Hi all....does anyone out there have a factory part number for these 16 size Equity PW?....My 1948 Waltham Watch and Clock Material Catalog indicates these Equity PW carry the same parts as the Model 1908...yet....the 1908 uses a #4860 or 4861 staff which appears to be a FRICTION Fit rather than a RIVET staff...these two Equity PW I'm working on are both single roller Rivet.......What am I missing here...other than 2ea...16 size staffs?

Tony, are you SURE it is a riveted staff? The balance hub is riveted to the arms of the balance and is not to be removed (it is supposed to be blued to alert you that something is different). Waltham did sell these hubs as replacement pieces in case an unaware watchmaker hammered it out, but the friction staff should drive out just fine. Many staking sets include custom stumps and punches for the Waltham friction staffs. (By the way, every Equity I have worked on takes the 4861-taper shoulder staff. Most of the time I have seen a 4860 used it has been a double-roller escapement).

Jerry T....you are corect....boy, you guys are GREAT....the old balance staff DOES have a blue hub.....well,....this is why this hobby is such fun....always something new to learn....Ok...I will have to hit the books again in order to find out how to proceed with this repair.....do you think it would be OK to reuse that Hub that I "accidently" drove out of the balance?...

I expect the rivet on the old hub is probably shot and cannot be re-installed. There may be some replacement hubs in stock at the material houses, as they were probably not in great demand.

In looking through my junk parts I found some Waltham single-roller balances that use the 4860 staff, so I suppose either may appear in the Equity, as well. The roller table for the 4860 has a larger hole in the middle to go around the straight shoulder. I am attaching a picture of a Kendrick & Davis set No.313 which includes the special stumps and stakes for removing and replacing the Waltham friction staffs. I believe these same stumps and stakes are included in some of the standard K&D Inverto sets, also.

Here is a close-up of one of the stumps used. This one has a stepped or tapered hole to support the hub, while allowing enough clearance for the staff to be driven out. There is one stump, each, (and one stake) for 16-size, 12-size and 0-size.

... and here is a straight-shouldered 16-size staff (#4860) partially driven out of the hub

Tonyzee,
I have a nos #4861 balance staff with the blue hub attached. E-mail me if you can use it.
Brian C.

Ok folks....here is what I have done so far in an attempt to fix what I obviousley screwed-up....
I took a small flat jeweler's file to the underside
of the balance removing any burrs around the hole that receives the hub...and...also reducing slightly, the thickness of the balance arm....I then reinstalled the old balance staff and hub as a unit
...the resulting rivet job must have took...because I then proceded to remove this friction type balance the correct way....a few taps with my jeweler's hammer ....and...the staff came right out....the hub stayed in place....now
I will attempt to install a brand new #4861
I have had in an assortment I purchased on Ebay..
but first...I need to reveiw this procedure using
Fried's book as my reference...Hmm...do I use a
#4861...or...a #4860??? What's the Diff?

Tony, you can see a 4860 staff in my picture above. The square shoulder is noticeable on this staff, and the roller table should have a larger hole in it to fit around the diameter of this shoulder. The 4861 (taper shoulder) has a bevel facing the balance hub and, when installed, the shoulder is completely hidden in a recess in the bottom of the hub. The roller table has a smaller hole to go around the roller post. If the staff you took out does not look like mine, you have a 4861.

Update...Balance Restaff successfully completed
PW is running like a champ and keeping very good time...Many thanks to Jerry T....on to my next adventure....anyone have a CASE for a 16s Waltham
Model 1888..WITH..that hard to find STEM and Crown?

I have the stem and crown.
Brian C.

pwpartsetc@webtv.net