Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

This New York Standard Watch is NOT precision.  Anyway, due to that, this spring got broken so I had to make a new one.

I bought a set of feeler gauges from Harbor Freight for $5.

Then I picked the one of equivalent thickness to the broken spring.

I glued the original spring to the feeler steel and then used a sort of miniature dremel tool to cut it down to get it close. Then I finished with a diamond file.

It is not precise, but it is working just fine.

This watch is my "learning" watch...learning the deeper things of watchmaking...like shellacking pallets on a fork and now, making a spring.  If this were a fine watch, I would have continued to fine tune this until it was almost identical.  But, I have proven the concept, so I am moving on.

2022-02-13 17_10_17-Window.png

  • Like 5
Posted

Good stuff.  I like reading about this kind of thing.  It makes the rest of us less stressed out if a part breaks or goes missing, knowing that someone has demonstrated that such things can be remade.  I used my little lathe, a die plate, and a slotting file, and made a screw.  I didn't *need* to make it, but it helped me so much just to know that I could.  Doing things like this help us grow as watchmakers.

  • Thanks 1
Posted

Excellent work, can I ask how you made the hole ? Did it drill OK or was it punched out or some other method.

I am thinking feeler gauges are too and to drill.

Thanks

Paul

Posted
39 minutes ago, Paul80 said:

Excellent work, can I ask how you made the hole ? Did it drill OK or was it punched out or some other method.

I am thinking feeler gauges are too and to drill.

Thanks

Paul

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

i started with pivot drill bits and was able to get a good center before it broke. After a couple other lousy bits, I remembered that I had some carbide PCB bits. That worked but was a little small. I finished the job with a broach.

Posted
13 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

Next time try first a good center punch, being exact the difficult part, make a cross marking, there are also special loupes made to be more accurate. The resulting divot not only centers the drill but also give some flank for the cutting edges. Always use the lowest possible speed and good lubrication, even for small and shallow holes.

  • Like 1
Posted
37 minutes ago, jdm said:

Next time try first a good center punch

I probably need to make one because, I don't think I have one suitable for this.  You think starting with blue pivot steel is a good option for making one? 

Posted
2 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I probably need to make one because, I don't think I have one suitable for this.  You think starting with blue pivot steel is a good option for making one? 

I would buy ready made, quality if possible.  

  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, LittleWatchShop said:

It was a challenge because of my crappy bits.

I made something similar not too long ago. I drilled the hole first then glued the part to the steel. Great idea in using feeler gauges, I'm pinching that! 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted (edited)
On 2/13/2022 at 11:16 PM, LittleWatchShop said:

 

I bought a set of feeler gauges from Harbor Freight for $5.

Then I picked the one of equivalent thickness to the broken spring.

Thanks for that tip. I've been wondering where I could find some suitable thin spring steel to try to fabricate a few small items. I was also planning to try etching stuff from thin sheet to see if that is possible at watch part scale.

Accurate masking, and etchant I think I can possibly manage, since you should be able to use copper printed circuit board techniques, but obtaining spring steel shim stock had me scratching my head.

Feeler gauges can be picked up for next to nothing on Ali Express and ebay, so I have no excuse now for not giving it a try, other than the usual suspects. Lack of spare time, and laziness.  

Just over three quid on ebay and the following search string "Metric 13 Blade Feeler Gauge 0.05 to 1.0mm Spark Plug Measure Gap Tool Set UK" should get me something to experiment with.


They are even cheaper on Aliexpress, but the shipping times are longer. Not that it really matters, since I am unlikely to get a chance to experiment with this for a while.

Edited by AndyHull
Posted
5 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I hav done a lot of pcbs and pretty good at it. What chemical would you use to etch steel?

Ferric chloride works great (I think you use the same for pcbs?). I don't know if I would make parts by etching, but scale modelers often make things that way.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

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

    • This was what I was afraid of. The movement is not one of the generic black square modules. Remove the movement from the clock and try prying it open very carefully, without breaking the plastic tabs. The plastic might be brittle from age. Clean the wheels and check the battery contacts for corrosion. Check the PCB for bad solder joints. Take plenty of photos along the way.
    • One of the problems with trying to Photograph Phils things are that his enjoyment was building these things so they tended to E falls on what will see if I can find some earlier pictures or any pictures I wasn't even sure because I was looking for that specific picture for somebody else and even it got the last version and that would have been the last version. You will note that he put the indexing on something that he could unscrew it or whatever and it can slide back out of the way so the rest of the lathe can be used as a lathe. With the lathe cut are actually coming down from the top I was there once where he demonstrated how to cut a pivot with the setup it was really beautiful. Older set up if I remember it's not a worm gear assembly in the thing in between the stepping motor and the holding block I believe this particular one was like a 100 to 1 gear ratio. Earlier version with watchmaker's lathe. Even looks like he is the watchmakers bed and then switch to something he made. Then I do have other pictures and things of the rotary stage in use. In the raw so if you tube videos here is an example of one were somebody's mounting a three jaw chuck. At one time there were available on eBay they were not cheap but if you're patient like I was I found one cheap on eBay. After you watch the video it look at his other videos he is a whole bunch of other examples of the same rotary stage. That I do know there are other pictures examples and possibly videos you just have to track them down. One of the minor issues of finding this particular tech sheet for the unit is I believe it was a custom manufacturer and the company change their name but I remember the new name here's a link to the company https://www.ondrivesus.com/rino-mechanical-components                
    • Escapement adjusting always interesting and depending upon the reference always confusing. Okay maybe it's not always confusing but it does lead to confusion. I have a PDF below it's actually a whole bunch of separate stuff including a hand out that came from a lecture that's on you tube. Then from that we get this image Consequences of doing things especially if you do things out of order or you do things for the wrong reason. Oh and even if the watches working I made the mistake one so showing my boss how tweaking the banking pins on a full plate on the timing machine made the amplitude get better and now he thinks that's what they're for and I don't think a fully grasped exactly what horn clearance means. Consequence of doing things. Notice what it says about opening and closing the banking pins and total lock? So yes I've had that on a full plate where it won't unlock at all and that's the banking pins or a combination of things basically. So banking pins unfortunately get moved. One of the ways to tell if it's been moved is the look straight down at the end of the fork with the balance wheel removed. Power on the fork push at the one side look at it push it to the other side also look at it and compare anything with the center reference the balance jewel and see if both sides of the same. No guarantee after the same there in the right place but at least are the same typically when people play with things one side will be way off from the other because they had no idea what they were doing at all because of course it's a full plate and you really have to paying attention and even then there's still hard to do. Then the other thing that comes up like it shows below is people often adjust the banking pins to do all those other things as opposed to horn clearance which is all that it's therefore and maybe bonus Guard pin clearance although you're supposed to deal with the guard pin is a separate thing like single roller gets bent in Or out or sometimes physically gets moved in and out. Some full plates older escapement's typically pallet forks held together with screws and you can actually unscrew and move the entire assembly in Or out more complications to deal with.     Escapement handout wostep nscc.pdf
    • If he was much younger and some sort of sports player it wouldn't be a problem. They would be in there and doing surgery and he'd be back on the field in no time. Unfortunately when you get older little things are bad and big things can be really bad so not good at all.
    • Where I work everything incoming watches whatever detailed descriptions are taken entered into a computer program and photograph of each item. Then ideally although it depends on who's doing the paperwork detailed descriptions can be quite good other times there lacking. Like I really like it with pocket watches if they would record the serial number it avoids confusion later on. Then when watch repairs are completed that is also entered in. It's one of the amusements I learned when I was in school instructor had a shop and commented about the important aspect of keeping detailed records of repairs. Because oftentimes a customer who got a new crystal will come back later on when the watch doesn't work and expect you to fix the entire watch for free. Then you can remind them that they just got a crystal. Strangely enough that keeps coming up or occasionally comes up where I work now. One of the problems of using the service marks on the case is that in the case of pocket watches oftentimes that's not the original case. Then case marks? What I was doing warranty work for a company I used to describe a code number in the back of the case and it would tell me the next time I see the watch that basically what I did I made no attempt at keeping track of customers because we had literally thousands of them I think they sold 30,000 of these watches and they would come back by the hundreds because they had a lifetime warranty. Yes that's a story all of itself but I would put a code number that would reference what was done to the watch the last time and think I had a date in there somehow so it did tell a story if you knew the code. Another shop I once worked out the number would reference the page in the book. So other than knowing we had been in there you would have no idea what happened because you have to go look at the page in the book to see what happened. Then the problem of how you examine a watch you should examine the watch in detail every single time to avoid complications. Although on vintage watches and this is a of amusement I have at work when people ask something and I say of the watches done when it leaves. This is because on vintage oftentimes problems won't show up until the watches much farther into the repair like it's now running and you discover things that you can't discover before because it wasn't running to discover them that also become sometimes difficult to have exact rigid prices are estimates of repairs or in the case of a pocket watch you may not find out if a casing problem to later on when you case it up in the watches running. I was just thinking for all those people that would like to leave a mark maybe you should learn to do what some of the past watchmakers did? Leave a mark but leave it in such a way that no one will ever find it? Typically not done for repair purposes but done for other reasons like identifying it's legit. I have a friend with a Gruen watch and one of the Roman numbers the bottom line that just looks like a line under extreme magnification actually says Gruen watch company or something equivalent. So here's a link showing how to mark your watch without being seen although that's not the actual title. So if you can learn micro engraving you can engrave the watch someplace probably just about any place you just have to remember where you put it. https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/obsessions/how-to-prove-if-watches-are-authentic-secret-signatures-182516  
×
×
  • Create New...