Wind the spring backwards?

[vanhooglesnort]

I have a nice set of Watchcraft mainspring winders for wristwatches. They are usually a joy to use, but sometimes I find a spring that needs wound in the oposite direction of most. Is there a way to use these winders to wind in both directions? Do other winders go both ways? Am I just stuck hand winding the occassional backward spring?

[arutha]

I have the same type of winder as you, as it is only the inner tang to catch the spring you need to worry about cant you just turn the spring over and wind it in reverse? It should just push out into the barrel.
Or if you wind the spring into the winder, it then is the wrong way round to go into the barrel? If this is the case then it would be a matter of making a sleeve that is the same diameter as the winding barrel, push the spring once wound into the sleeve and then from the sleeve into the watch barrel. I hope that makes sense?
Paul.

[vanhooglesnort]

Yes, that’s about what I did; I used the next smaller size winder, then transfered the spring to the correct size winder, then into the barrel. It was a little fiddly and I just wondered if I was missing something easier. Thanks.

[arutha]

No, you are not missing anything, I think it was a bit of an oversight on the springwinding manufacturing. They should have either supplied arbours with tangs that face in both directions or made a set of sleeves for reversing the spring.
Well done for getting the job done
Paul.

[Author]

Posts