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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/12/21 in all areas

  1. OK, here is a version that is parameterized. All you do is enter the diameter of the movement. I have not run a bunch of cases to make sure it does not break. In Feecad, after opening, click on spreadsheet and just enter one number. MovementHolder.FCStd
    2 points
  2. You know what I find weird? My mentor can oil pallet stones with just a 3.3x loupe. I can't even see if have sufficient oil or too much oil on my oiler at that magnification. Maybe when a person starts watchmaking at a young age, the eyes are better. And over the years, with practice, muscle memory and whole lot of imagination, they can still "see" at 3.3x magnification.
    2 points
  3. Either be a magician and do it with a 5x loupe, or go pro* and use a microscope . *been using a microscope for this since I was in school last century. Also, as Hunter S. Thompson said, when the going gets weird, the weird go pro. My kids know that dad is a pro level weirdo.
    2 points
  4. Here's a PowerPoint of removing a refitting the so called 'fixed' centre seconds wheel, which should be removed, cleaned and properly lubricated. Enjoy Lesson 21. Baumgartner 866 Removing centre second wheel and oiling movement.pptx
    1 point
  5. You might find the book found at the link below helpful. It's filled with military timepieces including wristwatch cases lots of pictures and drawings. I think I looked for your watch case in the book that I didn't see it doesn't mean it's not in there it just indexing of the book is really weird for looking things up. But it didn't look like not all of the cases had case tubes they had other arrangements. https://www.amazon.com/Military-Timepieces-Marvin-Whitney/dp/0918845149
    1 point
  6. Agree nothing to worry about.
    1 point
  7. Try googling cutting glass watch crystals see what comes up I get spoiled with local material houses and knowledge of the past. It used to be we had two separate material houses that would cut glass crystals. I even worked for one of them learned all the undesirable things you can do with glass like cutting fingers chipping the glass etc. before you get it right. I'm pretty sure they sold their glass cutting capability. The other material house the machines still exists they just don't have a material house and I don't know if they cut crystals anymore. Then used to be companies that would make machines for cutting watch glass crystals. Usually the material houses ended up with them because there were expensive. But there were some that were less expensive that watchmakers might have had. If the local material houses used to have the capability of cutting glass crystals it stands to reason that the older material houses probably also did. As quite a few of them are online I would inquire plus of course do a Google search.
    1 point
  8. Try your local optical shop. They do that every day for lille money, but the few watchmakers that cut glass do that less often and ask more. If you can find a crystal that is very close in shape and size you can also try yourself with a white grinding wheel on thr bench motor.
    1 point
  9. A little hard to tell in the picture it does look like a crack? Then it looks like it's just a piece of flat glass with a gasket which is hard to see? If it just Is flat glass and it doesn't have anything really special about it you could get a new glass cut and epoxy that in. Then I can be physically bigger and you wouldn't have to worry about the gasket.
    1 point
  10. Hi Have you tried the likes of Jules Borel, Esslingers, Otto Frei all suppliers of quality.
    1 point
  11. There is no secret place for parts. Anyone does the same searches you can do. What's the issue with the crystal? I see no cracks. Any scratch can be polished to perfection.
    1 point
  12. No they wont be a problem there is nothing to prevent the gut line from following the grove in the fusee.
    1 point
  13. Hi Jordan Did you do the reset as per the manual and, what is the caliber number, was my guess right?. If it is stopping at random it is possible there is some dirt in the movement dried up lubricant etc, If so the only answer is to dismantle and clean the movement or replace it that is why we need the caliber number. That way we can trace another and get a approximate cost.
    1 point
  14. It depends which crown suits your taste or the case better. Chances are, you will have to remove the crown anyway, to shorten the stem.
    1 point
  15. I have the Donegan visor, and a Bausch and Lomb Magna visor. The Magna Visor has 2.6, 2.2, and 1.8 mag lenses. I find myself using the Magna Visor more often, usually with the 1.8x 12" focal length lens. I'm not even sure where the Donegan is ? . If I want something stronger, I generally use a 4x or greater single loupe with a wire holder on my left eye. Works for me.
    1 point
  16. I am attaching the Freecad file. I use Freecad which is open-source software that is heavily supported and it is FREE. Been using it for three years and love it. STL file also attached, but it is not as useful because it is much harder to edit. When I get some time, I will parameterize this for easier mods. movement_holder 2.FCStd movement holder.stl
    1 point
  17. @JakubI went through the very same thought processes as you. I was never really happy with the results I got from hand cleaning and hand cleaning was the only thing I hated about watchmaking. I was putting off doing watches because I knew I'd be spending 3 hours of work for eventual disappointment. I bought a cheap cleaning machine off ebay and it's has changed everything. The parts come out really clean, shiny and dry and now I enjoy the hobby all over again. If you've got the money and cleaning is a sticking point for you then I say go for it. These machines hold their value really well so should you want to sell it in the future you'll likely recoup quite a bit of the cost.
    1 point
  18. Two things that rarely come up for sale are modern cleaning machines and modern pro-grade timing machines. When they do, they often approach new prices. The Greiner ACS 900 is sort of the industry standard at the moment, they go for about 12k Swiss Francs; friend of mine was very very happy to find one a few years ago for 8k, with a few years of use on it already. If you check Lititz Precision Products they offer a similar fully automatic machine, with 5 baths, and ultrasonic all around, for 7500 US, about half of Greiner and they are apparently similar build quality. They have a smaller machine similar to the old Watchmaster, with several individual ultrasonic baths for about half that price. The Watchmaster machines were very popular among pros in the U.S., don't recall seeing any in Europe. The Elmasolvex you are looking at isn't automatic, so I'd suggest looking for an older Elma manual machine. They do come up for sale. They function fine, and as you aren't concerned about having ultrasonic (I personally would want it), the cleaning level should be the same. There is a thread here somewhere about the Indian copies of the old Elmas, seems they are good value for the price but needed a little touching up of the wiring to make them "safe", haha.
    1 point
  19. The dial feet at least are damaged. Maybe other parts too. Overdue for a service. Take it to a watchmaker (as opposed to a jeweler who sells Rolex) who has the tools to open it up and do a proper diagnosis then give you a quote for the work. You are fortunate to be in a big city where such a business shouldn't be hard to find. A quick search turned up this one which fits the bill: http://whittleswatchworks.com
    1 point
  20. As mentioned, broken dial feet without other damage isn't a rare event at all. It doesn't have to be due to a single shock, to the contrary it happens more frequently over a long time. First the weakest and most stressed joint gives up, then the other is left bearing all forces and follows suit, then the dial finally rotates. It's a damage that a competent repairer must be able to execute, below video by our host Mark Lovick exposes the available tecniques and tools.
    1 point
  21. Actually it happens a lot. Just for my curiosity I would like to see better pictures of the OP watch, as in between lugs and of the movement.
    1 point
  22. I second the comment on getting some quality tools vs spending the money on a cleaner. If you do end up getting this machine please give us a review of its effectiveness. Matt
    1 point
  23. I see two things wrong with this. The first he has removed far to much brass in order to fit that ridiculous bush. You are supposed to remove as little as possible of the original. Second it is not in keeping with the clock, it sticks out like a sore thumb, again you repair as near to the original as possible. I watched a few of his videos and I'm not impressed at all. If I had my way 99% of videos I watch on Youtube about clock repairing I would remove. They give skilled repairers or restorers a bad name. Any new clock repairers on this forum. Do not follow what this idiot is showing you and avoid his videos.
    1 point
  24. There is always something different that comes into the workshop with horology. I first started as a watchmaker then went into clocks for around 30 years. Due to the internet I see new things nearly every day. You never stop learning.
    1 point
  25. These Tameside Fusee clocks where designed so that the fusee wire could be changed without fully dismantling the clock, the original wires supplied where copper coated steel and had a steel terminal at the end so fitting from the side of the barrel could be achieved.
    1 point
  26. USMC Hamilton,(franken) 987a movement, (1944), NOS Wadsworth case (1946) Semper-fi Bob
    1 point
  27. 1 point
  28. Hello guys, Full plate pocket watches use a right angle escapement and may be really tricky to adjust because of the full plate design. Some adjustments may be done by the pallet assembly which is composed of two parts, the top plate which has the fork and the guard pin and the bottom which hold the stones. The two are screwed and the screws enable some adjustment in both horizontal and vertical : With the horizontal you can adjust the position of the guard pin (never bend it) and of the fork. With the vertical you can adjust the position of the stones and the locks of the escapement : So, if you have to made some adjustments at the pallet, don't forget to check the position of the guard pin and the locks before reassembling.
    1 point
  29. For full plate watches you really need an escapement matching tool. This is sort of a movement holder and depthing tool in one; there are 3 (sometimes only 2 but 3 is best) arms that carry runners that can be accurately aligned with the balance, escape wheel and pallet fork pivot locations. The plate is put in place (well, upper plate), then the components with one end supported by a runner. You can then check the escapement functions in full view.
    1 point
  30. Eye loupes have a sort of standard progression of working distance/magnification. If you look at the image, the "value" is the working distance in inches. Your 10x has 1 inch, which is pretty tight, and you'd only use that for inspection not general work. Most people use something between 2.5x and 5x for general work, I mostly use a 3x. As you go to higher powers it becomes more critical that the loupe be at the right distance, as your eye compensates for the little variations and the weaker the easier, so higher powers can be fatiguing. If you get an unmarked loupe in an Ebay score or flea market, you can determine the focal length by focusing the sun (like we did as kids with a magnifying glass) and measuring the distance from lens to object. This is essentially the same as the working distance, and then you know the power.
    1 point
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