Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-09-29
DELICATE MAiNSPRlNGS.
Very Quick to Feel the Effects OF
Heat and Cold.


"Mainsprings are very much like peo-
pie" remarked New York watch
maker recently to writer for the
Washington Star. They are as sus'
ceptible to extremes of heat and cold
as human beings. When the thermom-
eter is lowering around the freezing
point or dancing away up in the 9os
the sensitive little handspring will sue
cumb just as easily to freezing or sun
stroke as man.
During the hot weather of the past
month | have received over 400 watches
which needed similar repairs. You
see, this uncertain piece of mechanism
is supposed to be adjusted to meet the
various degrees of temperature, but
when the changes are great and come
suddenly there is nothing that can pre-
vent them from swapping. Many are
made in Switzerland of the very finest
quality of steel, absolutely fiawless.
Very often the matchmaker can detect
a bad spring before putting it in a
watch either by its color or the softness
of its spring. These have been too
tightly tempered in making, and In
stead of being subjected merely to
red heat the fire has been brought to
white heat, thus weakening the
strength of the metal.
1.-The finest watches that are handled
by reliable dealers in the United States
are put through cooking and freeA-
ing process before they are sold. Tor
the purpose of testing their reliability
in all temperatures. The watch Is first
placed in little metal box, which Is
made air tight. Then strong gas
fame Is turned on the under surface
of the box, and Is kept there for one or
two hours, so that the watch Is so hot
at the end of that time that it could
not be touched with the bare hands.
From this 1t is Immediately taken
and put into another metallic boy,
which is buried in a vessel containing
ice. There the costly watch is allowed
to freeze for an equal length Of time,
when it's treatment ceases, and the ex-
animation is made If during this ex-
cessive test the watch has licked mer-
rily on without deviating fractional
part of a second, it is put back In the
case and marked guaranteed for two
years The handspring is the first
piece of mechanism that succumbs to
the test. If it survives nothing need
6e feared.
"AIainsprings are. however, about
the only part of a watcn that Il jew oler
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
baff1ed the most skillful makers of
watches of all countries. 1t is not so
much the severe extremes of the
weather that prove fatal to the spring
as it is the process of changing from
heat to cold or vice versa.
MANY people who have been the pos
SCISSORS of new watches but a short
time often come to me much annoyed,
declaring that they have paid a large
price for their timepieces, and the
handspring has broken after only a
weeks use.
" THAT is nothing | tell them. We
jewelers. have them snap In our cases
before the watch has even been shown
for sale Others imagine that they
might have wound their watches too
tight, but this does not harm it. 1t Is
rather the jerky, hurried winding that
will eventually tell on the temper of
the metal. Besides, every good stem
winder has stop placed in the stem
which prevents the winding of watch
too tight
THE cost of new handspring Is
small. 1t Is the putting them in the
labor expended that costs. 1t costs
from $12 to SIS to put a handspring
in the finest Swiss watch, while in Il
cheap American make It costs only 80
cents to 81.
a gentleman purchased $3.50
watch from me about year ago, and
shortly after he left New York on a
tour around the world. He returned
about three weeks ago, brought his
watch back to me and paid me this
compliment: Here's a watch said he,
that paid you $3.50 for a year ago,
and while l was travelling around it
lost three minutes. You guaranteed
1t and l want you to make 1t good The
watch was placed in my window with
this card beside It:
This watch lost only three minutes
In year in tour around the world.
Price, $275.'"
Did you sell it," 4.a. .
Yes, within two days"