Alice Carpenter, CMW This page is the result of a problem I presented to the watchmakers of the AWI Matters group on Yahoo! Groups. I had tangled and ruined the hairspring of a 16-size Elgin pocket watch. Comments of other watchmakers follow Mrs. Carpenter's photo article. I am thankful to all.

First, this picture is of a slightly tangled hairspring. If you will look at the top coil, you can see where it crosses over or under the next coil

Notice that I have pushed the staff of the balance into pithwood to hold it. I have also anchored the pithwood into an old movement holder to give it weight and stability to keep it from slipping as I work the spring

Now in this picture you can see where I have pulled the hairspring to one side and pinned it with a needle to one side so I can work the stud over or under the next coil as needed And in the next picture I've pulled it even further out to be able to see better.

And in this picture I'm holding the stud preparing to push it over or under (in this case it needed to go under) the next coil

And in this picture I'm pushing it under. Please note that when a hairspring tangles, it goes over a coil twice so the stud must be pushed over or under at least twice to correct the tangle

And in the last picture....it will spring back to normal. Most of the time, if I'm not too rough getting it over or under the next coil, it isn't bent anywhere it shouldn't be bent. But sometimes, there will be a little straightening to do. This is what Henry Fried meant. Some call it "needling", I understand. I hope this will help...on the next tangled hairspring.

Yesterday I tangled the hairspring of a 16-size Elgin -- dropped the bridge and the balance caught on the center wheel. I looked in Henry Fried, where it said that if the hairspring is tangled, well, untangle it. But the more I worked at untangling the worse it got, until the hairspring was ruined. Is there a method for untangling hairsprings, or does that usually mean a trip to the parts store? -John

This is a good topic to discuss, and there has been a lot of good input. I prefer to leave the hairspring on the balance. I attach the balance (off the bridge) down on to a bench block (using one touch), and use curved tweezers such as #7. A microscope can be helpful in some cases. Each case is somewhat unique and takes a varied approach. Flat hairsprings tend to be easier then those with over coils. Practice is the key, but I don't like to tangle a hairspring just to practice. I think the idea is to avoid tangling. I do think it would make an interesting refresher coarse. I remember I couldn't wait to get through hairsprings in college. I can't see my self volunteering to punish myself, but then again it may help me in my skills to review it again. Wesley Grau

I agree with Wes; many times leaving the hairspring unit attached to the balance makes the hairspring untangling more manageable. While Wes prefers to anchor the balance in place using "One Touch" on a bench block, I prefer a different approach. I secure the balance by gripping the roller table in the "V" slot of my "squeeze type" roller remover or by using the vice-like action of the Bergeon Collet Tightening Tool. This gives me two free hands to manipulate the hairspring. By the way, that Collet Tightening Tool is a "must have"; I use it for tightening and holding many things, in addition to collet work. If you every purchase one, you will never want to be without it. Ewell Hartman

I those situations I have found that a small needle held in a pin vise can be used to slowly push the tangle to the outer edge of the coil. That is insert the needle in the coils that are not tangled working in a circler motion clockwise or counter, follow the spiral until you reach the tangle then continue on pushing the tangle to the end you may have to do this a number of times. Now it is much easier to untangle the hairspring since all of the tangle is at the end, it might be necessary to unpin the hairspring from the stud which will allow you to continuing to push the tangle off the end. In my experience this method has the least chance of damaging the hairspring further. Donald McPherson C.W.

It usually means a trip to the medicine cabinet for two aspirin tablets. It is also like playing a game of chess, too many wrong moves and the game is over. Fortunately, there are a lot of old Elgin parts around if you ever need them. I think everyone gave a lot of good advice and ideas, it would be good to cut & paste them to one page. Yes, there used to be Hairspring Vibrating Co. in Cateret NJ but they folded up years ago. I considered it a miracle when they could vibrate a new hairspring for a small ladies Elgin, they had hairsprings as soft as a rag. The only time I ever colleted and made a few overcoil hairsprings was during a watchmaking course in 1965. The experience was good for truing hairsprings, back then you could buy a new balance at the parts store. Many times a hairspring only requires one bend to correct it, making the correction at the wrong place makes it more difficult to find the original fault. It also helps to have the H/S on a piece of pith wood and turn it around and watch for a change in the light that reflects from it, that's usually where it's bent. The place to correct it is also never where you first think it should be, that's why everyone advised you to plan your first move. Remember, the hairspring is just sitting there like Clint Eastwood, saying " Go ahead, make my day". Maurice Lareau

There's some good advice so far. I use a black oiler myself. You might need to lift the coils a bit with the stud on a balance tack. Study it good every tangle is slightly different. While as a child I had a terrible time untangling my Slinky, I did manage to figure out how to untangle a hair spring (just don't know how to explain it that well). I always do mine late at night when no one is around to avoid distractions. Dale Mulkins

Mr. Neill, at Houston Technical College, showed us how to make a handy tool from one of the small match boxes. (I don't know if those are available anymore.) Take the inner section of the box and cut the bottom out of it, leaving a small edge around the perimeter. From the inside of the box, glue watch paper down to cover the hole you just created. Once that dries, you can take a punch and make a whole just large enough to pass the collet through. This gives you a table to work on as you pass the hairspring through that hole a little at a time. When you get to the tangle, there is less spring to contend with. It makes hairspring work much easier. Tim Rogers

Friends, We all have our tricks. The matchbox one sounds interesting. Removing the hairspring from the staff, as Ray recommends, is most helpful. Rather than putting the spring on a balance tack, I pin it through the collet to a piece of button pith. This allows one to easily spread and pin other portions of the hairspring to the pith as well making it easier to see the tangle by getter the coils a bit farther apart. I usually pin with pivot broaches, just because they are handy, but sewing needles or straight pins would work as well. Also consider using Dumont pattern #6 or #7 tweezers to manipulate the spring. The angled points keep your hands from getting in the way of seeing what you are doing. James Sadilek

I agree with the comments that have been made before... getting the spring on a tack with a light piece of cardboard under it so you can clearly see it makes a big difference. My tool of choice is a thin needle that has been flattened on one end to form a very thin "blade." Then just have lots of patience. When you get tired or frustrated... STOP and put it away! Try again the next day when you're well rested. Good Luck! Doug Stuart

I've had success using a needle - use the tip of the needle to follow the spring out from the collet and move the tangle gently toward the stud. When the tangle is near the stud it is easier to move around without bending the spring. I also can give advice on how to tangle hairsprings; I have a lot of experience there. Matthew Clark

John, Henry Fried was legendary in his ability to untangle hairsprings. Perhaps someone who knew him will share a bit of the colorful folklore. I find that I need to remove the spring from the balance staff and put it on a balance tack with a piece of colored cardboard underneath and spend quite a while looking things over with a stereo microscope. The most valuable tool to have is patience. BTW: When I started out in watch making, there were LOTS of folks out there who would install balance springs and/or untangle your balance springs. As far as I can tell, these folks have vanished. (Is that true?) What surprises me is that I don't see lamentation of this condition within this discussion group. I am puzzled - Does everyone have a secret source for vintage balance springs? Or, does everyone have a stash of springs and the skill to pin them to collets, form over coils, etc.? (Aside: The folks who work on Rolex just order a balance complete - In other words, by demonstrating the skill to fit a hairspring and get certifried, one is then able to just order the part. Yes, this makes LOTS of sense.) Ray Cherry

John - it really depends on how it's tangled and if the tangle is down near the collet or up near the stud. Did you see the trick about using a thin paper card to move the tangle up towards the stud end so it's easier to remove? I've used that with success before. I also find it useful to study the tangle carefully for a while and then make your plan of attack one tangle at a time if there are multiple tangles. If your balance caught the center wheel and the bridge went off the side, you might have had some bends mixed in too that had you confused. Dave Douglas