, or at least counterintuitive. The modulus of elasticity is effectively (not exactly, but close enough) the same for steel that is annealed and hardened. What changes is the point of plastic deformation* . If the movement of your spring doesn't pass that, it should work fine. It looks a little thick, I would thin it a bit maybe from the main body out about halfway, maybe 10-20% thinner (not in thickness, along its form). But if it works it works!   *So- if you have two bars of the same steel, one annealed, one at 600 Vickers (general hardness watch arbors might be), clamp them to a table so the same length is hanging out, and put a weight on the ends, they will bend the same amount. But if you continue to add weight, then remove it, at a point the annealed bar won't return to its original straightness. That's the point of plastic deformation. But up to that point, as springs, they are the same. However- their wear characteristics will be very very different. And getting the hardened bar past its point of plastic deformation takes a lot more effort.
    • swiss2k
      Omega cal. 565 - low amplitude

      By swiss2k · Posted

      @JohnR725 now that you've mentioned it. This is actually the second aftermarket spring (same place and brand) I ordered as the first one broke. The eye on which the arbor pulls on, broke off on the first spring after the first wind, and also it was a bit to large for the arbor. Looked like on one the second picture in the 2nd group. The second one was exactly the same, I had to bend it a bit, to give it a more prominent curve to the end of the spring so that the arbor catches the eye.  Also I believe both were 5-10mm shorter. Not that I writing that, I feel a bit dumb, as the spring might actually been the problem all along, although its advertised as a substitute to the original...     
    • mikepilk
      Setting lever spring

      By mikepilk · Posted

      The CS70 is the only one they show as annealed.  A further search on ebay, I found CS75 and CS100 annealed carbon steel strips  e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314072784422
    • Hawaiikook808
      Balance spring fell out of regulator pin.

      By Hawaiikook808 · Posted

      Aloha and thanks for catching all these small but important details, John.  I'm going to give it a shot. The good news is I have a parts movement here with a perfect complete balance.  I will place them side by side for visual reference when doing what you outlined.  It's been a while were I've had a hobby in which I joined a forum.  I forgot just how helpful everyone can be. Mahalo. Frank.
×
×
  • Create New...