The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-10-09
DELICATE lLAINSPRINGS,
QUICK TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF
HEAT AND COLD,

30 Sensitive That They VIII Succum
Gust as Easily to Freezing or Sunstrok
as Will y Man - Costs $50 to Put
NIainspring in Fine Swiss Watches
"Alainsprings are very much lik
people, remarked New York watch
maker recently to a writer for tn
Star. "They are as susceptible to OK
trenes OF heat and cold as human be
!nss. When the thermometer is hover
ing around the freezing point or dane
ing away up in the nineties the sensi
1--WE little handspring will succuml
just as easily to freezing OF sunstroke
as man.
During the hot weather of the pas,
month l have received over four hun.
ured watches which required new
ma,nsprinss, aud other jewelers. have
had as many or more timepieces which
needed similar repairs. You see, this
uncertain piece Of mechanism is SUP.
posed to be adjusted to meet the yari.
GUS degrees Of temperature, but when
the changes are great and come sud.
denly c, there is nothing that can prevent
them from swapping. Many are made
il Switzerland Of the very finest quail
lty OF steel, absolutely fawless. Very
often the matchmaker can detect q bad
spring before putting it in a watch
either by its color or the softness of
its spring. These have been too tight
~ tempered in making, and instead of
being subjected merely to 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 in the United States
ore put through cooking and freez-
ing process before they are sold, for
the purpose of testing their reliability
in all temperatures. The watch is first
placed in little metal box, which is
made air tight. Then a strong gas
flame 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 it is Immediately taken
and put into another metallic box
which is buried in vessel containing
ice: There the costly watch is allowed
to freeze for an equal length of time.
when its treatment ceases, and the ex-
animation is made. If during this ex-
cessive test the watch has licked mer-
rlly on without deviating fractional
part Of q 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
be feared.
"Mainsprings are, however, about
'he only part of watch that jeweler
cannot successfully diagnose. They
IAN guarantee any Of the numberless
title wheels or pivots or balances that
30 to make up the anatomy Of the
watch, but the handspring has as vet
oat11ed the most skillful makers of
watches of all countries. It is not 80
much the severe extremes of the
weather. that prove fatal to the spring
IS it is the process of changing from
leat to cold, or vice versa.
MANY people who have been the !
)osseBsors of new watches but short
ime often come to me much ANNOYED,
declaring that they have paid q large
rice for their timepieces, and the
handspring has broken after only g
weeks use.
THAT is nothing,'I tell them,
We jewelers. have them snap in our
asses before the watch has even been
hown for SALE Others imagine that
hey might have wound their watches
90 tight, but this does not harm it.
t IS rather the jerky, hurried wind
ng that will eventually tell on the
emper Of the metal. Besides, every
God stem winder has stop placed in
he stem that prevents the winding of
watch too tight.
"The cost of new handspring is
mall. It is the putting them in. the
'bor expended, that costs. It costs
ON $l2 to SIS to put handspring in
1e finest Swiss watch, while in a
heap American make it costs only
ON fifty cents to 81.
"a gentleman purchased a $3.50
atch from me about q year ago and
1ortly after he left New York on a
'ur around the world He returned f,
bout three weeks ago, brought his
atch back to me and paid me this
Here's watch said
g, that I paid you $3.50 for q year {
80, and while I was travelling around i
lost three minutes. You guaranteed {
and want you to make it good.' 6
he watch was placed in my window {
it'll this card beside it:
I" This watch lost only three min
les in year in q tour around the
orld. Price, $685."
"Did you sell it?" r
Eyes, within two days. Washing I
n Star. q