I have just bought a job lot of old alarm clocks, I love the styles of the 50's and 60's alarm clocks. Having got a couple going now the hardest part seems to be getting the hairspring in the correct position when trying to pin it. As I insert the pin the spring tends to twist and on the last Baby Ben alarm clock (waralarm model only made during the second world war as westclox were tied up with wartime stuff) the spring just did not want to sit straight. Please tell me there is an easy solution to my problem?
Once I get it back in its case I will post a picture
Just as a side note to anyone else who fancies having a tinker with one of these old alarm clocks the pivots are just a length of pivot steel that runs through a white metal arbor, I was putting the top plate back on when I noticed one of the wheels had one of its pivots missing. I thought I must have been clumsy and snapped it off so took the wheel back out, got it all lined up to centre punch where it had broken off, so I thought, flush with the arbor, rested a fine punch on the top and gave it a very gentle tap, just to mark it so I was sure I was in the centre. The centre of the arbor, well what I thought was the centre, moved further inside. I took the wheel out of the clamp and then saw the pivot the other side was twice as long as it had been. Ok, it takes a while for my poor brain to work out that the pivot steel was loose and ran all through the arbor. Thought I would share this just in case anyone else experiences this problem.