The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-10-01
JOB PRINTING
A SPRING In A WATCH
AN IMPORTANT BIT OF STEEL THAT
FREQUENTLY BREAKS.

watchmakors Say That Sudden Changes
of Weather Are Dangerous TO These
Uncertain Pieces Of nIochanism--Main-
springs In Expensive Watches.
"Mainsprings arc very much like peo-
pie" said Broadway matchmaker the
other day. "They are as susceptible to
extreme degrees of heat and cold rs
human beings. When the thermometer
is lowering around the freezing point or
dancing away up in the nineties the lit
tie handspring will give up in disgust
and uncoil itself and die, just as men
succumb to freezing or sunstroke."
This uncertain piece of mechanism Is
supposed to be adjusted to meet the
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 the
very finest quality Of steel, absolutely
fawless. Very often the matchmaker
can detect bad spring before putting
it in the watch, either by its color OF
the softness of its spring. These have
been too highly tempered in the making,
and instead of being subjected to merely
a red heat the fire has been brought to
white heat, thus weakening the strength
Of the metal. The finest watches that are
handled by reliable dealers are put
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 a little
metal box, which is made alright
Then a strong gas fame is turned on
the under surface Of the box and is kept
there for two or three hours, so that the
watch is so hot at the end of that time
that it could not be touched with the
bare hand. From this it is immedi-
ately taken and put into another me.
tallic box which is buried in ice. There
the costly watch is allowed to freeze
for an equal length of time, when its
torture ceases and the examination is
made. If during this excessive test the
watch appears to have licked merrily
on without deviating fractional part
| of a second it is placed back in the case
and marked guaranteed for two years. "
The handspring is the first piece of
mechanism that succumbs to the test
fit survives nothing else need be feared.
Mainsprings are, however, about the
| only part of a watch that the jeweler
cannot successfully diagnose. They can
| guarantee any Of the numberless little
wheels or pivots or balances that go to
make up the anatomy of the watch, but
the handspring has as yet baffled the
most skilled makers of watches of all
countries. 1t is not so much Nhe severe
extremes of the weather that prove fatal
to the spring as it is the process Of
changing from hot to cold, or vice versa
Like the human frame, if the ribbonlike
little coil of steel can Withstand the ef.
fects of this change it may be considered
proof against breaking when the change
to normal weather comes.
Many people who have been possessors
Of new watches but short time come
into the dealers with blood in their eyes,
declaring that they have paid an enor,
nous price for the tinepiece and the
handspring has broken after only 9
weeks use.
THAT is nothing, remarked the jewel
er. eve have them snap in our case
before the watch has ever been shown
for sale" Others imagine that they
might have wound the watch too tight
but this does not harm it. 1t is rather
the jerky, 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.
Damp weather has an i'll effect o.
mainsplings, and in England they dt
not as a rule last as long as in this coun
try. A severe thunder and lightning
storm also frequently proves disastrous
to the durability of the spring. Adenlel
who took in seventy-nine watches on on,
day said that one summer ON day i'm
mediately following a terrific electrical
storm there were twenty-one watche
brought into his store within five hour
for new mainsprings, The cost Of a new
handspring is the small part of making
: such repair, 1t is the putting them in
the labor expended, that costs. 1t cost
from twelve to fifteen dollars to put
LhdlhoIA Ah6 III AAo IA SSlbGh NalNh dli'
, a little less in a Patek Philippe, Will
in a cheaper American make it ma!
l cost only fifty cents or a dollar.
A man purchased $500 Jurgensel
, from leading dealer several years age
) and shortly after he left for tou
; around the world He was gone year
= and when he returned he went back Z
I the dealer with his watch and CON
3 planned: Here's a watch l paid yo
$500 for a year ago, and while wa
G travelling abroad it lost two minutes
+ You guaranteed it, and l want you I
+ make it good" The watch was place
9 in the window with this card bC
side it:
"This watch lost only two minutes /
year in a trip around the world. Pric
y $780," It sold within an hour
t It is said that one bar Of iron costin
: s. will produce $3.50, 600 worth of maiI
5 springs.
y Some springs are made in this countr
k by the manufacturers Of cheap watches
IS These springs are several feet long an
g take nearly two minutes to wind up