Pocket watch running WAY-WAY FAST

[watchdogg]

Ok,so I was in here asking last month why after I COA my 12s hunter case Elgin pocket watch..Why it would run for awhile then stop..? You guys hit it right on, now the dog-gone thing is running way too fast. I first thought it needed to be demagnetize, well that wasn’t it. So now I’m thinking hair spring? What will I be looking for?
Thanks folks for your help..
Oh,I had asked once before what ya’ll suggested about how I would get a job in watch repair…THANKS AGAIN!!! I’m now hands on
Started with this course,which got me even more excited then you guys had a lot of helpful info!!!
Thank You!!
PS> I have set the regulator to as far slow as possible

[Bob Tascione]

Hey Watchdogg congratulations on being hands on now!!
That’s really good to hear. You should move forward very quickly now.
Yes I think there’s a good chance that the hairspring is causing problems somewhere. Before you start dealing with the hairspring though you may want to make sure that all the timing screws are on the balance. They do sometimes unscrew from the rim and disappear into the movement. One side of the balance rim should match the other side perfectly. That is the screw pattern should be the same. If that looks good then inspect the hairspring very closely under high magnification to see if there’s any trace of dirt, rust or oil. Often times the hairspring will need additional cleaning as they can be very stubborn when it comes to letting loose of crud like oil. Then while the hairspring is vibrating observe how it “breathes” and check to see if there’s any possibility at all that one or more coils is making contact during oscillation. Then viewing from the edge check to make sure that the spring is on the exact same plane as the balance and that it’s not making contact with the underside of the balance cock and especially not touching a balance arm. There are other possibilities such as an escape tooth skipping past a pallet etc. but these are much rarer so would want to check that hairspring thoroughly first. If you have any doubt about the hairspring sticking then would definitely clean it again to see what happens.

Good luck and let us know Watchdogg!
Bob

[david pierce]

Bob,
Could it also be possible that someone put in a mainspring that is too powerful for the mechanism? It might be worth investigating.
David Pierce

[Bob Tascione]

Yes that’s definitely a possibility David.
If the new spring is powerful enough to kick the balance amplitude high enough to cause knocking (re-banking) then it could run very fast. A timing machine would reveal a knocking problem instantly but not sure if Watchdogg has or has access to a machine. Another way is to use an amplifier to listen to the ticking. If it’s knocking it will sound like a galloping horse!
Another way to check it without a machine is to wind it a few turns to keep the amplitude down and then check it’s rate.

Bob

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