Replacing balance staff, Part 1, taking apart balance assembly

First time using the K&D balance staff remover No. 50 B with No. 18 staking set. Illinois 16 size, A. Lincoln, 21 jewels. Lower pivot of staff is broken. The watch will run face down but face up it will overbank and stop. Had to do a lot of editing on this video. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSmGZjb8byM for a better view of balance staff remover tool. The screen snapshot is not the best but I did not have much to choose from. Will write more when I think of more to write.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Kendrick
• Davis
• hairspring
• roller
• table
• double

[PaterAeneas]

Have a couple of questions related to this excellent video. First, what is the vise tool that you used with your staking tool to hold the balance wheel? Second, are planning to make the Part 2 of this video (putting it all back)?

[bunnspecial]

@PaterAeneas The tool is a Kendrick and Davis balance staff remover No. 50 B. I made a video showing this tool since I don't show it good in this video. I will put this back together soon with a new staff. I had water coming out of the floor where I work on watches and had to move everything out of the way for the water leak to be repaired. Now I can't find half of the stuff I was working on. I will also be replacing a balance staff on a Hamilton 992B soon. Watch damaged in the move.

[Polybun]

So, uuuuhhh, any chance I could get you to replace the balance staff on a model 1883 15 jewel waltham. I got to screwing around with the balance wheel because it was running slow and broke it. The local shops are quoting me $400-500 to do the job.

[bunnspecial]

@Polybun Wow $400-500 to replace a balance staff. Is the watch even worth that much? You could buy a real nice watch for that money. I could do it but I don't have staff for an 1883. I noticed from looking on the internet that there are a couple of staffs for this watch (ofrei).  I don't know which yours is. You could send it to me but it might take a couple of weeks because I would have to send out for parts.

[Polybun]

@bunnspecial no, the watch is worth $150 on it's best day. And yeah, for that kind of money I could have a hamilton 21 jewel. It's just crazy. They want $300 to clean and lubricate the watch, then $100 for the staff replacement, then 80$ each for any jewels that are broken, and it looks to me like the hole jewel on the bottom has some damage. I have to think it over, I would rather just fix it myself, but then, that's $500 in tools.

[bunnspecial]

@Polybun I know what you are talking about. I have a marine chronometer that needed a new locking jewel put in. I found some one to do it for $100 but he said that he would also have to clean and oil it making the price $500. He said he had to do all that because some people had compained about their chronometers not working good after replacing a part, so he had to cover his ass. I finally convinved him that I wouldn't hold him responsible if it didn't run good. Maybe you could do that.

[Polybun]

@bunnspecial eh, i'm not going to bother. i'm going to save this watch for when I do have the tools, and in the mean time, invest in a hamilton. I've got the money to spare at the moment, so what the hell.

[TAB442]

Very nice video, as usual. :-)

I'd love to see one on your procedure and recommendations for oiling a wrist watch.

[bunnspecial]

@mantolaman I figured there are a lot of tasty nuggets in this video.

[bunnspecial]

@ggenovez The hairspring removal tool is my small watch oiler. I used this because the tip is flat and almost parallel. There is another tool for this process that is easier to use but I don't have it.