Damage to winding arbors with OB "type" clock spring winders?

[Betzel]

Hi all,

Just put some springs back in and noticed after all my work polishing the arbor pivots, the steel cone end of the Ollie Baker "style" centering taper mangled the ends of one of my arbors at the far (not square) end. It was not mechanically fatal, and not good looking, but I managed to burnish it back out. Have any of you had this experience? If no, this may be a head's up to be careful with it.

Apologies if I am late to the game here and I really like the tool, but I was not happy. This is a French 19th century round movement, and these arbors were apparently not as hard as previous ones I've done. I think I'm going to have to replace that provided steel cone with something in nylon to hold the front end more safely.

 

[StorminMike]

I haven't had this issue myself but I have noticed on Tommy Jobson's YouTube channel that he replaced that steel cone with a brass one to avoid exactly this problem.

 

[Betzel]

Brass is maybe a better idea. Thanks!

 

[wow]

I’ve been using an Ollie Baker for years and never had that happen. Maybe the center tool is too tight on the arbor end? The winding (square) end stabilizes the arbor pretty well so it is not necessary to put it in a bind. Could that be what is happening?

 

[Betzel]

Don't think so, but thanks just the same. It's just the first soft ended arbor I've used in this tool's centering pin. The others were all fine. I mostly service smaller clocks from the 19th century, and the newer I get the more I find ways folks saved money over earlier versions.

I think a nylon insert makes sense, for me, and for these circumstances. I like it tight enough to have no worries of slipping out, but not smashing up the arbor end, etc.

 

[the 3rd dwarve]

Betzel,

I would recommend using an acetal resin like Delron for that application. You can buy it in rod form so it will be easy to turn a cone.

D`