The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-09-26
A SPRING IN A WATCH
AN IMPORTANT BIT OF STEEL THAT
FREQUENTLY BREAKS.

VI eat hAO
Uncertain Pieces of Mechanism-Main-
springs I'm Expensive Watches.
"Mainsprings are very much like peo-
pie" said a Broadway matchmaker the
other day. They are as susceptible to
extrame degrees of heat and cold as
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
fawlcss. Very often the matchmaker
can detect a bad spring before putting
it in the watch, either by its color or
the ~sOftnes5 Of its spring. These have
been too highly tempered in the making,
aud instead Of being subjected to merely
a red neat 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 Il cooking and freezing" proc
ess before they are sold, for the purpose
of testing their reliability in all temper
aturcs.
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-
atcly 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 a fractional part
Of Il 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.
iii survives nothing else need be feared.
Mainsprings are, however, about the
only part Of q 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 baffied the
most skilled makers of watches Of all
countries. 1t is not so much the severe
extremes Of the weather that prove fatal
10 tie spring rs 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 eff
fects of this change it may be considered
proof against breaking when the change
to normal weather comes.
Many people who nave been posscssOrs
OF new watches bat a short time come
into tho dealers with blood in their eyes,
declaring that they have paid an enor-
nous price for the t%imepiece and the
handspring has broken after only a
weeks use.
THAT Is nothing, remarked the jewel
cr. eve have them snap in cur case
before the watch hes ever been shown
for sale" Others imagine that they
might lave wound the watch too tight
but this does not harm it. 1t is rather
the i,rkv hr,r~ioI vinIirr that Vii
evep,,aliv ;cu on t,a ,o,E,.r - 49,
moral rver, .,,nI s,o,, s"o
sion plared in me sta,, Trhi.Il -.
the winding too .iobt
Damn weather ha. -, III .@.o
maiusuli,ys a,.d IN r,,o,.r1 To. ~
NOT IS - ri, lo.+ ~ I,-,~' =. =, ~. w
NV. \ severe tbr,,lrr n,I Iiabtu;n,
stnrr, .Iso frr~,,,nu+Iv ,roroS Hsn,AI
TO ia, d~,r,lii+r ,f .En .,rinr 49,
v,Lotnok IN ov,rr..r mo v..+rr,aa
aev sail th.t n,n ,,u,aar ao 1"
maGiatelv ~foIloyiur y terrific oloctrion1
storm there were twentv-ona wa+cbos
brought into his store within five bonn.
for new m~.iuspriuqs The cost of q new
,,,;..:.- Il