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Immersing myself in a Sadler's Red IPA right now.

Influenced by Lawson's post 'Carl Zeiss - Eye Mag Pro' I bought a cheaper 6x 350mm pair of Galilean binoculars from China. These are intended for dental use but any dentist trying to use a 6x magnification mutst have control of the head position far better than I can manage. The viewed object was wobbling by about 50% of the 45 mm field of view. The optical quality is excellent and so I have turned them into a binocular microscope using a heavy duty flexible support with standard end pieces as sold for microphones. Here in the bench mode with a Benson Aquatite movement - ample working distance. The only work that was needed is shown: a support that fits firmly into the mike clip and a pair of eye cups with adaptor rings to match the eyepieces of the binoculars. Here mounted on my lathe base-board for some micro-drilling.

I've never understood the need for watch winders. When a watch runs down - whether automatic or manual - it just runs down. We don't worry about manual watches being at rest - so why worry about autos? Should we be worried that the mechanical parts of an electrically driven watch keep on going for ever, or at least until a battery change - wearing out even - shock, horror! :sleep:

I had a similar issue recently and it turned out to be grease/oil which I couldn't see but when I put the spring into an organic solvent (hexane) and then dried it, it behaved!

I would suggest that a lot of gentlemen politicians avoid automatics as they are likely to wear out or damage the rotor bearings :startle: Cheers, Vic

Possibly the old varnish. If the print is under the varnish and sound this method should work but great care needs to be taken. I have found many watches to have the print on top of the varnish and tends to come off far to easily. Got this old Smiths Astral in the other week: Although the pic doesn't show it too well the dial was in a right state with varnish lifting, discolouration, water damage to edge etc. Took the plunge & dipped it in HG silver fast shine (Goddards silver dip is the same I believe). Most of the minute markers had lifted with the flaking varnish so the rest were removed. When dry sprayed with acrylic varnish. The result:

I have seen that green hue before especially on movements from India it dries like hard candy strange stuff. Jim

What a good read, I have enjoyed these tales. I do hope the Health and Safety people don't get to read about vaguras incident. They will have us all wearing eye protection. Although I must add, I once had to attend Accident and Emergency with an eye injury caused by............ safety goggles :D

It's not a watch part but a large three-coil spring with long arms from a blank-fire P38 pistol. I wasn't even dismantling it, just checking the function. It went past my ear and I still haven't found it and it's HUGE!

I lost a bezel spring for a Tag heuer which I found resting nicely "horeshoe fashion" on my desk lamp about a month later!. Bugger to get hold of a replacement too...

Always remember to check your Rodico! I lost a tiny screw a while back and luckily was able to source one from an old movement. A couple of month later when stretching a piece of Rodico there it was embedded and glistening in the sunlight.