Jump to content

Completed (more or less) this restoration...


Recommended Posts

This was in the box-o-watches.  Had water damage.  I posted about the third wheel having the pivot rusted.  That movement ultimately died at the mercy of untrained hands.  No tears...it is a BFG866 movement and they are plentiful on ebay disguised by watch faces.  I think I got the replacement for under ten bucks including shipping.

I also posted about the challenge of installing the crystal.  Anyway...here it is.

Two things though:

1) It needs a new rubber gasket/grommet for the back.  I have the old one, but it has stretched.

2) The crown needs replacment because it has lost the rubber gasket inside the perimeter.

These may or may not be a challenge to find...dunno.  I notice that the stem is bigger than most (diameter).

But, I do not trust any of my watches under water and thus do not challenge them in that way.  In the background, I will look for a new crown.

2021-07-15 14_45_44-20210715_144135.jpg ‎- Photos.png

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Hi There is a site, in Europe I believe   Windingstems.com ,  https://www.windingstems.com/ who hava or seem to have a comprehensive stock.  Wrth a look.     cheers  

I have bookmarked this site for future purchases.  Not much there on crowns however (lots of tap 9).

I recently bought some assortments of crown o-rings.  Looked through them yesterday.  Could not find one with the right OD and ID to fit inside the crown and around the tube.

This is a cheap watch...but it is part of my journey to fix/find everything to make a finished piece.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK...prolly not gonna get any "high fives" for this one...


The crown gasket I need has a 2.4mm ID and an OD of about 2.6mm.  Nothing in my collection of gaskets fits.  Soooo.

I saw this video of a guy making a gasket out of wire insulation.  Pretty novel.  I have tons of wire and cable (I am in EE), so I found a cable that was perfect.  I cut the size I needed and inserted it into the crown.  Voila. It is certainly better than nothing at all and actually fits pretty snug.  Rubber would be better...but...

It is my watch...I will live with any consequences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/16/2021 at 8:40 PM, LittleWatchShop said:

OK...prolly not gonna get any "high fives" for this one...


The crown gasket I need has a 2.4mm ID and an OD of about 2.6mm.  Nothing in my collection of gaskets fits.  Soooo.

I saw this video of a guy making a gasket out of wire insulation.  Pretty novel.  I have tons of wire and cable (I am in EE), so I found a cable that was perfect.  I cut the size I needed and inserted it into the crown.  Voila. It is certainly better than nothing at all and actually fits pretty snug.  Rubber would be better...but...

It is my watch...I will live with any consequences.

Something else you might consider is making a new gasket out of silicone.  I know it's a lot bigger in comparison but I made a new gasket from silicon (the kind you get in a tube that when it sets, it's flexible) for my Tefal steam generator iron.  I would imagine making something that tiny would be a real challenge though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LittleWatchShop said:

This deserves some thought!

I did make some earring backs for a pair of hook earrings I had a habit of losing.  They weren't perfect but did the job.  It would have helped if I'd had a decent magnifying glass to see what I was doing better.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/31/2021 at 6:16 PM, LittleWatchShop said:

This deserves some thought!

My solution for an 866 with busted stem was to use an adapter from esslinger (I believe it was tap 7 to tap 9), then used a large (5mm) tap 9 new crown. 😉 
 

I also ordered gross bags of flat gaskets and round o-rings from them. They come in handy.

 

 

DC316AE0-E50A-4AF2-8E23-1FC6B911B281.jpeg

0EB6B25A-9EC1-473F-9F55-60DAEF24038E.jpeg

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 3:53 AM, LittleWatchShop said:

The crown needs replacment because it has lost the rubber gasket inside the perimeter.

It is actually possible to tease the old o-ring out of the crown through the gap in the crown and replace it with a new one. If the old o-ring has hardened, it can be softened by soaking it in acetone overnight, then using a sewing needle to dig it out bit by bit. From the bits that come out, a rough estimate of the thickness of the o-ring can be made. The ID of the o-ring corresponds to the diameter of the case tube.

It may be excruciatingly painful work but you'll have the original crown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/16/2021 at 2:44 PM, LittleWatchShop said:

I recently bought some assortments of crown o-rings.  Looked through them yesterday.  Could not find one with the right OD and ID to fit inside the crown and around the tube.

That happens a lot with crown gaskets. No matter how many you have, there will always be another size needed. And they are not tolerant of approximations as (to an extent) case back gasket are. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, jdm said:

No matter how many you have

I am trying to build an inventory of things like this so when I need it I have it.  One could argue that it does not make sense for someone like my who is functioning as a hobbyist (for lack of a better term), but it makes sense to me.  I keep thinking that I need a good assortment of crystal...well I did buy some off ebay when this journey started but learned that the majority are small diameter.  Even so, I have found a few that fit the watches I was restoring.  Recently I have been replacing glass crystals and realizing that there is a huge variety of diameters and thicknesses...not worth the money to have in inventory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went nuts collecting acrylic crystals. And the documentation for them. Boy do I have crystals!

And of course, like everything else at the moment, they are in storage and difficult to get at.  I keep telling myself that they will be useful in the future, but actually I think I went a bit off my rocker when I was buying them all 🙂

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, dadistic said:

Boy do I have crystals!

Maybe on my 2022 drive to the Boundary Waters, I should swing over to Wisconsin and see your crystal collection!

Frankly, I would like to make a US tour and see some of the forum members in person...but that would take from from Texas to Seattle, to NH, Wisconsin...and Minnesota (I think there is  MN forum member).  That would be fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think by fall 2022, we will be in the Duluth area, but you are absolutely welcome to stop by any time. I like hanging out with collectors, there is a NAWCC group here in Madison that's fun to get together with.  Nothing in Duluth, but maybe that's my incentive to get more involved in NAWCC, try and get a chapter going.

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

Maybe on my 2022 drive to the Boundary Waters, I should swing over to Wisconsin and see your crystal collection!

Frankly, I would like to make a US tour and see some of the forum members in person...but that would take from from Texas to Seattle, to NH, Wisconsin...and Minnesota (I think there is  MN forum member).  That would be fun.

Be sure to stop in Milwaukee for a drink.

  • Like 1
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.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Thanks for the help guys! VWatchie I already found your thread but I'll check it again. Nice to know about acetone, I still have to get the shellac off since I made a little mess. I adjusted the jewel, put new shellac (the so called soldering technique, pallet tool too hot this time so the shellac "wire" melted in air before getting in contact with jewels or fork) rinsed the pallet fork and put it back dry. Amplitude is now in the 240-250 range that I expected in the first place. I guess there's enough oil in the escape wheel teeth already but I'll check that later. The mainspring was pretty beaten so a new one would probably boost the amplitude even further. Nice to learn new things. Now I have another thing to look for while disassembling. I wonder if the watch left the factory that way. 
    • Would be interesting to see it 🙂
    • These are all American movements (with the exception of the "Rubis"), and are all almost certainly "negative set" which means the stem is part of the case. So it's normal that they are all missing- they are with their cases. You will need male square bench keys to wind/disarm them. Vintagewatchstraps has a great writeup on the different systems. But basically, any American "x" size movement will fit any case for that size, possibly with some adjusting of the stem position. With Swiss movements, there is some interchangeability between calibers, usually within the same maker's range, but not really overall- there are thousands of different stems out there.
    • Hi, I'm very new to watchmaking and this is my first time posting here.  I've bought a lot of 10 vintage pocket watches size 0s from e-bay and just got them today.  Most of the balance wheels sprung quite freely and thus seemed like a worthy endeavor as a first batch for exploration.  I've just realized that none of them have any winding stems. Is there any way I could source appropriate winding stems for the movements? There seems to be assortments of various stems selling in bulk on aliexpress, but would any of them fit?  I've read on other threads that some people lathe their own stems (which is waaaay out of my current skill set, which is pretty much nil). Others say that you 'just have to try a few and see if they fit'. I would much appreciate any advice for this matter. Thanks!
    • Nice work.  In the last year, I have been servicing Accutron 218s.  I have the official Accutron hoder that provides electrical contact to the movement.  It is a pretty clever design.  There is a cut in the ring of the holder (shaped like a "C").  When in relaxed state, the holder is slightly smaller than the watch movement.  You spread the cut slightly and drop the movement in and release.  Very clean.  I have made 3D versions of this setup.  Have not explored using it generally for other movements.
×
×
  • Create New...