Let's say we're in the jungle of Borneo and I'm cleaning my watch to find the mainspring has set, and I can't get a replacement.
Would it be possible to restretch it and put some more life back into it? I've experimented with an old spring while waiting on the new one and have successfully increased the size of the spring diameter, (out of the barrel) to twice what it was when I took it out of the watch.

I will definitely replace it with a new spring, but wonder if anyone has ever tried this with any degree of success.

Here's a picture of it after I stretched it. Before this picture it was about 2" diameter, now it's about 6 1/2". I'm going to put it back in the watch and see what happens.

I hate to say but it will go back to the way it was once it is reinstalled.

I believe that steel will take a set being compressed more than, or at least 1/2 of it's life.

I think that what you have done unknowingly is to weaken already weakened old steel.

I believe I would chunk the old one and wait for the new one to arrive.

I believe that even with safety pinions, old barrels and train gears and pinions, that I really wouldn't want a mainspring to break and test my "safety equipment". A shock of a mainspring breaking can do a lot of damage if things aren't working as designed and in some cases even if they are working properly.

Coiled steel springs once shaped aren't meant to be reshaped as that can only weaken them further than they already are.

regards,
bb

Gene, Buster,
I think what you're trying to tell me is NO!
Okay, as the guy said in "O Brother Where Art Though" after they broke out of prison all chained together... I'm with you boys!

Thanks,

I tried this a while back. It does not work. The spring goes right back, and plus the effort used in straightening it often creates weak points . I imagine it would have to be reheated and retempered to make it remotely work, but a new one is the better bet.

Yup too much work for poor results when you can usually find a steel replacement for 5-10 bucks.

Twang.
I can break springs by just looking at them.

Hi Dave,
As they say above once there set or just simply old that’s the end of useful life, these old brown steel spring once removed, relaxed, no doubt drawn out in cleaning/ re lubing and re stressed in insertion are far more likely to break within weeks of re fitting, also if the old spring seems to be functional there is a good chance give a inconsistent power output, so for $15- $30 + shipping fit a good alloy spring like starting with a new engine and often makes timing out much easier, you’re not adjusting your watch to a old weak spring. Where possible always use a modern alloy the brown steel are often many years old NOS or worse old ones saved and put back in the envelopes for me on customer watches it’s a false economy to buy the old brown steel ones cheaper maybe for home use as you can replace should they break and don’t expect too much in accuracy.

Thanks guys,
I really do appreciate this advice. Unfortunately Chris, I've already ordered 3 springs off ebay for $40 delivered. I'm sure they will be old brown steel, but we'll see when I get them.
Wish I'd ask the question here before I ordered.
I'm learning... the hard way.

Dave,
I am sure they will be ok for what you are doing, especially if it’s your watch, should they break prematurely you can replace, myself it would be a embarrassing return, I buy all my mainsprings from the reputable supply houses as they seem to buy from known sources good quality Swiss springs I have only ever had a few alloys out of hundreds break on insertion or shortly afterwards. I hear there are Chinese ones (poor old Chinese get it in the neck each time I am sure there are other sources who are being hounded to make them cheap as possible!) that are poor quality and finish and no doubt bargain buys at first.

Dave,

You should be fine with a steel spring. They have been used since the beginning of time

Of course an alloy is the preferred spring, but I have used steel springs and depending of the overall value of the watch (18s 7j Elgin - very common) cannot justify a 30$ alloy spring in a 25$ movement (and some folks will not even put a new spring in a seven jewel 18s movement, but rather toss it in their parts drawer - a whole separate debate).

V/r

Jon

Dave, I only have one question....

If you are in the jungle of Borneo, why in the world are you cleaning your pocketwatch...?

Regards,

Jerry

and the blue steel aren't much better than the brown.....

Hey John

Maybe that cold weather you have up North weakens those steel springs

quote:

If you are in the jungle of Borneo, why in the world are you cleaning your pocketwatch...?

Jerry, I'm glad you asked. And as soon as I figure that out I'll get back to you.

Jon,I wish we had some cold wx right now fact is that the mercury has been into the 100's a couple of times last week and this part of Ontario is surrounded by water so the humidity has a tendency to make things uncomfortable to the point of being downright rude. As for the mainsprings the best one I have yet to encounter was someone trying to link thunderstorms to broken mainsprings ....that one had to come right from the publish or perish forum. I'd settle for some cold clear wx right now thanks.

Regards, John

John,

You are correct, the temperatures have been down right - nasty. Mother Nature is surely opening her bag of tricks.

Thunders storms and mainsprings, huh? Would love to read that one!

Ciao

Well.....

Back in the day

I have had more than one Old Timer watch repairman, tell me that the "rattler/boomers",

Those are the thunderstorms that used to rattle the single pane glass windows,

Would in fact break mainsprings. Now I hate to pop your bubble but most of my broken mainsprings have come or been discovered shortly after a "rattler/boomer" passed thru.

These Old Timers worked with the older mainsprings before the white "unbreakable" ones came along. These watchmakers are in their upper 80's today and still doing watch repair.

So I'm going to have to agree with them since several of them were my mentors and I have great respect for them, and I have noticed it myself.

Also

Dave was possibly cleaning his watch in Borneo so that he could stay a few steps ahead of the aboriginals [headhunters] so he wouldn't take a poison dart and end up as a shrunken head on the medicine mans totem pole

regards,
bb

Gosh Buster not that I'm a doubting man but there must be some rational physical phenomenon that can be attributed this relationship of broken mainsprings to rattler/boomers? My mentors may not have been as old as yours but I can't recall anything from them and hadn't heard of it until I ran across an article which was suspect to say the least having offered only the observation with, again, no physical explanation. Now I'm sure there must be a few more who would be seriously interested in learning more about this phenomenon or who may even have the answer.

Regards, John

I agree that its hard to perceive/believe,

and those are simply my findings.

Perhaps there are others that can testify as to what they have experienced and could add to this thread.

Since temperatures do affect springs, perhaps an atmospheric disturbance such as cracking thunder which can be severe at times could conceivably cause this. As crystal can be shattered by a certain tone of sound, I can see where an already brittle mainspring [which could easily break] might be affected by a sharp clap or crack of an overhead thunder storm which is quite severe and not the same as the distant rumbling of thunder a few miles away.

regards,
bb

What's worse than the "jungles of Borneo" is Hong Kong and your watch battery dies! Try to find ANYBODY selling watch batteries!