hi everyone,
so i bought a non-running hampden. it arrived today and this is where i stand.

i just opened it up.

1- the mainspring is fully wound. (tight)
2- the stem is in no way connected to the crown wheel. just spins freely.
3- the fourth wheel finger plate screw is missing. (obvious in the ad pic) newbie mistake. didn't see it.
4- the balance is good but it was over banked when i received the watch.

i lifted the balance cock enough to get the roller jewel on the correct side of the pallet fork and it seems to be good now although the watch does not yet run. 2 seconds then stops. but its really dirty. probably why.

in reading former posts here on overbanking i understand the many possible causes, but none of them seem to fit this watch.
the pallet fork looks good, roller jewel looks good.
is it possible that the overbanking issue was caused not by mechanical failure but by mechanic failure?
did someone take this watch apart and reassemble it overbanked?
the missing screw makes me think so.

tomorrow i will disassemble the watch to look at the keyless works, i expect a stripped winding pinion or clutch.
will be asking a lot of help there.
thanks everone
Todd


Todd

Todd, That's a nice looking 307 and well worth fixing, they're a good dependable watch.It's possible someone could have put it together wrong, may need to have the banking pins adjusted, hopefully one of the real watchmakers here will chime in to help you out....It's a keeper! Take care, Ted.

hello todd, nice watch, if you need some help let me know, i possibly have any parts you need also,but i would start at a good cleaning and inspection of parts...
regards paul

hi everyone,
todd here, day 2 on the Hampden 307. ( i really missed this!)

so, i have disassembled the movement.
everything looks great. filthy and oily but great.
had a little surprise. it looks like the third and fourth wheel are held in place by individual fingers. turns out to be an illusion.
those two fingers are actually part of a single bridge.
turns out my theory of a stripped winding pinion is completely wrong. the assembly looks great! (pics)
using a bench key everything seems to work.
is it possible i just need to tighten the stem nut with a sleeve wrench?
thinking about reassembling the movement just to try that.
going to clean it tomorrow. see what happens.
the missing screw from the bridge is actually broken. the business end of the screw is broken off flush to the bottom plate. going to go buy some alum tomorrow. if that is a bad move or someone has a better idea please let me know.

hi Paul. (and everyone)
i am in need of a the broken screw which is missing from the third and fourth wheel bridge.

finally figured out how to post pics from my microscope.

the keyless works look good to me.
going to reassemble and test to see if i can figure out why it wont wind.
any ideas or suggestions?

If the alum doesn't do the trick, another good rust remover to have in your box of tricks is electrolysis, which s easier to do and takes less time to set up, than it does to describe. I like it because it works faster than alum, and I don't have to deal with fine powder, which usually makes me sneeze.

Connect the negative lead of a DC power supply (a pair of D-batteries taped together end to end works well). Make a solution of washing soda (NOT Baking soda - washing soda is calcium carbonate - baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and is not nearly as alkaline - you can find washing soda in the grocery store, usually shelved with special detergent additives and Dreft) The strength of the solution isn't critical - I usually mix it in an old milk jug - about 1/4cup or so (I don't bother to measure) to a gallon of water. Hook the positive terminal of the DC power supply to a hunk of clean scrap iron. Put the solution in a plastic container - (Tupperware or glass baking dishes are fine for this - washing soda is the active ingredient in dishwasher detergent, so even your wife won't mind if you steal her favorite casserole dish for an hour or so).Immerse both parts WITHOUT THEM TOUCHING into the solution. In about five or ten minutes, the rust will have been converted to a soft grey powder, which you can then pick out using the tip of a sewing needle. Chemically, the process converts rust, which is an oxide, to a salt, which s much softer than oxide, and s also water soluble. The clean part will be unaffected, and the whole shebang can then be cleaned by the usual methods.

For those who are trying to be cheap, before you ask: Yes, the same result could be achieved using common table salt, but that is highly dangerous, because it unbonds the chlorine atoms from the sodium atoms, and releases pure chlorine into the atmosphere. Chlorine is colorless, odorless and tasteless, lighter than air, and highly poisonous. A very small whiff of the stuff will KILL you.

thank you so much David!
i am a retired engineer and have a variable power supply perfectly suitable.
can't wait to have a reason to try that.
already used alum in an old coffee maker to maintain the heat.
worked well.
but your method is so elegant i have to try it.
todd

Consolidation of another topic…

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ok, let's just concentrate on the winding problem

posted February 09, 2016 17:41

hi everyone,
todd

i think perhaps my last post tried to tackle too many problems at once because no one has offered any suggestions.

so i am posting this focusing on only one problem with the same movement.
if this is not kosher Dr. Irvine i apologize. mia culpa.

currently i am working on a Hampden model 307 that is great condition but won't wind.
i have the movement disassembled and everything looks good.
when i test the motion of the clutch assembly, and clutch lever with a bench key with the top plate off everything works properly.
however, when i reassemble the watch the clutch lever will not move the clutch into the winding position.
i am at a loss here.
something is obviously binding but i can't find it.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks everyone
todd

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