Craigslist Deals!

[BlakeL]

I went to Melbourne today to buy the staking set I found on craigslist.  It turned out to be a 18-R model which I know can go for $250+ on eBay.  While I was there they mentioned there were more watch/watchmaking items and I ended up buying an old watchmaking bench and Seiko Chronograph for a grand total of $425.  The desk was a bit overpriced since the joinery was coming apart in a few places and one of the drawer fronts was broken but they threw in everything in the drawers and another piece that was on top that stored all the old watch parts.  I'm going to try to sell off some of the old parts and movements to make some money back but I think I made out pretty good.  I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.. currently the bench is in the back of our van until tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

[noirrac1j]

Wow looks like you'll be busy selling alot of stuff. Let me know when you post on ebay.

 

JC

[anilv]

This particular Seiko is quite sought after...it is known as the UFO..it looks to be in exceptional condition if its all original. The strap alone can fetch a good price!

Use the code on the case back,.. (6138-xxxx) and search on eBay.

This can probably cover your cost! You did well!

Anil

[Geo]

Excellent Blake, it's good to see someone getting a great deal. I'm sure once you sell off the surplus, you'll be quids in! :)

[jnash]

always jealous of these finds! congrats

[BlakeL]

This particular Seiko is quite sought after...it is known as the UFO..it looks to be in exceptional condition if its all original. The strap alone can fetch a good price!

Use the code on the case back,.. (6138-xxxx) and search on eBay.

This can probably cover your cost! You did well!

Anil

The crown and pushers seem to be stuck and it does not run after trying to wind. I think I'll keep it until I work my way up to repairing chronographs.

Excellent Blake, it's good to see someone getting a great deal. I'm sure once you sell off the surplus, you'll be quids in! :)

I went through some of the parts last night and there are some Hamilton, Elgin, Roles and Seiko pieces that sell for $10-20 on eBay. I might be able to make a good sum back from just these parts.

Wow looks like you'll be busy selling alot of stuff. Let me know when you post on ebay.

JC

I'll let you know!

[Geo]

The crown and pushers seem to be stuck and it does not run after trying to wind. I think I'll keep it until I work my way up to repairing chronographs.

Remember you can't wind that one with the crown, it's auto only. You'll have to shake for a while to wind the spring or wear it.

[bobm12]

Nice catch Blake! BTW, the watch looks great, maybe part of the keyless works got rusty but it might just be operational again with little work I guess judging from how well it looks.

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[BlakeL]

I got the desk cleaned up and brought into the house until I have time to do some work on it.  I was able to get out the drawer that was stuck and will have to figure out how to fix the front part that broke off.  The joinery on each side is coming apart somewhat so it'll need to be glued back together.  I found a ton of stuff in the drawers including some old Dumont tweezers.

 

Question - What is the pull out tray with fabric used for?

 

[Geo]

Question - What is the pull out tray with fabric used for?

I think you pull it out against your body to catch escapee parts.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Geo

[anilv]

Seiko chronos with the 6138 (double sub dial) can be hand wound. The 6139 (single subdial) cannot be hand wound.

 

Anil

[BlakeL]

Seiko chronos with the 6138 (double sub dial) can be hand wound. The 6139 (single subdial) cannot be hand wound.

Anil

I tried both and nothing. I have quite a few projects before this one so it'll be a while before I even remove the case back to inspect the movement.

Another question - What is the best way to remove surface rust from tools? The staking set and the Dumont tweezers I got have quite a bit of rust.

[Geo]

Seiko chronos with the 6138 (double sub dial) can be hand wound. The 6139 (single subdial) cannot be hand wound.

Anil

Thanks for that Anil, now filed in the memory banks for the future. It was a 6139 I worked on last. :) Edited February 2, 2015 by Geo

[Marc]

For light surface rust give an overnight soak in strong tea and then use steel wool to remove any residue. The tannic acid in the tea gently works on the iron oxide and the wire wool deals with the more stubborn stuff without removing any steel.

 

You will be left with some black staining but this is stable. I think it lends a bit of an antique air to the item and tells of its age.

 

If you want a bright polished "like new" finish then you need to work a bit harder. Start with a 240 grit emery paper and remove all the discolouration. Then work up through the grades (400-800-1200-etc) as far as you want to go, removing all scratches from the previous grade before progressing to the next grade. Just go as far as gives the desired finish.

 

Two things to remember though;

1 this method removes steel and so could affect the fit and precision of the item you are polishing.

2 if you are going to use these tools then a black polish won't last 5 minutes.

 

If the rust is more serious then you may need a more aggressive treatment (vinegar is good) but removing deeper pitting will definitely impact on the precision of things like the stakes.

[steve855]

Congratulations on your score, especially that 6138!

For rust removal try this stuff: http://www.evapo-rust.com/

It sounds like snake oil but I've used it on a lot of different things and it works pretty well. Just submerge your parts and come back to check in few hours. It won't replace rust with new steel, but it gets the rust off with low effort and doesn't harm your skin. No affiliation here, just passing on what's worked ok for me.

[bobm12]

Hi steve,

 

I've used it but with mixed results. Maybe I'm not using it properly...any advise you can give on the evapo-rust, use wise? Thanks in advance.

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[steve855]

Bob- I just soak the parts in it and agitate occasionally. It seems to work better on some things than others. I would say it's best application is intricate detailed shapes which are hard to do mechanically.

[BlakeL]

If I take all the pieces out of the staking set to soak in a rust solution is there a diagram on how it all goes back together?  The larger pieces seem to be numbered but the ones in the front cannot be since they're so small.

[bobm12]

@steve: Thank you steve, that's a confirmation of what I was having! It does work but as you said better on some stuff than on others.

 

@Blake: Hi Blake, here is a pdf of the layout. I'd recommend you to take a picture for reference! I don't even bother anymore if it fits in the hole there it goes! Too many tools! :)

 

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[BlakeL]

Thanks Bob! I knew there had to be a diagram out there.

[BlakeL]

I'm planning on selling the bank of drawers since I don't have room for it and I can't imagine ever needing that much storage.  How much do you guys think I should sell it for?  There is a guy here locally that posts on craigslist he'll buy all watch stuff that I could email but eBay could also be an option.  I've seen some of these type of things sell for quite a lot on eBay but I'm just not sure about this one since I don't have a manufacturer or know if it was made specifically for watchmaking.

 

[Don]

Great score, Blake! Check out RegrEtsy for the cabinet. There are some smaller cabinets for sale. Also, check under apothecary cabinets.

 

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=watchmaker%20cabinet&order=most_relevant&ref=auto1&view_type=gallery

[BlakeL]

Great score, Blake! Check out RegrEtsy for the cabinet. There are some smaller cabinets for sale. Also, check under apothecary cabinets.

 

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=watchmaker%20cabinet&order=most_relevant&ref=auto1&view_type=gallery

 

Thanks, I think I'll start it out pretty high on eBay and see if I get any offers and slowly lower if it doesn't sell.

[BlakeL]

Spent some time tonight with the few tweezers I found in the drawers of the watchmakers desk.  They were pretty rusted and I didn't realize they were all Dumont.  Two of the 3c tweezers are in good shape but one has one of the tips slightly broken off and the 5 is a little deformed as you can see in the picture.  Glad to finally have some quality tweezers.