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As a complete novice I am somewhat nervous about offering tips to you experts. However I had occasion to remove the caseback from my GS Mk2 pocket watch. It is so well machined there is virtually no visible joint to put a blade in without scratching it plus I did not know if it was screw on or not. I was thinking I needed a suction device which I don't have. After a few vodkas I came up with the idea of using the suction windscreen mount off my Garmin sat nav. It worked a treat. I also used it on my stepdaughter's Rolex ''replica'' which is tiny and has the authentic style Rolex caseback. I'm sure you guys have tools for every occasion but this tip might just get a hobbyist like myself out of trouble.

They are tools concerned with the manufacture of balances, fitting hairsprings to collets , fitting hairsprings to balance they I think would have been manufactured specifically for manufacturers to do the same job over and over again rather than being used by watch repairers in general.

Nice! i likevthe desert scene onbthe easel. I was in North Africa in 2001 and it brings back memories

It's also my studio I am an artist by trade

Keeping everything as original as possible. That is the key to a good restore.

Hi, you are doing well, I am nearly at my tail end nowadays and have never repaired watches as a full time occupation. I am a jobber. Good wishes for your continued success. Mike.

Thanks for the offer, very appreciated! But i already had the balance issue resolved. cheers,

I have two #770 movements with good complete working balance's if you pay the shipping you can have one free.

by keeper joint I assume you mean the friction spring and end of centre seconds pinion ? if so a tiny drop of 9010 can be used the springs job is to provide just enough friction on the pinion to stop the second hand moving in a jittery fashion when the watch is running. No not needed

What is a keeper joint? Also, would you put a bit of grease on the little gear at the base of the seconds pinion?

because balance wheels truing can get complicated I have a link. go to the bottom of the page Joseph School of Watch Making you'll see a section on balance wheel truing. I have an image from the book to understand the key feature of the tool. Notice how the staff is resting on the conical or cone part of the staff as the book calls it? then the tool needs to be adjusted so it's holding really tight. That means there is a zero danger of breaking the pivots off your supposed to true the balance wheel in the truing caliper. other things to watch out for sometimes truing calipers have holes on both ends for different size balance wheels. If you don't have that clearance you'll break the pivots off. So you have to be on the cone of the pivots. then not all the schools will have a double set of holes. Sometimes the other end is used for truing wheels. Other things you want to check on make sure your holes really are clear and that somebody didn't break something off before you. then just to review things you may want to look the other sections on staffing. http://www.mybulova.com/vintage-bulova-catalogs

I think I'll be needing this soon, so I'm going to print it out. Thanks @RyMoeller. J

I personally think it would be much better if there was more restraint shown about moving posts. Moving a newbies post is one thing, but for a long time user to have a post moved is annoying. Not even the courtesy of finding out the users intention, just wham. post moved. It's annoying, and I have enough trouble finding time to participate, and having to deal with these little irritations makes me less likely to make the effort. That's why I don't do posts that take a lot of effort, like walkthroughs, because I know they they won't stay unmolested, regardless of my intentions. This is a solvable problem. Either leave the posts alone, or provide a way that these posts can be built without having to do them in one swell foop. Using too narrow of a definition is not helpful, either. If you want a category of "make-overs" then please provide a place for them. Just be aware that if you go down that road, you will find that you have to move *every* post, and not just the obvious mistakes. People will inevitably gravitate toward the most general category, and pay less and less attention to the sub-forums. More work for the admins. Maybe that's OK, but notice that this forum software wasn't built to be operated that way, and some features will break. It happens now. David

Morning/afternoon folks! Although I joined over a year ago, I’ve only skimmed for specific content but I’m taking the plunge and becoming a much more active participant. Hoping this “hobby” will result in a lifetime of learning and enjoyment! Cheers! James

Hi James, welcome to this forum, Mike.

Welcome! James

Welcome to this friendly forum.

Welcome James, Be warned there is enjoyment for sure but be prepared for some frustrating times too. Enjoy the learning curve.