Re: [Phys-l] [clocksgroup] mainspring repair - is it possible

[chuck britton <cvbritton@embarqmail.com>]

These coils of flat spring steel are referred to as 'Constant Force'  
springs by mech. engineers.

When I first heard the term - I wondered if engineers adopted it just  
to frustrate the teaching of Hooke's 'Law' in physics classes.


On Jun 29, 2008, at Jun 29(Sun) 5:59 , Bernard Cleyet wrote:

> A, ha;  just how a replaceable metal tape measure is attached in its
> "barrel".   As FP wrote, no stress, because both ends don't bend as
> much, instead hinge.
>
> bc uses a hemostat to hold the spring end when replacing.
>
>
> On 2008, Jun 29, , at 13:22, Frank Patten wrote:
>
> > My father once told me that effective wartime repairs to
> > mainsprings could be made by filing a keyhole in one side of the
> > break and a 'T' on the other side. The stress on this is fairly low
> > because the repair is free to move. Must be a pig to wind into the
> > barrel though.
> >
> > Best regards, Frank.