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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/15/20 in Posts

  1. It is interesting to read peoples comments on tools and the many diverse opinions there are. What we have to remember is that Bergeon tools in the hands of an incompetent person are just as useless as the mid priced range of tools and it is the person using the tools that makes the difference. I would agree with the remark regarding the cheap tweezers and screwdrivers as they are not up to the job, but as jdm remarked the mid to upper price range of tools are well suitable if looked after, that's the same for any tools, care and attention. In essence it all boils down to personal choice and the affordability. When starting a new hobby etc that requires the purchase of tools and equipment, Unless you are to get deep into that hobby start off slowly and build up your selection of tools etc as you go upgrading when required. There may come a time when you get bored with it and give up and then you are left with a lot of expensive kit. I have been into this for 60+ years and have still got the Dumont tweezers and the screwdrivers I first bought all those years ago not Bergeon ones, but they have served me well.
    3 points
  2. I think you have hugely overspent. As I wrote many times currently the top quality ball bearing A&F can be had as unbranded.for GBP 2.50 a piece, that makes 10 quids for the four most used one. With the balance compared to the overpriced Bergeon you could have bought a basic timegrapherand few stuff more. So you have found that the brand name is not alway needed. It's the person that does the job not the tools.
    3 points
  3. Picked up this Timex Electric and Cimier off the Bay. Both look like the will clean up well but working condition is unknown. Also picked up this Gotham to play with
    2 points
  4. Hi Everyone! Just wanted to share these two watches which I made and serviced for my parents. The blue dial one I had posted before, but just serviced it (runs a Miyota 8215). The black dial one is newly made and running a Seagull ST36. It’s incredible how well these movements can perform after servicing. I got both to within +/- 5 sec/day in 5 different positions. Special thanks to Mark Lovick for his awesome watch repair course and to everyone on these forums for all your help! Best regards
    1 point
  5. Timex Big Q two hander with pusher crown. I have a similar watch already, but this one has the relevant metal clip for the pusher, so I can copy its construction for my other version. Hopefully I will end up with two good watches. Time will tell.
    1 point
  6. The purchase link I've posted above, and my own experience comparing the two items in my own hands is unambiguous - these are indeed unbranded A&F. Below the note that I've got from Sam Cousins on the subject:
    1 point
  7. 5 grams of Kluber Chronogrease P125 is £65 or £78 including tax (CousinsUK.com). That is, the price per kilogram of this wondrous stuff is £15,600.00 If that doesn't buy me a decent power reserve I guess nothing else will.
    1 point
  8. Neither do I, but if it is in response to a post looking for a particular part I really can't see any problem. Not even if you're the one selling it. Well, that's just my opinion. Yes, silly expensive, but I always get in touch with sellers and make an offer. Surprisingly often they're willing to negotiate. Anyway, I'm contemplating getting myself some Kluber Chronogrease P125. Insanely expensive, but it doesn't seem to have an expiration date like the Moebius greases and oils, so maybe it will last "forever"? Here's @JohnR725's excellent illustrations for how to apply it.
    1 point
  9. Note: the generic French drivers that appear identical to the A&F branded drivers come in two flavors. One is really cheap, one is mid-priced. You have to look really closely at the product photos to tell the difference (specifically coming to mind is the knurling and the color coding used). I read a lot of confusingly mixed reviews about them, and I think it's because there are actually two that are borderline indistinguishable. IIRC, the cheap set could be had as low as $25 or so, while the nice set was $50-$60. With the known quantity Bergeon set available at just north of $80, I opted to buy my way out of the uncertainty. Somewhere (WUS?), someone pointed me to Horia as making a set of drivers in a mid-price tier of especially high quality. The only references Google was able to produce regarding feedback on this driver set all came from the same guy in different places, so I saw it as a bit more of a gamble. Bergeon sells Horia tools (though notably not the drivers) under Horia's own name rather than rebranding them as a reference point. Might be worth looking into.
    1 point
  10. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The confusion arises from Seiko themselves when they referenced a non-existent P/N in the attached document, with the intent of detailing the changes between B and C version on page 2. I have corrected this on my document. 7S26C_36C.pdf
    1 point
  11. Ah ok- it should be alright. Just in the past I've grabbed an old winder and not checked the hook and kinked it and a couple of winds later "snap".
    1 point
  12. Yeah, they pop up from time to time on eBay. Also search for 0201.075. That was the subsequent part number. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  13. Oh I see, you're going after the much sought "full originality" of even a modest piece Have a look at my parts interchange document https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRN2UULQKTfKmhRStZhDdIOIQrqd6sPB-g6x2SKyQQjOvTBjG_7TQXQhAT4f1WqAX5QAPkIimi-3jqd/pubhtml
    1 point
  14. It is, you can buy a brand new NH36 Mov't for that money. Fully interchangeable, it also manually winds and hacks. But I understand that the convenjence of the above doesn't compare to the thrill of opening a barrel that was not designed with that in mind.
    1 point
  15. I don't see a hand-remover putting those dents in the canon pinion. Some watchmakers will use a "V" shaped stump and chisel tipped punch to tighten the canon pinion. It looks just like that when it's done. If you had removed it roughly using nippers, side-cutters, etc., I could see "damage" like that, but not any hand or canon pinion remover that I've seen. I wouldn't worry about it until I put it back together and test out the hand setting situation. Good luck. Oh, and as was mentioned, the way a watchmaker would undo an overly aggressive tightening, would be to broach out the center of the pinion.
    1 point
  16. Did you wind that one with the K&D? I ask because I see a kink in the spring 3/4 pf a turn from the inner end, right about where the hook on the winder would land. Old winders, Bergeon included, often had the hooks way too big, and they can do that to the spring. That's a weak point now, and a possible future break.
    1 point
  17. I've just seen your updated post - you can broach the inside of the canon pinion to fit. (assuming you did lubricate it first). Also, the pinch marks may be normal. I've not worked on one of these calibers before.
    1 point
  18. It doesn't look bad. Like Tmuir said, they are generally marked by hundredths of a millimeter, but I'm sure I've seen some that had an arbitrary numbering system. I have some that go down to 0.04mm, so maybe this one does go to 0.02mm; not really practical for anything but they did it just because they could haha. The lanterns are intact, and it seems to be a matched set which is important. The Cadillac of jacot tools is Steiner, now Horia, they made them in the style of that one and then moved to a boxier look in the 50s I think. The trademark is a rooster, you see them on German speaking sites as "Hahn" rather than Steiner. Edit- OH posted that link while I was typing. That's a modern style Steiner, and has the runner for doing larger pivots like center wheels (the one with slotted beds on both ends, no lantern). I will likely go for double that price though.
    1 point
  19. Clearly, I am not recommending the use of a 10x eyepiece at all times. As I said I also use a 3.5 times binocular magnifier for general use. I would love a binocular microscope but this is not practical at the moment due to price. I find the 10x magnifier useful for inspection, yes, the lens is very close to the work but the magnification is excellent. I agree that different people will get more benefit from lower (or higher) magnifications. The thing I would most recommend is the eyeglass holder.
    1 point
  20. Thanks for your replies everyone! I’m now in the process of finding a stem and collet configuration that works... wish me luck!
    1 point
  21. it's more expensive but why don't you try the other breaking grease? I've used it before and it is definitely sticky works fine if he used tiny quantity too much is super sticky. Unlike conventional braking grease where least and past experience too much seemed to be just the opposite. then typically they use 8200 to lubricate the mainspring itself. Whereas supposedly all the new springs are either the metal does not require lubrication or it has a dry lubrication. So if it's a brand-new spring I would stay away from lubrication except on the wall itself. https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/9953-kluber-p-125-vs-homemade/ https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/kluber-chronogrease-p125
    1 point
  22. so I have a 50% chance to get the answer correct? It casually looks like that's a right-handed. One of the ways to think about it is if the ring wasn't a ring if it was the barrel part of the Winder then a right-handed handle will turn this wind it up. Then you flip it over and push the mainspring out it goes the other direction. typically for 99% of everything you do they handle turns in a clockwise direction. The only time I have issues is with 18 size American pocket watches they typically go in the other direction. then Seiko just to be fun needs a left-handed Winder. Fortunately it's just the handle. Then if you're buying an older set of the winders the barrels are all the same size but gambles themselves often come with no marker at all and those are really for the older style mainsprings. Something that requires a much more aggressive hook not needed on the modern spring with a really tight sweater curve of the mainspring.
    1 point
  23. 6139-8039 NOS. Love it but I'm in two minds about should wearing it with a solid links bracelet, or let it go to a genuine collector.
    1 point
  24. Thanks for the link. My experience with cheap drivers were that the blades were very soft and would distort very easily. Also that the grub screws would constantly wriggle loose. Maybe I'm just heavy handed (very probable) the Bergeon' have been excellent, and I'm pleased with them.
    1 point
  25. These https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/cousins-swiss-style-stainless-steel What if one could afford pretty much anything? Being in that position I started anyway with cheap Indian (Anchor) drivers from Cousins. These worked perfectly "out of the box" with Seiko wider screw slots. Being bored of having to adjust them every time I went to a Swiss driver, I got the A*F first then the above which are identical, and a Chinese set for Seiko. 99% of a driver's efficiency is how you dress the tip to act as a wedge and positively engage the slot. You can follow the same principle with many cheap tools, all what they need is a bit of refinishing (too expensive for the factory) to work perfectly.
    1 point
  26. If you post the link we can have a look. Why do you want one?
    1 point
  27. Maybe so, however I'm pleased with them. as newbie I haven't seen the drivers you speak of. Rather I just followed the advice of Mark in his course of buying the best set you can afford. These are by no means the most expensive set. I already had a timegrapgher. I agree with your second point. However a certain level of quality is required. The difference in my pioneer tweezers and the set in my £15 watch repair kit from eBay is night and day. No matter how skilled the person, they would struggle to use them all day..
    1 point
  28. 10x is lot, focus distance is so short that bri gets the lens almost to touch the piece General work isd oe with the No. 3 that's 3.3x above 4x is better to get a stereo microscope that let you see while watching, beside examining.
    1 point
  29. As a beginner also, I purchased the best screwdrivers I could (£130 ish for the Bergeon set with stand) as I have had experience with cheap sets and they are next to useless. I went middle of the road with tweezers and bought some £15 a pair pioneer' I think they are called. I've not tried Dumont but these feel very nice. I have managed to bend then slightly through my own bad practice/inexperience.. I will go Dumont once I'm happy I won't damage them. Most of the rest has been covered, I would say a benchmat is absolutely essential, as it dramatically reduces the bounce of anything that you drop and you will drop many things starting out. :-)
    1 point
  30. I am fairly new to so I’m adding my viewpoint as a beginner rather than an expert. To start off I would say that I have never regretted spending more on tools, I have also bought some pretty cheap tools and regretted it. Having said that I have bought some cheap tools which I use all the time. The best way to learn what you need will always be experience. I bought a set of seven pairs of “value tweezers” from Cousinsuk which came in a wooden box, the set is now priced at £11.95. Needless to say, some of these are useless, tips bend easily and don’t meet perfectly. However, I do still use some of these regularly and the box is very nice to have. The set has a range of shapes and sizes so it gives you an idea of what you need. I also have Dumont tweezers at £30 a pair, these are awesome and can manipulate the smallest parts with no problem where the cheap tweezers struggle. Buy a set of good quality, Swiss, screwdrivers with a stand. It is hard to get a good stand afterwards and you will regret not having one. Pegwood and Rodico are essential, get some. Oilers likewise, you can get a set of Bergeon oilers for under £10. You may want something more expensive later but no need to start. An oil pot with at least three divisions will be useful and various oils to go in it. There are many thread on oils so have a read of those. You will have to spend some money on oils and these are frightfully expensive but last for ages and can’t be avoided. Agood quality movement holder is essential. Don’t skimp on this you will throw it away. A Bergeon 4040 or 4040p is recommended. My 4040p fits everything I have thrown at it so far. You will need a good quality eyeglass, perhaps 10x magnification, and I would recommend a Burgeon eyeglass holder (5461) to keep the eyeglass on your eye. I started out without the eyeglass holder and it was a gamechanger when I got it. I also use a binocular magnifier at 3.5 times for general work which I got on Ebay for about £15. It is not ideal as it tends to distort circles but extremely useful if your eyesight is not 100%. A light green plastic or rubber mat is very nice to have as it is an excellent background colour to work on. It is also easy to keep clean. I tend to get tools as I need them rather than trying to predict what I will need. Once you realise you need a tool do some research. Ask in the forums. You may find you don’t need It or need something else. Once you are sure, don’t skimp on the price if possible. You wont regret buying good quality tools but you may regret buying tools you don’t need so don’t be in a hurry and get the rest of the tools as and when you need them.
    1 point
  31. Yes seiko sells only complete barrels but that does not mean you cant service a 7 series barrel and change MS. Personally i would just get the barrel assembly but it’s up to you. Do not use 8200 whatever you do. Jdm has the tech sheets but I find they don’t normally help you in this particular situation. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  32. I’d kind of like JDM’s thoughts on this as he has a bit of knowledge on these. In my experience with the 7 series mov’ts is that the barrels obviously aren’t meant to be split opened and serviced, but replaced outright with a new b/a/ms unit. They are available on eBay from a couple sellers. If opening, cleaning and greasing is your ultimate preferred way to go I’ve found the tiniest amount of 8217 on the barrel wall seemed to work best. I found if I used as much as I do in say, a 6309 the spring would slip too easily. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    1 point
  33. Seikos notoriously run with a lower amplitude as it is so if I were you I would get a new main spring it is very good practice to always get a new spring if you are servicing a movement. Even if the old one looks OK. So suficies to say if you want a decent amplitude you need to get a new main spring. When you get a new MS do not oil it. And use 8217 breaking grease. You never know who is doing these tutorials I believe Mark has a video on one of these I can’t remember which one he used. It was either the 8217 or the Kluber p125 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1 point
  34. Must be a ton of supply houses in USA. Jules borel and Twin city supply. Perrin if you are close to Canada. Startimesupply and Esslinger. Cousisnuk have them otherwise.
    1 point
  35. I'm no furniture maker, but I think this will work. First milestone complete. Next is the back and sides, then the working surface. I'll then bring it in and make the other case of drawers at a less hurried pace.
    1 point
  36. I made this for anybody getting started, feel free to share. Recommended Lubricants for Getting Started.pdf
    1 point
  37. As of yesterday, the watch is completed and running. I had to back track a bit during assembly, as I forgot to install the hacking "finger". Essentially everything had to come back apart as the hacking finger sits under the gear train. Today I was able to pick up a bracelet extender so it would fit without strangling my wrist. The extender is gold tone, but I can clean that off Monday at work. I attempted to "repair" the dial with an acrylic gloss varnish, but it was sadly a dismal failure! I spent 4 hours very delicately picking the failed acrylic of the dial. In the end, it acted like a super cleaner and made it look significantly better. At the right angle you can just see the discoloration around the date window from my initial cleaning attempt. This watch is significantly smaller than any Seiko I own which is a bit disappointing. Overall I'm very happy with the watch and thrilled I was able to bring it back to life. The only other thing I want for this watch is a new crystal if I can't polish out the deep scratches with diamond paste. Gold tone extender, gets the job done, lol. For those of you with a sharp eye and a keen memory, what is significant about the serial number? And yes, this is actually the serial number on my watch, lol.
    1 point
  38. Typically on the majority of American pocket watches the movement is set up similar to yours. This is where the watch itself has no stem as that is in the case. So your movement is fine make sure when you're putting it together to lubricate all of the stuff associated with the setting so it's slide smoothly. Link down below so you can look at the pictures. It's not really important but you're missing the micro regulator adjustment. You can still regulate the watch fine without it. Then the crown is most definitely does not look like the right crown for this particular case. It almost looks more like a wristwatch style crown for American watches. I went attached some images you can see what the wristwatch version looks like. Also a picture of the typical pocket watch stem and sleeve arrangement. https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/4927242
    1 point
  39. Amazing is an understatement. Here is what I got accomplished last night... I got the entire motion works back together. It actually runs great. The oscillating weight spins nice and free. The mainspring barrel is only supported on one side, but it really doesn't seem to have any adverse side effects. Everything was mostly surface rust. I scrubbed everything with a bit of peg wood and it all came off. Any pitting was very shallow, just barely under the plating. I dug out a screw from an older junk Seiko I had to replace the missing bridge screw. I'll work on the keyless works and the day/date components tonight.
    1 point
  40. Hi everyone! I made log of my activities with photos of my practical exercises for WR Course level 2. It's in the PDF file attached. I had some scary moments doing this. One of them was the balance cock that slid off the movement onto the table while dangling by the hairspring. Furthermore, I discovered that end stone jewels and shock springs also like to fly, causing lengthy search parties Cheers, Mark Watch Repair Course L2 v2.pdf
    1 point
  41. Hello guys. This is my last project – Seiko 6139-6010 aka Bruce Lee. Watch is from ‘69and it is based on the 6139A movement. Nice shot for the 50th Seiko anniversary of first automatic chronograph development. So please see the pictures below from all restoration proces. It took me 3-4 evenings. The watch came to me as non runner. Crystal was scratchy with many chips. Dial was dirty and dusty with signs of water damages. Hands lost their lume. Day calendar was loosen and didn’t work properly. Movement was complete but very dirty and dry – there weren’t any residues of old oil in the jewels. Somewhere were signs of water flood. I dissasembled movement and I gave it a bath in ultrasonic cleaner then i’ve assembled and oiled movement. Star disk od date wheel was repaird with small amouth of resin glue. Movement had tend to stop sometimes. Inspection showed that the tiny chip on the bottom pivot of the escape wheel. It was hard to see it. After replacment movement ran as a champ. I polished the hands cause there was rust and gave them new lume. Dial was cleaned. I didn’t touch the lume on the hours indexes. I was affraid to screw up it. I think now it is quite good despite the fact that the lume does not glow. Orginal crystal was polished but I decide that in the future I will replace it. Case and caseback got some polish works only with polishing paste, not too much cause I didn’t want to loose the sharpnes of orginal edges – as usual I did it. Bracelet was matted with abrasive wool. Everything was mix up and combined and there is the result. After measurments on timegrapher and adjustment it is a nice timekeeper. An amplitude satisfy me as well. Now I am enjoy to wear it. Please let me know what do you think of this restoration project and about my works on it. I appreciate your comment and your spend time. Cheers folks VID_20191016_170551.mp4 VID_20191017_195141.mp4
    1 point
  42. There are other breaking greases out there Moebius 8212, 8213 & 8217.. I have a link to the website. Then application of p-125? This is really really sticky grease and if you apply too much it's too sticky. To understand this I have some images attached you can see just very tiny amounts are used spaced around the barrel. Because if you go excessive it doesn't want to slip almost at all. There are Mysteries to breaking grease? If you look at Henry's formula basically it's graphite or molybdenum disulphide Mixed into a heavy watch oil. If you look at the description on the website link below for the lubricants I mention above each one has specific properties for aluminum barrel or brass barrel or the other one that sees you more generic but unique properties. Then you also noticed that they have other greases that are lubricating not breaking with molybdenum disulphide Then don't remember which lubrication was used or whether we used too much.. Some of these if you use too much there actually too slippery. So too slippery or zero breaking which you would have with the over-the-counter lubricant that's meant to lubricate not break would cause the following? It's the weird end of the automatic spring that holds it in place when the rest of the spring winds up the end part pulls away the spring slips This is where the molybdenum disulphide Comes in its the high-pressure lubricants. Then after releasing a little power it's supposed to stop but if you have a really nice lubricant in their it's not stopping you lose a whole lot of power. So the tube is cheap try an experiment. The worst case I can see is it's going to slip too much you'll probably need an auto winder as it probably won't have enough power to go overnight. http://www.moebius-lubricants.ch/en/products/greases
    1 point
  43. Hi all. Just an amateur here. So I have gotten a Seiko 5M43-0B70 Grey Ghost. And it's the early models with the AGS inscription on the beautiful and stunning dial. The kinetic movement is really annoying. Really weak. basically IT DOESN'T WORK. So i would like to swap the movement out for a seiko automatic 7S36 movement. The diameter is the same. The height is 0.6 mm thicker than the kinetic. The problem i want to solve is that how do i seal off the power reserve button permanently. (Without removing the crown) So the watch stays water-resistant, and if i press the button accidentally, it won't get pressed in the case. It will be solid (as in the seal won't break , and the button won't get depressed into the case) i just want a permanent and really really solid seal. Please help me out. Really appreciate it. Sent from my SM-G8870 using Tapatalk Sent from my SM-G8870 using Tapatalk
    0 points
  44. I think I just realized what it is! I used a presto hand remover tool to remove the canon pinion and it damaged it. See the photo attached. There is a dent on both sides of the canon pinion. Assuming there is no repair for this. Can you please advise where I can buy one 3130-3150 rolex original canon pinion?
    0 points
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