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$HOP TRAIHIHG
JOB GUIDIS
LESSON 16
Truing Balance Wheels
Secti ons 360
-
365
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TYIAST E R WATC
H TYIAK I N G
A frfiodern, Complele, Ptoctical
Course
CHI CAGO SCHOOI
OT WATCHf i I AKI NG
Founded l 9O8 by Thor nns B' Sweczey
TRUING
BALANCE WHEELS
SEC. 360-Purpose of Truing
The trui ng and poi si ng of the bal ance wheel
are very cl osel y rel ated. Trui ng a bal ance wheel
generally requires a
great deal of
practice. Your
abi l i ty to true and poi se a bal ance wheel has
a tremendous bearing upon the results
you will
attain in adjusting and bringing a watch to time-
The bal ance wheel must be true i n the fl at i n
order that it may rotate freely between the
pal l et bri dge and the bal ance cock. The ri m
must have clearance between the pallet bridge
and the center wheel . A bal ance wheel whi ch
is slightly out of true in the flat can be the cause
of the watch siopping in certain
positions.
A wheel must be true i n the round and fl at
before i t can be poi .sed properl y. It i s i mpossi bl e
for a watch to keep accurate time in the various
posi ti ons i f the wheel i s out of poi se. Many ti mes
the questi on i s asked, "Is i t better to have the
wheel true or
poi sed ? " The two are so cl osel y
rel ated that i t must be sai d that a wheel shoul d
be trued as nearl y perfect as
possi bl e and then
poi sed.
Trui ng i n the fl at i s the adj ustment requi red
to have the ri m of the bal ance wheel rotate i n
the same
pl ane. The wheel i s i n the fl at posi ti on
*' hen we l ook across the ri m of the wheel .
Trui ng i n the round i s the adj ustment re-
qui red to have the ri m of the bal ance concentri c
wi th the bal ance pi vots. The wheel i s i n the
round posi ti on when rve l ook di recti y down on
the wheel . Poi si ng i s the adj ustment requi red
to bri ng the bal ance wheel to the state of bei ng
bal anced.
SEC. 361-Types of Bol once Wheel s
Fi gure 16-1 i l l ustrates a bi -metal l i c bal ance
wheel whi ch has an i nner ri m of steel and an
outer rim of brass. This is the most common
form of balance rvheel, and rvhen the rim is
cut toward the end it is known as a compensat-
i ng bal ance.
Lesson | 6
Sections
360 to 365
Fi s. l 5- l
Figure 76-2 is an illustration of a mono-
metallic balance wheel. l.Iotice that the rim of
this type of wheel is NOT cut. It is sometimes
referred to as a SOLID balance wheel. The
better
grades of watches whi ch have mono-
metal l i c bal ance wheel s use a fri cti on staff al so,
and it is not often that the watchmaker is re-
qui red to true thi s type of wheel , as i t i s
prac-
Fis. 16-2
Lesson 16 MASTER WATCHMAKING Section 362
tically impossible for the wheel to get out of
true if properly handled- It is practically im-
possible
to true this type of balance in the
round. Truing in the flat can be accomplished
if the workman is careful and understands
thoroughly the principles of truing.
SEC. 362:The Truing Coliper
Figure 16-3 illustrates a parallel jaw
truing
caliper in which the center screw is used to open
and cl ose the
j aws
of the cal i per. When the
I ND I CATOR
Fis. 16-3
balance staff and wheel are in place the
jaws
can be adj usted to hol d the wheel i n posi ti on
without any further attention from the work-
man. Thi s i s probabl y
the most popul ar
of al l
trui ng cal i pers. The chi ef di sadvantage i s the
fact that the screw must be loosened each time
the bal ance i s removed.
The cal i per shown i n fi gure 16-4 does not
have a center screw to keep the
jaws
closed on
the cones of the bal ance pi vots, and the work-
man must therefore exert enough pressure
to
keep the
j aws
cl osed whi l e maki ng any adj ust-
ments on the ri m of the wheel . The i ndi cator i s
a l i ttl e more fl exi bl e than i n some types because
i t i s swung i n a bal l and socket.
Fis. 16-5
Figure 16-5 illustrates an enlarged view of
a poi nt i n the
j aws
of a trui ng cal i per. Noti ce
that the pivot
does not' come in contact with
the poi nt when the
j aws
are cl osed. The cone
of the pivot rides on the countersink which is
designed to receive it, and in this manner ad*
justments
can be made on the rim of the wheel
without darnaging the pivots.
DI CATOR
Fi s. 15-6
Set the indicator in the position shown in
figure 16-6 when truing in the flat. Figure L6-7
illustrates the indicator in the correct position
when truing in the round.
,8.
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Fis. l5-4
MASTER WATCHMAKING
Lesson 15
Section 363-364
Fi s. l 6-7
SEC. 363-The
Bolonce Screws
In figure 16-8, the balance screws set in the rim
are lettered A, B, C, D, E, F, and G' Notice that
set directly opposite each one of these screws on
the other half of the rim is a corresponding
screw. Example: A-1 is opposite A' B-Z is
opposi te B, etc. These screws
gi ve the bal ance
the
proper wei ght and have been
pl aced i n thei r
respective locations by the factory for temper-
ature adjustment. Do not change their position'
If upon exami nati on of a l vheel
you shoul d fi nd
an unequal number of screws, for instance seven
on one side and six on the other, it would be
necessary to equal i ze the number by addi ng one'
The absence of screws does not interfere with
truing a balance but will hinder any attempts
made to
poi se the bal ance or bri ng the watch to
ti me.
r - < D- 4 r ^- q
SEC. 364-Truing
in the Flot
If the balance wheel was true before replacing
a balance staff and
you have done
your work
carefully,
you will find very little truing to be
d,one; however, there a;r.e a
great many times
when in overhauling a watch for the first time
you wi l l fi nd the bal ance out of true. Al though
another workman may not have the ability to
true the bal ance wheel
properl y, you are not
excused for doing the same. Check every bal-
ance for true and
poise. The results
you obtain
when bringing a watch to time will depend upon
the rvheel being trued and poised. Use large
balance wheels for
Practice
work.
The following instructions are used in con-
junction with the illustrations shown. These
illustrations are for the
purpose of demonstrat-
Fi s. 16-9
i ng the procedure used when trui ng a bal ance
wheel i n the fl at. Very few wheel s wi l l be out
of true as badly as the one shown. The letters
A, B, A1, 82, etc., conespotrd to the centers of
the bal ance screws and thei r posi ti ons on the
rim of the wheel as illustrated in figure 16-8'
1. Pl ace wheel i n eal i per and set the i ndi ca'
tor, figure 16-9.
2. Keep i ndi cator as cl ose to the ri m as poss-
i bl e.
3. Keep edge of i ndi cator
paral l el wi th ri m
of wheel .
4. The starting
point is where the arm
joins
t he wheel .
5. True each hal f separatel Y.
6. After each bend or alteration,
return to
starti ng
poi nt.
7. Move wheel in direction of arrow' figure
16-9, until the distance between the rim of
wheel and the i ndi cator i ncreases or de-
creases. For our
purpose we will say this
distance has increased-
lesson l'6 MASTER WATCHMAKING Section, 36{
<-
<_
+
-
+
+-
+-
e-
+-
Fi s. 16-10 Fi g. 16-l I
8. Figure 16-10 illustrates this variation be-
tween the points A and B. The vertical dotted
Iine is the path
of the indicator.
9. Bending the rim of the wheel in the direc-
tion of the arrows between A and B will cor-
rect this section of the rim. Do not attempt
to make an5' other coi recti ons on the ri m unti l
this sec.tion is parallel
to the indicator.
10. The section between B and C, figure
16-11, has moved toward the i ndi cator.
(Al -
ways return to starting position after each
bend.) Thi s secti on may be brought paral l el
to the indicator by bending at B in direction
of arrows.
11. Return to starti ng poi nt and check.
L2. Section C to E, figure 16-12, has moved
away from the indicator and must be bent at
C in the direction of the arrows.
13. Return to starting point and cheek.
14. The section from E to the end of the rim
has moved toward the i ndi cator and must
be bent back in the direction of the arrows,
fi gure 16-13. Thi s hal f of the wheel ri m i s
now perfectl y
true i n the fl at and wi l l appear
as i n fi gure 16-14.
Thi s exampl e i s used to show some of the
typi cal bends requi red when trui ng a bal ance
in the flat. The average *-heel requires very
Ii ttl e bendi ng. Usual l y one or two sl i ght bends
are suffi ci ent to true the ri m i n the fl at; how-
ever, remember after each bend to return the
ri m of the bal ance to the starti ng poi nt.
At ti mes
you wi l l have to adj ust your i ndi cator
after each bend and also after returning the
ri m to i ts fi rst posi ti on.
To make the bends,
pl ace
the ri m of the bal anc.e between the thumb
Fi s. I 6-13 Fi s. l 6-14
and second finger of the right hand. The cali-
per must be hetd firmly in the left hand. When
making a bend, pressure must be exerted by the
l eft hand i n order to keep the
j aws
cl osed upon
the eones of the pivots. Figure 16-15 illustrates
the position of the thumb and finger when mak-
ing a bend in the flat to the left. Notice that the
thumb is slightly lower than the finger. The
pressure is exerted by the thurnb, the finger
acting as the fulcrum. W.hen making a bend to
Fi s. l 6- 15
the ri ght the fi nger i s l ower than the thumb and
the pressure i s exerted by the fi nger, the thumb
acti ng as the ful crum.
When hal f of t he wheel r i m i s t r ue i n t he f l at
pr oceed t o t r ue t he ot her hal f as f ol l ows:
Fi g. l 6- 12
Section 365
MASTER-WATCHMAKING
l-esson,16
Fi s. l 6-16
Set indicator at A and turn rim half-way
around.. A-1 will be the starting
point of the
second operation, figure 16-16. The distance
between the indicator and the rim of the wheel
at A-1 should be the same as the distance be-
tween the wheel rim and A. If this distanee is
the same,
proceed.to true this half of the rim-
If the arm of the balance requires bending' use
Fi g. l 6-U
the wrench illustrated in figure 16-1?. Figure
16-18 illustrates the method of using this
wrench. Place slot in wrench over arm and
move in direction of arrows. It is not usually
necessary to remove the wheel from the caliper
when using the wrench in the flat. After both
sections of the balance have been trued, release
the pressure of the left hand,slightly and with
the forefinger of the right hand, ipi" the wheel.
If
you have followed instructions carefully there
should not be any variation of light between
the indicator and the rim of the wheel- The
wheel will then be TRUE IN THE FLAT.
SEC. 365-Trui ng i n the Round
Truing a balance wheel in the round is similar
to truing in the flat except that you will be
unable to use
your fingers when making the
bends in the rim. The wrench illustrated in
figure 16-18 is used primarily for this purpose.
I NDI CATOR
+-#
l 6- 19
Figure L6-19 is an illustration with both sec-
tions bent in. The dotted line indicates the path
of the indicator.
1. Set indicator at point where the rim is
joined
by the arm. Indicator must follow
curve of the ri m.
2. Turn wheel slowly with forefinger of right
hand whi i e hol di ng cal i per i n l eft hand. As
the arm moves away from i ndi cator the ri m
moves toward the indicator.
3. Place wrench over rim and bend in direc-
tion of arrow, being eertain that you are ap-
plying pressure with the left hand, figure
16-20. Hol d wrench l i ghtl y and be certai n
not to di sturb the fl at.
4. Bend rim in until it is the same distance
Fi g.
BALANC E
Fi s. l 6-18
l,cssor 16 MASTER WATCHMATING Scctiil t65
rb. t6-20
Fis. 16-21
Fis. 16-22
Fis. 16-23
Section 365
MASTER WATCHMAKING Lesson 16
as the starting
point from the indicator.
5. Return to starting point, checking care-
fully the distance between the rim and the
indicator. When certain that this section is
correct proceed
with the next section-
In figure 16-21 the rim of the balance wheel
is true to point covered by the wrench. How-
ever, it rnust be bent out a.s illustrated by arrow.
After bending it out check and proceed to next
section.
The last section is bent out of true as in figure
16-22. When this half of the rim is true in the
round, proceed to true the other half in the same
manner. Spin the wheel as
you
did when check-
ing the flat and the rim should not show any
vraves of light, figure 16-23.
Figure 16-24 illustrates the method used to
true the rim of a balance wheel when one bal-
ance arm is shorter then the other. Make the
first bend as close to the arm as possible and
then proceed to true the rest of the rirn as be-
fore. Now reehe' ck in the flat. In your first
attempts at truing wheels, you rvill in all prob-
ability have to check and recheck the round
and flat several times before attaining perfec-
tion.
You wi l l fi nd that no matter how l ong you
do watch repair work, there is a certain thrill
that al ways accompani es a
j ob
that i s wel l done.
You wi l l soon be abl e to recogni ze qui ekl y a
bal ance that i s out of true when i t i s i n the
watch. After truing the balance, test it in the
watch as explained in this seetion. There may
be times when it is necessary to raise or lower
the arms sl i ghtl y i n order that the wheel wi l l
have the proper cl earance. If your wheel seems
to run true in the caliper but not in the watch,
examine the pivots elosely to see if they are
r6-24
bent. This may have happened if you relaxed
the grip
on
your caliper while you were making
a corrective bend. Mastery of truing,and
poising
requires a great deal of practice; therefore, it
is wise to obtain as many balance wheels as
possible
and
praetice at every opportunif,y.
As previously stated, the solid balance wheel,
if handled properly, seldom gets
out of true.
However, when this type of wheel is out of true
in the flat, it usually can be conected by raising
or lowering the arms slightly. \4/hen making
bends of this type it is better to remove the
wheel from the caliper so as not to bend or
break the pi vots.
I
Fig.
o
UNIT
IrI
s
5
tEgsolr
16
cHrclco tcHool or wArc||nertl|o
.|OB SH::'
W16-*11
TRUI NG BALANCE WHTELS
TOOLS,
tQU_lj'-\aENT ANe
5U l'}PLl E5:
Mak e t he t ool i l l us t r at ed i n Fi g. 13- ZO, Sec t i on 32L.
Mak e t he t ool i l l us t r at ed i n Fi gs L3- 24- l and l 3- 24- 2, Sec t i on 324.
Make a set of t hr ee hai r spr i ng r emovi ng t ool s as i l l ust r at ed i n Fi g. l 5- 3,
Sec . 352.
St ake st af f s i n pr act i ce wheel s. ( See Lesson l 5 and t he Job Sheet s i n Lessons
l 5 and 1?. Fol l ow s t eps l Z t hr ough l 8 on J ob Sheet Ll 7- J Z. )
Tr ue pr ac t i c e bal anc e wheel s . ( See Les s on t 6)
Poi se pr act i ce bal ance wheel s. ( See Lesson 17)
When you ar e sat i sf i ed wl t h your wor k above, begi n t he exam:
PROCEDURE:
USE AN AMERI CAN WATCH, pr ef er abl y l Z or l 6 s i z e, 15 or mor e j ewel s .
l . Fi t a f act or y st af f t o t hi s wat ch, usi ng t he pr ocedur e out l i ned on Job Sheet s
Ll 7- J l or Ll 7
- J Z
i n t hi s or der :
a. Fol l ow st eps 1 t hr ough 25 on t he Job Sheet .
b. Remov e and r epl ac e t he r ol l er
j ewel . ( Les s on 13, Sec t i ons 3ZO t hr ough
325. )
NOTE: Repl acement of t he r ol l er j ewel i s bei . ng done her e f or t hi s exam
because i t i s conveni ent and must be done bef or e t he wheel i s poi sed. The
j ob
coul d have been done ear l i er or separ at el y as i s usual i n r epai r i ng.
c. Fol l ow st eps 26 t hr ough 30 on t he Job Sheet .
d, Di s as s embl e t he mov ement .
e. Remove one of t he t r ai n
j ewel
set t i ngs.
f .
Remove j ewel
f r om set t i ng and r epl ade wi t h a f r i ct i on j ewel . ( See Lessons
I Z and 14 Assi gnment Sheet s and t he Job Sheet s i . n Lesson 14. )
g . Repl ace j ewe I s et t i ng .
As wat ch subr ni t t ed shoul d be cl ean, f i ni sh di sassembl y and cl ean t he r nove-
ment . ( L. s s on l 0 and J ob Sheet s f or Les s on 10. )
Reassembl e t he wat ch, oi l , and r egul at e.
( C onti nued)
I
z
3
5.
6.
4.
z.
3.
UNIT
tf
q
lEsgoil
16
cHrcroo tcrroot ot uAtcHrAr|ilc
,OB SHTET
W16-cll
TRUI NG BALANCE l VHEELS
( cont i nued)
USE A SWI SS MOVEMENTT pr ef er abl y about l 0 L/ Z or I L L/ Z l i gnes, l 5J or mor e:
4. t r' i t a f act ory st af f t o t hi s wat ch, usi ng t he procedure out l i ned i n Job Sheet
LI ?
-JZ
i n t hi s order:
a. Fol l ow st eps I and 2 on t he Job Sheet .
b. St ep 3: Remove t he upper bal ance hol e j ewel and r epl ace
j ewel . ( See Lesson l 3 and t he Job Sheet s i n Lesson L4. )
c. St ep 3: Remove t he l ower cap
j ewel
f r om i t s set t i ng and
f r i ct i on
j ewel .
d" Fol l ow st eps 4 t hr ough 25 of t he Job Sheet .
{ L17
- JZ)
e. Remove and r epl ace t he r ol l er j ewel . ( Lesson I 3, Sect i ons 320 t hr ough
325. )
f , Fol l ow st eps 26 t hr ough 30 on t he gui de sheet .
5. As wat ch subr ni t t ed shoul d be cl ean, compl et e di sassembl y and cl ean t he
movement . ( Lesson 10 and t he Job Sheet s i n Lesson 10. )
6. Reassembl e t he wat ch, oi l and r egul at e
USE AN AMERI CAN 7 JEWEL MOVEMENT, pr ef er abl y 6, - 12 or l 6 si ze:
7. Cor npl et el y di sassembl e t he mover nent ,
B. Reassembl e each wheel and pal l et f or k i ndi vi dual l y i n r novement and check
f or pr oper endshake and si deshake. ( Lesson 17, Sect i on 372)
9. Cl ose each pi vot hol e and r ef i t t o each pi vot as out l i ned i n Job Sheet Ll ?- J6.
10. Remov e and r epl ac e t he pal l et ar bor , ( Les s on 1?, Sec , 375 and J ob Sheet s
Ll 7
- J4
ar LL7 * J5,
dependi ng upon t he t ype of ar bor .
l l . cl ean and oi l t he movement , r eassembl e and r egul at e.
wi t h a f r i ct i on
r epl ace wi t h a