Hi,
I have a Waltham model 1883 (s/n 7905813 from approx 1896, PS Bartlett 17j), crown wind and lever set. Hand setting wasn't smooth, feeling like some teeth somewhere in the mechanism weren't engaging properly. This is the first lever-set Waltham I've explored, but for the first time in a long time I didn't take pictures before and during disassembly (not that this would have helped much as the wheel that engages with the minute wheel in setting mode has an anchored spring underneath it and the wheel flew out of the mechanism when I released the bar that holds the wheels in place). I believe I have all the components, but I'm struggling to re-assemble it and would welcome some advice.
The first two pictures below show the wheels and the bar which holds the assembly in place. In the first picture, the smallest wheel on the left is the one that engages with the minute wheel. The last three pictures show the recesses in the plate that the wheels sit in. The recess for this smallest wheel has a steel spring feeding into it, the end of which is pointing upwards at an angle of about 70 degrees. It's purpose seems to be to push the small wheel up to engage with the minute wheel and the central wheel of the mechanism - without it the small wheel would sit below the level of the two either side of it and the teeth wouldn't engage.
My problem is that however I try to re-assemble the mechanism, when I place the small wheel on its peg, the tip of the spring pops up between the teeth of the wheel.
Either there is simply a knack to doing this that I don't have, or possibly there was a washer between the small wheel and the end of the spring (effectively blanking off the teeth from the underside so that the spring tip can't poke through). Everything else on the plate is as it was when I removed the dial - I've not removed the lever or the steel springs.
Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, as would any pointer to a component-level diagram of this particular mechanism.
Thanks ... Andy
I have a Waltham model 1883 (s/n 7905813 from approx 1896, PS Bartlett 17j), crown wind and lever set. Hand setting wasn't smooth, feeling like some teeth somewhere in the mechanism weren't engaging properly. This is the first lever-set Waltham I've explored, but for the first time in a long time I didn't take pictures before and during disassembly (not that this would have helped much as the wheel that engages with the minute wheel in setting mode has an anchored spring underneath it and the wheel flew out of the mechanism when I released the bar that holds the wheels in place). I believe I have all the components, but I'm struggling to re-assemble it and would welcome some advice.
The first two pictures below show the wheels and the bar which holds the assembly in place. In the first picture, the smallest wheel on the left is the one that engages with the minute wheel. The last three pictures show the recesses in the plate that the wheels sit in. The recess for this smallest wheel has a steel spring feeding into it, the end of which is pointing upwards at an angle of about 70 degrees. It's purpose seems to be to push the small wheel up to engage with the minute wheel and the central wheel of the mechanism - without it the small wheel would sit below the level of the two either side of it and the teeth wouldn't engage.
My problem is that however I try to re-assemble the mechanism, when I place the small wheel on its peg, the tip of the spring pops up between the teeth of the wheel.
Either there is simply a knack to doing this that I don't have, or possibly there was a washer between the small wheel and the end of the spring (effectively blanking off the teeth from the underside so that the spring tip can't poke through). Everything else on the plate is as it was when I removed the dial - I've not removed the lever or the steel springs.
Any help, suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated, as would any pointer to a component-level diagram of this particular mechanism.
Thanks ... Andy
