Spiral balance with a self tapping screw

Question

My Spiral Balance has a self tapping screw going into shoe. It seems it is there to prevent balance from slipping out.

I do not see this style shoe anywhere. Is this normal or something previous home owner did asa fix.

Thank you

Russ

Tom · Accepted Answer

Hello, Russ! I see this all the time. Screws added to a pivot shoe just give a little extra insurance that the spiral balance won't slip out during operation, but in my experience it's not really necessary. A pivot shoe can still do its job without it.

That said, if you wanted that extra peace of mind then you can easily just reuse the old screw, or any other screw you have that will fit. There's nothing special about it.