Evening star., 1897-07-31
DELICATE MAINsPRINGS.
Very Quick to Feel the Effects of Heat
md Cold.


"Maiasprings are very much like peo-
ple," remarked a New York watch maker
recently to u writer for The Star. 'They
are susceptible 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 nineties the SEN
sitive little handspring will succumb just
as easily to freezing or sunstroke as man.
During the rot weather of the past
month 1 have received over four hundred
watches which required new mainsprings,
ard other jewellers have had as many or
more tinlepieces which needed similar re-
pairs. 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 prevent
them from swapping. Many are made in
Switzerland of the very finest quality of
steel, absolutely f!awless. Very often the
matchmaker can detect a bad spring be-
fore putting it in a watch either by its
color or the softness of its spring These
have been too tightly tempered in making
and instead of being subjected merely to a
red heat the fire has been brought to whit e
heat. thus weakening the strength of the
metal.
The finest watches that are handled by
reliable dealers in the United States Gre
put through a cooking and freezing pro-
cess before they sold. for the purpose
Of testing their reliability in all temaera-
lures. The watch is first placed in little
metal box. which is Eade air tight. Then
a strong gas flame is turned on the under
surface of the box. and is kept there for
ore or two hours. that the watch is so
hot az 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 box. 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 examination is made If
during this excessive test the watch has
licked merrily on without deviating a
fractional part of a second. it is put back
in the case and marked guaranteed for two
years The handspring Is the first piec.
of mechanism that succumbs to the test
II it survives nothing need be feared
Malnsprlngs are, however, about the
Chiy part of watch that a jeweler can
not successfully diagnose. They can guar
antee any of the numberless little wheels
or pivots or balances that go to make IN
the anatomy of the watch, but tht. main
spring has as yet baffied the most shillful
makers OF watches of all countries. 1t is
not SO much the severe extremes of the
weather that prove fatal to the spring as
1t is the process of changing from heat to
cold. or vice versa.
Many people who have been the nos.
Sc: sors of new watches but a short time
often come to me much annoyed, declaring
that they have paid large price for their
''.,A' P'SNe', eio ttiS mas broken
after only weeks use.
That is nothing l tell them. W.,
Jewelers. have them snap In our cases be-
fore the watch has even been shown for
sale Others imagine that they might
nave wound their watches too tight bur
this does not harm 1t. 1t is rather the
1erky, hurried winding that will eventually
tell on the temper of the metal. Besides
every good stem-winder has a stop placed
TN the stem which prevents the winding OF
a watch too tight
The cost of a new handspring Is small
1t is the putting them in the labor ex.
pended that costs. 1t costs from $40 To
SO to put handspring in the finest Swiss
watch. while In cheap American make it
costs only from so cents to 81.
"A gentleman purchased a $40 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. 'tnat raid you $50 for a year
ago. and while ] was travelling around it
lost three minutes You guaranteed 1t and
l want you to make It good The watch
was placed In my window with this card
beside IL:
This watch lost only three minutes in
a year in a tour around the world. Price.
Did you sell it?'
Yes. within two days.