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Old 14 September 2019, 01:36 AM   #1
Ashton_Horologist
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Making A Balance Staff By Hand

Hi Guys, this isn't actually a Rolex, it's an old English chain fusee pocket watch, but the principle for all watches is the same. I thought I would share the process of making a balance staff for a watch for which parts are no longer available as that is a hotly debated topic for vintage Rolex right now.

Hope you enjoy.

I recently had a very old English chain fusee pocket watch come in. The watch needed a new balance staff because of a broken pivot. Due to parts not being available, I had to make one with my lathe.

Here is the lathe that I use. It is an 8mm G. Boley watchmakers lathe with a variable speed motor.

1.jpeg

Before we can start on the new staff, the old balance staff must be measured so we know what size to make the new staff. I measure and draw a rough sketch.

2.jpeg

Next, I use 2mm blue steel and mount it in a lathe collet. This is how our balance staff will begin its life.

3.jpeg

I start to turn the steel down to size in the different sections.

4.jpeg

More turning on the lathe.

5.jpeg

We can see that the staff is starting to take shape.

6.jpeg

Now we are really getting somewhere. The first pivot has been turned and the undercut has been turned so that it can be riveted onto the balance.

7.jpeg

Once the one ended has been completed, the other end must be turned. We need to turn the staff in one sitting otherwise the workpiece won’t be true.

8.jpeg

More shots of the balance staff.

9.jpeg

More shots of it starting to take shape.

10.jpeg

A few more.

11.jpeg

I now start to turn the bottom pivot.

12.jpeg

It’s crucial to go very slow and carefully at this point.

13.jpeg

The pivot is almost there. A few more turns and it will be ready to part off.

14.jpeg

Once parted off, the pivots are cut to size to make sure it fits between the plates. I will then mount it on the balance and polish the pivots.

15.jpeg

Here is the staff next to a Canadian 10 cent coin for scale.

16.jpeg
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Old 14 September 2019, 01:44 AM   #2
JustinK
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Wow, nice work!

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Old 14 September 2019, 01:45 AM   #3
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Very cool, Ashton, almost like magic given the size you're working at.

Do you think fabrications like this are something 3d printing may facilitate?
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Old 14 September 2019, 02:26 AM   #4
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Wow, very cool and impressive!
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Old 14 September 2019, 02:29 AM   #5
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Awesome
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Old 14 September 2019, 03:56 AM   #6
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Wow, very cool and impressive!
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Old 14 September 2019, 04:01 AM   #7
77T
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Making A Balance Staff By Hand

Very informative sequence - I had 2 questions

The blued steel I presume is a hardened version of high carbon steel. Was SS an option or not preferred?

Is the completed balance going to be mounted into a jeweled setting with (or without) shock absorption?


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Old 14 September 2019, 04:31 AM   #8
Ashton_Horologist
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 77T View Post
Very informative sequence - I had 2 questions

The blued steel I presume is a hardened version of high carbon steel. Was SS an option or not preferred?

Is the completed balance going to be mounted into a jeweled setting with (or without) shock absorption?


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Yes, blued steel is carbon steel that has been hardened and then tempered to a blue color. Nothing inside of a watch movement is ever made of stainless steel. This is a question I get asked constantly. Any steel is carbon steel. Stainless steel is difficult to work with and not needed inside a movement.

The balance will be mounted in a jeweled setting but it is not shock protected
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Old 14 September 2019, 05:11 AM   #9
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I love posts like this. So amazing to see what watchmakers are able to do. A true art form.
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Old 14 September 2019, 07:48 AM   #10
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That's a tiny piece to have in a lathe. Very nice job and again a very nice post from you. Thank you for sharing
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Old 14 September 2019, 09:02 AM   #11
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Wow. Thanks for sharing this, great work.
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Old 14 September 2019, 09:11 AM   #12
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It is nice to see that there are still REAL watchmakers out there.

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Old 14 September 2019, 09:18 AM   #13
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Wow, and here I was looking forward to a thread about tightrope walking....
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Old 14 September 2019, 10:26 AM   #14
Robert Higgins
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Thank you for posting this!

How long did it take from start to finish?
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Old 14 September 2019, 11:15 AM   #15
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Interesting
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Old 14 September 2019, 12:14 PM   #16
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Now THAT's how you do it.
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Old 14 September 2019, 03:35 PM   #17
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Had I not seen this I would not have believed it Ashton.

Great work.

PS. You really do need a belt guard.
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Old 15 September 2019, 01:34 AM   #18
Ashton_Horologist
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Haha. I think I’m ok without a belt guard. No watchmakers lathes have belt guards, it’s just a piece of plastic tube. If you get into a toolmakers lathe they come equipped.
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Old 15 September 2019, 01:45 AM   #19
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That, is very impressive! Wonderful demonstration, thank you.
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Old 15 September 2019, 03:42 AM   #20
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Thanks - I’m around a wood lathe often, so this is fascinating. Amazing that whole piece is only 6.7mm long. I assume you check the diameters with calipers as you go? What is the acceptable amount of runout, or is *any* measurable runout forbidden?

Can we see the tools you use at the lathe?

And as long as I’m being so bold as to make requests ...

If you were so inclined, I bet I’d not be alone in enjoying a video of that lathe in use!
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Old 15 September 2019, 04:01 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashton_Horologist View Post
Haha. I think I’m ok without a belt guard. No watchmakers lathes have belt guards, it’s just a piece of plastic tube. If you get into a toolmakers lathe they come equipped.
I'm not sure that I could find or fit a piece that tiny on my 12x36 lathe.
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Old 15 September 2019, 04:30 AM   #22
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Thanks for that!


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Old 17 September 2019, 02:52 AM   #23
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I am so impressed by this undertaking and so glad to see that such an artisan is willing to share the production process with us. Such a refreshing change. I would as well like to see the tools used in the creation of the balance staff and see the installation of the staff in the watch.
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