What mistake did you make today?

[VWatchie]

Not sure this is the right forum for this thread...

It goes without saying that as watch repairers, we're always 100 per cent focused and never make any mistakes. Or do we?

Well, the reality is that we all make mistakes (professionals as well as enthusiasts, like me), but nothing makes me feel more moronic and lonely whenever I do. I always get the feeling that I'm likely the only one on the planet to make these "stupid mistakes".

So, I thought perhaps it would be a slight consolation if we could share our mistakes with one another. That is if we have the guts for it!? Then we could go to this thread, read about the mistakes made by others, and thereby feel slightly less miserable and perhaps even encouraged to go on in our quest for becoming that perfect, or at least decent, watch repairer. We might even learn something in the process!

I'll take one for the team in my next post, but it will have to be tomorrow as the hour is already late. Anyway, feel free to precede me!

[RichardHarris123]

No mistakes in the last few days, I'm perfect! Hehe, or I'm waiting for parts.  

I fully understand the feeling that I'm the only one still making stupid mistakes, shouldn't I know better by now ?

My last major mistake, waking up to find four perfectly disassembled watches. Why was it a mistake? Copious amounts of alcohol was involved and all the parts were mixed in various storage containers.  

I update you on my next one. 

[oldhippy]

I made plenty when I was an apprentice. 

[HectorLooi]

I can't remember the last major one.

Oops! After saying that out loud, I'm sure I've jinxed myself. 

Stay tuned.....

[VWatchie]

So, yesterday I was servicing a well-used and rather worn automatic mainspring and barrel. I had to put a lot of work into it and after about two hours of hard work dealing with some gremlins, I admired the spring (and my work) having been pressed into the barrel. So, I replaced the well-polished arbor and lid and finally lubricated the barrel bearings.

At this point, my eyes fell on my small can of Kluber P125, which I had placed on my workbench in advance, and was reluctantly forced to realize and accept that I had forgotten to grease the barrel wall.

At that point, I felt, yet again, like a  moronic fool  Nothing else to do but start over 

So, after this, I made a "Mainspring barrel service" checklist. I guess the next best thing you can do when you can't stay focused. It still feels like a defeat that it should be needed.

[HectorLooi]

That's nothing. It's not like you "greased" it with super glue.

I build my own audio cable and whatever cables too. Even after so many years, I sometimes forget to put the barrel of my connectors on the cable before soldering them. And like you, I would sit back and admire my work for a moment before realizing my mistake.

And whenever I repair something, I dread "leftover" parts.

Anyone else experienced "leftover" parts?

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, HectorLooi said:

That's nothing. It's not like you "greased" it with super glue.

That's exactly the type of mistake many would enjoy hearing about!

1 hour ago, HectorLooi said:

Anyone else experienced "leftover" parts?

Yeah, happened most recently a week ago or so. I had just reassembled a slightly skewed dial on a Raketa Big Zero, having the tiniest dial screws quite difficult to get in place (yes I unscrew the dial screws when I clean) when my eyes spotted the dial washer still in the parts tray  Anyway, I consoled myself with the fact that I had not yet reassembled the hands and that at least I had remembered to replace the hour wheel.

Edited April 19, 2023 by VWatchie

[HectorLooi]

Ah yes! I remember my latest boo boo.

I finished cleaning and reformed the endcurve of a slightly deformed hairspring. I was anxious to see the performance after the service and reassembled the gear train and put a few winds with my screwdriver, then regulated it. Everything was running nicely.

Then I assembled the keyless. Where the heck is the setting lever screw? #@?& I've forgotten to place it under the barrel bridge. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

No mistakes in the last few days, I'm perfect! Hehe, or I'm waiting for parts.  

I fully understand the feeling that I'm the only one still making stupid mistakes, shouldn't I know better by now ?

My last major mistake, waking up to find four perfectly disassembled watches. Why was it a mistake? Copious amounts of alcohol was involved and all the parts were mixed in various storage containers.  

I update you on my next one. 

Richard i really think while you are repairing watches you should be restricting your alcohol usage to just cleaning watch parts

[VWatchie]

20 hours ago, HectorLooi said:

Where the heck is the setting lever screw? #@?& I've forgotten to place it under the barrel bridge. 

That's a classic. Even Mark mentions "Don't forget to replace the setting lever screw" in his online courses.

[thor447]

2 hours ago, VWatchie said:

That's a classic. Even Mark mentions "Don't forget to replace the setting lever screw" in his online courses.

I did that a few weeks ago.  I thought that I would've gotten past such silly things by this point, but apparently even the best of us (which I am certainly not) are still susceptible to this one!  

[KarlvonKoln]

Me: "I'll get around to dressing my tweezers after I put these jewel screws in."

Jewel screw: *PING!*

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, KarlvonKoln said:

Me: "I'll get around to dressing my tweezers after I put these jewel screws in."

Jewel screw: *PING!*

After reading this thread, i wonder if the factories had ping moments. Screws, springs and jewels stuck in their machinery ?

[VWatchie]

4 hours ago, thor447 said:

I thought that I would've gotten past such silly things by this point,

A never-ending story in watch repair (and many other aspects of life)

[bklake]

Most memorable, as in sick to the stomach painful, forgetting to let down a mainspring.  Just judging by frequency of the spinning wheels, it sounded about the same frequency as a turbocharger spun up. 

It was a scrap movement, now in the recycle bin, but part of the process is doing everything like it's the real deal.  Scrap or not. 

[rossjackson01]

Only cost £5. I'll do a full service. Do a practice on a one jewelled watch. Yes, that's right One.

Remove the spring barrel lid. 'Ping'. Spring is attached to lid.

Oh heck. I'll put it back in. Great, all done. What! the centre is now too big to fit on the spigot. Take it out. I know, I'll tighten the centre the way I was told. Use fork pliers and apply gently pressure to the centre. That's almost to the right size..

Ouch. Kink in the spring just before the spigot hole. Bummer!

Gently move it back. 'Snap'.

Didn't want to fix it anyway!!

Edited April 21, 2023 by rossjackson01
grammar. spelling.

[rehajm]

I had a Vulcain 120 running nicely again and I was finishing up the alarm side, down to the last screw- that one with the big head that holds the pusher thingie down. You know, I’m told I’m supposed to make the screws in the Cricket tight so the alarm vibration doesn’t loosen them…well, snapping the off the last screw in the movement isn’t a good idea, either.

I’ve since improved my efficiency by striving to get to my foul ups sooner in assembly…

One other fun one- I pinged off a click spring a few months ago. I have video showing my stick laying over it but it still managed to fly away. I searched and searched- magnet, flood light, but never found it…

This week I did some cleanup and had to move my power strip. Funny thing- it somehow developed a faint little rattle, like a tiny metal part is floating around…could the spring have somehow managed to fly inside?

I go fetch a Phillips head to take the power strip apart only to discover it has some kind of odd, Bat-signal shaped screw head slots. Now I have to either find that kind screwdriver or break the thing open…

[Birbdad]

Nothing today but i made a stupid mistake on my last service that i shouldn't be making after servicing 5 7s26 seiko movements and not even needing instructions to assemble and disassemble them, but here i am telling you about it. I had it all put together and went to double check the date function and when i turned the crown to check that the date rolled over correctly i felt a snap and the date did not roll over. I had put the damn thing together without one of the arms from the date jumper wheel on top of the date jumper plate and snapped it off breaking the wheel. 

Thank god i got a drawer full of parts for these things so I swapped it out  and reassembled it correctly and smacked myself upside the head. 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Birbdad

[VWatchie]

On 4/21/2023 at 8:46 PM, bklake said:

but part of the process is doing everything like it's the real deal.  Scrap or not. 

Great advice! 

[mbwatch]

This weekend I had a junk Elgin 6 size I was practicing setting an impulse jewel into. Putting in the jewel went smoothly and when I was putting the reassembled balance back onto its cock, my screwdriver slipped from stud screw and sheared off the hairspring. Oh well, I had another almost identical movement with a broken balance staff so I took its hairspring to transfer over to this one, placed the balance back into the movement overbanked, and immediately broke the new impulse jewel.

[Neverenoughwatches]

Some days we are just not in the zone for watchrepair for whatever reason. Usually you just seem to know within the first ten minutes that your head is not in the game. Upon the first accident or mistake you definitely know you are not up to it. Its then a mistake to carry on as things will only get worse. Time to pack up turn the lights off and go play footy in the garden and end the day by putting the ball through your neighbour's greenhouse .

[VWatchie]

3 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Some days we are just not in the zone for watchrepair for whatever reason.

Monday I burnished a pivot to perfection. I was almost reluctant to put the wheel back into the watch movement so that I could admire it under my stereo microscope like a pretty watch dial whenever I wanted.

Tuesday I burnished another pivot and made the pivot shoulder look like a torture victim. Brought out a spare, and tortured it beyond recognition too  

Lights off, sit on the sofa and sulk... 

Luckily I have several more spares (Vostok wheels).

Edited April 26, 2023 by VWatchie

[Endeavor]

9 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Tuesday I burnished another pivot and made the pivot shoulder look like a torture victim. Brought out a spare, and tortured it beyond recognition too  

I've read somewhere that some modern wheel do have some kind of (chrome?) plating on their pivots. When trying to burnish them, you wear the plating off and disaster strikes .....

Not sure if this would be in your case, but nothing wrong by being aware of this possibility.

[Neverenoughwatches]

51 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Monday a burnished a pivot to perfection. I was almost reluctant to put the wheel back into the watch movement so that I could admire it under my stereo microscope like a pretty watch dial whenever I wanted.

Tuesday I burnished another pivot and made the pivot shoulder look like a torture victim. Brought out a spare, and tortured it beyond recognition too  

Lights off, sit on the sofa and sulk... 

Luckily I have several more spares (Vostok wheels).

Yes mate just how it goes sometimes. 

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, Endeavor said:

I've read somewhere that some modern wheel do have some kind of (chrome?) plating on their pivots.

 That sounds very ominous if it prevents us from restoring pivots!

In my case, the pivot looked OK but the pivot shoulder looked butchered. I guess that happens when you're unable to keep the burnisher at a perfect 90 degrees angle to the shoulder!?