Dressing Tweezers

[clockboy]

Purchased some tweezers recently just for hairspring work. However I have been very disapointed with them although they grip the hairspring the slightest touch and the coil slips. Wishing I had purchased more Dumont tweezers I searched the internet to see if I could make them at least work better. Many sites talked about dressing tweezers and when I found this vid I realised I was not dressing them correctly. Just another one for that big learning curve.

 

 

 

 

 

[bobm12]

Excellent video clockboy! Thank you for posting!

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[Mark]

You have to just love the Internet - great info at your fingertips :)

 

I have tried many types of tweezers over the years but keep going back to my Dumont's. They are expensive but if you treat them right (not using them for watchstrap alterations etc) then they will last years. And to keep them right I pass them over an india stone from time to time, well actually I now use the diamond plates but you get my point.

 

I just purchased a new set of size 4 Dumont (Dumostar) today actually - cost £27+vat but I know they will be good probably until I retire. The set they are replacing (Dumont size 4 Carbon) was my first tweezer I ever purchased and that was 25 years ago!

 

Most of the cheap ones have soft tips and bend or snap easily, I have quite a few that I will never use again, all costing under £10 originally - a false economy.

[clockboy]

Thanks Mark that is exactly what is wrong with the tweezers I purchased the tips are too soft.  Will puchase Dumont,s in the new year. 

One day I will learn. As my dad used to say penny wise pound foolish.

Edited December 17, 2014 by clockboy

[anilv]

Good tweezers are also used by surgeons, nice if you have someone working in hospitals as they replace them regularly as a matter of policy, irrespective of condition.

I have one branded 'aesculap' which is quite high quality.

Anil

[Don]

Thanks for posting this. It's exactly what I needed. :woohoo-jumping-smiley-emoticon:

[Lawson]

Great post Clockboy!

 

Learn to dress tweezers and screwdriver tips are very important skills to learn. 

Once you master it (and took me a good while :) ), you'll be surprised the difference it makes to your work, and you'll be glad you invested the time.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Lawson

[DrRock]

Just from the point of view of a surgeon, I should put "tweezers" into perspective... ;)

 

As part of my surgical instrument set, I have numerous pairs of forceps (sorry, I just can't bring myself to call them tweezers) ;)  You'd be amazed at the range of sizes and shapes, and what they get used for.

 

But the ones I use under the operating microscope - I have 5 pairs - cost between $2,000 and $3,000 EACH. Yup, you read that right...

 

They have knurled handles/shafts that are semicircular in cross section, so that the forceps can be rotated in the fingers. But the main quality is that the tips are diamond and obviously very hard. The tips meet absolutely precisely, all the time, and most importantly, they NEVER do the crossover flick. It is almost impossible to get them to do that. Even if holding something round, like the shaft of a micro-needle. When I retire, I could feasibly use these for my watch fiddling (that's what I call it as an absolute beginner). But as a Thoracic and Vascular surgeon, I have to tell you that my instruments (we have to buy our own if we work in a private hospital) are collectively worth about $450,000   Yup - about the value of a house in many places. And the insurance on them also costs a fortune.  So maybe that puts into perspective the cost of watchmaking tools.....? ;)

 

Incidentally, I've never figured out just why forceps (tweezers... Grrrr) or scissors are called a PAIR and are plural. Yes, they each have two "legs", but without one of them, they wouldn't be anything at all. So why not a forcep or a scissor? Random useless trivial thought for the day...

Edited December 23, 2014 by DrRock

[DrRock]

For some reason, the forum software won't let me edit the above post more than once. I was going to add that you can buy cheap "surgical forceps" on eBay and from numerous non-major companies. Most of these are made in Pakistan (not China as you may have thought). Some of the better ones have tungsten carbide tips.

 

The REAL ones, like the ones I have, use diamond dust embedded in the tungsten carbide, and the guide pins are absolutely precision-made and fitted. Those are the pins that prevent the "crossover flick".

Edited December 23, 2014 by DrRock

[Lawson]

DrRock, on 24 Dec 2014 - 06:59 AM, said:

The REAL ones, like the ones I have, use diamond dust embedded in the tungsten carbide, and the guide pins are absolutely precision-made and fitted. Those are the pins that prevent the "crossover flick".

 

Those sound amazing Doc. 

But you can't gain any bragging right on this forum with the pictures!! ;)

We want pics!!

 

As Marjorie from "Fat Fighters" says ....

 

[DrRock]

Heheh - can't do pics, the instruments are all done up in a sterile pack ready to go at all times.

 

You'll just have to take my word for it, I'm afraid :)

[DouglasSkinner]

I learned this lesson recently.  I'm going to spend some time today dressing my tweezers.  I found that I need to pay a lot of attention to my screwdrivers; keeping them at the right sharpness and the blade tip absolutely flat and perpendicular.  Still not there yet but I'm improving.  It takes a developed eye to discern the right angles and small variations.  I think this would warrant a video by someone sufficiently skilled--if one is nor already available.

[Ishima]

Good timing, I've always valued good tool maintenance, but I've recently been buckling down on learning how to dress and hone my tweezers and screwdrivers even better, it just pays such dividends. 

My tweezer honing wasn't bad but I never really made an attempt to dress the inside, which is probably a good fault to correct. 

It's interesting what he says about brass tweezers, not considered that angle to them with keeping good grip on steel parts, but I'm not completely convinced, I've often found them too soft to keep a fine point, and are in need of constant redressing and honing. 

But then again, I've only used a cheap pair, perhaps an expensive Bergeon pair would perform better.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Ishima

[Gotwatch]

I learned this lesson recently.  I'm going to spend some time today dressing my tweezers.  I found that I need to pay a lot of attention to my screwdrivers; keeping them at the right sharpness and the blade tip absolutely flat and perpendicular.  Still not there yet but I'm improving.  It takes a developed eye to discern the right angles and small variations.  I think this would warrant a video by someone sufficiently skilled--if one is nor already available.

Although not a video, this link may lend some help:

 

http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/sdriver/sdriver.html

 

Stu

[Adrian]

Love it nice video

[Alaskamick]

To get DuMont tweezers it's worth keeping an eye on eBay.

Unfortunately I can't find the information at the moment but I did buy a marvellous set from a guy in Switserlant. May have been part of the Dumont company.

They needed slight dressing but apart from that they were perfect.

Cost a fraction of the new price.

Mike