How To Service a Watch Mainspring By Hand
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- čas přidán 21. 01. 2019
- In this video I show how I service a watch mainspring by hand. I use a Seiko barrel as an example and take you though each step from opening the lid to the barrel, safely removing the main spring. We examine the barrel arbour under the microscope to see how that works. I then show how I clean the spring, how I would oil the spring too. I finish off with greasing the barrel wall and then the technique I use to wind the mainspring safely back into the barrel , fit the arbour and then close the lid.
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Yes helped me too much
Wouldn't it be easier to use an actual mainspring winder?and maybe even finger cots?
I want to say thank you. Just finished taking apart and redoing my first movement. AS 1187. Did lots of reading and watched lots of videos. My biggest trepidation was the balance and the mainspring. I almost didn’t do the mainspring at all. I was just going clean it in the barrel as best as I could and then put it back in. Watched this video and it gave me the confidence to give it a go. I wasn’t going to spend the money on winders to service a $15 watch. Not sure I would like it enough to do a second watch. Did it just like the video and, amazingly, it went perfectly and wasn’t nearly has hard as I thought it would be. Watch is from the 60’s and keeping time very well after two days. There will definitely be a second watch. Thanks again for posting these videos.
Fantastic. This is the reason I made the video. It splits opinion as hand winding is not the correct way. From a hobbyists standpoint I think its fine it gets your watch working and more into the hobby. The further down the rabbit hole you fall eventually a winding set would be purchased but only when you can justify it to yourself.
AS 1187 was my first non-pocket watch movement too...
Thanks a lot Mike! I serviced several of my watched but never dared to open the barrel. I gained confidence now and will give it a go soon!
After popping the lid, I use my plastic tweezers to stick one end under the barrel, the other under the lid, that way you keep the spring safely in place. I keep the tweezers in place, and centered and then remove one end of the spring at the center, and then when the barrel is turned the spring comes out really gradually. The tweezers in this position ensure the spring will never pop out when opening the lid and the removal is also really safe and controllable that way. So I don't just use the tweezer tips, but basically clamp the whole barrel between the wider part of the tweezers. Your method letting go half a coil at a time with your fingers doesn't look like a very good idea to me, especially for novice watchmakers.
How lovely. Loved the video.
Comprehensive and I love the tidbits you gave us from your experience. Helps us not make the same mistakes. From one watch lover to another, thank you!
Excellent lesson on main springs and a pleasure to watch.
Thanks for the detailed instruction. I've been having a heck of a time with mainsprings for the newbie watch servicer.
THANK YOU for this video. I was pulling my hair out trying to get the main spring back in the barrel. Admittedly, I never thought of starting from the outside in. Watched your video and, suddenly, it's all re-installed.
You are so humble about your experience and skill, but as a new enthusiast and neophyte watch repair hobbyist, it's really rewarding to watch someone who actually knows what he is doing. Been making the rounds of different watch repair channels and, lordy, some of them are absolute watch butchers.
Thank you. I am just a hobbyist and will never pretend to be anything else. So you see in my videos all my mistakes but also that as a hobby this is achievable for anyone.
Spring cleaning in January ! Enjoyed watching that. 👍
nico de zwart haha great comment . Thanks
Perfect, I just fixed a watch and this was the last step. Thank you!
Thank you for this video!! I just hand serviced a mainspring on a 1960s Elgin following your guidance. It was scary and I thought I was going to break it or ruin it the whole time, but everything worked out and the watch is running great!
Love your content. You inspired me to open up and replace the main spring on a pocket watch that has been sitting in my drawer for very long.
Mike,
I'm a big fan of the channel and I recently attempted one of my first full rebuilds. I had taken the barrel apart to clean the main spring and I was without a winder. I was able to safely and properly wind the main spring back into its barrel thanks to these instructions. Thank you so much!
The pin vice, and taking a photo before hand are certainly very good tips! Under a microscope though, since the diameters on the arbor, where it protrudes through the lid and barrel are usually not the same, and seeing the hook on the barrel, I know already which way around the spring needs to be wound. There is always something that can lead you back to the direction, if it won't be the diameters, it'll be the teeth height on the barrel, and inner thread on the arbor, combined with the hook on the arbor that give it away.
Great half hour demonstration! Thanks Michael!
Eric Cheung thanks Eric
This is a great video, thank you. It’s answered a lot of questions for me, not for the lacking of trying
Very interesting and helpful , thank you very much !
This is one of the great videos! It just came to my way exactly when I needed to learn on how to do this job. Thank you!
Thanks very much. In this one video, you answered a whole heap of questions none of the professionals bother to discuss when they're demonstrating a service! I had also not seen a manual replacement/rewind of the spring inside the barrel. Everyone else shows off their swanky spring-winding device... Well done!! And your pin vice wouldn't grasp the arbor, because you were undoing it, instead of tightening it up, it seemed to me :-)
Excelent as always. I have took apart some mechanicals watches before, but never open the MS barrrel. Might try one now.
Bravo, Mike. You have a marked talent for for explaining these things, and I have an awful lot to learn before my watch repairer retires. Very much appreciated.
GenWivern2 thank you for such praise. I often think I am taking to myself which even our car looks at me a bit weird!
If you have the desire to attempt some repairs then please do so. It’s got to be worth a try if your interested. Watchmakers are worth their weight in gold . Fortunately there is still a demand and I believe younger people still want to learn the trade.
For me this is just a hobby that I have considerable amount still to learn.
Lol.ditto
Great video MB! Really good level of detail.
Thanks for your time sir, it's lovely for me to learn new skills.
Your method for winding the spring back in the barrel worked like a champ. I was able to get it on the first try :-)
Thanks for that Mike, I've just started working on what looks like a m24 movement, i found out the hard way the mainspring barrel has no lid, your method of getting the spring back in is a lot easier than the method ive been trying.
Thanks for your time ⌚
this is completely helpful, thank you!!
Nice job, thanks an explanation of the bridle would help me... and how it sits against the barrel , every one develops their own way and become comfortable with it.. yours is as good as and near as.. good point with the pin vice that would have saved me a pain in a Jaeger Le Coultre.. today... I am from Cotswolds and get homesick at times... take care.. John.
Disassembling and assembling my first ever manual mechanic watch at the moment and fully intend removing main spring!!!!!! Yikes... was starting to think I would need a spring winding gadget but thanks to you I'm gonna be soon blinded by flying movement part???!!!!! Lol... No, its Truly helpful Mike and I can't wait to get cracking. Keep the videos coming and I will follow up with my medical bills! I meant to say, with telling you how I got on. GREAT VIDEO....
Thanks and good luck especially if you still have eyesight to read this!
Thanks for making and sharing this vid. I’m gradually learning the ropes but had found the mainspring quite intimidating. You’ve given me some confidence and good tips here
Glad it was helpful!
You are a treasure! Thank you so much.
Thank you for making this video. I'm learning how to service a watch for the first time and I was told that winding in by hand was a big no, but I can't afford to buy the expensive winders. This makes me feel a lot better about servicing the mainspring!
This is why I made the video. I too could not justify the cost although I now have a set of winders. Ironically I’ve scrapped more springs in the winder than I ever did hand winding.
Awesome vid. Can’t wait to try it!
Awesome vid! Thanks for sharing
Very handy Video mate! Thanks a lot I just reassembled my first pocket watch mainspring 👍🏼
Brilliant thanks. Much appreciated.
Great talent to have in an emergency. You know, misplaced winder and customer on the way! My first attempt was very successful, but taught me to never misplace my winder gain. Thanks for the video...
William Hudson thanks. If I have helped you no matter how bad practice hand winding is then I am pleased. Ironically I have scrapped more springs in a winder than I have by hand winding .
I did my first complete tear down/servicing of a movement (Seiko 6106-7107) and wanted to say thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. Your videos helped a lot.
Thank you so much for saying so, Always good to get feedback from viewers . If my videos have helped then I have achieved my goal.
Great video. Nervous to try it myself but feel much more confident with your help. Great video.
Thank you!
You can do it!
Thanx so much for doing this video. I have seen this done in several video's but not in this kind of detail. I have also just seen a video where a watchmaker says it is not a good idea to wind the main spring by hand. I understand that. I will be using your methods so thanx for the demonstration.
Thank you. Hand winding is not good practice and frowned upon by many. However if you don’t have a set of winders or can’t afford them then this is the only alternative in my opinion.
Loved this video, it was extremely helpful, thanks!
Your welcome
Brilliant video, thanks Mike. When I took a watchmaking course for three years we had access to spring winders in the lab but now my course has finished I can't afford those to use at home (hobbying) and didn't have the confidence to do it by hand until I watched your video. Just wound my first by hand successfully and ironically enough I found it much much easier by hand than with mainspring winders
I have a wonder set but it’s only right handed (I think) as I do mostly seiko some like the 7### series are left handed and you need another winder for that at £70 a go..,
I find hand winding fairly easy but it really is frowned upon so this video split opinion like hot knife through butter.
@@MyRetroWatches well tell them if they want to donate to my spring winder gofundme page (sarcasm)I'd be more than happy to accept. far be it from me to turn down a free meal! that'll be $1,140 dollars please.
Thanks, very informative
Thank you for this master class. I haven't dare to open a barrel and taking out the MS yet, but I know it's very important to service it when restoring a watch.
Only a few days ago I show a video of someone using tweezers to hold the MS in place while taking it out, and it look like a good idea.
Agustin Aguilar thank you for commenting. I am intrigued why you would use tweezers to take it out, sounds harder. My thoughts are removal without any tools is best with hands after all you will clean and then oil it so your finger prints will not effect removal in the slightest .
@@MyRetroWatches I really don't think the tweezers technique is better than using the fingers. I've been looking for the video I commented (czcams.com/video/vZrrHgo9SMU/video.html) and I found another video from the same guy in wich the MS jumped when it was only 50% unwound, so when I got in the feel of it I'd try with my fingers.
Brings back memories of servicing clocks. Just scaled down and not as strong. Also gets almost no oil compared to clocks which get 4 to 8 drops depending on size. Barrels are usually brass not steel and get inspected for ridges in the cover or back of the barrel that may cause the spring to unwind less than smoothly. All just a matter of scale, you get fiddly and I had to use more force. :)
It's always exciting to watch you My Seiko watch has now also stopped and I'll dare to disassemble it and try to repair it Thanks for your informative videos
Excellent vedio for the beginners like myself.
Very good work keep moving 👍👏👏👏👏
Thanks for a very interesting and informative tutorial
+Indiana Jones Thank you.
nice juicy in depth video, just what I wanted!
thank you very much . I hope you make more videos that teach useful things for ưatches ❤️
Thank you. Mike really knows his watches
Just what I was looking for! Just dismantled a seiko 7009 mainspring but needed help to figure out which way to wind it back in... invaluable video. Thanks
Blair Robert I am happy this helped you. Good luck with the rewind!
@@MyRetroWatches If not sure which way to wind it back, just look at the arbor hook. The hook will be "pulling" the mainspring during wind up.
Andre Kowalczyk very good point thanks
very helpful for future watches as I damaged one of my previous one, keep it up
STLND_Thomas_ thank you.
Seems easy. Thanks
I'm impressed that everything went without any incidents. Great joy to watch it!
Thank you.
Hence the reason as to why the arbor is always removed before removing the ms.
Thank you very much. I was trying to do it today with success, but I found quite hard to reassembly at first, with the double coil.
Daniel Ruiz Kujavec thanks and glad this video helped you. The start is the hardest. With practice it does get a bit easier.
very useful, thanks a lot!
Fantastic! Thank you very very much for sharing this! Great channel! Instant subscriber. Cheers!
Mate I really really need this, I'm servicing a watch for the first time and didn't realize that a mainspring winder is super expensive and getting a new mainspring is also quite expensive, more than I thought, and I got no more budget to get any of these. So thank you so so much
Ditto. I could have bought a new watch for the money I've spent on tools and oil...the oils are crazy money. But I find it very therapeutic...very calming...and hugely satisfying.
Thank you!
Happened upon this video and will check out the series. I bought a beautiful Seiko ring watch, and my novice gut tells me that it is overwound, which started me on the hunt to see if I can fix it. Can't afford to go to a jeweler. I have a lot of timepieces that I can practice on before trying to fix my new ring watch. I've been passively collecting the timepieces of ancestors and junk shops, because of my fascination with these things. I also sew and have several machines that I've "repaired" myself. I believe I saw something familiar to the hook/bobbin mechanism in the watch interior... I'll have to really set up a a clean space, should I move forward with my endeavor to fix a watch. Thank you for this wonderful video!
Thanks for showing how to do this manually. Many armature hobbyist watch makers like myself that like to do our own service cannot justify the Bergeon ETA winder set.
Your welcome. Glad you found it of use. This is why I made the video so people who cannot justify the price for a winder set can still attempt a MS service.
here here to that. hrumpf hrumpf!
Very well presentation, learned a lot. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Mike, I might attempt doing one myself
V1 Aviation thank you and good luck
Nice one Mike, well explained as usual. Ta.
That's a brilliant helpful video Thank you so much !
Your welcome
Very Educational Video. Thank you! Now, to attempt a barrel spring cleaning myself...Wish me Luck! LOL!
Good luck Matt. it is not easy at first the first few turns getting the bridal in is the hardest. let me know how you get on.
Awesome teacher
For the hobbyist with limited funds to buy a set of winders this is ideal.
Thanks, Mike! I tried this on a scrap pocket watch spring a few months ago. Finally got up the courage to try it on a 7009 mainspring. Cleaning the barrel was like cleaning a black powder rifle - filthy! The 7009 spring was a lot tougher. It has lots more "spring" left. Here's hoping I did it right.
Scott Murphree-Roberts superb well done. Well you know when it’s works when the watch runs well.
@@MyRetroWatches I put the whole thing together and got finished around 3 AM this morning. I didn't wind it fully, but it's still running and the time looks good. Your videos are extremely helpful. Now, if I can just figure out the trashed crystal. ;-)
Thank's for this video! I am studying this and working ON IT as we speak. I kind of placed the mainspring in the wrong direction, so it got little bit twisted/damaged so finally it broke but hey, as i say: Practise makes perfect.
I love your videos! A true inspiration for all of us out there!
Thank you for your nice comment, also just subbed to your channel !
Just remember that hand winding is not good practice in this hobby and many will tell you it should not be done. That said I’ve scrapped more mainsprings in winders than I have ever done by hand.
@@MyRetroWatches Thank you! I am honored by that! And Your videos about bulova has helped me to gain experience and to fix them. I appreciate this !
Take care 🌎☕🙃
I had the same problem. It came out great, but rewinding somehow got twisted around so that the final coil was backwards and broke after another attempt. (I realize now I wound counterclockwise! Should have been clockwise.) That's fine since it was 52 years old anyway. A NOS mainspring is in the mail. I'm going to take a closer look at the inexpensive winders. There's an affordable one now that supposedly fixes past shortcomings.
It works! I'm new to watches and read that doing by hand would cause the spring to get kinks and become conical. For fun I took a crusty Waltham 750B barrel apart and reinstalled the spring then removed and reinstalled it again. It was perfectly fine from what I could tell.
It took me 2 seconds to open the barrel. The main spring is still in. The barrel arbor went half way out, but I put it back in. Thank you for this video. It really helped me to understand the whole process of cleaning and winding the main spring. This is my next project 😳☺️
thank you.
I restored a Cupillard 233-60 powered watch, branded Lejo, that I bought at a French jumble sale. The mainspring looked ok but I decided to buy a new one to be on the safe side. Not a good idea, as after installing it and trying to get the arbor in, the spring hit just under my eye at about 200 mph. This video saved the day and I managed to get the watch working successfully after manually installing the spring. You are a genius Mike.
No genius but happy the video helped you as thats why I produce them.
Mike - Thanks for the how to vid. I have found success with reinstalling the barrel arbor with the cap off. Take a pair of small jewelers plyers and carefully turn the arbor in the center of the mainspring in the direction to wind the spring until you can see or hear the hook in the arbor catch the spring detent. You can see the spring wanting to wind up in the center thus confirming the arbor is properly set and engaged in the center of the spring. Then proceed to reinstall the cap. I use Moebius 8217 Natural Grease as a breaking grease on the out barrel wall in 3 places and then use 8141natural oil to oil the mainspring. I use a smear of D5 on the barrel arbor openings top and bottom to lubricate the center arbor bearing. I was lucky enough to score a set of vintage K&D variable spring winders and these make winding and loading the spring in the barrel much easier than by hand.
Supercruze thanks for you advice . I have in the past for stubborn arbours used a pin vice , like I show in the video but with the lid off. I am always fearful that you could easily uncoil that spring!
I really need to invest in a set of winders!
You use all the correct and better oils than I . I knew the 8200 was not ideal but at the time I was actually advised to use it by a professional!
Thanks for watching and supporting my channel.
Great and well presented live video, I found your channel recommended and have watched with interest a couple of the digital rebuilds, (they're quite alien to me as mechanical are my area of interest as a hobbyist watchmaker and collector) I do have quartz analogue/digi combined but not had a fully digital since my schooldays In the 80's. Have subbed to hopefully learn more about those.Re the arbor, my routine is to remove it in situ by gripping with tweezers and turning opposite the direction of winding while pulling up, keep a nail on the spring while doing this, the latch will disengage and it will pull out, refit in the same manner. This removes the risk of it flying off the spring and across the bench. I wouldn't try to refit on the spring before winding in fully. Otherwise that's how I manually wind in main springs, but I am going to try 3D printing a mainspring winder.
Thanks for your comment and subbing to the channel. Appreciate that.
I will do some more digital stuff in the future and actually have an ana digi on my to do list so will most likely film that in the coming months.
I’m back into my mechanicals at the moment... I flip between the two when I get fed up with one genre I flip to the other .
I’m. Soon buying a mainspring winder set so I can do what is the correct & safer method.
I just wanted to add for other people who may not be aware, you don't need to put braking grease on the barrel walls if the watch you're working on doesn't have automatic winding. On watches without automatic winding you can only wind them so much but with automatic winding your arm movements cause the automatic winding mechanism to keep winding and if the barrel is fully wound then the spring it allowed to slip around the inside edge of the barrel which is why you need the grease there at that point.
Awesome work cheers thank you for video..
Thank you for watching.
GREAT JOB💯👍
I did it!! Yeah! The seller didn't send me the Bulova Buloloy just the mainspring. So I did it like this!
Exceptional explanations. Ta ta. My friend
First time watcher. Your narration is great. Please
Keep up the good work.
db
Also, breaking grease I believe is more there to protect the barrel than the spring. The barrel, usually being made of soft brass seems to me like the thing that gets the most damage from the spring slipping through.
You are very correct on the braking grease. Thanks for your comment.
Dzięki ogromne dużo mi pomogłeś.
wow. super patience is needed
Watched again. Jolly good 👍🏼 Shew mate !
Thanks
Thanks Mike. Going to go after this tonight ....wish me luck lol
Well that’s saved me a couple of hundred quid, it can be done by hand with no I’ll effects, thanks new to your channel and it’s a lot of useful info. Got me an early Seiko auto to start on just need the right size screwdriver and permission from er indoors to by them. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
well I do not recommend this long term as any professional will tell you this is a massive NO NO to hand wind. It is not easy depending on the spring you are working on. I do believe there is a Chinese winder set on AliExpress that has steel arbours and handles which do the job well enough and are around £60-70 for a set. I will pick some up at some point to review.
I'm about to embark upon the service of a 1974 citizen diver... I new I'd never source a new barrel but managed to find a batch of toss away movements almost exclusively to practice this exact process! As well as perhaps find the best mainspring in the lot to use in the final service.....
I'm glad I did buy them as the first one I attempted (rusted out movement so no loss) I snapped off the bridle XD
Hello. Thanks for your comment. I too have broken bridals when I first started doing it but you soon get the hang of it. Once the bridal is in and the spring has past it a few times it gets easy from there.
Best method is still with a set of main spring wonders though . Safer and goo practice
I think if the watch has seen a lot of service its a good idea to fit a new main spring in most cases these are fitted in a ring and can be pressed directly into the barrel.
I agree, provided you can find one. I'm working on a pocket watch from 1868. The spring is intact, but I suspect it's lost much of it's power after 155 years but I can't locate a replacement so I'm hoping a clean and service will help.
Спасибо учитель!
Well done 🍻
Excellent work gud job bro
2nd vid of yours I've watched. You've just saved me a ton of money and worry at the moment by doing this video. As a newbie old guy I've been agonizing over the prices of main spring winders both new and vintage, not to mention dealing with snipe bidders on ebay(go up against me in a real, live auction then see how far ya get with me!), wondering how I could get around this for now, wondering if it can be done by hand. great video and in language and explanations I can understand. gives me confidence too. Like- hell I can do that! great stuff and on behalf of all us new old guys, a hearty cheers to you. thank you. eventually, I'll get a decent set of winders but not any time soon!
(say to myself: now if I can just figure out a way to get around getting a staking set..........)
Thank you. glad this video was useful and for now has saved you the money. I have scrapped more mainsprings with my winders than I have using my hands..!
@@MyRetroWatches Mike, can I ask what winders you do have and where you got them?
Thanks for video. I would like to see your video and tips for oiling jewels. Jewels are the most tricky part I think.
I intend t show some oiling on the 6025 assembly video, oiling is tricky and people can be very opinionated about it . the main rule is less is more!
Great great job hello from Puerto Rico
Thanks and welcome
Nice,, helped my.. ❤❤❤
Me: opening the barrel in 10 seconds, the rest of the day in search for the spring.
haha. you have to be careful with these !
If you can’t find a mainspring that gets away, how are you planning to find the small springs when they try to escape?
@@JasperJanssen try finding a lost pallet fork M8 😐
@@internettrihard2955 I almost lost mine and found it on the carpet
@@internettrihard2955try finding an arbor that rolls everywhere when you breathe on it slightly