Extractor

With regards to making the basket I had a similar idea as HectorLooi posted above with his photos (link to video is faulty) in the sense to use something that is commercially available. For a basket I found this on Cousins and it had a snug fit into a glass jar. Probably too snug as I note the real machines have a stainless steel mesh around the container walls to act as a wave/current breaker. Off-cuts of stainless steel mesh can be sourced fairly cheaply. Pots like this can be sealed off really well. I suspect the basket would need a lid to avoid the parts becoming unintentionally

Has anyone tried to build a watch cleaning machine from scratch? Looking at the ones that show up on the bay I am surprised at the prices they fetch here in the UK for what is essentially a fairly simple bit of kit that often needs a lot of work to get them up and running safely. Although my horological skills are so far not much to write home about I think I should be able to build something that would work but would like to avoid having to re-invent the wheel. I would be really grateful if you could share your creations. Many thanks.

The colour of the jewels is definitely paler than I have seen in more modern movements so they may very well be natural stones as you suggest. In the shots I attached in my previous message, they were photographed through a loupe with my phone on max magnification and against a green background so the colour came out a little different. I have inspected the pivots and they actually look is decent condition as far as I can tell. The fracture lines on the jewels are clearly visible but the hole looks relatively ok. I think what I will do is keep it as is and put everything together aga

My steep learning curve may about to become steeper still. As my first project I am working on a 17 jewel, Cyma 999 movement for which the replacement mainspring is now ordered. On closer inspection I can see that some of these 17 jewels are totally knackered so have been reading up on jeweling tools. On eBay the majority of interesting jeweling and staking sets are in the US. What is the most cost effective way to get myself kitted out? I have seen references to combined staking and jeweling tools but looking on the Cousins site they are two different tools. Is a Chinese imitation of a H

I have found GR7087 which is 2.90 x .19 x 520 x 16 is stock at Cousins which is probably as close as I will get. Many thanks Poljot and Nickelsilver for your kind advice!

Almost, but not quite. The 18 is too big as barrel ID is only 16.5mm (17mm on the reference sheet linked above so my measurement is likely to be 0.5mm off). With TR springs being difficult to find, would a DBH not work better than a normal bridle? I am thinking that the hook at least has a hole to engage in?

I have measured with the depth gauge of a Mitutoyo caliper, resting the the base on two sides of the curvature, allowing the depth probe to reach the bottom, keeping it as parallel as I could manage.

The main reference I can find is 'The Semloh Lever' and '999' which, after some searching has led me to this: http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Cyma_999 And: https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/another-pocket-watch-incoming.4975015/ Looks quite similar. Holmes spelt backwards? What on earth....?

If the exact spring cannot be found, in what order of importance would you rate the different parameters? I would have thought that the type, height and ID of the barrel are absolute requirements. Thickness and length less so?

Ah, that opens up quite a few more possibilities. The barrel depth is 3.4mm so it can be a considerably wider mainspring as long as I stay within 3.2mm to build in a little safety margin. You are right that the current mainspring almost certainly was not the correct one.

After having experimented with some very cheap watches I thought it was time to attempt something a little nicer. Bought this silver pocket watch and took it apart. Noticed quite a few of the jewels were shattered so is likely to be beyond my skill set at the moment to restore anyway. Despite that, I decided, probably unwisely, to examine the mainspring and measure it up for a replacement so rendering it useless in the process. The measurement I have taken are: Height: 2.6mm Thickness 0.2mm Length: 520mm ID of barrel: 16.5mm Type TR Then I find out there

I picked up one of those soviet era stereo microscopes (8.75x) which was suggested earlier in this thread. It did not come with a stand but for just £14 it seems really decent and a stand is not that hard to make. The only slight flaw is that the inter ocular position does not have the required friction and flops around too freely, probably just worn I guess.

You are right, when I re-read the Cousins info I belatedly spotted the fact that it was a clock mainspring winder. I will definitely keep it. Thanks for responding!

Being very, very new to this watch repair lark, I have been flea baying to see what I could find with regards to mainspring winders. Came across this for less than £5 but it does not have any of the attachments I have seen with other similar winders. I vaguely resembles a winder on the Cousins site. The handle turns anti clockwise. I this a wasted fiver or potentially use able? Thanks.

Hello all, Very, very new to this watch repair lark but reading and Youtubing my way along. No doubt you will see some exceedingly stupid questions coming along from me shortly. Thanks.