Original Ansonia Loop End Mainspring

[toscanob]

Does anybody know the original way the Ansonia Loop End mainspring were made? I saw there are three models:

1) the loop is made by a litle piece of blade, and then attached by a rivet;

2) the loop is made by the same blade of the main spring, and attached by a rivet; and

3) the loop is made by a long piece of the blade, and no rivet is used.

What is the original way?

 

[Mike Phelan]

My Ansonia has the third way; though I've had it for many years, I don't really know if it's original.
It certainly is the best way if you need to replace it without too much dismantling.

 

[shutterbug]

I'm not sure either, but suspect that all three methods were used at one time or another. Spring s were likely not made at the manufacturing factory, and were probably purchased from a third party.

 

[Willie X]

It would be most unusual to see the 3rd type spring in any full size movement. They were most often used in small movements like alarm clocks.

I'm curious about the 'why'.

When replacing a spring, the main things to consider are the dimensions and above all, the suspected quality. I used the word "suspected" because today all new springs are suspect. I understand things are different in different parts of the world though, varying from new springs are wonderful, to no springs available at all.

Willie X

 

[Jim Hartog]

Hello,

I'm going to add a type to the three presented in the first post. This style I only find in old American clocks but I don't know if Ansonia used them. The loop end is coiled onto itself for a couple of turns. The spring itself is not smooth like modern ones. Quite rough, in fact, and one wonders how the coils were able to slide past each other efficiently. Maybe that's why these clocks were over-powered and modern replacement springs don't have to be as thick to run the trains.

Jim