Repivot22 is the feeble attempt to video document some of the work I do. For more than 20 years I have repaired antique watches and small clocks. My processes do not employ computer aided drafting or machining. Almost all of the lathe work is done on a standard 8mm collet watchmakers lathe.
"incidently... flexing it like this..." One should be very cautious about this, specially on old and small hairsprings like Bubbleback Rolex's and other very thin / weak hairsprings, where a movement like that it will deform the spiral downwards.
Hi, thank you very much for the great video. I have learned a lot again. I didn't know that I could do this on a glass plate (I didn't want to damage the balance spring so I always set the balance on the small wirst watch cushion but on glass it's great, thank you very much. I use the same pair of tweezers Dumoxel N°7 like you sad in the video they are curved & don't get in the way(In the beginning I tried with N°5 but it was to difficult to handle for me). The tools would be good what you had there. I'm only a slightly advanced layman. I started with an old broken balance spring & it took me a long time to do half of it back then & still does today, but it's better used with two N°7 tweezer &, I also use sometimes the N°5 but rarely. If the balance spring forms a horizontal tangent when viewed from the side with the layers of hairspring & nothing protrudes at the end, I know that I have succeeded in straightening the balance spring at the end of the work. I was able to learn a lot here & thank you. For you & your family stay healthy & happy.
Brilliant explanation of one of the most frustrating tasks to try and do when watch bashing! Thank you for putting this out there! Now to make some picky thingys ...... and get a pair of number 7's.
@petergreenwald9639 I took a look at things that were similar Peter. I found some dentists tools that I sent for. They are double ended and have a ball end that is easily removed. They are good quality stainless steel, so non magnetic. They have to be filed and polished to make them small enough for the job. I think they are used to press in teeth filling materials etc. I also found sound s/s number 7, dental tweezers. All at a very good price on ebay. Not Dumont but after fettling the ends I find them really good.
I had smimillar problem with broken steam stucked in the crown. Crown was with telescope and spring inside crown tube (diver) and I tried to work this out the same way but I did not succeed. Ended up in purchasing new crown. 😂
I think you have to be ambidextrous to fix a hairspring. While my right hand tweezer is trying to fix a problem in a hairspring my left hand tweezer is messing up another area of it.
What the student should have done is a technique that when you have a screw that will not come out, you turn it the opposite direction, in kind of a back and forth manner, hoping to break it away at the threads, and then removing it. If the student would have done that, they might have discovered that they were turning it the wrong way, when the screw started turning in the direction that they thought was the tightening direction. It might sound counterintuitive, tightening it when it is stuck, but at times it will dislodge it.
I would say that you have a good assortment of extra screws. I wonder how long it would take a person to look through all of those screws to find a replacement?
Bravo vous êtes un génie, la plus difficile réparation dans une montre c'est le spiral(mainspring), merci bcp on a appris tellement de trucs pour tenter de réparer cet outil qui ressemble à un monstre.
Hello, I own exact the same watch, with the same problem. Is there a way to make such a gear without owning a gear cutting instrument? Can I buy such a gear?
Completely agree with other commenters that this is probably the best hairspring manipulation video on RU-vid. So much more clarity than the others. Thanks for taking the time to make it.
Absolutely loved it…..on a different line…. How much error the last one would retain as the result of many plastic deformations imposed to correct it. Please don’t mind if its a foolish question to ask.
Nice video! I am now armed and dangerous! I have botched quite a few hairsprings, but have also had them come through the bench all garbled up. I’m pretty sure I can do this! In fact, I know I can. The fact that you showed how to trace the offending coil, and then how to rectify it, was just so awesome!!! Thank you so very much!
Hola amigo, me gustaria saber si tienes un video completo de como hacer esos micropiñones para acoplarlo despues a otro eje de metal, seria muy amable e interesante de tu parte, saludos desde Peru.
