Jump to content

Newbie from the Midlands

Juniorp72

By Juniorp72
in Introduce Yourself Here

 Share

Recommended Posts

Juniorp72 New Member

Juniorp72

Posted
Posted

Hello, new member here from the Midlands.

I've been a keen watch collector for some time and I like to wear a nice watch and have a small collection of modern watches. Then a few months ago I started looking at vintage watches and bought a couple, one specifically for my birth year (1972). Then.... this happened! I became a casualty of Covid and I have been made redundant. So with plenty of time on my hands and the need to keep myself mentally active i've decided to engage in the hobby further. I don't have transferable skills directly from my career but I am willing to give this a shot and see where it takes me.

I ordered the equipment required to get started and completed Levels 1&2 of Mark's courses.

My first major frustration was when removing the balance end stone the shock spring some how didn't hinge and came out, I picked it up with the tweezers and away it flew! So after an hour (or 6 :chainsaw:) looking for the spring and trying to find one to order I felt quite demoralised and gave up looking. The following morning whilst having a coffee at my work station I could not believe my luck, there it was blending into the work top. So all ended well this time but a real test/realisation for me as I embark on this journey.

I've now started practising and yesterday dismantled my first project, which appears to have gone well with no flying parts... but there is a date complication so will be a new challenge in reassembly. I've added a little more equipment and today I should take delivery of a watch cleaning machine (without a manual :unsure:).

Happy to be here and look forward to learning more and progressing my skills.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

Posted
Posted

Hello and welcome to the forum    when working with small parts which are prone to flight cover the area with a clear plastic bag or work inside the bag errant parts will not escape then. As you get more profficient with the tools etc and your confidence increases dispense with the bag.  do not get frustrated put down the tools and walk away to try later when calm. Bear in mind I should like to guess that 95 Percent of us have been in the same situation more than once, I certainly have and freely admit it . You are not alone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • nevenbekriev
      Is this a 'hack' ?

      By nevenbekriev · Posted

      OK, welcome in the world of alarm clocks... I guess the 4th wheel is dished because it is from another movement. If it was not dishet, then it would not mesh with the pinion of the escape wheel, am I right? The marks of wear on the 4th wheel pinion doesn't corespond to the 3th wheel table position, at list this is what i see on the picts. Calculating the rate is easy - there is a formula - BR = T2 x T3 x T4 x T5 x 2 /(P3 x P4 x P5) where T2 - T5 are the counts of the teeth of the wheels tables, and P3 - P5 are the counts of the pinion leaves. Vibrating the balance is easy - grasp for the hairspring where it should stay in the regulator with tweasers, let the balance hang on the hairspring while the downside staff tip rests on glass surface. Then make the balance oscillate and use timer to measure the time for let say 50 oscillations, or count the oscillations for let say 30 seconds. You must do the free oscillations test to check the balance staff tips and the cone cup bearings for wear. This kind of staffs wear and need resharpening to restore the normal function of the balance.
    • RichardHarris123
      Any tips to correct a sloppy error?

      By RichardHarris123 · Posted

      Glue a nut to the barrel lid, insert a bolt, pull, disolve the glue.  Maybe someone will have a better answer. 
    • mikepilk
      Setting lever spring

      By mikepilk · Posted

      The stress is the force (on the spring) x distance. The maximum stress is at the bottom, and decreases up the arm. That's why they always break at the bottom. I used a round file, then something like 2000 grit to finish. I gave the rest of the arm a quick polish - no need for a perfect finish. Just make sure there are no 'notches' left from cutting/filing. The notches act like the perforations in your toilet paper 🤣
    • Geotex
      Any tips to correct a sloppy error?

      By Geotex · Posted

      It's probably a cardinal rule for watch repair to never get distracted while at the bench. Yesterday, after finishing a tricky mainspring winding/barrel insertion (I didn't have a winder and arbor that fit very well) I mentally shifted down a gear once that hurdle was passed. There were other things going on in the room as I put the barrel and cover into the barrel closer and pressed to get that satisfying snap. But when I took it out I realized I never placed the arbor.  When opening a barrel, we are relying on the arbor to transfer a concentrically-distributed force right where it is needed at the internal center of the lid. However, when that isn't present it's difficult to apply pressure or get leverage considering the recessed position of the lid, the small holes in the barrel and the presence of the mainspring coils. It was a beat-up practice movement so I didn't take a lot of time to think it over and I pushed it out using a short right-angle dental probe placed in from the bottom, but that did leave a bit of a scratch and crease in the thin lid. I had also thought about pulling it using a course-threaded screw with a minor thread diameter smaller than the lid hole and a major diameter larger, but that may have done some damage as well.  Thinking about how this might have been handled had it been a more valuable movement, is there a method using watchmaking or other tools that should extract the lid with the least damage? 
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Epilame / Fixodrop

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      🤔 what happens if lubrication is placed directly on top of epilame ? Making a small groove so the lubrication doesn't spread across the component but what if when lubing a little overspills and sits on the epilame .
×
×
  • Create New...