Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

I purchased this movement some weeks ago and it wants to run. I haven't yet done anything with it because I keep fouling things up with washing the balance and destroying the hairsprings. I'm also still shooting screws all over the place but the new tweezers I got seem to be better (or maybe it's just me)? Anyway, I also got a macro filter to get me somewhat closer than my 100M28 macro lens. This is a focus merge stack of 12 exposures. I see some distortion around the text on the bridge and wonder if instead of 12 shots if I had made smaller focus adjustments and merged 48 instead. Will need to experiment. Also (as noted elsewhere) I pulled the trigger on a trinocular AmScope 7x - 45x boom stand microscope. The scope ought to allow me to drop one of my cameras into the third tube.

merged stack of 12 - small.jpg

  • Like 2
Posted
13 minutes ago, Kalanag said:

Well done! I like this shot!

Thanks, it was really just a quick excuse to try the Raynox 250 (that arrived today) on the 100M28. What I really need is a ring light. While the 100M28 allows me significantly more room between the fully extended lens and the subject, I have only been using a rectangular array of 160 LED's mounted on a small tripod - certainly not optimum.

The other thing that I always forget is to clean my subject. There have been shots that I've meticulously "spotted" in post but this is just too dusty. I should have cleaned it.

Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, grsnovi said:

…I'm also still shooting screws all over the place but the new tweezers I got seem to be better (or maybe it's just me)?…

The most important thing is practise. One has to learn controlling the force applied by the fingers. Better to drop a screw than to shoot it away. I grip the screws on the threads only to be safe.

Edited by Kalanag
  • Like 1
Posted
9 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

What is wrong with lifting a screw with rodico. Not illegal is it? 

I used to do it all the time when i started, i just prefer bent tweezers now for practice.  Occasionally some rodico would get stuck in the screw slot but thats no great shake is it, unless the watch repair police get wind of it. 

On 6/7/2022 at 11:48 PM, grsnovi said:

I'm also still shooting screws all over the place but the new tweezers I got seem to be better (or maybe it's just me

You just need to address and dress the inside of your tweezers G. And dont grip the screw so hard, it opens up the very tip of your tweezer and pings the screw away.

16 hours ago, Kalanag said:

The most important thing is practise. One has to learn controlling the force applied by the fingers. Better to drop a screw than to shoot it away. I grip the screws on the threads only to be safe.

You wont lose it so easy that way. I do prefer the screw head tbh, it helps me position the screw better. I can orientate the screw to vertical that way by nudging the side of the movement or the movement holder with the screw thread and then drop the screw straight in the hole. I find bent tweezers really nice to use for this. But we are all different its whatever works for each of us. Different methods to achieve the same result, i cant change the way i do things if i wanted to. Been using tools since i was 3 and everyday almost for the last 40 years.

Posted

Good tweezers really make a difference. Cheap ones have too much tension so you have to use too much pressure and loose sensitivity.

Anilv

  • Like 1
Posted
On 6/14/2022 at 9:10 PM, anilv said:

Good tweezers really make a difference

I can't blame the tools. The ones I have are Dumont, Bergeon and Horotec.

I'm going to say: "It has to be me"

  • Like 1
Posted
On 6/15/2022 at 5:10 AM, anilv said:

Good tweezers really make a difference. Cheap ones have too much tension so you have to use too much pressure and loose sensitivity.

Anilv

This is very true anilv. I adjusted a couple of cheap ones when I started repairing. Spent a good hour taking the thickness out of the back ends of them. Made a big difference to the feel, but then acquired a couple of full sets of Dumont and a few others from a job lot sale. These are far superior to the cheapos that I was using.

2 hours ago, grsnovi said:

I can't blame the tools. The ones I have are Dumont, Bergeon and Horotec.

I'm going to say: "It has to be me"

It probably is you G, but you just need to practice mate. Don't let it bother you, you will get better honestly. What specifically are you having trouble with ? Pin down the exact issue then work on that. I've strength trained for 15 years and did body building and martial arts on and off during that time.  Researched and studied endlessly how muscle fibres, tendons and ligaments all work in synergy. Understand how our motor skills adapt and learn to cope and compensate for different situations. That process is less adaptive as we get older we have to accept that that is a part of aging. But I've trained with men and women in their mid seventies and it blows my mind what they were capable of, age is just a number, accept that number is never going to go backwards but  not that it is going to hold you back. Believe that you can do much more than you think you can. Just practice G everyday with a good pair of tweezers, choose the set you are most comfortable with now and stick to that set, don't chop and change because that will disrupt your fine motor skills learning. Our motor learning takes on a similar path to our muscle memory ( we never forget to ride a bike, bit rusty to start with but we quickly improve ). It takes around 300 repetitions to get a form down, if those repetitions are of a crap form because they were rushed or we weren't concentrating on making them good to start with then we've got stuck with a bad habit. It then takes another approx 5000 repetitions to correct that form and make it work the way we want it to. Basically to save a shit load of time get it right first time. This applies massively to bodybuilding as an extreme of our physical abilities but it also applies right down to our finest motor skills. I think what you might be experiencing G is the bad habit of gripping your tweezers too hard in an attempt not to drop anything, unfortunately this has the effect of pinging tiny parts away. Do what I suggested a little while ago, slightly roughen the inside surface of your tweezers to give them a little surface friction, ask me what or how to use or do it if you are unsure. Then just practice everyday for half an hour picking up different sized screws, twist and turn your tweezers while holding the screw adjusting your grip to stop you dropping the screw. Keep your touch very light, never overgripping as this will pull you back into that bad habit that you are trying to get out of, it's far better to drop the screw in front of you than it is to ping it off into oblivion . It will take a little time G so don't get frustrated if it isn't working overnight but it will come and you will become really good at holding screws and springs etc without dropping them or shooting them off. 😊😊

  • Like 3

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

    • 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  
    • I have acquired a Citizen Leopard 36000 watch. My reason for purchasing it was my desire to own a timepiece with a 36,000 BPH movement, and the price was reasonable. Another motivating factor was gaining hands-on experience with the mechanism. The watch is in good condition, but I intend to fully disassemble it for maintenance. First and foremost, if anyone has prior experience with this particular model, I would greatly appreciate their insights. I do not have access to Citizen’s specialized lubricants and will need to use the ones available to me, such as 9010, 8000, and 8300 grease. Additionally, I do not possess the appropriate oil for the pallet jewels and will only be able to clean them.
    • Hello all, I am working on an older Valjoux Chrono. It doesn't have a stamp on the movement anywhere but I believe it is a Valjoux 72. I installed the train of wheels and they will not turn. The problem appears to be the 4th wheel and the escape wheel are not interfacing correctly. I had to replace both of these parts as the pivots were broken on each. I sourced genuine Valjoux/ETA replacements. I think the problem is with the escape wheel as all the wheels turn perfectly if I remove just the escape wheel.  My question to those with more Valjoux experience is am I mistaken? Is this some other model altogether and I have the wrong part or parts?    
    • I would remove the wheels, check for damage and if not damaged, clean. 
×
×
  • Create New...