Afternoon on the 409

[grsnovi]

I spent the afternoon yesterday working on the grade 409 Elgin. I disassembled it, washed all the parts and began reassembly. It's good that I have two of these movements because (as always) I lost a few screws along the way. This is a photo of one of the kind of screws that I lost. It is sitting on the graduated surface of a 6" Starrett rule. The thick lines represent the marks on the rule and they are 0.0156" apart (or 0.39mm for the rest of you - I don't have a metric rule, I have a metric dial caliper). The point is that the screw is really (really) small. It looks like a piece of black pepper.

Explain to me how/why my stainless/non-magnetic tweezers seem to be magnetically attracted to these screws?

By the way, two of these hold the upper balance jewel setting into the balance cock.

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, grsnovi said:

The point is that the screw is really (really) small. It looks like a piece of black pepper.

by the way Elgin was really proud of their tiny screws somewhere I've seen a picture of a thimble filled with tiny screws that they had made.

[grsnovi]

I might actually get this one running...  

...if I can get the balance back together.

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, grsnovi said:

I spent the afternoon yesterday working on the grade 409 Elgin. I disassembled it, washed all the parts and began reassembly. It's good that I have two of these movements because (as always) I lost a few screws along the way. This is a photo of one of the kind of screws that I lost. It is sitting on the graduated surface of a 6" Starrett rule. The thick lines represent the marks on the rule and they are 0.0156" apart (or 0.39mm for the rest of you - I don't have a metric rule, I have a metric dial caliper). The point is that the screw is really (really) small. It looks like a piece of black pepper.

Explain to me how/why my stainless/non-magnetic tweezers seem to be magnetically attracted to these screws?

By the way, two of these hold the upper balance jewel setting into the balance cock.

This looks really huge G. What are you messing about at ? get your yanky pump screwdriver on it.

18 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

by the way Elgin was really proud of their tiny screws somewhere I've seen a picture of a thimble filled with tiny screws that they had made.

Ha .well G is not in the slightest bit impressed are you G.   

12 minutes ago, grsnovi said:

I might actually get this one running...  

...if I can get the balance back together.

Yep you can G . And it will run. I am sending you my positive energy over as we speak.

[grsnovi]

The gilded plate and bridges cleaned up nicely in the Elma wash and rinse. I need to install the keyless and reassemble (and install) the balance.

 

[dadistic]

Looking good !