Hairspring making tool

[garyg]

Estate find from long time member. It was mentioned it a
Was used to make hairsprings.
Comments?
Thank you

 

[sharukh]

Possible but probably not; also most likely over engineered.

Look in Gazeley or Saunier. I think even Archie Perkins has made a mention. All you need is former which is basically two plates with one of them having a disc shaped cutout milled with 3 or 4 "outlets" in the periphery and both having a central coaxial hole. Visualise something like a simple watch mainspring winder. The central arbor will have slits to anchor one end of the hairspring material and then it is rotated to form the hair spring coils. Usually 3 or 4 hairsprings are made at a time in one of these.

This is preceded by drawing the wire and then followed by heat treatment.

I'm sure I have over simplified the process but that is the gist.

Take a look at this video. The process and tool is at 0.40s onward.

Sharukh

 

[JTD]

I think garyg was asking what his machine is.

JTD

 

[Dushan Grujich]

Possible but probably not; also most likely over engineered.

G'Day!

Sharukh, I tend to agree with You.

Here are several images of the actual tool that was used to produce suitable hairsprings using process as described by Charles T. Higginbotham in his book "Precision Time Measures their Construction and Repair" published in Chicago in 1913.



It didn't work out as expected at first, only third iteration was a success in producing usable hairsprings, Lady Fortuna provided the opportunity for acquiring wire of correct steel alloy for the making of the hairsprings.

Cheers, Dushan