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  1. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 15, 2013

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    So, I am an idiot. Trying to get the spring bars through those weird black inserts in the hirsch Medici straps and I've got them thoroughly jammed! [​IMG]
    I've tried pliers. No luck. Any suggestions? Heating? Cooling?
     
  2. cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Sep 15, 2013

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    Where did you get the bars, they are the wrong size as you now know already. The straps should have come with bars. You may have to sacrifice the bars by putting one end in a vise and a pair of needle nose pliers in-between then pushing backwards. Cooling may help, don't heat you may damage the insert.
     
  3. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Sep 15, 2013

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    I'd suggest drilling a hole in a piece of wood, just big enough to get the bar through and then pulling on the bar - in a straight line. As long as you haven't tried hammering the bars in, this should give enough purchase without breaking the insert.
     
  4. Time Exposure coordinates his cast with his car's paint job Sep 15, 2013

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    My first thought was that the inserts were there to retain shape and make it easier for the spring bars to fit in the strap once the inserts were removed.

    The inserts are supposed to remain in the strap holes? Hmmm...time to Google a Hirsch Medici.
     
  5. alam Sep 15, 2013

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    I considered one of those Hirsch (curved ends) strap for my Speedy awhile ago and the merchant had what appeared to be a very straight forward and simple set of instructions on his page on how to fit and install those inserts, I believe the spring bars were supplied with the strap...I looked but can't find those instructions now... :(
     
  6. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 15, 2013

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    I can't find the bars they came with any more :(
    When I first bought them I easily installed them myself bit I got somebody else to take the strap off and put on a bracelet. I assume that seething happened to the spring bars at that point.do the hirsch ones need special thin bars? Where can I get replacements?

    Ps managed to get one out using the hook part of a hammer. Other one still wedged firm.
     
  7. OttawaMan Sep 15, 2013

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    I recently bought this strap...the original Omega bars do NOT fit. You must use the one's that came with the Hirsch or buy some others. I think I some a box of a million spring bars of various sizes for sale on ebay for super-cheap. But don't bother wedging the original Omega's in...won't work.
     
  8. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 15, 2013

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    yep, worked that out! i think what happened was that when I took the watch in (with the strap on it) and got the watch repair place to replace the straps with a bracelet, they also swapped springbars, and didn't give me the old ones back!!!!! given that was more than a month ago, I think I'll have to give up on getting it back from them

    so I will need to buy new, thin, spring bars. And maybe new plastic inserts??? does anyone know where I can get those plastic inserts from?
     
  9. OttawaMan Sep 15, 2013

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    Try these guys...that's where I got mine and they were even willing to ship a tool to help you figure out your proper insert rotation position. Maybe they can get inserts for you.

    [email protected]
     
  10. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Sep 15, 2013

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    i CAN SEND YOU A PAIR OF SPRINGBARS WHEN i GET BACK TO mELBOURNE ON sUNDAY.
    gET A BLOCK OF WOOD AS MENTIONED BEFORE, DRILL A 3MM HOLE ABOUT 20MM DEEP. pUT THE SPRINGBAR INTO THE HOLE AND USE A SUITABEL PIN PUNCH OR SIMILAT TO (fuck, caps lock was on) push the buggers out.

    Hopefully you havent screwed the dual hole setup in the adapters or you will need new ones.

    PM me your address and sizes reqiuired and I'll get them in the post.

    Good luck with it.

    Cheers

    Jim
     
    NT931 and John R Smith like this.
  11. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 15, 2013

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    thanks all. i've managed to get one of the spring bars out, but the other is being a bast-rd. Will try again tonight and report in!
     
  12. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Sep 16, 2013

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    Leave in hot water for 5min then try;)
     
  13. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 16, 2013

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    That did it!!!!!!

    Now, how thin do the correct spring bars need to be? Or alternatively, how thick are 'standard' spring bars?
     
  14. cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Sep 16, 2013

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    Well they need to slip in and out of the inserts easily.
     
  15. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 16, 2013

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    According to these weird things called watch forums on the interwebs I need 1.5mm thick bars. I've ordered them and we will see how we go.
     
  16. cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Sep 16, 2013

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    :thumbsup:
     
  17. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 19, 2013

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    Thin bars arrived and they worked ::thumbsup:;
     
  18. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Sep 19, 2013

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    Booyah!!!!

    You're getting good at this watch fixin' game

    Do you wanna service my Speedie as your next challenge ;)
     
  19. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Sep 19, 2013

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    The problem is that I was the one that broke it in the first place! Why I thought it was a good idea to try and force the thicker spring bars in (and I did try and really force them in) is beyond me. Surely the first lesson (do we have any doctors here) is first do no harm!
     
  20. cicindela Steve @ ΩF Staff Member Sep 19, 2013

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    Not so you'd notice :rolleyes: