Question About Old Watchmakers Desk

[jdrichard]

I was asked by the curator of the Canadian Clockmakers Museum what the small pocket on the lower right side of the desk is used for. It is next the the small poster and bottom right part of the desk, just below the desk top and about 3 inches wide by 6 inches tall.

 

 

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[jdrichard]

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[vinn3]

  i will guess;  for   taking the dents out of pocket watch cases.    vin

[nickelsilver]

That was for french chalk. If you read old texts they used it a lot back in the day. A block of it would be kept there.

[jdrichard]

  i will guess;  for   taking the dents out of pocket watch cases.    vin

It’s just a square opening in the desk???


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[jdrichard]

That was for french chalk. If you read old texts they used it a lot back in the day. A block of it would be kept there.

I will look this up. What specifically did they use it for?


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[nickelsilver]

I will look this up. What specifically did they use it for?


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They would load a bristle brush with it and brush down the parts. Sounds crazy I know, but that was part of good cleaning procedure 120 something years ago.

Goodrich's book The Watchmaker's Lathe its Use and Abuse has and illustration describing the chalk hole.

[jdrichard]

They would load a bristle brush with it and brush down the parts. Sounds crazy I know, but that was part of good cleaning procedure 120 something years ago.

Goodrich's book The Watchmaker's Lathe its Use and Abuse has and illustration describing the chalk hole.

Thanks. I have that book and will look this up

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[vinn3]

13 hours ago, jdrichard said:

It’s just a square opening in the desk???


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    i was looking at something else on the bench top !!!      put a circle around something on the bench top,   i'll try again - vin

[nickelsilver]

    i was looking at something else on the bench top !!!      put a circle around something on the bench top,   i'll try again - vin

That's it. They often still have some chalk residue if you look closely.

[nickelsilver]

For those who are curious, French chalk is basically magnesium silicate, talc. It's the lowest number on the Mohs scale for minerals.

 

Another mineral traditionally used in watchmaking is Spanish powder, or blanc de meudon or blanc d'espagne. This is calcium carbonate (primarily), slightly more aggressive as an abrasive. On a watch with gilded plates and bridges, when they are tarnished/stained and unaffected by normal cleaning methods, this stuff can be rubbed on wet with fingers or brush. It does an amazing job of brightening the parts, without leaving a scratch. Calcium carbonate is the main component of blackboard chalk, so if your local drugstore doesn't have it* crush some up and give it a try.

 

 

*we're really spoiled in my area with a drugstore thathas all kinds of cool stuff. Just got silver nitrate there for a new batch of dial silvering powder.

 

 

[vinn3]

4 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

That's it. They often still have some chalk residue if you look closely.

    yes i see the notch.

[jdrichard]

For those who are curious, French chalk is basically magnesium silicate, talc. It's the lowest number on the Mohs scale for minerals.
 
Another mineral traditionally used in watchmaking is Spanish powder, or blanc de meudon or blanc d'espagne. This is calcium carbonate (primarily), slightly more aggressive as an abrasive. On a watch with gilded plates and bridges, when they are tarnished/stained and unaffected by normal cleaning methods, this stuff can be rubbed on wet with fingers or brush. It does an amazing job of brightening the parts, without leaving a scratch. Calcium carbonate is the main component of blackboard chalk, so if your local drugstore doesn't have it* crush some up and give it a try.
 
 
*we're really spoiled in my area with a drugstore thathas all kinds of cool stuff. Just got silver nitrate there for a new batch of dial silvering powder.
 
 

Again, thanks very much. I will pass this info along to the curator of the clock museum.


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