The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-31
A SPRING IN A WATCH
AN IMPORTANT BIT OF STEEL THAT
FREQUENTLY BREAKS.


of Weather Arc Dangerous to Thes,
Uncertain Pieces of sfeshanism--Main
springs I'm Expensive Watches.
"Mainsprings are very much like PEG
pie" said a Broadway matchmaker the
other day. "They are as susceptible tx
extreme degrees Of heat and cold a.
human beings. When the Thermometer
lis lowering around the freezing point OF
dancing away up in the nineties the lit
tie handspring will give up in disgust
and uncoil itself and die, just as mer
succumb to freezing or sunstroke."
This uncertain piece of mechanism 1,
supposed to be adjusted to meet til,
various degrees Of temperature, but
when the change is very great and
comes with short notice there is nothing
that can prevent them from swapping
They are made IN Switzerland Of til,
very finest quality of steel, absolutely
hawless. Very often the matchmaker
can detect a bad spring before putting
it i'll the watch, either by its color OF
the softness of its spring. These havt
been too highly tempered in the making
and instead of being subjected to merel,
u red heat the fire has been brought Il
white heat, thus weakening the strength
of the metal. The finest watches that are
handled by reliable dealers are pui
through cooking and freezing" proc
ess before they are sold, for the purpose
Of testing their reliability in all temper
atures.
The watch is first placed in littlt
metal box, which is made alright
Then strong gas flame is turned OF
the under surface of the box and is KEEP
there for two or three hours, so that til,
watch is so hot at the end of that tim,
that it could not be touched with til,
bare hand. From this it is immedi
ately taken and put into another me
tallic box which is buried in ice. Their,
the costly watch is allowed TO freezt
for an equal length of time, when it,
torture ceases and the examination is
made. If during this excessive test tht
watch appears to have licked merrill,
on without deviating fractional par
of second it is placed back in the cas-
and marked guaranteed for two years.
The handspring is the first piece o
mechanism that succumbs to the test
If it survives nothing else need be feared
Mainsprings are, however, about tn,
only part of u watch that the jewelei
cannot successfully diagnose. They car
guarantee any of the nuInberless littl,
wheels or pivots or balances that go t.
make up the anatomy of the watch, bu
the handspring has as yet baflied til,
most skilled makers of watches of al
countries. 1t is not SO much the sever,
extremes of the weather that prove fata
to the spring us it is the process o
changing from hot to cold, or vice versA
Like the human frame, if the ribbonili
little coil of steel can Withstand the ef
fects OF this change it may be considere,
proof against breaking when the chang
to normal weather comes.
Many people who have been possessor
, of new watches but n short time com
into the dealers with blood in their eyes
declaring that they have paid AN cnor
nous price for the timepiece and tn
, handspring has broken after only
weeks use.
That is nothing, remarked the jewel
or. 1--WE have them snap in our cas-
before the watch has ever been show
for sale" Others imagine that the
might have wound tile watch too tight
, but this does not harm it. 1t is rathe
the jerlly, hurried winding that vii
eventually tell on the temper of tn
metal. Every good stem winder has
stop placed in the stem, which prevent
the winding too tight.
d Damn NUantlar hoe aEp.1I -
! mainsprings, and in England they d
i not as rule last as long us in this eoul
try. A severe thunder and lightnin
storm also frequently proves disastrou
/. to the durability Of tho spring. A deale
, who took in seYenty-niue watches OH o.;
! day said that ono summer on day in
madiately following terrific electric;
q storm there We're twenty-one watch,
a brought into his store within live hon
: for new mainsprings. The cost of ne
handspring is the small part of maxim
such repair. 1t is the putting them il
q the labor expended, that costs. It COS
h from twelve 10 fifteen dollars to put
!. handspring i'll the Jurgensen watch III
il little less in Patek Philippe, viii
ii in a cheaper American make it ma
ii cost only fifty cents or dollar.
A man purchased a $500 Jurgens,
from a leading dealer several years ag
and shortly after he left for a to-
around the world. He was gone yea
N and when lie returned he went back
4 the dealer with his watch and co,
planned: Heres watch | paid V,
$500 for year ago, and while | W
s: travelling abroad it lost two minute
O You guaranteed it, aud want YOU
q make it good The watch was plac
in the window with this card
side it:
II This watch lost only two minutes
q a year in trip around the world Phi
n. $500" 1t sold within an hour.
+ 1t is said that one bar of iron costil
g 50 will produce $3.50. 900 worth of mai
:. springs.
' Some springs are made in this count
W by the manufacturers of cheap watch,
Il These springs are several feet long al
take nearly two minutes to wind up.
; New York World.
His Excuse.
'S Patient-Great Scott, doctor, tina
n frightful bill you've presented.
, Doctor with dignity)-Not so larg
es cir, when you come to think that it