American PW This waltham traveler is driving me nuts

[chaplin37]

Ok, so I still can't figure out the problem or problems with this waltham traveler that I got several months ago. I have cleaned it, I have oiled it, I have replaced the mainspring, I have replaced the hairspring and it still is giving me the same problem. The problem is that the only way the balance will start to move is if i move it and when it moves it runs really slow for possible a minute and then it stops. I have truined, poised, and demagnetized the balance and it still is giving me the same problems. The balance is not rubbing up against anything either. I at the end of my rope with this thing.

 

[Harvey Mintz]

Sounds like you're losing power somewhere in the train. Remove the balance and try observing he pallet fork when you touch it (gently) on the side. if it doesn't snap briskly over to the other banking pin, the you're not getting good power transmission through train. Observe this for both directions of pallet fork motion.

Of course, if this is he problem you'll then have to figure out why you're not getting good power, but that's for later - first find out if you're actually losing power!

 

[doug sinclair]

I have run into these Travelers that were the 1899 or 1908 models with 7 jewels! If this is the case with yours, you might have worn bushings. If it is a 15 or 17 jewel model, did you remove the cap jewels and peg all the jewel holes? At times the pivots and pinions have to be poked into pith wood to get the grunge off them. Does the watch behave the same way both face up and face down? If it performs well one way but not the other, you likely have a damaged balance pivot which binds in the hole jewel.

 

[sderek]

Another possible issues is endshake. Is there any endshake in the balance? It should move up and down slightly.

 

[Dave Haynes]

Cracked or rough jewels can also slow things down. Endshake is where I'd look as well, no telling where or who made the staff if you have not changed it. It is not uncommon to have a dial washer or some other shim under a balance bridge. Bent pallet arbor?

 

[chaplin37]

I figured it out everyone it was the pallet fork, I switched it out with the exact same waltham traveler that I bought just for parts to fix this one. Now a new problem has come up that wasnt happening before. The mainspring is slipping and its not slipping from the arbor but from the piece it attaches to on the barrel(the mainspring isn't a t end mainspring, its the other kind). I bought a new mainspring a couple of weeks ago, everything was working fine with it until today. I had to remove the mainspring from the barrel a number of times and at first it wasnt happening but after the 4th time it started to slip. I tried installing it into the other barrel that I have and the same thing happened, so I installed the old mainspring and I was having the same problem with the old mainspring. My question is since I removed the mainspring a number of times today did I weaken it and thats the reason for the slipping? Thanks everyone.

 

[doug sinclair]

These barrel/mainspring units can be a problem. The problem with aftermarket mainsprings is that the material in the spring is little bit thicker and heavier than the hole in the original spring, and the eye is not as well formed as original material. What I have to do is to take a very fine tapered file and chamfer the outer end of the eye from the inside to present a chisel edge which when it comes around and interfaces with the hook on the barrel, it will grab the hook.