Leaderboard

Size just makes the parts easier to loose! :D

That would normally help but this is a Timex man, LOL ;) I'll get some shots of the ol' dunk and swish method and will post them here. I'll also take a few shots of this one since the decoration on the movement is quite nice!

Next up is a 1973 Timex Gold Plated Manual Wind. This one emerged from the grungy dirty lot clean and ticking away happily! I was quite impressed with this one even though it is not my style, lol. I love servicing these Timex's in between projects! (it also helps clear the mind)

I cleaned the chain with my ultrasonic last night and man the dirt came out nicely. I did buff the crap out of the watch and it does look great, but I took off all the original gold paint. Not sure I care as this is not thought to be a high end collector watch. Most likely regulate it tonight. From Canada

I am in fact half Swiss on my mother's side. I was born to work watches.From Canada

Hi ramrod, I did a few on Seiko sports 100's they are not too bad to do as the crystal stands proud of the bezel, so you can work them in the case (easier to hold), I have a 4 sided diamond sharpening block 200/300/400 and 600 grit depending on how bad the crystal is , but i usually start at 400 grit and grind out all the marks I can see, then on to 600 grit then I move to wet & dry paper on a sheet of glass and work through 800/1000/1200/1500 grit and finish with 2000 grit, then i polish with a felt buff on the dremel and Brasso. Takes a bit of time and patience but they come up OK and as these are on vintage watches that are not going to be water proof thinning the glass is no real concern, a different matter with an active diver I would go with a new crystal, but for old Seiko's the new original crystal is worth more than the watch. Max

Looks good! If it looks good and tells the time what more can you ask! Max

I don't know JD, my take on it: I think Elgin watches take their name from Elgin the NW suburban town in Illinois (Chicagoland area) where it all started. There were a lot of Swiss people originally living there...they moved later on though. The fact that it started as a company there or people originally from there started it somewhere else I will have to research...This is off the top of my head, what I remember from what someone told me in my home town many years ago. Elgin was not far from it. Cheers, Bob PS. size may be a problem but go about it as if it was a regular, bigger watch...same rules apply.

Buffed it up Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hi Endeavor, i actually have had some experience at this. (with some advice from a chemist friend) a few years ago i restored an old beat up 7 jewel elgin just for the fun of it. no value obviously. after getting it working i was unhappy with the appearance of the plates so decided to try to gold plate them. it is actually a lot easier than many people think. the hardest part is getting the parts polished and cleaned enough. super clean is super important. and if you plate a scratch all you get is a plated scratch. i will find my notes on the process and post them for you. i am attaching a pic of the finished product. i was quite pleased with the results. looks better in person than in the pic. likely the only gold plated 7 jewel elgin movement you will find.

Very true, the way JD illustrated, I see him sanding against a flat surface. Still, if it is too much/deep the scratch, you are risking of "thinning" the crystal....just let's hope for the best! As for me, I'm getting that dremel...experimentation: that's what's all about! :)

BBC Proms 2005 - Concierto de Aranjuez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Xdlgii-RcHr

Hello mcass, Welcome ! Don't recognise your Clan but I bet the tartan is interesting :cool: I am by no means an expert and fall into the "tinkerer" category but my two penneth is to use your phone or whatever to take a photo of the watch movement before and after you dismantle every single part paying attention to the small stuff and zoom in as far as possible on the tricky bits ie the ones your eyes blur over on (if your sight is like mine). You can then work backwards through the photos to put it back together again. So my useful tool would be a camera. Some magnification will be needed for most watches - again, a forum search will give info on headgear etc and it does not have to cost a fortune. As you have found, bad screwdrivers can be used sometimes but you will probably have to keep going back to the oilstone with them with monotonous regularity, I gave up on them quite quickly if the steel is too soft it is a nightmare only fit for the bucket. One of the things to look at on a watch is the drive or slot on the screw heads and if it is chewed up then it has been out before and gives a hint about previous problems with the movement as well, you dont want to do that sort of damage really. I look forward to reading about your progress and you will get loads of help here, I know because I have been helped on numerous occasions. Cheers, Vic

I am sure I have seen gravers for left hand use i.e. the angle of cut is different. If you find a lathe that can be run in inverse you could turn the lathe around so the tailstock is facing on the left. However if it has a cross slide then you are snookered. I am sure there are many operators that are left handed and have just adapted. My son is left handed and has used my lathe with no issues.