Reply To: Pocket watch "T" end mainspring installation issue…

[tmac1956]

@david pierce wrote:

Tom,
Go to Youtube and pull up HOW I INSTALL A MAINSPRING ON A HAMILTON 974 POCKET WATCH Parts 1 & 2. There are a couple of things that I do differently than Bunn that work for me. One is now that I have an engraving vice I can lock the entire holder and watch in the vice jaws. With this setup I can instantly move the watch to any position and it stays there. This not only frees up my other hand but it also raises the height of the watch off of the bench top. The other is I install the mainspring case lid with a Harbor Freight (inexpensive) crystal press and a flat nylon plate. This worked better for me because I bent a few lids trying to snap them back together with my fingers. Bob’s method for removing the cover is better than prying it off, as in the Bunn video, as it also reduces the chance of bending the mainspring barrel cover cap.
david

David:

I went back and looked at those two of Bunn’s videos and it turns out that I watched those way back when I was looking at getting a winder – I actually have that exact winder that he uses in that video. The only thing that I do differently, is that I don’t hanadle the mainspring with my hands (he probably doesn’t either when he’s doing it off camera) and I put grease on it like Bob shows. I wonder if I’m actually using too much grease and if that might be part of the slippage problem. I mean it really doesn’t apprear to be that complicated… but then, if I’m doing it then the Gremlin is most likely sitting on my shoulder when I do!

Later,
Tom