Can I look forward to less springs pinging away with more time and experience?

I’ll admit it, I’m relatively “green” as a watch tinkerer and I’d be surprised if someone like @Archer would ever let me stand in a shop with him. But I get by and have fun doing it.
It’s the hairsprings and shock springs that just, well, get away. I lost three KIF 2-2 springs on one movement, SMH, and one even smacked me in the face on its way out (who hates KIF springs as much as me????).
I’d love to hear your experiences - what works, what doesn’t, and does time in the game help?

 

Some anti-shock springs are indeed a bitch to install. I once spent more than 10 minutes (20 minutes??) once on a single spring (Seiko? my mind fails me...). I think they are meant to be install with special tools. Other designs can be easy-peasy.

Most of my watches are quite vintage though (pre-anti-shock).

 

There are a number of tricks you can use.
Tweezers are good "pingers", so I generally use bronze tweezers and only grip the item with the lightest possible force.
Shock springs can be held in place by a pegwood stick or a fine plastic probe while you use tweezers to set the spring.
Doing things like this in a big clear plastic bag can also capture the "ping" parts. Just poke your tools through the bag.

 

Let me start off by saying you shouldn't put any watch repairer on a pedestal.

I've been working with and on watches since 1989 and with the help of many books, then online tutorials, and eventually video I've become good enough to not lose parts.

What you need are good tools which are not cheap, practice which can be cheap because inexpensive running practice movements are plentiful on ebay. And of course the intestinal fortitude to actually try, which for may of us can be daunting.

We live in an exciting time for anyone who wants to explore watch servicing as a hobby. There are so many resources available that people like me could only dream of decades ago. Not just print and video resources, but experienced watch repairers who willingly share their thoughts, expertise and advice with anyone who asks. Sharing their ideas with us benefits them in no way, yet they take the time to do so. We're all very lucky for that.

That said, when removing a shock jewel spring, it's wise to cover the spring with a light sheet of plastic, like a piece of a ziplock bag, just big enough to cover the balance but not so big that you can't work. Jim's tips for using pegwoog and even working inside a baggie are good too. I have no issues with even using a toothpick if necessary. I've seen other watch repairers hold the jewel with a #3 tweezer and remove the spring with a #5 tweezer so if the spring wants to bolt it will get caught up on the other tweezers.

I have to ask, did you look for the lost springs? I once spent 40 minutes looking for a Waltham 18 size case screw only to find it sitting under my work mat

 

Have you read any of the threads I've made giving tips? There's a whole series of them intended to help people like you. You can start here:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/basic-watchmaking-tips-oiling-part-1.62310/

I also give people advice via PM and through emails all the time, so if you have a specific problem, let me know and I'll do my best to help.

To answer your specific question, yes it does get better with time. As much as you can understand what to do and how to do it, getting the physical dexterity needed to handle watch parts takes time doing it - there aren't any real shortcuts in that regard. Early on I use to do small exercises - dump a container of small screws on the bench, and time how long it would take to pick them up one by one and put them all back in. Other things I would do to challenge myself, like pick up a small cap jewel from a balance with #5 tweezers off the bench, and with one hand rotate the tweezers 360 degrees without dropping the jewel. You obviously want to do this with a jewel you have no issue with losing, but it's not difficult once you get the feel for things.

Jim touched on one, which is your choice of tweezer materials. I use a number of different materials depending on the task, but for most general assembly work, I use bronze tweezers. I used brass for a while, and although they were good, they felt very "dead" to use, so that's when I tried bronze and I haven't gone back to brass. For handling shock springs, I use steel tweezers though - typically #5's.

Jim also touched on not using a death grip on the parts, as that will only make them fly a longer distance when they do fly. I've never covered anything in plastic or done anything in a plastic bag, so I can't comment on how effective that is - to me it seems it would make it more difficult due to being constrained in a bag and not being able to see as clearly, but if works for others then I can't argue.

One key thing is to check the condition of the tweezers. If you hold them up with a light behind them and press the tips together, do you see the tips meeting exactly when you look at them using at least a 4X loupe? If the tips don't meet exactly right at the tips and you see light, then that is likely a part of the problem. Keeping tweezers in good shape is a big part of not losing parts, and material like brass or bronze do need dressing from time to time. Steel less so, but if you accidentally drop the tweezers onto the floor, they need to be checked.

I would suggest keeping one good set of tweezers that you use only for fine tasks, so for example I have several sets of #5's, so two are used exclusively for balance spring adjusting, and others are used for more general work, where the risk of damage is greater.

In the end, everyone loses parts - and I mean everyone. I had the pleasure several years ago of being in Philippe Dufour's shop, and also went to a dinner with him and several other independent watchmakers in Switzerland. A photographer had created a book showcasing Mr. Dufour and another watchmaker. In that book he had this photo (taken from my own copy):



It's Mr. Dufour crawling on the floor looking for a lost part...

So if the guy who is arguably the best watchmaker in the world loses parts, then don't feel bad if you lose some too.

Cheers, Al

 

There is nothing wrong with a pedestal for anyone that does exceptional work.

 

Came here to say this...works for disassembling pistols too.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

No disagreement it’s two different opinions, I’m happy for you to have yours.

 

Thanks! I will try bronze tweezers as I use brass now.

Don't worry, it's not that I hold people beyond reproach but I respect and appreciate those with more experience. I suppose it's the subtlety of appreciation.

I did look, for a long time too, but didn't find it. It will likely show up when I'm searching for my next pinged part. In the end, I've only really lost five parts to date (1 hair spring, 1 escape wheel, and 3 kif springs).

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add some to my collection to try.

Agreed! I am checking my brass tweezers frequently and reworking as required.

Brilliant! I will push my dexterity and train with these exercises. Thank you!

I have when I first joined but it doesn't hurt for me to reread. They are VERY helpful. Thank you for having put these together.

Ha! I should make a similar avatar picture for myself... =)

 

That's the only good thing about losing parts, finding other parts that have disappeared. I'm sure the Elgin 18 size key wind pallet fork I lost in 2001 is still around here somewhere.