Mainspring Barrel Inspection, Repair and polishing for a Hamilton 917

In this video, I show you how to repair the mainspring barrel, including the inspection process.
I also show you two different methods you can use to polish the mainspring arbor as well as polishing the mainspring barrel pivot holes and pivots holes in the main-plate and mainspring barrel bridge.

When servicing any mechanical watch, the first point of inspection should be the mainspring barrel. The mainspring barrel provide not only the power for the power train of the watch, it also provides the power for the dial train.

The first step in repairing the mainspring barrel is the inspection the teeth on the mainspring barrel drum. After the mainspring barrel teeth and arbor have been inspected, the end-shake and side-shake of the mainspring barrel are inspected. If a repair to the mainspring barrel is necessary, this is done first followed by the polishing of the arbor and mainspring barrel pivot holes.

Once the mainspring barrel has been inspected, the barrel is assembled and installed between the bridges and the end-shake and side-shake are inspected again. One of the most common issues with servicing a vintage watch that does not have jewels for the mainspring barrel is wear at the pivot holes. This wear must be corrected for maximum and stable amplitude.

When you are servicing a mechanical watch, having an accurate rate is directly tied to the available amplitude at the escapement. When servicing vintage watches, there is almost always going to be wear at the friction points, like the barrel arbor and pivots holes, that need to be corrected.
Reducing the friction at the barrel will help you achieve the maximum available power to the watch escapement


💥TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Parts to be inspected
0:26 Inspecting the Barrel Teeth
2:03 Inspecting the Arbor
2:37 Two Ways to Polish the Arbor and Pivot Holes
7:17 Checking the barrel for End and Side-Shake
8:07 Correcting End-Shake in Mainspring Barrel
10:30 Checking End and Side-Shake with the Barrel in the Plates
11:20 Repairing Mainspring Barrel Side Shake in the Plates

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