A question of Balance

[les458]

Hi Bob & All members, I have been practicing on the balance, i/e removing balance wheel from the cock, all attempts to replace the stud have failed, I have spent hours trying to get the stud back in, It,s cheese shaped as photo, I have ruined the hair spring, but thats all part of the learning curve, I was wondering if there was a knack to it, any suggestions welcome as long as there not rude Thanks best regards Les

[123Clockman]

Les: Providing this was the same balance that was removed from the cock, it should slip right back in...unless there might have been a burr on the entrance to the hole in the cock. Check that to make sure it has a clean edge and sides, and that the screw has been screwed out far enough to allow the stud to slip in.

Also, you may not have ruined the balance spring. I suggest you use this one for practice, get a pair of 3C tweezers that are in really good shape and practice straightening the spring. A student I went to school with was attempting to 'straighten' a hairspring, and he did...almost pefectly straight. That is not what is meant...work on it until you get concentric circles (distance between coils) and all coils flat across the coils. If you are going to be working on watches, this would be excellent practice as you will be running into a lot of hairspring work, either induced by others or, in the beginning, by yourself.