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I've had a quick bite to eat and would like to crack on with this if thats ok, i know its not watchstuff but its important, if even just one of you can avoid this happening to either yourself or a family member then it's 100 % worth my time and getting it out of my system really helps me as well and hopefully spurs some of you to make sure you and your family are ok. And please anyone that can add some input from knowledge or experience then just jump on. The stroke mum had is known as an Ischemic stroke of which there are more than one kind , mum's was an embolic stroke , these are caused by blood clots ( wandering clots or embolisms ) another type is a thrombotic clot that can block main arteries that may supply blood flow to the brain . From what i gather thrombotic clots are stationary, these are the type that cause pain and restrict blood flow in the particular area where they form ie. leg , chest. Mum's embolism travelled to her brain , so she had no experience of pain and no warning until it was too late. Many things play a part of clot formation, we can't change our genetics but we can edge our bets by leading a healthy lifestyle. My mum is 87 5' 1" and weighs around 55 kg, has always been extremely fit, goes out nearly every day into her village or the next town sometimes a town 40 miles away on the bus if she's buying presents. She eats healthy as far as mainstream guidance tells folk, fish chicken no red meat, fruit veg nuts etc, all the usual stuff thats considered healthy and no real crap like pastries sweets . Has never smoked and has never really drunk alcohol, but she is a stress head and worries about everybody and things she really does not need to. This is me to a tee, i worry about everyone and rarely myself. Being in hospital we've discovered she has an irregular heartbeat ( caused by the stroke ? the doctors seem to think not ) . Atrial Fibrillation, doctors have attributed the stroke cause to her irregular heartbeat, apparently clots can form in the upper chambers of the heart were irregularity occurs, brake up and become mobile to cause damage. Those are just one type of stroke, hemorrhagic stroke (less common than an ischemic stroke ) caused by a bleed in the brain generally thought of as more serious as not only is the brain being starved the bleed itself can exert pressure on the brain. Its important to know the difference which cannot be ascertained until a scan is carried out, and the treatment is different. Common thinking was to give someone experiencing a heartattack an aspirin to improve blood flow, this can actually worsen the effects of a bleed on the brain. There are lots of causes for a stroke, genetics for sure like i said, but getting the most from your genetics and nursing the weak areas by living healthily will not only extend our time but give us more quality time that we have left ( change just one thing if thats all you can manage for now ). Regular visits to see the quack will pick up warning signs early , just one visit for an mot might save not only your life but wont destroy the lives of your loved ones. Anyone here in their 50s not had an mot medical check up yet ? Er cough er maybe its time to make sure everything is working as it should, and not just your heart ( dont clench when the doc stretches on those latex gloves, and definitely dont have a smile on your face when you stand up straight again ) . A stroke can strike anyone of any age and of any lifestyle if there is something underlying going unnoticed, make that call and find out how you really are with your health. Love you people x Absolutely Richard, i cant help my mum if I'm not well myself. I have a habit of keeping going and draining my batteries too low ( maybe i need a wind up key in my back ). The Mrs cant figure out i get by with hardly any sleep or rest, calls me a robot with emotions. Thank you , very kind of you Del. Thank you rehajm Thanks OH, i know i can be a pain in the bum and have you watch over my antics but that means a lot. Thanks MSB , she'll keep kicking as long as I'm around , thank you. Thanks WW, i will make sure to do that, my time here is not done by a long chalk. Thanks Hector i take note of everything you say and completely agree, i cant do it all myself and my mum wouldn't want me to. Bit difficult to let go of the reigns though. Thanks Guy, i appreciate those comments . Thanks Nev, my mum makes it easy she is very resilient and very independent, she will get all the care she needs and wants thank you. Thanks so much , my mum and me aren't going anywhere, the forum will have to manage with a diluted version of me for a while. Thanks Steven really kind of you to say that, thank you for the times you have kept me straight, i dont forget that. Thanks Tom yep i know where you are at , very much appreciated. Thanks matey, at the rate my mum goes i won't be gone for very long. Thanks Steve i appreciate that. Thanks Ross i really appreciate that. If i helped you in any way then that makes me happy. I know we are not supposed to have favourites among family friends etc. But i think you are one of mine so just dont tell anyone Thanks Jon , there are others in my family, but i have always been the doggedly determined one that likes to get things done. Thanks Mike, thats really nice of you to say so.

Hello forum, i have some things i would like to say today if thats ok. Being here is something of a sanctuary for me, talking about something that i love doing with folk that i have become fond of ( yes quite surprisingly under all that craziness and verbal brawn lays a soft heart of gold ). I imagine that the same can be said by many of you , a certain number of us are here daily both learning and offering any advice that we are able to. Quoting our experiences both successful and failures for others to learn from. For me at the moment just making this post is a distraction from my current bubble but also from the world around me for various reasons. Its a place not just for teaching and learning but to make others laugh and smile and be part of a community. I would even go so far as to say we are a team, supporting and encouraging each other when needed and when we are down, my own situation with my mum being a perfect example of everyone's kindness. Thats the soppy bit out of the way . So my mum has been moved to a brand new facility after making amazing progress with her speech and word recognition in hospital ( poor mum has had to suffer my company and my teaching to the full extent of her visiting hours barring one day off for me that my sister insisted upon ) her consultant calls my mum his medical miracle , and will be starting her intensive speech rehab today after her initial assessment. Things I've learned about having a stroke, and I'd really like everyone to take note of the causes and outcomes of having one. Please do your own research I am a joiner and not a doctor , i just want to make everyone aware and just get checked out if you notice anything in yourself that you are unsure about, any risk of having one can be reduced with either medical intervention or/and a change of lifestyle ( which would be my own preference in an attempt to limit my risk, something i have now noticed in myself ). I do know a few of you here have experience but this is what i have become aware of and how it has affected my mum and me. First i want to touch on the effects of a stroke, not only to the sufferer but to the whole family, we all know how dementia affects lives. A stroke effecting language is almost instant non aggressive dementia. Like being in a foreign country where you can no longer read, write or speak to someone without some form of very basic sign language gesturing ( when annoyed i think everyone understands the middle finger ). But a stroke can affect movement ( fortunately my mum is virtually unaffected with her mobility, the nurses can't believe she is 87 and just had a stroke, she's like bloody Supergran, in fact she is a great great grandmother to 2 toddlers ) . Improvement after a stroke carries on for years afterwards, but from what i understand and now believe after being with my mum almost every day since it happened for 7 hours a day, language rehab should be started as soon as possible when the patient is out of danger and physically able. The brain is ready and set to go and rewire itself soon after injury, in a similar ready state to young children ( when we say kids brains absorb information like a sponge, thats pretty much true in early stroke patients) After the first few weeks maybe a couple of months things start to slow down and lesser progression carries on for the years following . After a day she could manage only one word, which was my cue to get on her back and start pushing her progress. Day two i wanted to see how capable she was so i had her writing on a whiteboard ( it wasn't great tbh ) . Day 3 and until she left the hospital most time with her was spent on picture/word recognition on my laptop, picture books, some writing and teaching her to play cards again ( i refrained from gambling for real money, though i was tempted, as I'm pretty good at poker , she has a few bob and i have space for another watchmakers lathe in my watchroom ) Now i suppose i have to back off as the rehab place is fairly intense focused and visiting times are crap as they interfere with all the physio and rehab going on . So i only have 2 hours max a day with her sometimes only 1 if her grandkids want to visit, but she is in good hands and i know she will get as much help as she needs , and as difficult as it is to admit i probably need a bit of a break and distract myself. I'll end this post for now but i want to come back and talk about what caused this and hopefully remind some of you to think about how we live , what to do in the event of a stroke and how we can lower our risk. I'm not a pussy by any means and very little frightens me, but seeing this first hand has put the fear of god into me if i ever had to suffer the outcome of a stroke. My mum is a tough old cookie and i imagine i will be just as tough, but watching the frustration on her face when trying to communicate completely tore my heart into pieces. Please dont let this happen to you, do everything you can to avoid it, I'll come back soon to talk more about as long as everyone is ok with it, take care for now x

Hi @Neverenoughwatches, Sorry to hear that your mum had a stroke. In Australia, I believe, they are starting to call them brain attacks. Very glad to hear that your mum is recovering her ability to communicate. My communication was fine after my stroke just over 10 years ago. (If it had occurred just 10cm higher than where it occurred in the artery to me brain, that would have been it. I would have lasted thirty seconds.) My vision was affected as well as my ability to walk. Writing was really ordinary as well. I have leftovers from my stroke which will be with me forever. Anyway, if your mum is a fighter and has support from people around her, it is amazing what that will do for her. All the best and hope everything continues to improve.

Murks, In theory, yes. For example I have a Seiko dress watch (dress style case) with a 6309 movement in it which I would not take diving, similarly, I have a Seiko divers watch with the same movement in it (6309) which is a diving watch. The only difference is the case (and crown sealing system), the diving watch case is made for diving due to it's more robust seal system on the case and its a more rugged design. Seiko 6309 divers watch: Seiko 6309 dress watch:

I find this especially true when working on hairsprings. After a while of concentrating so hard, you tense up. Many times I have then just pushed on to finish the final tweak - with disastrous results. I now know to step away and relax before continuing.

There’s no doubt that the traditional method works, and works well. It has stood the test of time. It does have a steeper learning curve, but as you say if you do it often enough and gain experience, the method is definitely sound. I feel that the cost of a lab hotplate is money well spent because of the other uses it also has. The following is off topic in terms of bluing but : If you add a Pyrex measuring cup and thermometer you can anneal metals with reliable results. As mentioned above it is handy for working on pallet stone adjustments, either with an escapement meter or a home made brass block with holes to accommodate fork pivots and guard pins, plus a means of holding the fork still. If using the brass block, precision adjustments to the pallet jewels are accomplished by the use of a reticule eyepiece in a microscope. This setup is easily the equal of a Bergeon escapement meter + bergeon heater for the meter, but for the same money you can buy a decent stereomicroscope, a reticule eyepiece and the hotplate, which are capable of doing much more than the escapement meter+heater are. Best Regards, Mark

https://ranfft.org/ Starting as a mirror of Ranfft, but expanding.

Have you got a case number? Post photos of the back.

The missing lever marked red was my idea, but it is wrong. Actually, what actuates the spring that drives the clutch is the resetting hammer itself. You (and me too) still need to understand how the clutches actually work. I doubt that there should be any rubber. Please, show some photos of the parts when dissassembled.

I was going to say, but texting can be difficult due to a lack of nuance, that maybe staying on here could be a good thing. You do need a distraction, yes mum comes first but you need some time for yourself. I hope this has come across as intended.

Good point - it is very common to tense up, grip harder with your hands, get tight in the shoulders and for breathing to become shallow when struggling with something difficult, such as hairspring work. Making a conscious effort to breathe slowly and deeply can go a long way towards preventing yourself from tensing up, and help to relax again. If you still get tense or start feeling fatigued, go take a break and come back to the watch work when feeling calm and refreshed. Sometimes a short break is so effective you’ll complete whatever task you were struggling with relatively easily afterwards. Best Regards, Mark

VWatchie makes a very important point regarding the importance of being relaxed when working on watches. It’s importance cannot be overstated. One thing I’d add is that you will sometimes find yourself unable to relax and get ‘into the zone’ for watchmaking. If you’re too stressed, angry, tired, unwell, anxious or for any other reason can’t relax and concentrate only upon what you’re doing, then walk away from the bench. This applies no matter how skilled you are. Also, we are all human, there may sometimes be a day when for no good reason you find you can’t stop making mistakes. No problem. Just walk away from the bench, stop wasting your time and risking a bad mistake. Go and do something less exacting. Best Regards, Mark

I tried all sorts. I find the silicone mats too soft and springy, and the green hobby cutting mats too hard. I found the best (and cheapest) option is to use an offcut from some vinyl flooring. It has just the right amount of 'give', and is wipe clean

Tips for how you can minimise the risk of pinging parts. Make sure you have a decent set of well-dressed tweezers. When you're new I'd recommend a new Dumont No.2 or Dumont No.3 (Fine Tips). Those are well-dressed from the start and don't require maintenance for many, many years unless you abuse them. Finer tips than No.3 increase the risk of pinging parts. When gripping a part never use more force than is required to hold it without dropping it. When moving the part keep the tip of the tweezers as close to the work mat as possible, and always try to minimize the distance the part needs to travel. Practice this by placing some small parts on your work mat and then moving them around to designated places on your work mat. You can also scratch up the insides of the tip of the tweezers for improved friction between the part and the tweezers as shown by Kalle Slaap here. However, be extremely careful not to overdo it as it will risk creating a gap in the tweezers. Don't ask me how I know! Relax! This is more important than anything else and something we talk too little about. Relaxing is especially important when we're doing something which we perceive as difficult like replacing a tiny, stiff spring. In those situations, we tend to become very tense and that's when disaster strikes. Relaxing physically and mentally is something we need to practice but once we get it we can say goodbye to shaky hands. You have to honestly ask yourself "Am I relaxed?" If the answer is no, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Then repeat the question until you can relax no more. Be especially watchful of your shoulders. Try to relax them as much as possible. If we don't relax watch repair can become exhausting and in the worst case can kill the interest. On the other hand, if we learn to truly relax it becomes meditative and extremely enjoyable. BTW, did I mention the importance of being relaxed when working on watches?

Should be 86 mm. https://www.beco-technic.com/media/57/39/67/1690317374/Bergeon115285_fr-de-en-es.pdf

I'd like to second @VWatchie's question about it being slippery. I have a Bergeon bench mat as well, and while it's not tacky like silicone, I wouldn't call it slippery either. As for silicone mats, I started with those and didn't like how springy they are. It was great when you dropped a part, but if you try to pick up a tiny screw and happen to slip, it's now a spring-loaded tiny little screw and is prone to entering low-earth orbit. But that's just down to personal preference. They're inexpensive enough to try out and use it for other hobbies if you don't love it for watchmaking.

That's another (nice) way of bluing. All the equipment I used, I either had already or made it made it myself; "el-cheapo". Since this article was written, I blued quite a few hands successfully. It's also a matter of learning the equipment you are using and by doing it more often, you gain experience. For me the "el-cheapo" way works. But your "system" is nice too

This is an old thread, but there is a much easier way to consistently, repeatably and controllably blue watch hands, screws and other steelwork compared to the traditional pan of brass shavings over a flame. A small metal container of brass shavings, heated over an electric laboratory hotplate is very effective. You have fine control of the hotplate temperature, and can achieve repeatable and consistent results by keeping records of what temperature was required to reach the desired colour for a certain type of steel. Beginners will achieve quality results, consistently, a lot quicker using a hotplate. The hotplate has other uses too, such as heating an escapement meter for adjusting pallet stones, and more, but that is beyond the scope of the dial restoration forum. Best Regards, Mark

Well, there aren't enough frames to count, but it oscillates for a good 30 seconds or so with a puff of air. I have to say, for my first balance staff replacement, I'm pretty pleased with these results. I know, show me other positions. Maybe after dinner \ Edit: well I was right about needing to see other positions. The hairspring is definitely hitting something in positions other than dial down--you can hear it when you put it to your ear. The overcoil probably needs more tweaking. Which I'm not going to do right now. Maybe some time in the future when I'm ready for more hairspring practice I did close up the minute hand, since it was freewheeling, and get it cased back up.

What You decribe as lever behavior is more or less common for pin lever movements. Actually it is normal, but may benefit from proper lubricating the pins/escape wheel teeth. So You problem is the hairspring. Probably it is only 'sticky' and washing it in accetone or pure petrol will bring it to normal state. Drying with hairdryer helps much after the washing. Of course You can try to demagnetise the balance and the cock. The problem will be solved when the sping doesn't stick on ocasion, e.g. when one grasps several coils together with the tweezers, they should get separated by themself imediately after released. Some chance exists that the spring is bent where the coils touch, but try firs what i have writen above.

Thank you all so much, i can't begin to express my emotion for your kind words. Finding just a lttle time to do other things besides thinking about my mum is difficult. Today has given me a slight break for some distraction and i will get around to thanking you all individually. Today my mum is leaving the hosiptal to stay in a rehab facility after making good progress with her communication, from being unable to speak at all to nearly stringing a sentence together in less than a week. Not everthing makes sense to us and she struggles to find certain words often substituting one with another that can be relevant but not always. Its a blessing she is still Physically good, the part of her brain affected is communication, so that is words through all aspects, speech, reading and writing. She knows in her head what she wants to say but doesn't fully know how to retrieve or form them in the correct order but she's a fighter and tough as old boots even at 87. Thank you so much again for the support, you are all so very kind. I will be back again to cause trouble so watch out . Bye for now x

The first thing that one needs to know before giving some advice is is the amplitude of balance oscillations. As You changed the lever, now the drop lock can be missing and this will make the balance swing really fast and with very lo amplitude. Then, if somethinfg is wrong with the hairspring, the balance will oscillate faster, with a bigger amplitude. If the amplitude is small, then no point to check for timekeeping, but the reason must be found and rectified. If the watch works with no stopping, this still doesn't mean that it works well. What we need to know is if the lever snaps as it should without the balance and if yes, we will need a good picture where the hairspring is seen. Or, please do the free oscillations test, see what the result is and try to caunt the oscillations per minute, they should be exactly 150 if the hairspring is OK.

My first though, as a semi-beginner, would be to stop the balance and examine the hairspring under a magnifier - are any turns stuck together due to leftover cleaning fluid or oil? Or any part of it kinked rather than being in an even spiral?? Magnetism is a possibility, but you would need a demagnetiser in that case..

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum. We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. Take plenty of photos on what you are taking apart this will help you until you get to know what is what and where it goes. Here is a file that might help you. 704789946_TZIllustratedGlossary(2).pdf