Mainspring winders

[64americandeluxe]

I was looking at this mainspring winder set which is for sale.  Does anyone have any experience with these?  Will they handle most wristwatch sizes?  I am trying to get the model number to see if I can find any more info regarding these.

Cheers!

Roger

 

[number98]

Hi mark, i just bought the mainspring winder. But im having problem with the mainspring winder as im not able to insert to the hole(arbor). As the hole is quite small. Thanks :)

[Mark]

Never used these but I believe they work in the same manner as my set just without the crank handle.

[Mark]

Sometimes it will be a tight fit. But if it looks like the spring will break then don't use it. Sometimes you can use the next size down crank with the correct size barrel if you are careful.

[number98]

Omg. I only have one size partly because i buy it separately and not the whole set. So you reckon what i should do is to exchange with the watch shop that i bought from to an appropriate size? Thanks :)

[Mark]

But sometimes the arbor does not fit the mainspring for the correct size barrel and/or the other way round so it is useful to have a set - but even my set with 17 barrels both left and right hand cranks will not fit every mainspring/barrel combination, but the more sizes you have, the more chance you will have that you will have a correct combination.

[64americandeluxe]

I was looking at this mainspring winder set which is for sale.  Does anyone have any experience with these?  Will they handle most wristwatch sizes?  I am trying to get the model number to see if I can find any more info regarding these.

Cheers!

Roger

Unfortunately, I lost the opportunity to buy the Watch-Craft set shown above.  Has anyone used the K&D 127 or 128 Mainspring Winders shown below?  Will both do wrist watches (I am not working on pocket watches)?  Any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers!

Edited January 4, 2014 by 64americandeluxe

[64americandeluxe]

Here is another set that I am looking at (see below).  Any advantages or cons to using the KD 126,127 or 128?  It looks like the only difference between the 127 and 128 are the barrel sizes they'll accept.  The 126 is the "Robbins Type" but I am not sure what the significance of that is.

Thank you!

Roger

[number98]

Oh.. anw for some mainspring i managed to fit into the mainspring winder. But when i wind almost gonna complete it and it suddenly pop up and broke the mainspring. Why is that so? Am i doing something wrong? Do i need to flip the mainspring and put it into the mainspring winder? And sorry for this question does flipping the mainspring will causes anything? Thanks. 

[southwesttimers]

Hello. Watchcraft mainspring winders can be used to wind right hand and left hand so they are a good starter to begin with. Some mainsprings are left hand wind or right hand wind so the Watchcraft will work , but they are not the quality of a set of Bergeon winders which come in right and left hand wind sets or combined.

I find the most K&D's winders are ok for pocket watches but not all of them fit most wristwatch barrels.

[64americandeluxe]

Hello. Watchcraft mainspring winders can be used to wind right hand and left hand so they are a good starter to begin with. Some mainsprings are left hand wind or right hand wind so the Watchcraft will work , but they are not the quality of a set of Bergeon winders which come in right and left hand wind sets or combined.

I find the most K&D's winders are ok for pocket watches but not all of them fit most wristwatch barrels.

Excellent information!  Thanks very much!

Roger

[Mark]

Oh.. anw for some mainspring i managed to fit into the mainspring winder. But when i wind almost gonna complete it and it suddenly pop up and broke the mainspring. Why is that so? Am i doing something wrong? Do i need to flip the mainspring and put it into the mainspring winder? And sorry for this question does flipping the mainspring will causes anything? Thanks. 

 

Not quite certain what happened from your description.

[number98]

Not quite certain what happened from your description.

Thanks. Im not sure how to put it in a way. Anw, i will try my best and figure it out and share my success story down here. Thanks. I roughly have the idea of how to.. 

[64americandeluxe]

I ended up buying a Watch-Craft winder set like the one shown below.  I should be trying it out in the next week or so.  I know the learning curve is rather steep.  Fingers crossed...

Cheers.

Roger

Edited February 8, 2014 by 64americandeluxe

[iceni]

Hi I was just looking at mainspring winding tools and as someone who is new to this think they are a big expense for the new coming is there anther way of putting in a mainspring with out the tool, or do new springs come ready to fit ? 

[DJW]

Hi I was just looking at mainspring winding tools and as someone who is new to this think they are a big expense for the new coming is there anther way of putting in a mainspring with out the tool, or do new springs come ready to fit ? 

To be done correctly and more importantly Safely...you really should use mainspring winders to fit mainsprings. There are instances where they are not needed, when the mainspring is held with a girdle that is smaller in diameter than they barrel. These can be installed directly into the barrel from the girdle. But, then again, I usually remove the girdle and inspect, clean and grease the mainspring before installing it. So, I still use a winder set.

There are some deals on used sets out there but I've bought poor sets along with really good sets. It's hit or miss, to be honest!

[64americandeluxe]

I bought a used set of Watch-Craft mainspring winders for wrist watches recently and they were very reasonably priced.  I used them for the first time this past weekend (first time ever winding a mainspring) on a mid-1960s Elgin and found the experience quite easy.  I installed and removed the mainspring about 3 or 4 times dry to get the hang of it and then oiled it and reinstalled it.  With the winder, I found the removal and reinstallation of the mainspring much easier than I was expecting (many comments online left me apprehensive about doing this but I was very eager to learn this aspect of watch repair).  For me, winding and installing the mainspring back into its barrel was much easier than trying to align the three pivots on the train bridge!  

Cheers!

Roger

[Lee]

I'm looking at getting a mainspring winder, the likely candidate being the Bergeon 5355 there's not a lot else thrown up in searches but before I commit is there a better alternative? Occasionally people can recommend a genius of a Chinese alternative to things...

 

Lee

[Mark]

I have purchased cheap mainspring winders in the past and they have been terrible. In the end I plumped for the 5356 Set. It serves both left hand and right hand mainsprings. But I find mostly that I use sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9

 

Most swiss movements use the clockwise wound handle and cranks and I find the anti-clockwise handle and cranks useful for Japanese (like Seiko).

 

There is a special ETA set, but I find #8 is OK for the 7750 and using size #7 with #6 crank (carefully) works well for 2892-A2 and 2824

 

The rest in the set I rarely use.

[PadraicB]

So, I'm on the market for a set of mainspring winders and I had a few questions. The main options I can see, in terms of second hand or used, winding tools seem to revolve around:

 

1. Watch-Craft Bracelet Winders: Sets of 8 in sizes 5mm to 10mm.

2. Bergeon 2729 Winders: Single handle; set of 7 barrels in sizes 0 (5.6mm) to 6 (9.8mm).

3. JC Schilling Bracelet Winders: Much the same as the Watch-Craft ones.

4. K&D 123/128 Winders: Set of 7 barrels and bench vise base. Their sizes tend to be vague but the 128 seems to start from 8mm.

 

I suppose the worry with 1-3, is how likely is it to need anything larger than 10mm, and how to deal with any left handed mainsprings? Any recommendations or advice? If it helps, I intend working on vintage watches which will primarily date prior to 1970s, so I'm hoping the 10mm upper size on most of these is not an issue for a beginner green looking newbie like me ;).

 

At present, leaning towards the Bergeon though the Watch-Craft's are more readily available from the US (which makes them more expensive as it happens if you throw on customs + VAT).

[PadraicB]

Then again, I just spotted a Bergeon set that went for close to £260. Seems the Watch-Craft are a fair bit cheaper overall... Checking the non-local ebay sites to find a few more samples. Looking at older forum posts elsewhere, the prices have gone up in the past year or two for used winder tools.

Edited October 22, 2014 by PadraicB

[clockboy]

I have a K&D winder but do have problems with small watch springs. Releasing the winding notch from the newly wound spring can be troublesome & I have destroyed a few with this problem. It might be because it is an old vintage one but I think it is just the design.

If my finances improve hope to purchase a Bergeon or at least a barrel type winder they seem to offer a lot less hassle.

[bobm12]

I don't know guys but in my case I've been pondering about winders and although it would be nice to have a good quality set, the volume I handle doesn't justify the expense therefore I always do them by hand. Somehow it keeps me "closer" to the watch! :)

 

It is good to know about the K&D glitch, clockboy, since I've spotted some on eBay occasionally and I've been tempted!

[Gary]

I am on the look out too for a set, finances permitting. Anyone want to upload a video of hand winding one and what to or not to do?

[clockboy]

A Bergeon half set sold on ebay today for £246, pricey but you get what you pay for as they say.