Hairspring deformed?

Jan Dietrich
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Hallo guys i‘m trying to get this Chaika 1601A back to live. After cleaning and lubricating this is the result i got. i assume the Hairspring is the Problem here. There is a spare Part for it but i‘m not sure if it will clear the Problem. What are your thoughts?(palet fork was jumping strong when touching before installation of the balance)
IMG_0158.webp image.webp
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IMG_0159.mov - 13 MB
JimInOz
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Hairspring looks to be binding so the impulse can't push the balance far enough.

Can you take the balance off and take a pic of the hairspring from above?
Rest the balance cock upside down on the bench with the pivot sitting in the jewel.
 
Canuck
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I suspect the outer coil from the tip of the arrow should be concentric like the rest of the outer coil. That, plus the hairspring is twisted at the stud. The stud should be vertical, not rubbing on the rim of the wheel.

IMG_3183.webp
 
JimInOz
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Canuck Canuck
I suspect the outer coil from the tip of the arrow should be concentric like the rest of the outer coil. That, plus the hairspring is twisted at the stud. The stud should be vertical, not rubbing on the rim of the wheel.

I think the one you are looking at is the spare that Jan hasn't purchased yet.
 
noless
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how did you clean the balance complete? it could well be a thin film of oil remains on the balance spring and is causing it to stick to itself, a heavily magnetised hairspring can also stick to itself like this, before you do anything drastic, try demagnetising the movement and then try cleaning the balance again.
 
Jan Dietrich
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Its demagnetised and cleaned. The picture of the balance is the spare part. Before Installation of the balance it Looks like the hairspring was touching itself. When its running the hairspring is also not pulsating like normaly. Its moving up and down
 
Jan Dietrich
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image.webp

And that is the hairspring. I just dissasembeled it. It looks wrong to me. Compared to the spare
 
noless
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yeah, that hairspring is heavily deformed and requires either a fix or a replacement. getting a hairspring in that condition back into good timekeeping would be quite a challenge.
 
Archer
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Jan Dietrich Jan Dietrich
Tranks! I ordered a new one
The one you have appears to be easily repairable…

I suspect some coils are sticking together, maybe from not being properly cleaned, and it might need some adjustment but nothing there indicates that it cannot be recovered.
 
Jan Dietrich
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But i think i dont have the right tweezers for it. And the skill. Its a very small one. I‘m new to hobbywatchmaking(2 years).
 
ErichKeane
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Jan Dietrich Jan Dietrich
But i think i dont have the right tweezers for it. And the skill. Its a very small one. I‘m new to hobbywatchmaking(2 years).
I've not touched 'simple' hairspring problems 3 times, and each time I've destroyed said hairspring. IMO fixing a hairspring is probably the most frustrating/sensitive/skill-involved thing there is.
 
sheepdoll
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Still not sure which is worse. Fussing with a hairspring, or selling something on eBay.
 
noless
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if im honest it still looks like its just dirty to me and that is causing the coils to stick together, but if you tell me you cleaned it all i can do is assume you have cleaned it properly, if it has been cleaned properly and still is that shape then its been deformed, as archer says its not impossible to fix, and certainly I would give it a go fixing it before buying a new one, but also like you said, that requires at the very least the right tweezers for the task.

That said, even new out of the package hairsprings often need a small tweak to get them running right, so just buying a replacement part isnt exactly a silver bullet.
 
Knebo
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Jan Dietrich Jan Dietrich
But i think i dont have the right tweezers for it. And the skill. Its a very small one. I‘m new to hobbywatchmaking(2 years).

Use the discarded spring to practice! After two years, treat yourself to some hairspring tweezers, too.

The seller "Fournitures Horlogerie" is usually reliable. I've bought from him several times.
However, the spring you showed also doesn't look right at the very end. The stud itself is also twisted (should be parallel to the balance staff). Easier fix than your current one, but not plug-and-play..
 
Jan Dietrich
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A Little bit embarising but i promised to keep you updated. I tried to install the new balance wheel+hairspring and my twezers slipped and seperated the end of the hairspring from the stud. After some anger i decided to rinse the old Balance in Isopropanol and installed it again. And well… it probably just wasnt clean enough before. Its now running fine. Beat error is 10 but im Not willing to touch it again. Ladies calibers are a tough school it seems. Thank you for all the help!! Great forum
 
Knebo
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Jan Dietrich Jan Dietrich
A Little bit embarising but i promised to keep you updated. I tried to install the new balance wheel+hairspring and my twezers slipped and seperated the end of the hairspring from the stud. After some anger i decided to rinse the old Balance in Isopropanol and installed it again. And well… it probably just wasnt clean enough before. Its now running fine. Beat error is 10 but im Not willing to touch it again. Ladies calibers are a tough school it seems. Thank you for all the help!! Great forum

Oh shite. Well, it happens. All part of the learning curve.

Glad you got the old one to run. Good to call it a day (for now). Maybe in a few years, with a bit more expensive, you'll revisit this one.
 
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