Watchmaking - Making Carbon Steel Hairsprings for Watches, Clocks and Other Small Mechanism.

#watchmaking
Hey folks, this one is guaranteed to put a spring in your step, please enjoy!
Cheers,
Chris.
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The Selective Luddite - Hand Making a Verge Watch Hairspring. Pt.3: • Hand Making a Verge Wa...
References/Further Reading:
Watchmaking, Daniels. amzn.to/48qn550
Precision Time Measures, Higginbotham archive.org/details/gri_33125...
Joseph Bulova School of Watch Making Training Manual, mybulova.com/vintage-bulova-c...
Treatise on Modern Horology, Saunier. archive.org/details/treatiseo...
Chicago School of Watchmaking Manual, Sweazey watchlords.com/viewtopic.php?...
Springing & Adjusting Watches, Britten. archive.org/details/onspringi...
Watch & Clockmakers Handbook, Britten. archive.org/details/watchcloc...
Practical Watch Repairing, De Carle.
Practical Watch Adjusting, De Carle.
Antique Watch Restoration Volumes 1-3, Perkins.
Bench Practices for Watch & Clockmakers, Fried.
Watch Repairers Manual, Fried.
Watch Adjustment, Jendritzki.
Watch & Clock Making & Repairing, Gazely.
(Amazon Affiliate links to items used in this video)
Cameras:
Panasonic GH5 - amzn.to/2rEzhh2
Panasonic X920 - amzn.to/2wzxxdT
Books:
"Watchmaking" by Daniels: amzn.to/2V8ljSe
"Solidworks 2013 Bible": amzn.to/2FObS1D
"Machinery's handbook": amzn.to/2pi7XE5
"Drills, Taps and Dies", Tubal Cain: amzn.to/3wUFNA7
"Hardening, Tempering & Heat Treatment", Tubal Cain: amzn.to/2IdTQLw
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[@CorwynGC]

I am amazed that someone let you quench in their meditation pool.

[@recif77]

It is only allowed to be a meditation pool after Chris has come to quench something in it. It's like a blessing.

[@leenichols7208]

😅😊​@@recif77

[@barrishautomotive]

Invented in the 1500s by the sea monks of Denmark, springs were created to fill the gap between winters and summers.

[@BrassLock]

They bred _Baby Goats_ during _"Leap Springs"_ every 4 years to maintain the seasonal Balance Springs.

[@Blustride]

Most coiled metal springs start their lives out as metal

[@user-wv1pj6wh4h]

i thought spring just gave fresh water to denmark monkeys so they culd produce bear.

[@derelictmachine7671]

Seeing those springs after being heat blued might be the most beautiful thing I've seen this year.

[@GogogoFolowMe]

I was flabbergasted by the spherical spring and its multi-part former.

[@WilliamOConnor-wg2mh]

boioioing

[@mrimmortal1579]

Chris, your workmanship never ceases to amaze me.

[@FKreider]

Same here!!

[@masterrigger98]

There is really no other way to say it, is there? Stunning work Chris!!

[@martinaldridge8993]

Thankyou Chris your detailed video productions greatly inspire me.....thanks again.....Martin Aldridge

[@roedurham3499]

Never ceases to make me jealous lol

[@louchedecay7922]

I worked in the spring industry for many years, and we made hair springs on cnc machinery. The modern process for large scale manufacturing is significantly different than yours, but I am very impressed by the quality of your finished product. I was not expecting them to look as good as they do. The polishing of the drawing rollers and other attention to the surface condition of the wire is great.

[@NikoMoraKamu]

i'm a blacksmith and one of my teachers told me : The hammer translate his face to the metal , keep it polished i think that applys very well to the rollers an how the end up extremly well finished this guy is trully amazing

[@danidulfu]

The cinematography of all of these videos is purely mesmerizing! Thank you for another top-notch upload!

[@rcfokker1630]

It's ASMR.

[@slickpbw331]

I'm a long time subscriber and lurker on this channel. I have been blown away many times by your skill, knowledge, ingenuity, craftsmanship, cinematography and precision of your work. But this time, I am forced to comment. This may have been one of the most amazing videos that I have seen on this channel. The superlatives do not exist to describe your work. You, sir, are absolutely the GOLD STANDARD to which all others should be compared. I am so deeply impressed. Thanks for all the awesome videos!

[@Clickspring]

Thank you mate, very much appreciate you taking the time to watch :)

[@Convolutedtubules]

I will struggle to sleep until I see you making the segmented spherical spring forming mandrel!

[@ianc4901]

When you first started this project and said it was going to be a dial test indicator I was a little under whelmed but I had no idea there would be so much awesome tool making and cool engineering ! Most people agree that your video work is top notch but very few people recognise just how good your audio tracks are too ! They are some of the best I have ever heard and I don't say that lightly ! I know what it takes to create perfectly balanced and blended audio of this standard and I really appreciate the effort you put in to achieve it ! Great skills all round, craftsmanship, video capture, lighting, audio, editing and narrating, I cannot fault anything you do ! I hope you are getting rewarded for such high levels of detail and craftsmanship because you really deserve to be Chris !

[@pauljohnson3401]

Not "some of the best" there is nothing to compare. They are the best. I challenge you to point out anything better. But I know what you mean.

[@ianc4901]

@@pauljohnson3401 Most people running channels barely pay any attention to the audio but it's one of the most important aspects of a good video.

[@thosoz3431]

Once again Chris, you prove we stand on the shoulders of giants. Beautifully done.

[@raywhite5068]

Just completely and utterly awestruck. The spherical spring was stunning and it seemed almost an afterthought to get the video to the 20 minute length, whereas it deserved an hour long video in its own right

[@thecatofnineswords]

Seriously. There are many details about the globe form that I'd like to see more of.

[@bastienpabiot3678]

Yes, how is that spherical spiral formed ... And on detachable pieces too​@@thecatofnineswords

[@RoccosStuff]

Awesome, I always love a new Clickspring video!

[@Aabergm]

I have watched a lot of YT makers and I can honestly say compared to all of them your dedication to precision and detail easily makes you a cut above. A true master craftsman.

[@treelineresearch3387]

I've gotten into making my own dials on my little CNC machine, building watches from off the shelf parts, and can service a movement, but progressing to the point I can call myself an actual watchmaker that *makes* watches (even with CNC tools) is a long road indeed. I think Clickspring is what initially got me on the watch work graph and it's been a really fun rabbithole to go down.

[@kcdakrt]

I always forget just how small these things are when you are machining them. Then I get blow away when you hold them in your hands. Great work as always!

[@S8_10]

I can never thank AvE enough for recommending your channel in one of his videos. I’m not sure I’d have ever found your channel on my own. But your attention to detail and craftsmanship is unmatched!

[@samrodian919]

I came here from AvE too. And I'm so glad I did. Chris's videography is just outstanding. His Craftsmanship with a capital C is just out of this world!

[@BlackOps96]

Do either of you have a link to the AvE video you’re talking about?

[@anmafab]

The forward planning on making these parts to make them reusable is mind blowing

[@sidewinder666666]

The aesthetic result of heat-bluing is just... stunning. Great job!

[@kabal911]

Incredible. That spherical spring tool 🤯🤯

[@ralphvanthoff]

Brought to you by the man that uses tools to make tools that make tools. This was so satisfying to watch!

[@ExtantFrodo2]

In bygone days when I had a watch repair shop I chanced upon a chronometer with a barrel style spring which reversed winding direction halfway up the barrel such that as the upper half got tighter the other got looser thereby maintaining an even tension throughout the balance swings.

[@theselectiveluddite]

That would be cool to see :)

[@Emu0181]

Another one of those, "things i didn't know i didn't know". Can't wrap (no pun intended) my head around how one makes a consistent grouve around a sphere, hope you filmed the making of that last former.

[@teeanahera8949]

Did you mean a *groove?

[@jonathanbiggar4973]

Well mate that was journey into master craftsmanship.

[@AlsanPine]

i know, i keep saying the same thing again and again. it's just so awesome to see you work. it is so great to have these skills preserved and disseminated 🙂

[@dizzolve]

10:13 Chris never skips a step does he lol. Love the vids

[@johnkelley9877]

Every tutorial you show just amazes me because your skills are good. Thanks for sharing this.

[@gordoncouger9648]

Good doesn't come close to describing the level of skill shown in this video.

[@rustyreckman2892]

If there’s better content on KZbin I haven’t found it yet. Thanks Chris.

[@Brice23]

The quality of your work is insuperable. I was a fabricator for many years, certified by the Copper Development Association, did copper/steel work both ornamental and purely functional on courthouses, churches, and sky scrapers all over the United States and I have never seen technical quality that surpasses what you have achieved. Overall - I mean to say, having watched every one of your videos, I would say that you deserve to be awarded for what you have shared with the world here. Perhaps there are others online that display the near perfection that you achieve, yet I certainly haven't seen any of it and would love to be pointed in that direction if it exists. However I seriously doubt it exists. No other fabricators have produced work as precise and as clearly demonstrated as you have in these series. Not by a damn sight. What a legacy to leave for the world.

[@nickfosterxx]

Agreed. I wonder how a global KZbin award system would work. View-counts are a blunt instrument. And there are many other artisans across cultures and materials. Having said that, Martin Molin of Wintergarten is also eminently deserving for combining art with engineering in his extraordinary personal journey.

[@quantumvortex3942]

Your workmanship, narration and videography are all exquisite! I especially enjoy your bluing, ever since your skeleton clock build 9yrs ago, you have really mastered it, the colors are mesmerizing.

[@remuladgryta]

Some real nice looking moiré patterns at 18:37!

[@peetiegonzalez1845]

Another fantastic video. The reveal of how you got the spherical spring off the form had me cheering!

[@robertunderdunkterwilliger2290]

Now that was impressive!

[@JS-yj7ow]

I honestly thought I would skim through this video, but it was just too good and informative for a process I knew nothing about. Makes me want a machine shop to play in. But this clearly takes a level of learned patience…

[@josilhus]

Man, this video blow my mind. Never thought how to make a spherical spring . By the way, I just love this blue parts. It's incredibly beautiful

[@DameAndThatGame]

I cliqked to watch you make a spring. Somthing poetic about that ❤

[@Itslvle]

"I only need this one type of spring, but it's interesting to note, that other kinds can be made as well. Here, I've made several, even this weird one just because it's cool. Here's how it looks like polished and heat blued." You always know how to treat a man Chris.

[@nickfosterxx]

He he, this snapped me out of my ASMR and gave me a chuckle, thank you.

[@Astilath]

The light/shadow coming through that spherical spring was a very neat thing to show. My first thought was "how the heck do you get that off the mandrel" the multi part mandrel was such a cool and simple solution. Brilliant video.

[@lisabenden]

This is amazing! I often watch @WristwatchRevival, and marvel at how tiny and delicate the springs are, and watching you make similar springs by hand is absolutely an awe inspiring craft!

[@emanwe01]

Wristwatch Revival absolutely needs to see this video. He's commented on the fiddly and fragile nature of hair springs before, and I think he'd love seeing someone managing to create them from scratch!

[@ryangross5446]

Man your videos never get old. This is the kind of machining content i live for

[@piccalillipit9211]

*LITERALLY* going to save this to watch with a coffee tomorrow as a treat...!!!

[@TheLastTater]

That was incredible. You are amazing. I can’t wait to see more of the dial indicator build

[@cutzwithrazzor]

Ok...that had to be one of the most impressive things I've seen you make. Well Done Chris.

[@berrieds]

The technical quality and insight is positively insane and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@Aroris935]

Watching these types of machining videos and metalworking video always makes me think. Wow those are some big hands. Then I see a regular spoon and realize no, the parts are just that tiny. Amazing how skilled you are to make this look this easy.

[@Hotrob_J]

There's something so human I love about the joy in making your own tools

[@jasonsummit1885]

I don't know what else to say but WOW!! That's Amazing!!

[@Max_Marz]

Oh my word, the moment of realization when you pulled the two springs apart as to why you wound them with two wires... magnificent. so great.

[@stevenclark2188]

It wouldn't have been a Clickspring video if it didn't end up that spectacular blue.

[@AlexanderTartmin]

I'm impressed! For me, hairsprings have just ceased to be something magical and mysterious. Excellent job!

[@flps3577]

New clickspring video!! *drops everything to watch it immediately*

[@evanmorris1178]

Chris, you magnificent bastard. I always dreamed there would be an electronic archive of the development of technology, so that when our civilization collapses, as so many others have before, we would have a series of step by step instructions on how to get from sticks and rocks, back up to at least 19th C. Levels. I feel like your methodical and beautifully crafted style and presentation would be exactly right. Your work should be edited into picture books and etched onto golden pages.

[@rocksolidhugo]

Absolutely mesmerizing. Thank you for sharing

[@kurtkrause7151]

Raising the quality bar 'again'!! Keeping history 'current'. Thanks Chris.👍

[@kaysb80]

I found a copy of Donald de Carle's Practical Clock Repairing in a used book store in Chicago last year. When I saw all the awesome illustrations, I knew I had to buy it :D

[@johnopalko5223]

Another book you might enjoy is _Clock & Watch Escapements_ by W. J. Gazeley.

[@jfuzi3605]

I love learning from you, every one of your videos has taught me something, thank you.

[@Preso58]

I'll probably never make a mechanical clock, but that method for flattening the music wire is a winner.

[@Clickspring]

Thank you mate!

[@sarigiannis2002]

What a demonstration of knowledge and craftsmanship...

[@NarschoolVlog]

It’s every time I watch a Clickspring video I get so amped up with where I could be.. thank you for showing us what you do and how you do it at such a high level, it inspires me every time.

[@mspeir]

THIS type of content is why I followed you during your clock build years ago! I'm glad to see it again.

[@markdoyle9642]

RESPECT! Your methods, skills and teaching are always Superlative! Thank You!

[@Zardwark]

One day I will be privileged enough to worship the ground that Chris has walked upon!

[@Andre-pe9mm]

Outstanding work as always Chris.👍👍

[@annacalise8336]

Your craftsmanship is truly in a league of your own and is nothing short of a work of art, you just don't see the level of detail and beauty like this enough in the machining world, your work just never ceases to amaze!!

[@steveward53]

Stunning sir , this is the best video I've had the pleasure of watching for many a moon , thank you.

[@felipedezotti5879]

Your attention to detail is IMPECCABLE!!!

[@sammichmanjr]

Chris could make a 10 minute video about toasting a piece of bread and I'd be absolutely mesmerized watching it all the way through.

[@peterfireflylund]

He would make the heating elements himself first.

[@teeanahera8949]

He would have to generate electricity first.

[@teeanahera8949]

He would have to grow wheat, grow yeast, source some water from an Antarctic iceberg, grind the flour and knead the dough, then he could bake the bread.

[@ChristopherHallett]

What's that you say? You want a video about toasting bread? kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4DJqZ-JfJuka7s

[@leslieaustin151]

O Good Grief! I mentioned Chris at Clickspring to a friend - and suddenly there you are!! Our conversation revolved around ‘pretending to be Chris’, but after watching this I realise afresh that that could never really happen. Thanks for the lesson Chris, but I don’t think I stand a chance of impersonating you (nor the accent either). Stunning video.. Les in UK 🇬🇧

[@edwardminchinton7347]

My great grandfather was a clockmaker, he made hundreds of clocks as a hobby in his time. I'm sure he and you would have had some exceptional conversations.

[@adamthethird4753]

Thank you for the lesson in spring-making. Those look amazing.

[@johnuriniuk588]

The Patience you have and thinking outside the box is amazing on how you come up with your ideas to make things. Thank you for sharing your videos 👍👍

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Fascinating, yet, painstaking process! The level of craftsmanship required is on another level! Superb work, Chris!

[@scorinth]

I absolutely love seeing the hairsprings bounce when handled. They're like normal springs, but under the influence of strong recreational stimulants, all _"FLBLblblblfblt!"_

[@kevinnobody3052]

Thanks Chris. I never fail to learn something new and relevant every video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such a classy format.

[@Yoshikaable]

Hairsprings?!?! Wow wow Chris you are the greatest watch maker on YT, proud to be a viewer

[@ElectricalInsanity]

Absolutely incredible. I had no idea something like this could be done in the home shop!

[@IgnazKevenaar]

*BOIOIOIOIOIOINGGG*! Great technique and cinematography as always Chris :)

[@tonywatson987]

Just beautiful, Chris! The accuracy and patience you lavish on these tiny mechanisms is glorious to see, thanks for sharing!

[@KevinWoodsWorkshop]

Excellent workmanship Chris.

[@jiggermole]

This is the reason I hate KZbin and love it. More damn things I want to make with my own hands. What am I going to make with a custom spring? No idea, I just want to make one. Beautiful work by the way. I will be binging the rest of your videos to be sure. And thanks for the reference material.

[@LurifaxDK]

This is probably the highest level of skill in any trade I have ever seen in my life. This channel is amazing.

[@thecanadiantradesman7916]

What an incredible job on cinematography and a perfect execution on explaining this process. Once again Chris you knocked it out of the park.

[@CaskStrength777]

I have to applaud this. Very much everything on display from both Watchmaking by Daniels and the Antique Watch Restoration series by Archie Perkins 👏👏 I use hydrated lime powder and denatured alcohol for my heat treating, gets the same glasslike shell that really blocks out the oxygen. Would burn off the alcohol first and then crank up the heat and let it fuse into a glass like shell. Works well. Extremely impressed how you even did the Helical and spherical with the removable sections 🤘 you might be interested to learn glass hairsprings were done on formers too... Look at the work of englishman Anthony Randall

[@theselectiveluddite]

Yes, those glass hair springs were amazing :)

[@FishyBoi1337]

Man, seeing that first spring come out so beautiful was truly breathtaking!

[@mikeklaus2992]

Amazing craftsmanship. True art.

[@624Dudley]

G’Day Chris, clearly you haven’t forgotten how to do world class cinematography. I particularly admire the script in this episode 👍. Please do keep on being you.

[@jakobrebeki]

Thanks Chris....

[@citymonkey5929]

For me, tis is one of the best videos Chris has ever made🤩 The perfection of these little springs makes me shiver😵

[@samrodian919]

Chris, watching this has just blown my mind! How the horologists of old figured out how to produce springs like this amazed me. With the spherical spring I'd certainly like to know how you cut the helix with the diameter changing all the time and presumably there was some sort of indexing the individual discs so that the helical groove lined up. More on that please because I'm sure many others who watched and liked this video would love to see more on the manufacture of the spherical former.

[@Bristol1]

TIL spherical hairsprings are a thing. And that they look amazing.

[@johnfox4691]

Wow! You have excelled yourself. Simply beautiful.

[@joelflores8979]

This video had nothing to do with what I was researching, yet I stayed and watched the whole video. Loved it, keep up the great quality content

[@Trinitritoluol]

I admire your passion not only to make perfect things but also showing all of the processes in good quality videos. Thank you a lot!

[@andersjjensen]

Heat blued steel on high shine brass is my favorite color scheme. It's just such a hypnotizing combo.

[@ophirb25]

Your patience and delicate in handling of the material is something to aspire.

[@ekim000]

This is like sorcery compared to what I get up to in my workshop. Inspiring stuff.

[@geoffcrumblin9850]

Your video craft aligns with your instrument craft, matchless

[@TheChiveve]

Outstanding as always, not only the workmanship but the cinematography as well. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@comradesoupbeans4437]

these are absolutely stunning, that blueing is remarkable and i imagine it was difficult to get it to show so well on camera. great work Chris

[@erjohannes]

Got chills watching that first spring after blueing👌

[@shivmongoose3343]

I could feel the mind blowing triumph when you separated the first two springs after heat treatment and removal from the form winder.