Some Important American Tools for Hairsprings and Balances Wheels

/ Watchmakers / By
Hairspring Centering Tool

These are well-know tools and often difficult to find. Interestingly enough, they are American made. Some of them are over 100 years old. 




You may not find contemporary replacements for them, since no one manufacturers them now.

I don’t know that it matters, many of my tools are over 100 years old and work well. I’m not sure the manufacturers expected them to function well for as long as they have, but in those days, planned obsolescence didn’t exist.

What do we have here?

  • Hairspring Centering Tool – (not a caliper)
  • Duplex dual jeweled and safety table remover – handles dual roller tables
  • Rex adjustable roller table remover
  • MB Automatic Staff Remover – spring loaded and handles riveted staffs without bending the wheel or arms.
  • K&D # 50B Staff Remover and matching punch
The first tool allows a user to see the hairspring and make adjustments such as centering or removing bends without transferring the hairspring from on platform to another. It allows you to see the hairspring as it appears under the balance cock.

Duplex Dual Table Removers






Adjustible Table Remover

Many watches are made without a safety roller. The better watches, however, have a standard roller on which the jewel sits and a smaller roller above it. The Duplex tool allows you to remove both without having to set-up a staking tool for each roller.



The adjustable table remover allows you to tighten the stump to the roller without having to search through stumps to find one that fits naturally.

Staff Remover (Punch)


The automatic balance staff remover fits in the sleeve of a staking tool. The balance sits on a stump or the die plate itself. A gentle tap on the top of the “punch” will gently push a riveted staff out of its hole without bending the arms or the balance itself.  Even so, it is always a good idea to check the balance for poise and truth with calipers.


The K&D 50 balance staff remover is the most popular of all staff removing tools.  Here is a brief instruction from K&D’s advertisement:

Select proper hole in your Staking tool dieplate to let the hub of staff through. Place the balance with  with staff to be removed in same. Set the remover over the same and insert its punch through the staking tool and main body of remover. Holding the punch in position over pivot with the finger of your right hand tighten the knurled remover nut upwards against staking tool arm. Stop arm of remover will swing against body of Staking Tool and prevent body of tool turning while tightening knurled sleeve. Do not over tighten this sleeve; it is not necessary. Now strike punch a sharp blow with light hammer and staff will come out without injury to Balance; riveting of staff simply being sheared off..


K&D 50B





















All together