Jump to content

Some Bulova Help Please


Recommended Posts

Very well done Louis! I saw that and thought of Vic, he loves his Accutrons. :)

Aloha Geo and fellow Members...4th of July Independence Day Holiday here in the USA...

 

I don't know Vic yet....And I sure don't know Accutrons enough yet either .  

 

Do you know any members that work on these ? Specifically I have a 2182 that hums  so I know that the tuning forks are powered , but the hands aren't turning and I believe [from what I've read in the tech manual] , that it may be the hacking mechanism that was disturbed when I Incorrectly ?? reinstalled the stem and crown . I had to take apart and reassemble the setting mechinism because I popped the setting yoke out of the clutch gear groove and now the second hand and the other 2 don't move anymore .

  Any help and Info is appreciated .

 

Thanks , Louis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whew!!....I got the humming accutron going again by following the advice I found on an accutron blog ..."Give it a gentle rap on the side at the 3 or 9  O'clock position to help the capacitor get the movement going "...That's it ,I'm not going to mess around with that watch again .

 

  One thing I've found to be true with 3 accutrons I worked on this last 2 weeks is to follow the tech manuals advice [ or admonition ] ,  to remove the stem and crown in the pulled out setting position .  And VERY carefully replace the stem in that position....DO NOT push the stem in past that point to reinstall it .  I disengaged the yoke from the clutch groove 3 times and had to dissemble the calendar works each time to fix that problem .

These use a screw type setting lever .  The hacking affects some very tiny index and pawl jewels . I just ordered an electronic microscope [ from China ] to see them so I can adjust them .....I hope .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All , I seem to have Accutron Fever lately . I never was really interested in them before , and in the last month and a half I have acquired 5 of them .

Today the postman brought me this 10K rolled gold and plated beauty . It has been really well taken care of . It's from 1973...  N3

 

post-808-0-21693700-1436844542_thumb.png

 

post-808-0-19173200-1436844569_thumb.png

 

post-808-0-91753000-1436844596_thumb.png

 

Yesterday , Sunday , I went to an All Collectors show in Honolulu and picked up this minty Spaceview on the $1 table...I picked up 3 watches for $1 each . I think that the vendor didn't know what he had with this Spaceview . I put a new Accucell battery and it's running great . It's from 1961...  M1

 

post-808-0-96590300-1436844844_thumb.png

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aloha Geo , I couldn't  believe it when I picked it up and asked to confirm $1.... I also picked up a Citizen Cystron Quartz and a Waltham quartz pocket watch with moon-phase for $1 each....From another vender ,, a Seiko Sportsmatic Seahorse for $30 and a Citizen Eco-Drive Aqualand U106-T007996 Diver for $100..

 

post-808-0-47435300-1436886517_thumb.png

 

post-808-0-05972600-1436886531_thumb.png

 

post-808-0-53365700-1436886543_thumb.png

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow! i've been following this thread. you're a glutton for punishment, RP. i'm interested in those accutrons also, but i'm afraid of getting in over my head. you've done an excellent job with the first one you acquired. what a beauty.

i've got an ebay search going right now. gonna scan the accutrons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wow! i've been following this thread. you're a glutton for punishment, RP. i'm interested in those accutrons also, but i'm afraid of getting in over my head. you've done an excellent job with the first one you acquired. what a beauty.

i've got an ebay search going right now. gonna scan the accutrons.

Howzit Ramrod , You belong to SCWF also don't you ? Yup , I guess I got intrigued by the Accutrons when I noticed how many were for sale not working and still holding a value . Then I got the Deep Sea diver and was challenged to get it running . Than I saw the Accutron Astronaut and Spaceview and was

hooked .

 

I'm a goner....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Louis,

Sorry I did not pick up on this thread earlier but have been on a few days break, there was a watch fair in Solihull and I paid a visit.

I must say that the watches you have found are treasures and the prices leave me in awe.

The Accutrons are a tad testing but you seem to be going about things the right way. You do not have to pay for the PDF sheets they are all on line as they are now in the public domain.

You may have found this link already but in case you have not

http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/acc.htm

You will definitely need a stereo microscope that will allow depth perception and gives about 70X mag. As the index wheel is a piece of work about 2 mm wide with 320 teeth. Also a meter to test the coils etc.

Also be careful not to touch the index wheel with anything metal on the edge, plastic tweezers are needed.

Must go for now but look forward to more on my return home.

Cheers and welcome from an extremely jealous Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Louis,

Sorry I did not pick up on this thread earlier but have been on a few days break, there was a watch fair in Solihull and I paid a visit.

I must say that the watches you have found are treasures and the prices leave me in awe.

The Accutrons are a tad testing but you seem to be going about things the right way. You do not have to pay for the PDF sheets they are all on line as they are now in the public domain.

You may have found this link already but in case you have not

http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/acc.htm

You will definitely need a stereo microscope that will allow depth perception and gives about 70X mag. As the index wheel is a piece of work about 2 mm wide with 320 teeth. Also a meter to test the coils etc.

Also be careful not to touch the index wheel with anything metal on the edge, plastic tweezers are needed.

Must go for now but look forward to more on my return home.

Cheers and welcome from an extremely jealous Vic

Howzit Vic , Thanks for the post and Info . Yes I have that link and a few more I am adding to a new Accutron folder .  You are so right , they are a tad Testy....Definite;y a different animal...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Louis,

Sorry I did not pick up on this thread earlier but have been on a few days break, there was a watch fair in Solihull and I paid a visit.

I must say that the watches you have found are treasures and the prices leave me in awe.

The Accutrons are a tad testing but you seem to be going about things the right way. You do not have to pay for the PDF sheets they are all on line as they are now in the public domain.

You may have found this link already but in case you have not

http://members.iinet.net.au/~fotoplot/acc.htm

You will definitely need a stereo microscope that will allow depth perception and gives about 70X mag. As the index wheel is a piece of work about 2 mm wide with 320 teeth. Also a meter to test the coils etc.

Also be careful not to touch the index wheel with anything metal on the edge, plastic tweezers are needed.

Must go for now but look forward to more on my return home.

Cheers and welcome from an extremely jealous Vic

 

Howzit Vic , I was wondering if you can answer this question .  In the tech manual for the 218 it says to rotate the pawl and index finger away from the index wheel to to remove or reassemble the train bridge . 

  Does that mean rotate the collet that the fingers are mounted on using the collect screwdriver that is mentioned as an Accutron tool ? Page 36 doesn't have a step 5 , It just says to rotate the pawl finger counterclockwise....so what am I rotating ?

  Thanks for any info from you or any other member with this knowledge .....Louis

 

post-808-0-46208300-1437010497_thumb.png

 

post-808-0-42812500-1437011013_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Louis,

 

You rotate the collet, as it is, attached to the post.  The tool is a hollow tube that fits over the post with a little nub  that locates in the collet to give some purchase to rotate it, you also use that tool to slightly bend the post to centralise the jewel on the index wheel. If you can get a hypodermic needle with the correct bore to just fit over the post cut/grind off the point and use something like a dremel cut away most of the tube at the very end to create the locating nub you can make your own tool.  There may be other ways to do it but as you realise, you are working in a confined space and tweezers etc. could touch the index wheel and that would be it knackered.

 

You are just taking the jewels away from the index wheel so you do not bend or damage the fingers/jewels when taking the train apart for cleaning (including the index wheel)

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bulova actually made two tools one for collet adjustment and another for post bending. do the same thing but just cut off the point for a post bending tool if you want.

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Vic....Perefecto Info....I'm looking into a stereo microscope and some other accutron tools also...just getting a feel at this time .  As member Ramrod said in an earlier post ,"i'm a glutton for punishment " , but I really , really don't want to get in over my head . Especially now that I've seen the index and pawl fingers and the index wheel . Shoots , just trying to get the drive train back together is quite a challenge .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks real good ! This crystal is mineral crystal (glass). Compression ring. Use the crystal press or use a plastic die. This is a good website if you still interested follow the Learning Center very helpful.http://www.esslinger.com/watch-parts-inquiry/

Thanks Honeybee..I have subscribed to Esslinger's Youtube page . I have used the learning center before but didn't realize how many videos  they had . it's always a good practice to get back to basics ....Aloha , Louis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aloha Geo , I couldn't  believe it when I picked it up and asked to confirm $1.... I also picked up a Citizen Cystron Quartz and a Waltham quartz pocket watch with moon-phase for $1 each....From another vender ,, a Seiko Sportsmatic Seahorse for $30 and a Citizen Eco-Drive Aqualand U106-T007996 Diver for $100..

 

attachicon.gifScreen shot 2015-07-14 at 5.06.56 AM.png

 

attachicon.gifScreen shot 2015-07-14 at 5.07.31 AM.png

 

attachicon.gifScreen shot 2015-07-14 at 5.07.50 AM.png

I had a chance this weekend to work on the Seiko 7625 Sea Horse and Citizen Crystron I got last weekend at the collectors show here in Honolulu .  

The Seiko had a loose screw wedged in the balance that had stopped movement in it . The condition I bought it in . Fortunately there was no damage to the rather pristine movement . I disassembled it , did a clean in the ultra-sonic , and lubed the movement . I did a light buff on the case , bezel , and case back to remove small scratches . Then I did a light polish on those parts and the crystal...which has a small crack . I was able to source a new seiko crystal on the bay and that's on the way .

  After reassembly , I installed a new blue-ish leather watchband that has been waiting for the right watch .

 

  On the Citizen , I was able to source a new battery cell and it took off running...I like that .  Next I put the case parts into the ultra-sonic along with a Citizen CQ Stainless Steel bracelet I had for a while waiting for a Citizen with that signature on the dial . I then did a polish on the case and bracelet and reassembled the watch .

 

 I think that they came out looking and running pretty good ...........  Aloha , Louis

 

post-808-0-40774800-1437367675_thumb.jpg

 

post-808-0-60529500-1437367695_thumb.jpg

 

post-808-0-83847600-1437367711_thumb.jpg

 

post-808-0-57187600-1437367728_thumb.jpg

 

post-808-0-46667700-1437367746_thumb.jpg

 

post-808-0-93817400-1437367765_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can only echo what George has said - well done !

 

Also you are on course for the possibility of a lucrative sideline if you want to go that way.  I don't know what postage etc. would be like and any tax complications but if your luck continues this way and you can pick up on a reasonable supply of watches then you could do quite well. 

 

For example even broken Accutrons are saleable in the UK and the parts alone command a good price.  Also the other brands should do ok - check out the prices on the bay compared to what you can get them for - it may be worth experimenting with. 

 

On the other hand with all that sun, sea, scenery and "other distractions" perhaps it is not an option :cool:

 

Cheers,

 

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites




  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Yes @SwissSeiko, most of us here are just hobbyist and some horological products are simply too expensive. For example, cleaning fluids. I think even you find L&R cleaning fluids expensive. But I haven't found anything that shines up parts like #111. So I just bite the bullet and fork up the $$$. Here in Singapore, a bottle of #111 is $180SGD. ($134USD) The Rinse #3 is the same price. Oils like 2ml of Moebius 9010 is around $45SGD. Imagine if you had to fill your car engine with 5 quarts of 9010! I have been using odorless kerosene to preclean my parts before putting them into the #111. The kerosene does such a fantastic job that I may use that in place of the Rinse #3. But I can do without the #111, but now its role is just a brightening agent.  So my cleaning regimen will be kerosene, #111, kerosene and IPA. I see how that works out. I might even re-distill my used IPA to save even more.
    • What works for you, is good enough for me. You and I have great interactions on here, and you've taught me some things! I guess I should approach things with the thought process that most of the users on here are probably doing this as a hobby. I find myself reading some posts and thinking, that's definitely not how I would do it. But I do this for a living, I have overhead costs, bills to pay, taxes, tooling costs ect., and to many on here, it's probably just fine to do it as is necessary to work. So I'm probably a little overzealous when it comes to finishing. You should know, we(for sure at least me) appreciate you. If someone chimes in on my posts, it's usually you, and you're a good chap!
    • Hi. Just curious. Is there an official service center for orient in your area?  I had a problem with my orient mako before. I was regulating the movement and lost focus on what I was doing. I accidentally hit the balance wheel . I had the same issue in finding parts for it so I ended up sending it to the official service center here in the Philippines.
    • I think it was HectorLooi that posted some information at the time that we were discussing what materials to use for cleaning jars in an ultrasonic machine. It was decided that steel jars transmit the cavitation bubbles better than glass or plastic, which was considered the worst as it absorbs their energy. So I've tried a few different cleaning solutions, mostly non-proprietary watch stuff. There is a thread I made last year experimenting , actually I might have tagged it onto someone else's thread,  I can't remember.  Just mirror residue and evaporation rates. 🤔 Elma pro ammoniated,  paraffin,  ligher fuel , Ipa, meths, and I think break cleaner was in there as well. Elma and paraffin have a very slow evaporation rate, probably days. Both have wetting properties and are far reaching, paraffin being very much so, if you're looking for a deep cleaning solution then paraffin soaks well and finds every nook, cranny and crevice. When I use paraffin which is usually if I hand or US pre clean then i place the parts on absorbant tissue  afterwards to soak up the excess then spin them off and use IPA or break cleaner to rinse them off after that a rotary wash with elma and ipa for rinsing . I don't use a US that much, really just if any wheels and pinion leaves are really gunked up, which is when I hang them on the little wire tree. I kind of base how i will clean by how dirty and gunked up the movement is. If it's bad the procedure will follow : soak in paraffin for a couple of hours, peg out plate and bridges and hand clean what I can with a small brush to remove the bulk. Then onto the USM, some parts that can be hung go on the tree like wheels etc,  others that can't go in a slow rotating mesh basket, all in paraffin, the USM  loosens the crap up . Then put them in a rotary basket, spin them in paraffin, spin off the excess, then in elma then 3 rinses in IPA. That's like the full valet, if the movement is really dirty. The parts that don't get that treatment are the balance complete and the pallet fork, which I really like to clean by hand.  Screws and springs I also won't put in a machine, too easily lost, these are easily cleaned by swishing them in a jar of whatever you fancy . If I get a really stubborn sticky hairspring, that will be removed for cleaning separately, brreak fluid is good for that or tetrachloroethylene. Thats one way to get rid of the mother in-law, at 85 yrs old mine is heart attack territory.....🤔....I could accidentally have an envelope with certain contents fall out of my jacket pocket onto her dining room table...accidentally....🤔
    • Yeah, that's the guy. I told him it's cheaper if I just send the pictures to my  mother-in-law directly. 😮 
×
×
  • Create New...