Jump to content

Hello!


Zucco

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone,  I'm in the process of becoming a new me and learning new skills. After a dreadful 7 months in hospital paralysed from the chest down, I've managed to get myself back on my feet (just) after being told I probably wouldn't walk again. I've always loved electronics engineering and "fixing stuff" and I've always had a real passion for mechanical watches - they fascinate me. When I got home from rehab hospital, I started off cleaning and restoring my own watch bracelets but this has evolved into doing that for all my family and friends' watches including changing batteries and repairing clasps etc. Now after diving in the deep end and taking a mechanical watch apart to "service", I've discovered I have much to learn, so I enrolled on the first 3 levels of Mark's course. Enjoying it so far but I know I'm going to have a million questions so here I am!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish you the best of luck. Watchmaking is a game of patience and perseverance, sometimes frustrating, but after what you've been through, no problem at all. You have come to the right place if you need help and advice.

You might find Reuben Schoots' story interesting.

Edited by Klassiker
Added last sentence
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Zucco

Welcome. A fighter you are. This is a great forum. Feel free to ask any question. Like you I began at the very beginning 21 month ago. Not as good as you. I have only worked on mechanical watches. The members here have been so patient with me, offered advice, cajoles, inspiration and most of all, a wealth of experience freely given.

You may have a particular problem due to your condition. 'Ping'. learning to hold a set of tweezers for watchmaking takes time. Honestly. Hold an item too tight. 'Ping', its gone. Entered the space programme. Someone needs to search the floor for hours with a magnet. I overcame a lot of this problem with my box. See photograph.

When removing springs or the like, use pegwood sticks to hold everything , and rodico to secure. I found this out the hard way. I do lose things, but very rarely now.

I wish you well with this hobby. Its brilliant.

Regards

Ross

 

IMG_20230618_120042 (2).jpg

IMG_20230618_120059 (2).jpg

Edited by rossjackson01
Spelling, Grammar
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome, and congratulations on becoming a new you, it's not everyone who has the courage to reinvent themselves, I don't envy the 7 month ordeal you had, but I am a little envious that you get to reinvent yourself, I guess this is the silver lining on that cloud. Wishing you all the best in your recovery and your journey into watch making. If your journey is anything like mine you will spend the first 3-6 months with frustrating failure after failure, and I was nearly at the point of giving up, but stick with it as your wins slowly start to outnumber your losses, but to be honest there is nothing like the feeling of the first watch you can wear that you serviced/refurbished, if you can beat the odds and get back on your feet, you can master this too.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, rossjackson01 said:

Zucco

Welcome. A fighter you are. This is a great forum. Feel free to ask any question. Like you I began at the very beginning 21 month ago. Not as good as you. I have only worked on mechanical watches. The members here have been so patient with me, offered advice, cajoles, inspiration and most of all, a wealth of experience freely given.

You may have a particular problem due to your condition. 'Ping'. learning to hold a set of tweezers for watchmaking takes time. Honestly. Hold an item too tight. 'Ping', its gone. Entered the space programme. Someone needs to search the floor for hours with a magnet. I overcame a lot of this problem with my box. See photograph.

When removing springs or the like, use pegwood sticks to hold everything , and rodico to secure. I found this out the hard way. I do lose things, but very rarely now.

I wish you well with this hobby. Its brilliant.

Regards

Ross

 

IMG_20230618_120042 (2).jpg

IMG_20230618_120059 (2).jpg

Thanks for your welcome note. Pinging watch parts is something I've already experienced. I was removing a Seiko Diafix spring but used the wrong method and it too joined the space program! Luckily, using the LED torch on my phone I saw the reflection on the gold spring at the other end of my bench. I'd thought of doing something like your box too but I envisaged something like the "cone of silence" from Get Smart 🙂

Screenshot 2023-07-19 at 18.56.38.png

 

16 hours ago, Waggy said:

Welcome, and congratulations on becoming a new you, it's not everyone who has the courage to reinvent themselves, I don't envy the 7 month ordeal you had, but I am a little envious that you get to reinvent yourself, I guess this is the silver lining on that cloud. Wishing you all the best in your recovery and your journey into watch making. If your journey is anything like mine you will spend the first 3-6 months with frustrating failure after failure, and I was nearly at the point of giving up, but stick with it as your wins slowly start to outnumber your losses, but to be honest there is nothing like the feeling of the first watch you can wear that you serviced/refurbished, if you can beat the odds and get back on your feet, you can master this too.

Thanks for your kind words.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.



  • Similar Content

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Thats a good record Michael,  i always do a quick scan through sone of the  feedback comments to make sure there are a good few of them relating to sales and not just purchaese.  Feedback can be faked but you can usually spot the dodgy sellers. I have heard that before about lots of orphan watches in Australia 🤔. How far overseas are you going with buying ? There are lots of good sellers here in the UK, shipping is a bit prohibitive though. Main reason for seeing non cased vintages watches would have been the scrapage of the precious metal cases. I think we decide early on what we want from the hobby, whether that is to repair for the fun, enjoyment and sheer challenge of learning something obscure.  To collect watches and have that ability to maintain them, to gain financially from re-sale or a mixture of those. Its also important to remain aware of how deep the rabbit hole goes and how much money it takes to continue the descent. 
    • No, trus me, this is totally wrong. Firs of all, there is theoretical lenght for a fixed other parameters (spring thickness, barrel internal diameter and arbour diameter), which will give maximal power reserve. This is written in all text books, but I have never seen in  the text books mathematical expression (formula) of the relation lenght/power reserve. I am to lazy to generate that expression now, but will draw for You the graphical representation of it. As You can see, there is a maximum in the middle, but the slope near the maximum is really small, so even change of the lenght of let say +/- 30% doesn't lead to significant change of the power reserve. More to that, sometimes movement designers put much longer springs in the barrels than the theoretical lenght for maximm reserve.  This is ecpecially in high grade movements. You will sometimes see that the spring covers not the half, but actually 2/3 of the barrel free space. The designers compensate this loss of power reserve by usage of bigger barrels. This way they achieve much smaller difference in full wind / end of power reserve torque. In such case, reducing the spring lenght leads to increasing of power reserve...
    • Hi you can get parts/ tech sheets from cousins uk on therir down lost page, also print rest has some scattered about, cas ker, Esslingers, my retro watches, watch guy there is a few to trawl
    • I only buy mechanical personally, as it's all that interests me. There are a few electronic movements I find interesting, but they're not the sort I tend to see very often at all, and wouldn't come up in any of my searches. I have been given a few quartz watches over the years, but they all just sit in a bag in a drawer. Once I hit some critical mass, I'll hopefully get enough motivation to either sell or donate them.
×
×
  • Create New...