Help never before seen ballance

[chris mabbott]

Ok, found the pics of my broken cylinder and also a broken tooth on the escape wheel…

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Tamas Richard.

[blondfellow]

I had a closer look at it last night and pushed the staff out of the wheel. Chris is right the pivot pins are pressed into the hollow staff. I thought if I could drill a hole into a piece of brass rod to allow the hollow pivot to slip on comfortably this may hold the pivot while I lathe the pin flat and press in another rather than press out the whole pin from the hollow staff. This is assuming I can work the steel of the jewel pin
I hope I have drawn this so it is understanable. The idea is to hold the pin so it will not snap while in the lathe, on paper it should work I just need to get myself a digital micrometer. I’m doing this because these type of watches are not common and this will make a great addition to my collection if I can put it off. :
By the way, this is not the only problem I have. While buffing the case I pushed the Bessel into the buffing wheel too hard and it was thrown from my hand and it broke at the bottom as well as went egg shape.damm, now I have tried to fix but I have to be on the lookout for a replacement before I can put a crystal in. If it is not one thing, it’s onother.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Tamas Richard.

[david pierce]

Blondfellow,
Unfortunately, that is the learning process for this stuff. Hairsprings are turned into spaghetti, parts fly across the room, screws pop out of the tweezers, mainspring barrel caps are bent, you name it. It is always better to learn on practice movements and damage mechanisms that can be thrown away after you learn what not to do.
david

[blondfellow]

Yes I have quite a few tangled hair springs in my colection

[blondfellow]

Yep, didn’t work. It snapped in two straight away. As you say you never stop learning in this game.

[gerene]

@Chris Mabbott wrote:

David,

I’m not sure when cylinder escapements were actually implemented, but I have a couple of Swiss watches from the late 18th that use this system, and they are 17-19 jewel models. So this system was also used on higher grade movements, but without the mass produced punched out fake compensated balance wheel.

They seem to be around for quite a some time. According to De Carle’s Watch and Clock Encyclopedia “invented in 1695 by Tompion, but improved by George Graham”.
I do have a couple of pocket watches from early 1900 with cylinder escapements in my collection.

Jan

[chris mabbott]

Blond fellow, these watches are very common, you can find many of them on the euro sites and practically every watch I’ve seen in antique shops are cylinder escapement type, so I avoid them 😆

[gerene]

Just for your information. There is quite an extensive explanation on how to repair cylinder escapements in Gazeley’s “Watch and Clock making and repairing”, pages 194-200. Explaining how to remove and place the plugs (pivots) and more. One needs a special stake and punch to do it. My staking set seems to have these tools.

Jan

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