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Hi there. New User


Doawah

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Hi there.  I'm new to watch repair.  I'm in the process of going through Mark's course which I just love.  I got hooked on this by watching Marshall on Wristwatch Revival on YouTube.  He was the one that suggested Mark's program and i'm so glad I did.  I have my Unitas test movement which i'm in the process of stripping down and reassembling and I have invested in some tools (Much to the shagrin of the wife I might add).  I also purchased an old Elgin Pocket watch off of EBay which i'm going to attempt to repair.  There's a good chance i'll be posting back on here when it comes to ordering parts for it.  I don't have a mainspring winder just yet so i'm either gonna have to attempt it by hand or try and buy a new spring if I can find one.  

Anyway.  I wanted to introduce myself and say hi to you all.  I'm a semi retired British born Mechanic and Videographer/Editor (Don't ask why such a weird combination) living in Florida.  If anyone else on here is in the Orlando area i'd love to meet up for a coffee to chat watch repair.  Thanks so much for all anticipated help in the future.

Graham.

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welcome aboard!

IMHO and from what I've learned is that pocket watches are an excellent place to start. that's where I did. i love working on them. Elgin is a great choice and has a rich history. be sure to learn about that history as it'll help you appreciate them even more. another good thing about American pocketwatches anyway, is that even though they don't make them anymore, there are an abundance of spare parts/donor movements to get parts from. it's half the fun. They're not too hard to find. Have fun!

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5 hours ago, Doawah said:

by watching Marshall on Wristwatch Revival on YouTube

Same with me Graham! Welcome to the forum.

5 hours ago, Doawah said:

I also purchased an old Elgin Pocket watch off of EBay

Me too. Have you opened it yet or did you just get the movement? Do you know what grade your movement is? My first (and second) were grade 313. It did finally have life however I had cobbled it together by attempting to use components from the second movement and they aren't 100% compatible. I learned a lot. I've got the Elgin Material Catalogue and portions of several other grades.

I have 5 other movements (actually 4 and a watch) that are in the queue.

Enjoy the forum!

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Thank you all for the kind words of welcome.

11 hours ago, grsnovi said:

Do you know what grade your movement is?

I have removed the rear case cover to take a quick look.  It's a grade 291 made in 1927 according to the Pocket Watch database.   It's in fairly good shape with the exception of a little dirt and a very small crack along the lower part of the dial.  I bought it as a non-runner so it will be my first movement to actually pull apart and try to repair.  My only issue right now is I don't have a mainspring winder as of yet so I either have to try and find a new spring, find someone local to me that has a winder who can rewind it for me or try to rewind it by hand which im reluctant to do.  Mike on My Retro Watches has a video on how to do this but I know it's not good practice.   What are y'all thoughts on this?  

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4 hours ago, Doawah said:

so I either have to try and find a new spring

Finding a new spring is easy however for a pocket watch it isn't going to come coiled up at the right size to just pop into the barrel (at least mine didn't).

If the mainspring still works you could: a) ignore it, b) wind it by hands or c) purchase an individual mainspring winder of the correct size.

So, here's the question: what are you planning to do with this  100 year-old watch when you're done? If it is just going to go into a drawer how critical is it that you have a brand new spring in it? If on the other hand you're planning for this to be the first of a 100 antique pocket collection maybe you should think about replacing the spring and buying the winder?

I ended up trying to find a single winder of the correct size and didn't have much luck so I hand wound it. My thought was that I likely wouldn't use the watch afterwards and that it was a practice piece that didn't have to be perfectly restored. Hand winding isn't hard and while handling the spring can cause bends it won't damage the spring enough that you'll end up worse off than you are now.

4 hours ago, Doawah said:

I know it's not good practice

True, it isn't but this is your first and remember that perfection is the enemy of good enough.

Your mainspring p/n is X817 and it is 0.008 strength. You can get one here:

https://www.ofrei.com/page298.html

or here (you'll need to match the thickness):

http://www.julesborel.com/home?search=elgin+%23817+mainspring

Edited by grsnovi
added mainspring p/n and suppliers
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Excellent words of wisdom.  Thank you so much.  You are right.  Basically I was just gonna have it sit in a draw more then likely but the perfectionist in me was saying do it right and complete.  I think i'll take your advice and try the hand wind route and see how it goes.  Whats the worst that can happen right?  I screw it up and have to buy the spring anyway.  I do want to get it running though.  I want the satisfaction of getting a non-runner and getting it to work.  I'll keep you posted on how I make out.  Thanks so much for the help.  Oh, by the way.  I just completed level 3 of Marks course so now i'm gonna attempt some repairs and restoration.

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Welcome to the forum,  Doawah.

I made my way to here from Marshall, as well! I have not started Mark's class yet, but plan on it later this summer when I have some time to dedicate to it. 

Happy to have you here! 

Edited by Drew
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