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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/20/23 in all areas

  1. Good morning across the pond. Early Friday evening here in Tucson Arizona, USA. I have this Tissot Seastar 781-1 in fairly original condition. The dial has seen the worst of it but the patina is not entirely ugly. An original ss case and bracelet, and crown. According to the photos date stamp I disassembled 10 weeks ago. Got side tracked and then finally had a couple of hours to reassemble 2 days ago. I ordered the correct acrylic but it did not have the Chrome ring so after the on wrist shots I removed and put the other one back on while I wait for a new one from cousins. I did nothing to the mainspring or barrel, but did oil the pivots, jewels, etc. The amplitude can be improved and perhaps then regulated refined. But overall I am pretty satisfied. Looks and wears nice. Not sure the year but maybe the numbers on the interior of the caseback are a clue. '65 to '72 on the movement manufacture. Pictures of the disassembly and a microscope are game changers for me personnally. Looked up the number on the movement, looks to be late 1969 I think.
    3 points
  2. The "for leather" sewing machine needles arrived today, so I dug out one of the machines and tried a test pieces, or to be more precise, two off 18mm wide x 2mm x random length leather test pieces sewn together with contrasting thin gauge polyester thread. The topmost, and more squint row of stitching was stitched by hand cranking the machine very slowly, just to see if the needle was going to explode. For the bottom row, I plucked up the courage to use the motor, and nothing broke, so to answer my own question, yes, you can cut and sew fairly precise leather pieces at home. If and when I take this any further, I'll need to set up a work piece feed guide jig, to keep the distance between the edge of the workpiece and the stitching to a more elegant and more consistent 3mm or 1/8th inch, and probably knock the stitch length down from 4mm to say 2.5mm as sewing by hand-feeding at the standard 1/4 inch edge gap that the machine is usually used at, looks a little rough and ready, and a standard 1.5mm stitch is probably a little short. I guess I should take some measurements of stitch length, edge gap etc. from some of the better made watch bands I have, and use those as a guide. I also probably need to use thicker thread (to make the results more robust) in a matching, or more interesting colour, rather than white. I also probably need to move this topic into its own thread, as it currently has wandered quite a bit from the custom watch dials topic. One advantage of white thread is that you can colour it fairly easily with alcohol based inks. So I brought out the coloured felt tip pens to see what would work best. Bear in mind also that you can load up the top spool of the sewing machine with one colour of thread and the bottom with another, and so long as the tension is correct on the sewing machine, you will end up with one colour on the top of the stitches and another on the other side. Dashed clever these sewing machines.
    3 points
  3. Well, I've done it. Purchased a very dead Seiko 6309. Obtained two, also dead, donors. All looked horrendous on purchase. dirty, screws missing, only one very dirty case. Disassembles all. Checked every item for condition. Picked best. Assembled, oiled. Everything checked on install before moving on to the next part. Biggest problem was balance. All had motion after a while, but none kept motion. 3rd one worked. Demagnetised, Timegraphed, took an hour (+3s, Amplitude 168 - can't get it better, beat error 0.3). Used case from original purchase. Strap from 7009. It works, been wearing it for 3 days now. I know it's not much, a low end watch. But I did it. I've done other automatics, but none have actually maintained their beat without having to be wound manually. So, I'm here...ish. Going away in a few days for my 75th birthday. Back to the enjoyable hobby on return. Regards and thank you to you all.
    2 points
  4. Do this professionally in Switzerland and "stuff" just accumulates.
    2 points
  5. Solved. Found another MM Sonceboz on ebay. Arrived today and swapped the cases. DONE!!
    2 points
  6. I use lever type tools (Favorite, Chatons SA, Horia) for everything, and I have several of the screw-type (micrometric) Horia tools. I just find it easier and faster for the way I work. I do push in lots of pins and tubes and such doing prototype work; I like being able to come down in contact with the lever then raise the micrometer stop to touch, then descend and push- I think there's more feel. But both tools are great. True that with a lever type tool you can ream and drill and such with the appropriate spindles too. I know many pros who couldn't live without the screw-type Horia tool; it's all a matter of preference. But if you just want to get one, then a secondhand Seitz or Favorite is a good choice. I prefer the Favorite as it uses straight sided reamers held in a collet in their spindle, and a complete set will have several collets with sizes appropriate for holding drills. Seitz uses a taper fit to hold the reamers. Horia is like Favorite, with the collet holding spindle. If you have a Seitz the Horia spindle will fit if you want to have that too- the price is reasonable, but the Schaublin P4.5 collets are pretty pricy. I also collect pushers and stumps, and often make them for special jobs as well. Pic is of the drawer for those (main workbench drawer). It's messy but I know where everything is!
    2 points
  7. Also, it might be interesting to learn that it seems to be the consensus here on WRT - not least and perhaps above all with the professionals - that we basically can ignore the shelf life. Simply store your oils in darkness in a not-too-hot place - room temperature or lower is preferred - and you should be able to use your bottle of oil until it is finished, which might be past your own shelf life
    2 points
  8. As I mentioned, in practice, it's not such a big deal. I think you might find this illustrated post interesting: https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/13161-chinese-clone-horia-tool/page/2/#comment-173046 I have no idea, but there are definitely options (there always are). Anyway, unless you plan to work with really old and worn watches, the likelihood that you will need the reamers is pretty small. However, the probability is significantly greater that you will need to replace broken jewels and adjust the end-shake.
    2 points
  9. I had a bigger version steam cleaner in my lab. It was capable og 4 bar pressure. Never even considered using it to clean watch parts. The pressure is so great that things tend to fly into oblivion. I used it to clean dental micromotor rotors and stators. Also to clean wax out of plaster of Paris moulds during denture fabrication. I don't think it has a useful application in horology.
    2 points
  10. Hello all, hope you're well. I've been working on Miyota movements for years and usually if the movement doesn't have a calendar i'll move the hour hand backwards to twelve before installing the minute hand. I got told this before but I've never fully understood why.... can anyone clear that up for me? As opposed to any calendar or quartz movement that i'll always install with the hour hand adjusted forwards to twelve. Thanks for your time and patience
    1 point
  11. Never heard of that. Be interested to see the replies.
    1 point
  12. Balance and new hairspring don't match so the oscilator beats more than it should, you ought to add weight to balance rim to slow the rate down, you will need washers for the adjustment. Welcome to the WRT forum.
    1 point
  13. 1 point
  14. I bought one of these from Cousins The largest hole is about 3.1mm
    1 point
  15. Yes, the fork is held on the heated plate either by tweezers or the clamp (Bergeon tool), you touch where you want the shellac, it melts on the fork/jewel, and come away quickly. There's usually a bit that wants to come away with the applicator, but it pulls back in to the melted mass. With a little practice you find the right size filament on the wood, and how quickly to pull away quite quickly.
    1 point
  16. Denatured alcohol is at its base ethyl alcohol. Where it gets tricky is the type of denaturing agents and their quantity. I know that one brand here doesn't burn for heck in an alcohol lamp, and another burns great. Quote from Wikipedia: I know that isopropyl is almost useless in an alcohol lamp, so I might guess that the bad brand here might have a lot of that, or at least it's on the 60% region of ethyl content. Ethyl is definitely the solvent of choice for dissolving shellac for wood finishing purposes. Luckily we can get that here at 99% purity at the drugstore (and lots of other dangerous things too!) .
    1 point
  17. the problem is the word denatured alcohol is generic. the problem with a generic term is that it could be a whole variety of alcohols some of which are not the best for shellac. then of course there is the bonus additives to keep you from drinking it which are definitely not alcohol I was looking into the crazy California situation they like the ban everything by the way soon it will be illegal to be a human being in the state of California because it's bad for the environment. here's an interesting link of alternatives https://www.finewoodworking.com/2022/03/21/where-to-buy-denatured-alcohol I tried to take a quick look at buying alcohol in Sweden and learned more than I want to know and did not get the answer to question I had. Which is what is the highest alcohol content I could buy good looks like grain alcohol would be good.
    1 point
  18. Surprisingly, more people than one might think do try this stunt. I once very politely tried to tell a seller of an old used box of Seitz jewels that his asking price might be "a bit too optimistic". He immediately became very upset, told me he knew exactly the value of his box - 10 per cent or so below Cousin's asking price but with several jewels missing - and he'd let me know that he would now block me on eBay. People are funny creatures! I share the exact same experience. If you wait long enough (sometimes for as long as a few years) that perfect offer somehow magically appears. Yes, not having the needed tool can be extremely frustrating and the only thing to compensate for it is most often to overpay. Indeed, or a large selection of jewels, which is definitely more expensive than a Horia clone jewelling tool. Anyway, for a beginning enthusiast both the Seitz and the Horia tool will take you a long way. I was happy with my Seitz for adjusting the end-shake and replacing jewels until I got my Horia tool. Now, the only reason I would use the Seitz would be to use the reamers.
    1 point
  19. ideally for horological tool purchasing they should be purchased over time when it's convenient to do so and you find an outstanding purchase price. Like for instance if you look at Seitz tools on eBay price ranges from acceptable to somebody has dreams of retiring on one tool sales but I've seen some outstanding purchase prices but you have to wait over time. The problem becomes if you need a tool now then that's the problem this is a mostly true statements. The problem would be as if the original jewel was not the exact size of the replacement jewel. Then he would definitely need a reamer. It does presented interesting challenge of if you're only purchasing one. Personally all I use my Seitz tool for is the reamer. As I find using it for pushing jewels adjusting end shake not as nice as the other one. That would explain why it work this week both tools were out on my bench for quite a while no replacing balance jewels is not a simple process. So it did require both tools and with the bonus of we have the insanely expensive Seitz in the wooden box I could make use of the bushing assortments they have bushings that you can use to allow you to use a smaller jewel in the case of the problem I had the original was burnished in and to get it far enough out for something to hold it became way too big for the balance jewels we had. So this means putting in the bushing reaming it out and putting in the jewel oh but this is also vintage conceivably on modern watches you may build get by which is pushing to jewel in and out if you're lucky in which case I don't like the Seitz tool for pushing things typically. then just in case you don't have the Seitz manual I've attached that you can see what it's supposed to come with. Seitz Seitz book.pdf
    1 point
  20. A microscope with a ringlight would be best. But if you are just looking for a small light box, you could take a photo of a white sheet of paper and open up that photo everytime you need a backlight.
    1 point
  21. No. I made a jar with a bolt through the cover. I put my basket in the jar and fix it to my cordless drill to spin out the excess fluid. This way I save on the solutions and have less contaminated fluid remaining on the parts.
    1 point
  22. That looks identical to a Baumgartner movement I've just finished, think it was the BFG 866. Painful part was that the hairspring was pinned with no stud screw and it needed some tweaking. Fair old contribution to the swear jar followed.
    1 point
  23. Thanks for your kind comments, fitting the bridge was difficult as everything has to line up together and all at the same time, this is where my microscope was invaluable, although there were a few swear words and more than one coffee break involved . This was a strange one, as it was fixed to the main plate and couldn't be removed, please see picture: Dial side showing wheel: Other side I tried using the ultrasonic to see if this would encourage the wheel to come out but in the end I decided maybe it was a strange design and not supposed to be removed and better to leave it alone as it was moving freely and no obvious signs of damage or corrosion
    1 point
  24. Good day, I have a new OMNTA watch to add to my collection, this watch was one of 16 purchased for £32.00 from eBay, which works out at an average cost of £2.00, so also qualifies for the 404 club The watch was a non-runner and it looks like this resulted from a broken pinion on the second wheel, also, I had to use my staking set to reduce the arbour hole on the barrel bridge as there was way too much play. Finally, the bridal was broken on the mainspring - so after replacing the wheel and mainspring (fortunately there was another watch with the same movement in the lot of 16 which I used as a donor - lucky!!) and the bridge repair here are the before and after pictures: Watch front view (before:) Here is a picture of the movement - I just noticed that you can see the orange smudge of corrosion in the top hole to the right of the ratchet wheel and just under where the click screw is, this is where the wheel pinion was broken and had to be replaced, it looked like corrosion on the pinion, but there was little other evidence of corrosion in the watch: And here is the dial out of the case, this needed a little work, and was better in the final restoration but still not 100% and I didn't want to push my luck and make it worse: And here is the finished watch:
    1 point
  25. Does it have to be direct backlight for some reason? Shine a penlight on your work mat underneath the movement and the jewels are easy to inspect. Looks like an x-ray, yah?
    1 point
  26. I use a little LED keychain light I bought in a discount store. Piece of paper and I have a backlit base for examining parts under the microscope
    1 point
  27. I am thinking about getting one of these for this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BKSLZ27K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3UR61Y1YXNUGU&psc=1 Tom
    1 point
  28. I got myself a single Horia anvil (approx. £28 with taxes and shipping) to complement my Seitz set, and you're right the diameter was on the big side and wouldn't fit. Because I was impatient, I tried to adjust the diameter myself, which ended up destroying the anvil (I'm too embarrassed to reveal any details). I should have listened to your advice and sent it back, but now it's too late. Anyway, the other day I needed to adjust the third wheel end-shake on a Unitas 6380 but I couldn't get any of my Seitz anvils to fit under the bridge or on the main plate. I felt extremely frustrated thinking about that I would likely have to order a Horia jeweling tool and then have to wait for a many days, weeks, or maybe even months. Trying to come up with an alternative solution I placed the train wheel bridge on the large non-holed Seitz anvil but when I pressed the jewel the whole bridge gave way because it is quite thin. So, I decided to bite the bullet and order a Horia jeweling tool. Getting the Horia press and the set with 24 pushers and 24 anvils from Cousins would be a quick option, but way too expensive, approx. £1910 with tax and UPS shipping. There was a pretty attractive offer on eBay for approx. £420 (Global shipping program) but it only had the set with 8 pushers and three anvils. Or, I could go AliExpress and get a Horia clone set having 24 pushers and 24 anvils for approx. £170 including shipping and VAT. None of these options felt particularly attractive. In the process of trying to determine what to buy, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe the Seitz flat pushers could double as anvils!?!?! Note that I consider it a small miracle that the thought even occurred to me, Ha-ha! It worked perfectly! I haven't fully examined all possible combinations of flat pushers and pump pushers, but at least the two largest flat pushers can double as anvils. Perhaps this is why the Seitz set has so few dedicated anvils!? Anyway, I still decided to order the Chinese Horia clone having 24 pushers and 24 anvils. It will likely take a couple of months before it is delivered. It would seem most reviews are positive but I've also read I should expect a few of the pushers and anvils to be poorly done. Anyway, keeping my fingers crossed and until then I believe the Seitz flat pushers will cover most situations.
    1 point
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