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Little Ol' Hobbyist

Stymied

By Stymied
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Stymied Member

Stymied

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Hi Folks:

Nothing earth-shaking, I just thought I would introduce myself to the community.

I just turned 71 in October and have been a sort of tool collector and groupy for about 5 years now. Writers would characterize me as at the "pencil-sharpening" stage meaning I am constantly in the process of preparation. In the last 18 months I have finally started to actually poke around a bit and find its even more interesting when I actually Do something. (imagine that). Anyhow my goals are simply to gather a large enough skill-set to revive some of our older pocket watches and get them into the hands of folks who may appreciate them as much as I do. Currently I have all of the Chicago School Lessons and have enrolled in an on-line school. If I ever get to know my way around a lathe at all I know I've made it. Great to be here.

Best Wishes,

 

Bruce

 

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Stymied Member

Stymied

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Posted

Many thanks for the warm reception! As I may have mentioned I am less of a collector and more of a conservator. I share this knowing that some folks who have been in watchmaking for a number of years becomes collectors of tools and parts and movements and particular watch lines. For myself the goal is identifying those resources that directly support my avocation of keeping mechanical watches in the hands of respectful individuals. For instance I am currently looking at the purchase of a lathe down the road and have my heart set on a Derbyshire 750. That said, I have no romantic connection to this machine and were I to find, say, that a Sherline Mill surpasses my choice in performance and/or versatility then it will be a mill instead. What counts is the ultimate ability to keep old watches out of dusty drawers and obscure jewelery boxes. Now I have noticed NAWCC is quite active still. Are there like-minded folks in that organization or is this an acquired taste for a limited number of folks?

 

Best Wishes,

Bruce

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