pocketwatch hairspring.

[bobpat]

Now that Tom pointed me in the right direction on the watch jewels. I have questions on hairsprings.I gave up on practicing on Dollar watches , Was told they are not made to repair, made sense to me, so I picked up a couple of Elgins, 7 jewel, size16. The hairspring in one appears bent underneath the rest of the spring on the very last coil on the outside, how do you order a replacement?. Should you order with balance? . If you order just spring , do you have to do the whole vibrate thing??. I know in a clock, if you don’t have a listing, you can simply measure the old one. There are so many listings, I don’t even know where to begin.. Any info would be great

[tmac1956]

bobpat:

You can usually find those easily on eBay so you can buy another for parts. Thus, you can ask to make sure that when you buy another one for parts/repair, that it has a good hairspring. Examine the balance under magnification to make sure that the balance staff has both pivots intact and are not bent or badly scored. If it is damaged, you should be able to find a replacement online. If you do a look-up and find the part number, you can search ebay or some of the suppliers for the part. Additionally, the safty roller should have a jewel that isn’t cracked or missing. Then you go on to the pallet fork… and on and on it goes.

I hope this helps,
Tom

[bobpat]

As usual Tom, all your answers help. I did a search on the part number. all I got was the year built, size, grade and model, did a search on a few suppliers and that’s where I got confused,, all kinds of numbers and parts that don’t make sense, I did look at the staff, but not really close. I will do that.. So far. on my Watch endeavor, I find that looking for and finding the right part is the hardest and most confusing, there has got to be a better way or maybe I am missing something…..

[tmac1956]

bobpat:

When you get the parts list you’ll need to look up balance staff part number from the list. Then you can go to eBay or Otto Frei (for example) and do a search (Elgin 16s hairspring X796). The hairsrpings are harder to find in new condition, but I can usually find the staffs on eBay.

Later,
Tom

[bobpat]

I am really feeling kinda stupid right now, with all the questions. When I get what parts list?? You said to look up staff part number?. there is about 50 part numbers. Are all 16s Elgins single roller have the same staff??where did you get that number? X796 I did a search at Cas-KER and found nothing, no 16s,, it had 6s so I looked at the grades,, nothing.. Do I sound like a kid asking. ” ARE THEY THERE YET,, ” Are we there yet?” 😆 I just hate being totally confused .. I really appreciate your effort Tom. THANKS

[tmac1956]

Bobpat:

Here’s a search I just did for a 16s for which I need to purchase a mainspring.

1) I have the serial number, but I need the grade number to get at the part’s list. Here’s the site I use:
http://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/elgin/7861119

The results…

Next, I do a search on the grade number here.
http://www.elginwatchparts.com/

The results…

Taking the mainspring number, I went to eBay and did a search on “Elgin 16s Mainspring X817” (without the quotes). There were many, but I prefer old new stock, so I selected the following…

There is probably a simpler way, but this is the way I muddled through it in the beginning.
Later,
Tom

[tmac1956]

Bobpat:

In one of Bob’s videos he recommends a reproduction of a parts catalog. I have one but I cannot remember the name. I think its a “Swigler”, but you can go back and look at that section – I’m at work and my memory seems to fail me today. Anyway, you can usually get data from that book as well. It’s just quicker for me to use the Internet.

Later,
Tom

P.s. Remember that hairsprings are often times hard to find in new condition. I usually have to look at pocket watch movements or partial movements to find a replacement. If you don’t find any from your part number search, that’s really not unusual for hairsprings.

[tmac1956]

Bobpat:

I did a simple Google search and found a hairspring for my 16s Elgin here. This one may work for your watch too. It’s #796.

http://www.jewelerssupplies.com/product8765.html

I hope this helps.
Later,

[bobpat]

Thank you Tom for taking the time to show me this. I searched all nite last nite. The site of the watch Database is awesome, Gives all the info that you need plus pictures. Found part numbers and everything you would need.. Thanks Tom, You have been a great help..

[tmac1956]

Bobpat:

I’m glad I could return a little of what I have gotten a lot of here… help and knowledge.

Later,
Tom

[tmac1956]

Bobpat:

I’m glad I could return a little of what I have gotten a lot of here… help and knowledge.

Later,
Tom

[bobpat]

I agree, this forum is amazing with all the knowledge, and You have helped me a lot Tom..

[chris mabbott]

Hey Bobpat,

Tom has hit the nail on the head, I can only add that replacing a hairspring from one balance to another is not so cut and dry. The hairsprings are matched or vibrated to their balance wheels as shown here Vibrating

If you are replacing the whole balance assembly, from a scrap movement, to a good one, you also need to consider pivot size, balance size, roller jewel size etc. You will have to measure the roller jewel from one movement and size it to the pallet fork gap. Sometimes even the same model/grade can have a different setup.

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