Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

Eyup watch lovers hope you are all well. Just here to ask for a little advice on choosing a lathe. Ive been bitten by the machining side of watch repair, i love the idea of being able to make parts if ever needed. I do have a watchmakers lathe but fancied something a little bigger, upgradable and capable of making some tools as well. I see a particular make that crops up quite often and wondered if anyone has any experience with it. 

Screenshot_20230301-074533_eBay.jpg

Screenshot_20230301-074548_eBay.jpg

Screenshot_20230301-081612_eBay.jpg

Edited by Neverenoughwatches
  • Like 2
Posted

I've read up on Pultra a bit as I was considering them for a second lathe, seems like very very good stuff. I'm sure you've found Tony's site on machines and the Pultra page.

 

A few things to consider- the basic machine is based on the Webster Whitcomb design, that is the center height (50mm) and bed form are to those guidelines. They did make a machine that looks identical from a distance but with a higher center height (90mm)  and larger (20mm) collets. Most of the "regular" lathes they made take 10mm collets. The older ones, and open-head ones like in your pics are generally 8mm. They also had a model similar to what is called a "Geneva pattern" with a much smaller bed.

 

In general there is more tooling around for 8mm spindles. But 10mm is out there too, just watch out for different threads. My recommendation is to find a rather complete set (like your pics), as having a cross slide is fundamental in my mind, and gathering up all the other bits separately can add up very fast. I like that it seems all their machines came with collet holding tailstocks- that's a big plus.

  • Thanks 1
Posted
  On 3/1/2023 at 11:57 AM, nickelsilver said:

I've read up on Pultra a bit as I was considering them for a second lathe, seems like very very good stuff. I'm sure you've found Tony's site on machines and the Pultra page.

 

A few things to consider- the basic machine is based on the Webster Whitcomb design, that is the center height (50mm) and bed form are to those guidelines. They did make a machine that looks identical from a distance but with a higher center height (90mm)  and larger (20mm) collets. Most of the "regular" lathes they made take 10mm collets. The older ones, and open-head ones like in your pics are generally 8mm. They also had a model similar to what is called a "Geneva pattern" with a much smaller bed.

 

In general there is more tooling around for 8mm spindles. But 10mm is out there too, just watch out for different threads. My recommendation is to find a rather complete set (like your pics), as having a cross slide is fundamental in my mind, and gathering up all the other bits separately can add up very fast. I like that it seems all their machines came with collet holding tailstocks- that's a big plus.

Expand  

Thank you for the information Nicklesilver.  Probably getting a bit ahead of myself but I've also seen these set up with milling attachments.

Posted
  On 3/1/2023 at 11:57 AM, nickelsilver said:

I've read up on Pultra a bit as I was considering them for a second lathe, seems like very very good stuff. I'm sure you've found Tony's site on machines and the Pultra page.

 

A few things to consider- the basic machine is based on the Webster Whitcomb design, that is the center height (50mm) and bed form are to those guidelines. They did make a machine that looks identical from a distance but with a higher center height (90mm)  and larger (20mm) collets. Most of the "regular" lathes they made take 10mm collets. The older ones, and open-head ones like in your pics are generally 8mm. They also had a model similar to what is called a "Geneva pattern" with a much smaller bed.

 

In general there is more tooling around for 8mm spindles. But 10mm is out there too, just watch out for different threads. My recommendation is to find a rather complete set (like your pics), as having a cross slide is fundamental in my mind, and gathering up all the other bits separately can add up very fast. I like that it seems all their machines came with collet holding tailstocks- that's a big plus.

Expand  

Hi Nicklesilver, so after some reading the lathe I'm looking at seems to be a Pultra P model lathe.  Quoted as being an accurate production lathe also supplied to the MOD during WW2. This one comes with so much it seems a shame to pass up on one as complete as this. Would you have any idea on value ? It does look like there is only me and one other person interested on ebay as its a cash only collection sale. Not too far away from me, just a morning there and back. I appreciate any help you can give me. 

Posted
  On 3/3/2023 at 9:02 PM, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hi Nicklesilver, so after some reading the lathe I'm looking at seems to be a Pultra P model lathe.  Quoted as being an accurate production lathe also supplied to the MOD during WW2. This one comes with so much it seems a shame to pass up on one as complete as this. Would you have any idea on value ? It does look like there is only me and one other person interested on ebay as its a cash only collection sale. Not too far away from me, just a morning there and back. I appreciate any help you can give me. 

Expand  

If I was a green watchmaker (which I was), and saw a deal like this (which I didn't, it was a Levin lathe with no tooling for 2/3 the price 25 years ago {which I bought, loved, and replaced} ), I'd beg or borrow the cash for this. As an older pro I've half a mind to buy it from under you, as a back-up, but it's pick up only, and I really don't need it, haha!

 

That looks like a great deal. Could use some more collets, but otherwise very complete.

Posted
  On 3/4/2023 at 12:49 AM, nickelsilver said:

If I was a green watchmaker (which I was), and saw a deal like this (which I didn't, it was a Levin lathe with no tooling for 2/3 the price 25 years ago {which I bought, loved, and replaced} ), I'd beg or borrow the cash for this. As an older pro I've half a mind to buy it from under you, as a back-up, but it's pick up only, and I really don't need it, haha!

 

That looks like a great deal. Could use some more collets, but otherwise very complete.

Expand  

Thanks Nicklesilver. Only a day and a half left to end of bids and currently just above its starting price of 600 GBP. I'm thinking it will reach 1000 as a couple more bidders have stepped in. Often the bids will stay low to compensate for having to collect. I may well have myself what looks like a nice old production lathe. Then to figure out what all the parts are for and how to use it .

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

    • Now that I think about it, I can probably just file down the pin carefully to the point where it fits. Is that too much of a hack?
    • You asked for an introduction. I have a Timex Marlin with a cracked crystal. (already said all this--sorry for the repeat in the introduction) I bought a Ling Hui universal crystal puller that was not universal. Can I find a larger puller or is there a different solution. RickG
    • I have a Timex Marlin with a cracked crystal. I purchased a Ling Hui "universal" crystal lift/puller on eBay. I didn't know there was some type of size limit. The jaws are too small to fit around the watch crystal. Returning the item is not worth the hassle and complexity. Are there larger crystal pullers? They made it seem soooo simple. Rick
    • Moebius 9010. A small drop on each end cap jewel (top and bottom)…enough to cover at least half the jewel, but not all the way to the edge. I was conservative.   I like this analogy. And yes, it’s imperfect, because surgeons don’t start with live people. 😂 It’s definitely one of the things I learned with this watch, where I’d fix one issue, but then introduce 1-2 others, often not necessarily getting at the root cause of the “illness.” Well, this watch wasn’t totally destroyed…Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do enough up-front diagnosis before I started pulling everything apart. This was one major lesson learned to me, but tbh, I don’t think I would have learned it had I not pulled everything apart and seen the interactions of all the different systems (just inside the balance assembly itself!). I have a few other Hamilton 974s that I’ll be able to work on more thoughtfully. I definitely heard your advice, and I think a few others echoed it, but I’m fairly certain I would have introduced more problems by attempting that fix. I don’t have the necessary skill or tools to (1) bend the cock and (2) assess exactly how much it has been bent. I can’t machine a brass plate to attach the cock while bending, I can’t measure the amount of deflection I’ve introduced. And it’s the kind of thing where botching it seemed like it would be irreversible. I’ll attempt to look at the hairspring to see if it’s touching anywhere. The central challenge is that I don’t have a reference point. I don’t have that for end shake or for anything else. I could compare to my ST36, but that seems like an apples-oranges comparison to me (new movement v. 100+ years old). That’s one of the main challenges for me when learning a lot of this stuff – you create reference points yourself! The next thing I was thinking of getting was a JKA Feintaster bench micrometer, tbh. After watching Alex Hamilton measure staffs and pivots, it seemed like it would be a good purchase. They’re just expensive. I’ll need to sell a watch or two first. 🙂  A lathe seems like something where I need to collect more experience before I pick one up. Perhaps you convince me otherwise. In the category of ideas good in theory, but not in practice, I swapped the balance wheel onto the balance cock from my donor, only to discover that the balance cock doesn’t quite fit into the baseplate. The pin on the cock that aligns with the baseplate is either slightly too large or displaced relative to the hole in the baseplate (I suspect the latter). I actually took off the balance wheel and double-checked by trying to screw down the balance cock by itself, just in case there was an alignment issue with the pivot, but no…The picture shows the sizable gap that exists even with the screw for the cock tightened all the way.  This is probably one of those circumstances where I could use a lathe to reduce the diameter of the pin, right @JohnR725? 🙂 
×
×
  • Create New...