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As an administrator on another forum (totally unconnected with watches), I say the admin team here do a great job in making this a friendly forum. My philosophy tends to lean towards achieving an end goal rather than hard and fast rules, but without losing sight of the principles. Common decency and manners should always prevail but sadly in today's modern world it does not happen. Correcting bad manners should not be a task for the admin team alone. As Mark says, trolls and spammers are an everyday menace on the net. It is easier to control on my forum because it is for UK residents only so we reject any applications from abroad. I think the members on this forum are as tolerant and helpful as any I've seen. They do not talk down to those with a lesser skill base as on other forums. However I do believe people should do some research of their own before asking the most basic of questions. There is a lot of information in the public domain which is extremely helpful. I am a new member who is trying to take my interest to the next level, but because of this is it is difficult for me to make helpful contributions as everyone is more skilled than I am. I have an incessant desire for knowledge and even if a subject is not particularly relevant to me, I still enjoy reading and gaining that knowledge. Forums to me are a place of exchanging knowledge and it seems to me there is a great set of members here who are willing to pass it on . Can anybody ever know it all? Well as my old Dad used to say ''there is only one thing worse than somebody who thinks they know it all - somebody who does know it all …….

Thought I would show off my new workshop. It has taken my the best part of 6 months to construct the building, then fit it all out, but finally have the space I wanted. It's a 6.5x3m building, split in half with office/watch workshop in one half and machine room in the other.

On behalf of "Watch Repair Talk" moderators, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new members. This is a friendly place with plenty of knowledgeable people who have varying degrees of horological expertise, the great thing is they are willing to share that invaluable knowledge and help one another. To help us keep things running smoothly, I would ask all new members to read the forum rules and place their posts in the correct sections.

I would suggest that this lathe would be suitable for lightweight model making. It is configured for metal cutting, but I would question the accuracy of both the three jaw chuck and tailstock. Diametrical run out and the smallest diameter the chuck will hold are both unlikely to be suitable for watch work. It may be if some use for larger clock parts, but if you want a lathe for working on microscopic watch pivots you would be advised to pick up a quality second hand watchmakers lathe.

It looks like you might be new to watch repair? Are you blaming the quality the tools or the lack of your knowledge for the lack of your success? The BHI in their horological journal September 2008 has a really nice review on screwdrivers. I'm only going to extract out the final outcome of the review which is really quite amusing. It becomes amusing because they're rating a whole bunch of things not just the screwdrivers themselves. Then if you look carefully there really isn't much difference between all of them. Really what is important is the quality of the screwdriver blades themselves. So when you're starting you don't have to have the most expensive tools. It's amazing what people can do with lesser grade tools providing they have the skill to use the tools. Obviously if the tools are total crap it doesn't matter how much skill you have. Perhaps a photograph of what you have so we can see what they look like. Then you started this discussion with one topic you've added in several other topics and if you're hoping for answers to any of those other questions you really should start a new discussion. Then before starting a new discussion it's always helpful to do a search because more than likely we might've already covered some of these things.

Sorry if I drift away from your initial intention, but i like to grab this learning opportunity if you don't mind .......? In the mid nineties I bought my Dial-clock in Melbourne, Australia. To learn more about these clocks, I also bought a book about Dial Clocks. The above mentioned bracket-clock is estimated from around 1770. Consulting my Dial Clock book, comparing the pillars it comes up with a pillar design of the 1770 or the pillar from the period 1780-1840. The hands puts the clock around 1780....... according to my Dial-clock book. But this seems then also to be thru for bracket-clocks ........ !? Which make me wonder about how come ... ? I know that London was the most advanced in clock making and I guess they did set the design trend. Which hands or pillars to use. Some designs slowly spread to the countryside and therefor they were in longer use than they were in London, hence the dating is often given in a period of years; from then to then. So my question is; were there, for example with the pillars and hands specialized companies who "mass" produced these and a clock-maker could order these parts from those respective specialized companies? Or, in order to make the pillars & hands identical according to the latest fashion of that specific period, were there reference (latest design / fashion) books floating around which could be consulted by a clock-maker? Same counts for the chains ...... I do assume that they were ordered from a specific specialized company or did each clock-maker made the chains themselves? Clear to see on the Ben Shuckforth (Diss, Norfolk) clock I did begin this year, that nearly all part were hand-made, but for example the dial ornaments in the corners seemed to be "mass" produced? (perhaps Ben made the hands himself or ordered them ??) Any idea how that went in those days .......? Did they have a kind of "assembly-lines" for certain clock-parts ....? (was a kind of CousinsUK already around )

To add to what oldhippy said. I think the term I recently read in the 'Clocks' magazine was restore to 'original finish'. So if it was originally polished to polish would be correct. If it had a satin or grained finish originally polishing would be wrong.

Polishing clocks by hand is the correct way to go about it, never ever use a motor that can polish, they are too hard and can and will polish out marks that should be left. Those marks are part of the history of the clock. So to answer your question certain clocks should be polished.

Hi, I was blessed with a stroke eight years ago and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Thanks partially to herbal medcine, I have been relaxed enough to learn enjoying and thats a blessing I wont let the social norms define or ruin for me. Regards joe

I enjoy helping and finding answers for the members on here, no matter if it’s a simple or hard question With around 30 years’ experience in the field of watch and clock making it helps me to use my brain, even if I can’t remember what I did last week, as I have short time memory loss due to a very mild stroke about 3 years ago.

I have 1700 crystal 40 NOS cases 100 NOS hand sets 160 NOS bands 1700 NOS dials I had the same view, would be good to have an inventory and it is but when new stuff arrives, I spend a while updating my google spreadsheet. If I use something, I update it, if I trade/sell something, I update it. it does take time to keep it in check but there are some unexpected advantages, I see a watch thats missing parts going cheap ? I just search my inventory for the parts and if I have them, its a cheap pick up (this where having your inventory in the cloud, accessible from any device is key) I also share my inventory with a few trusted people and they return the favor.

I would say this movement has never had a chain. If you look closely you can see the fine impression on the barrel which looks like gut and not a chain. You are correct in thinking children made them, one of the reasons is children had far better eye sight then mature people of that time. You mention rounded "spiral" that is the fusee. You can still obtain fusee chains. I have seen them on ebay, but they are not new but second hand. Here is a link showing Sinclair Harding making a chain. http://clockmakers.com/fusee-chains.html measuretwice replied saying you can make a chain. Without the right tools it would be virtually impossible. If you have the skill you can repair them.

Loving it, especially the boxer twin model aircraft engine!

you can make one...:) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lvAqoIr5wSt3AVtjnqIa-tSqvjITK8Fu/view

Lighter fluid is good to use, then rinse with IPA (isopropyl alcohol)

God damn Postnord.. not only do they loose half the packages they charge so much fee's for nothing!!

No one can say what will happen for sure, but probably if you buy from Cousins (or other British companies) at the moment as a private individual from an EU country you pay the VAT at the point of purchase and nothing is owed on receipt. In future it might be that you will pay the cost without VAT and therefore owe the VAT in your own country on receipt. I don't know how it works in Sweden but in the UK that means the carrier will then collect the VAT from you plus charge a handling fee on top if it is above the VAT exempt allowance (£15 in UK). As wls1971 said customs and duty taxes are minimal or non existent on small purchases. Most UK carriers seem to charge a minimum of £8 handling fee, so it will make all purchases, particularly small ones, more expensive either from UK to EU or EU to UK. Let's hope some sort of deal is made, but I wouldn't count on it. Stephen