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Making a Balance Staff

jdrichard
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jdrichard Distinguished Member

jdrichard

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Need to make a balance staff for a European picket watch. The old staff had both pivots broken off. First I disassembled the watch and removed the balance staff. Removing the roller table was the hardest part because it was a Three arm balance and my Magic Roller Remover would not work so I used the scissor type.6747fe43a99bd188eacf952d9fef8dac.jpge7e75d9c69e9a769a9ad6711e9c6b4a6.jpg1fa88274beaa1d13932d30eec2514bed.jpgc078f7e520c6a346dfadcaff67cec649.jpg30f532e8ae4870da44c7cbcaa0281ed8.jpg1e2a163391ea846c35b2b298187f5b07.jpg844d0cfbd16fab2a941d595c66400080.jpg

I then determined the widest diameter of the balance staff and found a 2.0 mm piece of Blued Steel. I cut off 1 inch and sized the collet, and inserted in into my Boley Leinen Lathe. I then started to cut the Balance and Hairspring side by first using the old staff as a guide and marking the piece of steel with my carbide graver.84d1245e54d14e9c32e366e831d56e88.jpga8d59714009b2c8e9837c7d0a23a9576.jpg

I started cutting down the first diameter where the balance fits and simply cut and measure until it was snug but still room to stake it in place. I then cut the hairspring diameter next and fix and cut repeatedly until it was snug. I used a special gauge to measure as I went along. Once the part fit was good I worked on the pivot with the graver until I got it down to around 0.2 mm and then used a stone to get it to around 0.14. The rest I plan to do on a Jacot tool.0674a45da0908e5666cce3fe60dacaea.jpg5f5da6c0d5a8c8836f329b4007570fd4.jpg974ed69f2161befa35058fb02420bf8f.jpg

I then flipped the part around with a different collet and started working the Roller Table side using the same technique. I Amos finished off the plate where both the rolled table on one side and the balance on the other side rest.7f9288040022be85fb24dd8435190d3d.jpg

Slight error in the description. I left the full part in and started working on the roller table side before cutting off the part and flipping it around...saves time.fef5e1e9bedb5099cc57df61d48dd29c.jpge35b6f93179d1155af32162d51002e0d.jpg69dcc763d9f12d137ec285e3e6e5a2d8.jpg73865aa95c3ce5477a81ab5860cefa62.jpgae5f5dd2ca1ac1eaceaf541f66d0e1c0.jpg

I worked on the other pivot as well and got it down to 0.14 with a graver and then a stone...on the Lathe. The final product looked great. I am waiting for a set of vintage pin gauges to get the pivot size exact. Will finish it off next week.bae231293c9eefa9bb05910589d5ce6d.jpg13be0555c60fc6945650f2f963450b71.jpg

 

 

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jdrichard Distinguished Member

jdrichard

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More progress. As well, made a video on how to use Jewel Hole Gauges. So I staked the balance wheel onto the newly made balance staff, friction fit, and it fit really well. Very pleased . I then used the jewel hole gauges to determine the hole size and this the pivot size. Turned out to be 0.10. Now I need to burnish the pivots to that size, fit the part in the movement and once fit perfectly, I will add the rolled table and the hairspring.



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noirrac1j Distinguished Member

noirrac1j

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It looks great. I wish I had a lathe to learn how to make my own balance shaft....so much trouble with my current project landeron/Hahn right now.

 

J

jdrichard Distinguished Member

jdrichard

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It looks great. I wish I had a lathe to learn how to make my own balance shaft....so much trouble with my current project landeron/Hahn right now.
 
J

Just buy one and get in with it:)


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jdrichard Distinguished Member

jdrichard

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Done and dusted. I shimmed the balance cock because I did not want to shorten the pivots and more and the pocket watch was running with good amplitude.41040eeb5cfb45531a7f18d500f15727.jpg90aa4558937ce1f4f2a40003293197c7.jpg90d259ce5f9ee1088b5050feaa5e3dce.jpg8e5109b9cd1d3823062dcf97b9c6f0aa.jpg5757375911f36066d2bbc61b3aa658a7.jpg1bc80d5a3753daab77089c22b160b3d9.jpg


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jdrichard Distinguished Member

jdrichard

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Also lined up the impulse jewel to the center of two arms and then drew the line straight from the jewel to the pallet fork pivot then placed the hairspring on the balance loosely to align with stud; while the impulse was perfectly centred with between the banking pins.


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      HWGIKE#57 Valex FEF 190 15 jewels Swiss lever full service and repair This one was waiting for a balance staff replacement in my cabinet parts and case cleaned up with a new balance staff and a 4th wheel as the original 4th wheel had a broken pivot for the off center second hand. I never attempted a balance staff replacement before however I received a Bergeon Molfres (i was hunting it for about 2 years) and with the help of it I managed to remove the old staff and riveted the new one in. It also received a new MS, crystal and the hole for the MS arbor was also tightened. With the new MS now it has an acceptable performance meaning that the amplitude goes up to 280 fully wound, has an acceptable beat error and I have the two nice lines but only dial up, dial down is not as nice and I could not figure out as why. I have the two lines but the amplitude is dropping to around 230 and the lines are a bit hairy. Both dial up and dial down the lines just go up and down without seemingly any pattern. I cleaned the movement two times, and then a 3rd time pegged out the main plate and train bridge holes but made no change. Both the HS collet and the roller table was too lose on the new staff... I did not count how many times I took the balance cock off to sort out the HS collet, the roller table and the beat error, somebody before me also shortened the HS by pushing it out a bit and it seems every time somebody is messing with the end of the HS the protruding bit is most of the time twisted bent etc. This one was probably one of the most challenging repair and service. I might take the new MS out and clean it lubricate it as I just pushed the new one in to the barrel from the retaining ring. Plus started to re-read the theory of the escapement and how to analyse the graph on the timing machine: Greiner Chronografic Record manual. I am also thinking to put the watch on a 24 hour long run with the eTimer SW it once helped me to figure out what was wrong with a watch. There is an interesting part of the Greiner record manual talking about the pallets and the end shake of the balance and pallet staff. Maybe this is my issue? Who could that possibly identify? After a few years now I am still without a clue how could watchmakers make parts I can only see with my microscope or how could/can they carry out complicated services impossible to do.. real magic..... .... ..... before I sent this post while the pics were uploading I had an idea, i was browsing the possible outcomes on the timing machine I had one for magnetism..... so I demagnetized the movement and it is not hairy now.... two really nice lines 0.2 ms beat error still a bit wavy, but a lot lot better..... argh....  
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