Is it salvageable?

[RyMoeller]

Well the movement is pretty much back together this evening.  I ordered some left hand threaded shoulder screws from Cousins and if I'm lucky one will fit for the Flyback Lever, otherwise I'll need to create a left hand threaded tap, use the tap to create a die, and use the die to create a replacement screw (the original was pretty much destroyed by rust).

I'm also missing a properly sized case screw (another item that was rusted beyond salvage). The replacement Stem and pushers are on the way; when they arrive I should be able to wrap this project.

[nickelsilver]

Wow that looks great! Bear in mind most Excelsior Park movements were around 42 degrees amplitude.

[vinn3]

On ‎6‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 6:46 AM, yankeedog said:

Watch seals are like timing chain guides.Looking at this , I would think that it is doable.The thing that scares me most is the screws. Rusty ones snap off real easy. How patient are you , and how deep are your pockets?

  those rusty screws will not snap off with aplication of proper penitration oil.   vin

[AndyHull]

Impressive work. The barrel and mainspring look almost new, and the remaining pitting is no worse than some lesser movements left the factory with. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[RyMoeller]

Well, I've pretty much wrapped up this project.  The replacement chronograph pushers (buttons) arrived last week and needed a bit of adjustment before they could be installed. As  you can see from the picture below, the shaft of the pusher which acts on the Flyback Lever was a bit long and needed to be turned down on the lathe then re-threaded.

The lot of Excelsior Park parts which I purchased earlier included replacement coil springs for the pushers which was just perfect as the spring for the Flyback Lever was quite rusty.  The replacement is pictured below.

I found it was easiest to case the movement first, then install the pushers. While doing this I noticed there was a part missing from the keyless works. Worried that I had lost something irreplaceable, I went back over my images taken during disassembly and discovered the missing bit wasn't there when I started. The missing piece belongs to the setting  lever assembly- although what exactly it's purpose is I'm not sure. Perhaps it provides stability when applying the clutch.  I noted the keyless works seems to function properly without the part so maybe it's just the appendix of an EP40 movement.

I've circled the area with the missing bit below and added a linked image from the  Watchguy's image archive which shows exactly what is missing.  If I ever do find the missing part, I'll probably have to give my right arm to purchase it.

I replaced the Flyback Lever and Operating Lever, both of which secured the pushers to the movement.  The Flyback Lever is secured with a left-hand thread shouldered screw. The original screw was destroyed by rust but I found a suitable replacement; it doesn't have the three slots cut into the head so I added a dab of blue paint to distinguish the screw.  I still need to find a large case screw to replace the original which was also destroyed.

I needed to adjust some of the eccentrics in order to get the chronograph working just right. It's a pity too because those eccentrics had perfect heads on them until they were galled by my screwdriver. That will serve as a reminder to review the section in George Daniel's book on screwdriver sharpening.

I cleaned up the dial with a bit of water and a Q-Tip but as you can see I lost some of the tachymetre around 3 o'clock from my efforts. The text came away without effort so I stopped any further efforts to improve the dial.

The Hour, Minute, and Minute Recording hands all had oxidation damage. I scrapped the rust away with an oiler and Rodico and applied a coat of varnish to the luminous paint to keep it from crumbling. I think I could have polished and re-blued the hands (which would have been the "correct" solution) but opted to keep the scarred look; it's a reminder of what this watch has been through.

By the way- blued steel hands on a white dial is just a fantastic look.  They look black against the dial when viewed straight on, but when the light hits them just right they shimmer with the deepest blue. I tried to catch an image of the effect with my camera but just couldn't do it justice.

A high dome acrylic crystal completed the job.

So far, so good.  The movement has kept time for the past twenty-four hours without issue. Once I've found a strap for it, I'll take it out on the town and then make final adjustments if need be.

I think I got lucky on this one as the water damage wasn't as great as it could have been and I was able to find all of the replacement parts at a reasonable cost.  Only the pushers broke my budget but I'm happy with the new buttons. I still have some NOS parts left over which I can hold onto or flip later to offset the cost of repair.

[Endeavor]

Sorry for my late reaction, I haven't been on WRT for a while, WUS has my current attention. Always great to read about your endeavours, your well & clear written articles, your optimism and perseverance. Hats off with the end result 

[oldhippy]

I have been asked to remove some replies to the excellent thread. They were not in keeping with the subject. Please keep it so. 

I would like to add my congratulations to RyMoeller for doing such wonderful work.