Leaderboard

ok so the trick to keeping the pallet fork in place is the balance wheel. By that I mean you back off the brass vconic screw adjacent to the regulator. This allows the staff to fall on to the plate when updise down . Than enguge the pallet finger on the jewel. zip zipp and your off. okay it still tricky but this will help you alot.....

Today I'm wearing this beauty. A valjoux 7751 movement. It's my favourite watch in my collection.

Set out to clean a Nirvana Pocket Watch and found a few problems. The first was a broken catch on a mainspring. The second was a broken screw in the mainspring arbor, the third was a worn lower balance jewel and its cap jewel as well. The spring needed to be heated up an the end bent to create a hook. The screw on the arbor broke and I needed to use a lathe to drill it out. Then I found a worn out lower balance jewel and the cap jewel as well. Punched it out with my seitz jeweling set and opened up the lip and found a replacement jewel. Then I found the right cap jewel and pressed it in and reassembled the watch Put it on my eTimer and regulated it. Not a bad result for an old watch. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks for the tip off. I’ve seen them a few times in web searches for parts. However, I wasn’t aware they were an Indian site. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Greetings from the arctic Midwestern United States, lol! I shouldn't complain too much, I have the option of Phoenix, Arizona! I'm probably the least knowledgeable person in this forum on watch repair, but I'm a good listener, enjoy challenges and have found the "battery changes" I've done that require some disassembly to actually be relaxing to me! I'm retired in my mid 50's and have lot's of extra time, so I've decided to learn more about the craft. My prior "hobby" lasted over 30 years and led me around the globe, where I met lots of great people and developed lifelong friendships. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your forum.

Hi Watchie How dissapointing when these things happen, I was always suspicious of the Indian goods after I purchased a quartz watch pulse and battery tester. Although bought from a British site. It failed and when opened up it was a cobbled job and the wiring was dropping to bits, I contacted the Indian site and guess what NO reply. I scrapped it and made a line release unit from the bits. Thanks for the warning.

why would he suggest a multigrade for a lathe?

Ha! Thanks for the tip vin. I Didn't mention that my real job is occupational safety. JD, thanks for the info on the jackshafts. I don't think torque will be a problem with my motor. I def have enough to slip the belt under most circumstances. Have a good weekend all!span widget

welcome to the forum. be sure to wear "saftey glasses" when using a lathe. vin

Hi Phil, welcome.

yup, go by the caveman's dictum: far easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission

That is a nice watch.

A neat idea. I could 3D print the vacuum cleaner hose adapter, and I'm sure I have a suitable clear plastic box, now all I need to do is liberate that tea strainer from the kitchen without my wife spotting me.

Yikes - bagpuss. Now that's a blast from the past! Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

In my days back in the 70's & 80's you could buy un-finished watch stems all ready threaded, with a bit of work on the lathe you finished it to fit the cal of the movement. Can you still buy them.

Threading blued steel is a no-no. It will kill your die (or screw plate). Period. Someone will say it's possible, they're wrong. Use O1 or similar steel in its annealed state, harden and temper afterwards. Someone will say "it'll warp", they may be right, but you can straighten it. I make at the very least 2 per month among many other turned parts and my dies and screwplates love me. If you need to anneal steel, it needs to be heated to red then cooled as slowly as possible. I do it in iron tubes about 20mm diameter packed with charcoal dust, heat it to full red/orange, next to firebrick, then let it cool.

The 1970s called, they want their watch back. For less than the cost of a coffee in town, a Soviet era 2628H based day date - non runner in need of a good bath.