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Today, after about six weeks of intermittent efforts, I finally got the incabloc spring fit into the setting. Good thing too as it was the next to last of this size in my parts stock. But, you must defeat the demon, you cannot give up. RMD VID_20181121_131734671.mp4

For the last few weeks I have been sorting out my BTM lathe, shaping and honing my gravers, making and fitting handles to them, replacing the motor that drives my lathe and I'm now ready to start my journey towards making a balance staff for a Unitas 235 pocket watch. I wasn't happy with the finish I had been getting with my graver so have spent the last couple of weeks just practicing parallel cuts on my lathe. Though I still have a lot of room for improvement I feel its good enough to start making a balance staff. I'm pretty sure this staff will be a failure and it will be several more attempts on before I get a workable result, so still lots of time to improve my lathe skills, and I will try and share my journey here. Just one photo tonight showing the 3.2mm blue steel rod turned down to 2.9mm and then the end turned to approx 1.25mm so the balance is a good fit onto the shaft. Tomorrow I will attempt to turn the parallel section for the hairspring, rough in the pivot on the top end and do the undercut for riveting on the balance. I will post some photos showing my lathe setup and a couple of tips I've recently be shown later.

I have had issues with these movements because they are not jewelled. Although I have got them running they do give eractic readings and poor time keeping in the various positions because of the wear in the pivot holes.

Baum & Mercier Capeland Automatoc that I picked up in a watch swap a few months ago . This came with the box and pillow . At first I just took a cursory look a this watch and thought it nothing special , so I put it away for a sale in the future . Then one day I had to attend to some business and was trying to decide which watch to wear . Since I rarely dress as formally as I had to for that meeting , I decided to wear a watch that fitted the occasion and opened the box with this watch ,.. and then realized how clean and contemporary looking this watch was, .so I choose to wear it and developed an appreciation for it . It doesn't look it because of it's pure round shape , but this watch is a tad over 39mm W/O the crown .

Maybe this will help. 365_Omega 552 NewLR.pdf

Watchguy has some information I think (no oiling chart like ETA but there are advices in the text of some manuals): http://watchguy.co.uk/technical-instructions-service-manuals/

Andy, the best watches are those that comes for free... I have a 70's week, today I air one of my Japanese gems. It's a CITIZEN seven star V2 with an automatic 7700 25 Jewels movement. It has a crown push quick set day date with Japanese/English display. One push for date and a double for day, little like playing a vintage flipper. One just have to love the hour markers popping up 2 mm from the dial.

I have now been cutting balance staffs for over a year and have 11 lathes, four on Borel stands with countershafts and the remainder standing on traditional stump. The single biggest tip is to have five gravers. One traditional triangle for removing material fast, two that have oval tips 2 mm and 4 mm wide and two that have square ends 2 and 4 mm wide. They all need to be carbide. Then go on AliExpress and buy two 2000mm grit diamond sharpening sheets of metal. You will meet the technique. I bought the videos. You also need a seitz jeweled ruler to measure the pivot size when you do the ends. Use the gravers to about .5mm then use a stone to do the rest. Take your time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Why would one need one of these very expensive tools. I have a cheap rolled remover and this one as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Hairspring characteristics are interesting and unfortunately very complicated. Simplistically hairsprings have two characteristics. The strength is required to unlock the escapement. The mainspring supplies the energy to rotate the balance wheel but the hairspring pulls the balance wheel back and unlocks the escapement. Then there is the frequency aspect usually the hairspring is vibrated to the specific balance wheel it's on. So swapping hairsprings is in general a bad idea and usually doesn't work. A exception to the rule of the hairspring must be vibrated to the balance wheel is or was American pocket watches. these were the hairspring is with over coils which have to be in very exacting locations. So it's easier to make these hairsprings separate for the balance wheels to get their exacting characteristics. Then there placed on the balance wheel and you use to build the by timing screw assortments. Then the swapping hairsprings isn't entirely an issue but getting those replacement hairsprings and the timing screws that's definitely a challenge today. then if you want to understand hairsprings, precision timing and stuff like that the book I listed below is a must have. Along with two videos that make hairspring vibrating look insanely easy when it really is not. The second video showing the final product of how closely the vibrated spring matches the master balance wheel did not occur instantaneously it would take a lot of time to get there. Watch Adjustment by Hans Jendritzki ISBN-10: 2883800294 ISBN-13: 9782883800298 Format Hardcover Author Hans Jendritzki Publisher Antoine Simonin, 2006 Pages 107 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLorcrSRNs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5LEN66vxgc

Hi charie, Whatever code of ethics you observe, do not amputate the dial please. Rare commodity If original and in good shape. You may want to consider trading with one already footless plus some extra cash or one which may even come with a cane or wheelchair, preferably trade with someone in your own locality, since post office will charge you the price of the watch for shipping costs. Learn to be happy Regards joe.