Hair Spring Straightening (1974)

[@musicmakelightning]

In all my years of amateur pocket watch and clock repair, I have never successfully fixed a bent hairspring. Thanks so much for posting this.

[@burritolover5082]

How many years? You’re telling me you’ve never even tweaked a hairspring that was touching the balance wheel or balance bridge? That’s impossible. I only work on luxury watches (Rolex, PP, AP, etc) and out of 100 watches, 10 need hair spring repair. Whether that be a hair spring that’s out of round of bent, I’ve never been able to get away not tweaking those hair springs.

[@termonostruman]

@@burritolover5082 hes an amateur, when people pay cheap prices they get cheap garbage...

[@patricklozito7042]

3 years after this film was made, I was an apprentice at a world famous gunsmith shop right in New York City. People of the same wonderful character as Mr. Fried were the essence of New York City industry. It was and is an honor to be taught by and learn from people such as this. I will never forget those that taught me. Thanks Fran for this wonderful episode.

[@fredleonard1547]

He he, as a retired watchmaker with 55 years at the bench I have had many many hairsprings to repair. This brings back many memories. Thanks.

[@skinnystrad4241]

I’ve studied Henry Fried’s books. It’s amazing to see him and hear his voice. Thanks.

[@georgegherghinescu]

Thank you so much Fran! This stuff is gold! I've been a watchmaker for over a decade now and hairspring work is some of the toughest to get right. Modern swiss hairsprings are harder to bend accidentally than ones in older watches. The modern alloys have better elastic propreties and take more bending forces before they deform plastically. Also they are usually thicker as modern watches tic faster so usually need stiffer springs than older ones. They also get heat treated differently along the lenght of the ribbon like wire, more elasticity in some parts and more rigidity in other as it is needed.. sometimes you can see that as a yellower colour at the very exterior last part. The Hairspring has a major role in the precision of the watch because it is part of the mechanical oscillator assembly that determins timing. That assembly (Balance wheel and hairspring) is carefully balanced in it's static (rest position sort of) and sometimes dynamically too so if the hairspring gets bent it changes the center of mass of the entire assembly. Then all the work that goes in a quality watch is negated and the watch will have worse performance in different positions. For example a high grade watch of excelent precision like a chronometer if during a routine servicing has it's hairspring even slightly mistreated will no longer pass the chronometer certification tests and it will take a top watchmaker hours to get it back close to original spec. Latest technology in hairsprings tho makes adjusting them not possible and not needed anymore, they are made from silicium through a fotolitography technology not too different from chip manufacturing. They make perfect mathematical shapes every single time, varyable thickness to control elasticity locally and spiral geometry. They provide performance theoretically not possible with steel alloys, close to an ideal hairspring. Magnetization is not a problem anymore, bending is completely elastic until it brakes so goodbye deformation and chronometers meet specs after a watchmaker gets inside.. usually hehe. Longest post ever :)))

[@MyRetroWatches]

I will be sharing this video to all my channel and my Facebook groups as that is the best hairspring instruction video I have ever seen! thank you for posting this, what a great find!

[@johntebeau4493]

You can never know too much about hairspring issues. The untangling was a new one on me. Wristwatch hairsprings are another level of frustration though. Thanks for the show!

[@matthewmcdonald8624]

Thanks for posting. I tried to fix my tangle, but should have watched this first.This is gold.

[@grahamfp4068]

I have taken up watch repair (first few weeks) and I had a terrible accident with the hairspring of a pocket watch. It looked klike a birds nest at one stage. I was determined to do my best with correcting this and I have spent many hours. Then I saw this video and I am very proud of myself now as I have it nearly back to as original. This such a useful lesson, the other lesson - to be very careful when handling balance wheels and hairsprings! It's taken 80 years to find this intriguing hobby, I am now tackling ladies' watches Mainly just dismantling and reassembling, I need more equipment to achieve a realistic service. I used to build model aircraft (Balsa wood ones) but too short on space nowadays for that!

[@cgnicolis]

I have Mr. Fried's watch repair manual; it's nice to have a face and voice to attach to the printed word. Also nice to see an expert at work. Thanks!

[@ronniepirtlejr2606]

This is priceless fran, thank you! I just got done fixing two old windup clocks. It's a" learn as you go process" The last one was 76 years old. They both are clicking away! Now I'm working on a electronic clock. I'm having to do a lot of soldering on it. That video was really a gift of knowledge you just don't see everyday!👍🇺🇸

[@perrybucsdad]

This is an amazing video for a number of reasons. One, it is really cool to see and hear Mr Fried show how to do this. He explains it in his one book, but seeing him do it really drives home how to do it. Secondly, I love how even he, sort of did the unwinding backwards at first. It makes me feel better that although I am no where near the level of a watch repairer as Mr Fried was, even he made some mistakes too. We're all human, and he just humbly accepts it and shows what to do to fix it. I wish I would have had a chance to have met Fr Fried, but this is the next best thing. I believe he was called the dean of American watchmaking, and that is a blessing to all of us. Thank you for preserving this video.

[@sailwesterly5444]

He's really bossing those hairsprings. Respect. I'm always too timid with them.

[@cgnicolis]

Yeah, it's almost cavalier.

[@nathanlucas6465]

Thanks for posting this Fran! Just about to start on my first ever hairspring straightening. This video has been incredibly helpful

[@RestorationWatch]

Thanks Fran, you're a legend, that was unbelievably helpful and from someone who wrote one of the best books on watch repair, The Watch Repairer's Manual by Henry B. Fried. It was so great to be his 'apprentice' for 16 minutes. I watched it twice to make sure it sunk in and now feel confident I could straighten any hairspring that comes my way... with ease. 😀

[@mattwietlispach7606]

Wow! I didn't know those springs were called "hair springs." I've fought those for years. This same type of coiled spring is used in meter movements in all kinds of aircraft instruments. The "hair spring" holds the needle down and coils around the core and the outer magnet around it. Introducing a small voltage moves the needle against the pull of the "hair spring" to the desired position. This meter movement is extremely effective and works with light weight needles, pointers or warning flags. Naturally, moving something larger and heavier, like a compass card attitude sphere in a large indicator, have to rely on servo loops where gear trains and motor drivers nulled by synchro or potentiometer feedback are required. This "hair spring" is easy to see on most analog consumer electronics meters, like VU meters. Just look at the where the needle is attached and you can see the core coil and "hair spring". It is very uncommon to salvage these springs since they are much thinner than the clock spring examples the clocksmith demonstrated. Sometimes using a fine-tip dental pick can untangle a spring, but the meter movement is not made to take apart and is normally exchanged with a replacement. Sometimes the meter movement has to move a larger pointer that has a super-fragile shaft leading to the pointer. In these cases, they actually have counterweights on the rear of the movement to balance the weight on the front. Since I can't really salvage most meter movements in avionics, I simply have several of the same model indicator to cannibalize to fix another. In the "real world" of aircraft instrument repair, they would use a brand new meter movement that no doubt would have a lead-time of months and an astronomical cost for the part and the repair. But at least I finally know what that coiled spring was called. I WISH the ones I have to deal with were as big as his. Thanks Fran, I learned what a "hair spring" is called after fighting them for years.

[@goodun2974]

Another variant of the hairspring would be would be a spring like coil made of a bimetallic strip material that changes in diameter or physical position with temperature. The most obvious example being an old fashioned analog thermostat where the coil either winds a little tighter or unwinds a little bit and therefore the position of a Mercury switch mounted at the outer end of the coil tilts up or down and either activates or disconnects a furnace or air conditioning system.

[@mattwietlispach7606]

@@goodun2974 You're exactly right! I remember the old round Honeywell home thermostats with the coil and mercury. I forgot about those.

[@chrisjohnson4165]

This is such a simple and thorough explanation. Thank you!

[@steadyjumps]

I have been in watch repair for years and have viewed many videos on hairspring repair. This video has the most information on diagnosing the problem and and a formula on a proper repair. Thanks so much for posting this amazing video from the past.

[@frankowalker4662]

I could have done with this information about 20 years ago. LOL. I'm loving these films, Fran.

[@repeat_defender]

This is the kind of gem you don’t get every day! Watch repair and making are going to be lucrative again as soon as we’re hit by a CME, this information is gold. Honestly, when that crazy ish happens, I would beg to be on your team, Fran. You have a whole village worth of useful information in your head, that’s more valuable than anything else in the long run. I have some skills, but they pale in comparison. I hope I could show my worthiness.

[@AlanCanon2222]

Been loving the audio quality of these transfers, reminds me of the old Bell and Howell 16mm school projectors booming away in the classrooms of my childhood, except no projector noise! [edit: googling it, looks like those soundtracks could do 100 Hz up to 5-6 kHz., flat within 6 dB with 30-50dB SNR (limited by maximum contrast of the photographic film, for variable density process). So better than telephony/AM's 300-3000 Hz straightjacket, to be sure.]

[@Trenchbroom]

All of these need the sound of the projector for full effect. It's like watching film strips without hearing the DING to push the button to advance the strip one frame. Just not the same!

[@rockets4kids]

@@Bassotronics Many of those films were converted 20 years ago when 240p was all many people had access too. 240p is better than nothing! I agree with you about the complaints, though. They too need to realize that poor quality is better than nothing. It's like the people who complain about web pages that were written 20 years ago. Here someone took the time to document something and then you have other people complaining about how the page wasn't re-written every five years to keep up with the latest web technologies. It's no wonder that so many people stop paying to host the websites with this information. I go through my old bookmarks and it is absolutely tragic what has disappeared.

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

Read so many of Frieds books, can't believe I'm seeing the man! Thanks Fran

[@avigdonable]

Thanks Fran, today i have learned how to use the tweezers correctly if i ever have tu untangle the coily spring.

[@krisztiantkacs]

You have no idea how much it helped me! Thank You!

[@CARLiCON]

Thanks Fran, today I learned what a horologist is...it's about time!

[@kenmore01]

This is why I like my hair springs in digital form.

[@occamraiser]

pah, what heresy!

[@jonnymoka]

Hey Fran I love these old movies

[@MrAnderson4509]

love this guy, thank you Fran, his electromagnetic demonstration and what not is awesome

[@gregfeneis609]

This was a great film to watch.

[@Ianjcarroll]

Brings a whole new meaning and understanding to the expression "hair spring idea" :)

[@johnrobinson8691]

Fascinating.... You could do this Fran. I remember your pocket watch video. Never grow tired of things like this. An illness perhaps ?...

[@theonetrueanthonylong1843]

Thank you for preserving this! It is a dying art.

[@ferulebezel]

Recently the watch manufacturers have been subsidizing watchmaking schools because most of the current crop are from before the quartz crisis.

[@johnjenin3279]

Wow! That answers some of my questions. Thanks a million for sharing the vid

[@setphaser]

i could watch that all day!

[@russboden5792]

LMAO,,,reallY?

[@greyhowl]

priceless information ,thank you.

[@عبدرضاعباس-ف2ه]

tank you for this wonderful service

[@occamraiser]

Absolutely compelling :)

[@Inkreptile]

Cool to see all my hobbies on one channel 😁

[@circuitblog01]

One of the best video ever this take me back when i repair spring loaded clocks I did the same thing in fixing springs Thanks fran for posting

[@MrChief101]

Office of Career Education-- !? (Bureau of Audio Visual Instruction... !? Huh? Never heard of them!) I attended a so-called vocational High School in Manhattan in 1971 and where were these guys? Great. I wanted to be an architect... if only I'd attended Aviation High. Oh well, Apparently no one told Henry they were shooting that day-- look at those work-a-day fingernails... wow. And the neat little close-up tick marks on the work surface. Sometimes they got it, sometimes not. I love the kibitizy host (Stephen Fischer? Again, "Multi-Media Production Unit"-- ? Hunh? HS Art & Design had an Arriflex and they vowed to never take it out of the safe) who keeps inserting himself in the flow of the certified expert's narrative. Great stuff, Fran-- but I never worked on any springs this large. I always had watch hair springs that did look more like hair. I guess you have to start somewhere.

[@stephenwoods4118]

Lovely clean print, thanks Fran

[@100SteveB]

Anybody with kids that own a slinky will know this routine very well!

[@BlackWolf42-]

Heh, so true. Its become second nature, the process and thought that actually goes into fixing your slinky when its a balled up coil of spaghetti dinner.

[@sto2779]

16:43 - wow, I would never be able to correct these finiky coils, I know I got into issues like this and simply try to eyeball it but using the correct method here shown in a scientific approach is really amazing. the 90 degree method is cool.

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Very interesting. I wonder how many such craftmen are still around. I know of a few in my local area. Dave.

[@marcelo0634]

I can’t believe that a 50 years old video just saved my life! 😂

[@bwhog]

Talent!

[@robertproctor198]

Thank you

[@JDRichard]

Great video

[@bradolliver4177]

I spent several years working on meter movements from what was left of the Weston Instrument Company after they declared bankruptcy and sold to another company. It was not unusual for the more expensive meters to have tangled springs. The last employees would not help me so I had to learn on scrap meters with a Weston meter repair book. I used the same techniques as the video.

[@lobdsk]

Love this vid Fran

[@chitvillacarlos4822]

Amazing.

[@hugosantos1476]

Fascinating. I always admired the amount of skill required to do clock work.

[@astrogarage2116]

Terrific sound.

[@mikebond6328]

Excellent

[@Naderhasan]

Brilliant. Thank you so very much.

[@runelisether6256]

I really loved this one. He made it looks soooo simple but its not

[@JeffreyGroves]

I wish that as a young child that I had seen this video. It would have saved me so much grief.

[@joedatuknow]

Thanks fran learned something so was great video

[@kevintanumihardja3881]

Genius methods!! Especially with breguet since before, I thought correcting the overcoil requires s special tweezers.

[@videomentaryproductionschannel]

Very good Video Fran, often wonder how you can sort out damage Hairsprings

[@jeffreyshier9021]

If KZbin would have been around when I was growing up, in the 60s and 70s, I would have been a lot smarter today.😉

[@frankverhoeven8027]

Now, I also want to make my living untangling hairsprings.

[@matildabryant8398]

I enjoyed this video way too much.

[@bostedtap8399]

I managed to untangle one on my Avo mk8 electrical meter, after it got tangled during shipping. Thanks Fran.

[@fnordhorn]

Fran, have you ever found videos from Bulova School of Watchmaking. My father was in 1st graduating class. The reason I ask is he could be in the videos.

[@alpcns]

Talk about precision... that's why I love mechanical timepieces.

[@chartle1]

Anyone else recall doing this to untangle handset cords on phones.

[@panosvrionis8548]

Correct the hairspring????😳 Correct 🙄🙄🙄🙄.... This isn't watch repair..... Its the Shining😂😂😂😂😂 ...... I've corrected them.....👻👻👻👻 Thank you for the video Fran 💟💟👍

[@russboden5792]

hang around with Henry for a day , and blow your Brains ouT!

[@chartle1]

Will this be a series? 🙏

[@ElectronsNeeded]

this has been very useful i have a travel clock with a damaged hairspring might be able to fix it now :) ( i also no im an imposter but your playlist showed the unlisted video )

[@ferulebezel]

Two questions. 1) How do they get bent other that someone opening the case and bending them? 2) Is it really worth the time and effort to unbend them instead of just replacing them?

[@adrianbirkett594]

Great video!, hairspring s are a nightmare! 👍

[@weerobot]

Cool..

[@johannesdesloper8434]

Cool..recently I had one jumping out of a starter of a 2 stroken generator... woah..gaven me serious trouble and grease all over to get it back.

[@achecase]

Great showing. I'm not allowed to touch these type springs.

[@aldimmett]

This made it so simple..halleluYah

[@KeritechElectronics]

Might come in handy for magnetoelectric meter repairs :)

[@goodun2974]

Although I have never tried to adjust or repair a bent or malfunctioning coil Spring on any kind of electrical or electronic meter such as a Voltmeter or ammeter or tube tester meter, I have cleaned gunk and corrosion products out of the magnetic gap on several meters. Old time technicians used to do this with pieces of masking tape but that always curls up a little too easily for my taste. I prefer to use strips of the adhesive side of a sticky-note or post-it note because it doesn't curl up as easily as tape does and it's a little stiffer and easier to work with.Cut off a dozen or so skinny strips of the stickynote paper in advance and stick them onto toothpicks with a dab of glue,, to form a convenient and especially non-magnetic handle or grip. Never use magnetic tools such as hemostats or needle nose or a metal screwdriver anywhere near that magnet! At some point the magnetic force will grab your tool and pull it through the spring or the coil mechanism in the course of trying to get to the magnet!

[@MasterControl90original]

I felt old in the moment I realized I spent 16 mins watching a guy bending springs

[@AlanCanon2222]

Think how much older we are now, after watching it!

[@Dark_eVader]

@@AlanCanon2222 ... and how much older we are reading and replying to comments such as this. :)

[@drivers99]

I got into a watch repair rabbit hole last year, on youtube and watching people doing watch repairs on twitch. I never saw this information though. I saw that there can be a problem if the hair spring becomes magnetized (it will run fast because it sticks to itself) and you have to demagnetize it.

[@sixtoes2313]

Who was the first person to figure the bent spot was 90 degrees from the high point.

[@ryandrew8075]

This seems like another one of those lost arts from years past, neat stuff though

[@andylindsaytunes]

I bet this film is what inspired Egon to straighten his Slinky when he was a kid.

[@SlightlyNasty]

I've had to manually manipulate a wristwatch hairspring once, there's nothing quite like feeling a sneeze coming on and trying to rapidly extricate your tweezers before the apocalypse hits.

[@thisoldminer]

Cool. :)

[@chartle1]

Wow I never thought it was hair spring unentrangling. I would have thought the main practical problem would have been escapement adjustment. The more you know. 😉

[@MegaBakerdude]

Hair spring repair made easy *DING*

[@gigteevee6118]

Getting broken Slinky flashbacks 🌀😳

[@realcygnus]

Old school is thE foundation.👍

[@jmikronis7376]

Is there a need for this service? In the timekeeping industry, it’s all done with silicon time base crystals, then synced up with cell signals to a master clock going to cell phones.

[@johnbickford9221]

I wonder if this first technique would work with untangling slinky toys.

[@russboden5792]

KaBooM!....... DiGiTaL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rene0]

Anyone else has Pink Floyd flashing in their brain at the intro, getting mildly disturbed that some dude starts talking instead of song playing, deciding to queue this for later and searching youtube for the Floyd song?

[@michaels840]

Similar to untangling a slinky.

[@Guggel1966]

WTF, what a skill... This is not taught these days....

[@ethorii]

I sometimes tangle hairsprings that are the width of a BB, or maybe 4mm across. Getting them untangled, especially if the metal is soft, is the stuff of nightmares. I don't think I like this method he uses of moving the tangled spot up the hairspring by turning the bridge. It looks bad and the spring gets hung up on the screws. Just remove the complete balance from the bridge and take a clean oiler and move the tangle towards the stud that way.

[@Mike500912]

Thank goodness for 32.768khz crystals 😀

[@kenhukushi1637]

it's 1974, Quartz watches are hitting the market, Hair Spring Straightening would be completely useless very soon.

[@RolandElliottFirstG]

I think I will throw out the Hair springs that are bend or twisted and add a digital display ,metre or guage.

[@russboden5792]

@ 3 minutes ... ShoOT mE NoW !!!

[@eclexian]

Did anyone else think the watchmaker talks like Bugs Bunny?