Bulova 11BLAC Hairsping misaligned?

[enz0]

Hi everyone,

Currently working on a bulova 11BLAC. I've cleaned and lubricated however the watch is very difficult to regulate. Upon further investigation i noticed the hairspring sits to on side. When I removed it and flipped it over to check, I noticed that the hairspring is almost bunched up to one side because of this. If this is the case, how would i go about fixing this? Never fixed a hairspring before or taken one apart so i definitely want to proceed with caution. Any help would be great, thanks!

[GPrideaux]

Let me guess: it's running very fast?

I am no expert at adjusting hairsprings, but I have a little experience. I think the issue is a combination of the incorrect position of the stud carrier (it should be about 45 degrees further anticlockwise, looking at it with the balance installed) and too much bend in the hairspring just after it emerges from the cock.

I would move the stud holder like this:

Then, depending on how the spring looks after making that change, I would adjust this bend:

See how the spring goes through the regulator pins at an angle? That should be straight across, and fixing that will move the whole spring towards the centre.

One wonders why the stud holder was so far around. If that was done to adjust beat error it may be necessary to adjust the hairspring collet so the impulse jewel sits in the right place with the stud holder where it should be. But you'll need to get the spring properly centred first.

I recommend moving the stud holder around, then posting some more pics from below showing how the spring sits then, and hopefully one of the more experienced members will direct you from there.

[AndyGSi]

What have you done during your service with the balance & spring?

[mikepilk]

 The spring doesn't look too bad in shape, it just looks like the terminal curve needs adjusting. 

Can you remove the balance from the cock and post a pic looking down on the hairspring?

 

[nevenbekriev]

You need to bend a little the part that is now  between the regulator and the stud. The best way is to release the spring from the regulator and move the regulator away as not to affect the position of the spring. Then do the bending as to center the spring and to position the end curve on such distance from the center (the stone) as returning the regulator back to bring no change of the spring position.

[enz0]

6 hours ago, GPrideaux said:

Let me guess: it's running very fast?

I am no expert at adjusting hairsprings, but I have a little experience. I think the issue is a combination of the incorrect position of the stud carrier (it should be about 45 degrees further anticlockwise, looking at it with the balance installed) and too much bend in the hairspring just after it emerges from the cock.

I would move the stud holder like this:

Then, depending on how the spring looks after making that change, I would adjust this bend:

See how the spring goes through the regulator pins at an angle? That should be straight across, and fixing that will move the whole spring towards the centre.

One wonders why the stud holder was so far around. If that was done to adjust beat error it may be necessary to adjust the hairspring collet so the impulse jewel sits in the right place with the stud holder where it should be. But you'll need to get the spring properly centred first.

I recommend moving the stud holder around, then posting some more pics from below showing how the spring sits then, and hopefully one of the more experienced members will direct you from there.

Thank you so much for the response! I did as you suggested and moved the stud carrier 45 degrees which did centre the hairspring more however i still feel it is touching on one side. I then had to adjust the hairspring collect a few times. Once I got it running however it still runs very fast and very out of beat. I haven't tried to adjust the bend since I thought I'd try those two things first and report back for further advice. 

[nevenbekriev]

Bend in places and direction shown with arrows until the spring gets centered