Internet Horology Club 185
How do you slow one of these down?

This topic can be found at:
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2291010082/m/565107952

March 22, 2010, 11:58
Mark Estep
How do you slow one of these down?
Even with the regulator at max slow, this watch is still running too fast. How do you slow one of these down? Thanks


March 22, 2010, 14:30
Roland Glenn
Hi Mark, 2 things. First in your image it looks like the hairspring is not inbetween the 2 collet pins. Check Image of your movement that I reposted. If it is between the 2 pins, is it the outer most arc of the hairspring or has it jumped to the next one in? This will cause the movement to run fast. The next is to demagnetize the movement. If you check on a thread in the non European section there is a post by me about a pocket watch running fast and that after trying everthing else I found a demagnetizer and it solved the isssue.




R. Glenn
March 22, 2010, 14:53
Scott A. Whittey
Looks like you are missing two screws from the ratchet wheel
March 22, 2010, 16:28
John Woolsey
Mark, the hairspring appears to be gathered up on one side, this could be coils stuck together - magnetised as sugggested by Roland, or stuck with old oil possibly over-oiled.
Another possibility, is the spring could be 'coned'.
This is common on this type movement, and could be as simple as unpinning the spring at the stud, and repinning with the spring levelled.

Sometimes, pushing the taper pin home can twist the spring blade either up or down in the stud hole causing it to cone and catch either the balance cock or the balance arms.

Either way it will have the same effect and artificially shorten the hairspring.

Take a look across the spring, it should be laying dead flat, the 'gathering' in the photo may be an optical illusion caused by the 'coning'

A quick trick to see if the coils are stuck with oil, is to drop a spot of lighter fuel on the spring and gently blow across the balance with a 'puffer' to make it swing a full vibration, this will separate the coils and allow the cleaner to clear the coils.

I'd say the spring was inside the curb pins, but it looks pulled tight.

Generally if a movement has gotten to this condition, it needs stripping and servicing anyway.

Scott, what you see is a 'gotcha', the two holes in the ratchet wheel, are tool location points for unscrewing and tightening the cap holding the wheel on the threaded barrel arbor.
The cap is also a bearing for the wheel.

John
March 22, 2010, 19:37
Mark Estep
Gentlemen: Thanks for your input. The hair spring is flat and it had a bath in some one dip. However, when I mount the balance, the spring does bunch up on one side. So I kinda re-shapped the hair spring from the stud. I have a little more to do but that little bit knocked the beat count down from 18260 to 18130. I'm heading in the right direction.
March 22, 2010, 20:56
Scott A. Whittey
Thanks John
March 23, 2010, 05:40
John Woolsey
Mark, take a look at the brass hairspring stud to make sure it's square to the balance.

These are just a tight push fit in the balance cock stud, and can get twisted around sufficient to pull the hairspring out of allignment.

The hole through it should be exactly 90 deg to the balance pivot, any angle either way will cause the spring to be misalligned accordingly as soon as it's pinned up.

If you lay the balance cock on its back with the balance and hairspring in place, everything should appear tidy, with even coiling of the hairspring.
If not, you should be able to see where anything odd is going on, and certainly if the stud is out of line - which can be tweaked quickly with fine pin nosed pliers.

John