Newbie, Karl, here making myself known

[KarlvonKoln]

Hello to you all.  I am unsure where to begin here.  I guess I will start with basics.  I go by Karl.  I have too many hobbies, most of which involve antique and mechanical things. I live in Indianapolis IN currently, but I used to live in Cleveland OH and miss it terribly. I have been fascinated with timepieces since I was very little.  Having steady hands and mechanical aptitude, once when I was seven I took apart my mother's alarm clock to see how it worked and, thank heaven above, was able to get it back together and futz with it until it worked as before.  She still doesn't know and I'm not going to tell that story in her presence yet.  Since then, over the years I've gone from just changing batteries to actually stripping and cleaning and repairing and replacing the parts of mechanical clocks and watches. I've sifted through the internet always in search of the right way to do things, or the best way, depending (for a given watch, sometimes those concepts are different). I learned there are quite a few hacks out there too. But this site is one that always seemed honest and straightforward.
I am much like a number of struggling collectors with very modest income who visit little "antique malls" and flea markets, and Etsy, and rescue beautiful watches, snatching them up for a song before the scrappers find them. And then I do all I can to restore them, carefully get them running and regulated and polished.  I own a late-1880s Elgin in a Keystone case, a little Waltham "Seaside" also in a Keystone, a size 6 Hampden in its Dueber case, a much newer Public Watch "Louis XIV" alarm watch with a Baumgartner 222 movement (cheapo, but more accurate than I'd have expected and heaven help me but I love the thing for it's utility) and I have my Longines 18.5 in its proprietary case. At some point I could post pics, if there is interest. I've worked on a handful of others recently. I am currently working on a silver-cased "Jacques" which has a no-name "Remontoir a Anchre (ligne droit anchre) Swiss movement. It has multiple bridges, and that is so blessedly easy to work on. It's face has a BAD divot from where it was damaged by a previous "technician". I must try to repair it if I can, as well as can possibly done. That watch belongs to a good friend.  It was his father's and grandfather's and has become part of his history, so the weight of his burden of trust in me is very consciously felt.
I hope that is enough about me to go on for now.  I adore "time machines" of nearly every kind. I have looked in on this forum before a few times and feel I am in excellent company. I am here to learn.  I am still learning all the proper terminology, all the riddles that some less common watches have, so have patience with me.  I may have a number of "dumb" questions to ask now and then. I am better at doing and learning than I am at articulating questions.  So, that said, hello everyone!

[HectorLooi]

Let me be the 1st one to welcome you to the friendliest forum in the world. I'm not sure why your post is not receiving the love from our usual welcoming party. Perhaps everyone is out partying after being lockdown for so long. 

There is no such thing as a dumb question here. We are all here to share and learn. I've asked enough dumb questions in my lifetime to fill a whole room.

May your hobbies fill your life with endless hours of enjoyment. 

[Nucejoe]

Welcome to the forum Karl.