7/21/2019 Cambio de Volante

1/4

In fitting staffs, or for that matter any other part ofa watch, you will be instructed to use onlygenuine material. You will be further instructedhow to make such corrections as are necessaryto make all parts f it.

But there is one thing that you should neverforget never use a file on a watchmovement. Remember this always. When youbecome a repairman, watches will be entrustedto your care only because they are out of order.

he owner has money invested in his watch.!erhaps he is also sentimentally attached to it."e has a right to e#pect to get it back in bettercondition than when he left it with you.

If you cannot return it in better condition, be

certain you do not betray his trust in you, byactually doing it harm. When you see some of the

$obs that come across the counter, you will betterunderstand what I mean.

You have now come to that place in your study of horology or watchmaking that calls for yourdoing some actual repairs. !revious lessons have been largely to familiari%e you with the workingparts of the watch. hrough knowledge and e#perience thus gained, you know the importance ofthe balance assembly. It is difficult to point out one particular part of the watch as being moreimportant than the other. &ach is important in its own particular sphere' each has certain functionsto perform without which the whole would be incomplete. "ence all must be made as nearly perfectas possible.

It may be said safely that the balance wheelassembly that is, the balance wheel, hairspring,staff, balance $ewels, roller table and roller $ewel,and escapement, constitute the most importantpart of the watch.

(or here is where the smallest imperfection willdo the greatest amount of damage. &verythingelse may be perfect and $ust one small fault withthe balance assembly will throw the entire watch

out of time.

)nd when all is said and done, there is $ust onereason for repairing a watch to make it keeptime. If, for the smallest reason, you fail to dothat, you have failed completely.

7/21/2019 Cambio de Volante

2/4

You were told every move to make and how to make it. If you have learned well, you should knowthe watch mechanism well enough to make minute details unnecessary. "ereafter, I shall merely tellyou how to proceed with the work at hand, giving small details only when it is something you havenot previously handled.

*till using the + si%e "amilton watch as a model, we begin fitting a staff by first removing the

balance assembly. hen remove the hands and dial, so we have access to the lower balance $ewel.

Before the hairspring stud has been removedfrom the balance cock, take a small twee%erand with the tip make a small line on the wheelrim, centering the hairspring stud with the staff.urn the balance over and do the same withthe roller $ewel.

his facilitates putting them back on thebalance in e#actly the same position as beforethey were removed.

-sing a hairspring remover remove thehairspring from the balance. o this by placingthe balance on a bench block. (ind hole largeenough to accommodate the roller table, andlet the balance rest flat on the block. Insert thehairspring remover into the collet slot.

)s it enters the slot it will spread the slot $ustenough that a few turns around the staff whilelifting gently upward, should cause the collet toslide off the staff without trouble.

) very good tool for this may be made bygrinding a needle down to the shape shown.

With roller remover remove the roller table. Inthe +s "amilton uses the two piece doubleroller and it is easily/removed by tightening theRe# *tump underneath the large part of thetable, placing the Re# !unch over the pivot andgiving it a light tap with a small mallet.

We now have only the staff and the wheel. Youwill notice the wheel is cut through on either

side near the balance arm.

here is a reason for this which will be morefully e#plained later. 0ust now it is useful to usonly in truing and poising the balance.

You will also notice the staff is staked throughthe center of the wheel, holding it very firmly.

7/21/2019 Cambio de Volante

3/4

his staff must be in the absolute center.

amine the wheel closely now, noting which side is the top and which is the bottom. 1otice, too,the difference in the ends of the staff. he top has two shoulders. ) short one which holds the

balance arm. ) longer one which held the hairspring collet. he bottom shank is only slightlytapered and somewhat longer than the upper end, or that portion of the staff above the hub. 2eepthese details well in mind' they are all important.

1ow to remove the staff from the wheel. his must be done without in$uring the balance and withoutknocking it out of true, if possible. )ny change in the balance wheel will mean a subse3uent changein time keeping that will have to be corrected. herefore, the fewer changes we make the fewercorrections will be necessary.

here are several approved methods of removing staffs. &ach has certain advantages and certaindisadvantages. he 3uickest method is to select a hole in your stake that will accommodate the hubof the staff with a very small tolerance' center this hole, place the balance over it and knock the staffout with a flat ended punch. he danger here lies in the staff being heavily braded into the balancearm. In which case, you are certain to knock the wheel out of alignment, thus re3uiring a lot of timein truing. It could result in almost fatal in$ury to the balance wheel.

he method outlined below is not always the fastest, but on the whole it is safest. It is especiallyrecommended for the beginner. (irst, because it does no damage to the balance' second, becauseit teaches you how to handle another tool all of which helps along the road to perfectcoordination of eye and hands.

o proceed, select a chuck that will fit snugly the shank of the staff. !lace it in the lathe and see thatthe wheel turns true. 1ow use a cutting graver to cut the shoulder holding the wheel. Be very carefulto see that the graver does not touch the balance arm in the process. When the shoulder is cutenough, the staff may be pushed out without in$ury to the balance.You now have a staff removed and are ready to select a new one. -se a genuine + si%e "amiltonstaff, +4 0ewel grade.

!ush one end of the new staff into a block of firm pith. 5Watchmaker6s pith may be obtained fromyour supply house.7 he pith will hold the staff while you do all the fittings. his way there is nodanger of flipping the staff from the twee%ers, as will often happen otherwise. !ush this lower shankinto the pith. 1ow the wheel may be tried to see if the hub fits. 8ikewise, the hairspring may be seton the shoulder to see if the collet is the correct si%e. It is not necessary to push the spring all theway down. Whether it is too large, too small, or $ust right may be ascertained by placing it over thestaff and noting how far down it drops If it drops down to the hub, it is too large and must be closed.

We make no claims that ours is the only correct method for closing collets. We submit it as one thathas stood the test of time and is therefore, practical. Remember, e#treme care must be e#ercised

with whatever method used. ) 3uick and effective way is to lay the hair spring on a block, with a finepair of cutting pliers grasp that part of the collet protruding above the spring, and press it gentlyinward sufficiently to close the collet. ake great care that the pliers do not grasp the inner coils ofthe hairspring.

(or the beginner, however, perhaps a better method is the round !in 9ise. he opening of the viseshould be stepped down $ust large enough to accommodate the collet. !lace the hairspring over theend of the pin vise so the part of the collet below the spring drops into the $aws of the vise. 1owtighten the vise slowly, closing the collet with the $aws of the vise until it is sufficiently small to graspthe staff. In a $ob of this kind, always leave :well enough: alone. hat is to say, when you are sure it

7/21/2019 Cambio de Volante

4/4

will do, stop. here is a certain amount of danger involved here, as you will discover withe#perience.

1ow reverse the staff in the block of pith, and try the roller table on the shank. It, too, should slipfreely nearly all the way down to the shoulder of the staff. If it will $ust start on the shank, the shankis too large and must be cut down. his is done by placing the staff in the lathe and cutting it down

very slightly with a cutting graver. Be sure the graver is sharp and the lathe is spinning at a fastspeed. By reducing the si%e of the shank a little and trying the roller, your $udgment will tell youwhen the staff is small enough that the roller can be driven on without in$ury.

*hould the roller table drop all the way down to the shoulder without becoming tight, it is too largeand must be corrected. ) very 3uick and effective method for doing this is to place the roller tabledown in your stake on a flat ended stump. !lace a three cornered punch in the center of the roller,and give it a few light taps. Your staking tool has a three or four cornered punch made especially forthis operation. his does the roller table no real harm, if done carefully, but it does raise three burrswhich create enough friction to hold the table firmly in place of the staff. )s these burrs are insidethe hole of the roller, they cannot be seen. But to strike too hard a blow here will ruin the roller.;aution is the watch word.

It is well to bear in mind that the fittings or rather the corrections outlined in the precedingparagraphs are seldom necessary if you use genuine material. hat is, material made by themanufacturer who makes the watch, especially for the particular watch in 3uestion. (or that reason,all good workmen buy and use only genuine material whenever and wherever possible.

ceptions, of course, will be found where even the genuine material will not fit correctly, makingcertain changes necessary. hat is because the watch has been improperly repaired or some pieceof imitation material has been fitted previously. herefore, you should resolve now to do every $obas nearly perfect as possible. It saves trouble for yourself and others, and what is more important, itsaves your time. In watchmaking, time is money