Tool of the day.

[nickelsilver]

I love these for measuring small pivots. For straightening pivots, I find I have much better luck holding the part in the lathe, turning by hand to find the fault, and use blunt nickel tweezers heated in an alcohol flame until almost to hot to handle to coax the pivot back straight.

[HectorLooi]

34 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

I love these for measuring small pivots. For straightening pivots, I find I have much better luck holding the part in the lathe, turning by hand to find the fault, and use blunt nickel tweezers heated in an alcohol flame until almost to hot to handle to coax the pivot back straight.

Do you clamp the balance arbor and bend the pivot or do you clamp the bent pivot and adjust the arbor?

In clockmaking, we clamp the shorter part and use the longer end for adjusting. We can even straighten bent arbors this way.

[nickelsilver]

30 minutes ago, HectorLooi said:

Do you clamp the balance arbor and bend the pivot or do you clamp the bent pivot and adjust the arbor?

In clockmaking, we clamp the shorter part and use the longer end for adjusting. We can even straighten bent arbors this way.

I hold the staff (in the balance), get it running as true as possible, and bend the pivot with the hot tweezers. There are Dumont tweezers made just for straightening pivots (# 8), but they also can leave marks, the nickel tweezers work great. Of course if the pivot is too bent to start with there's no way to get it straight without breaking.

 

 

[rehajm]

I can’t recall where I saw or the precise turn of phrase, something about the watchmaker must decide if they are the type to break their pivots efficiently and economically with tweezers or if they prefer the expense and precision of breaking them slowly with the Seitz tool…

Edited September 15, 2023 by rehajm

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, nickelsilver said:

love these for measuring small pivots.

I know you do, that was my second reason for buying it. The jewelled pivot gauges are insanely priced. 

[HectorLooi]

39 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

Of course if the pivot is too bent to start with there's no way to get it straight without breaking.

I once asked my mentor when do we straighten and when do we repivot?

His answer was to try straightening first and if it breaks, then repivot.

[Neverenoughwatches]

19 minutes ago, HectorLooi said:

I once asked my mentor when do we straighten and when do we repivot?

His answer was to try straightening first and if it breaks, then repivot.

It doesn't get much simpler than that Hector.  

[JohnR725]

They've updated the tool and of course it's price that is if you're purchasing it new which I would not recommend. There are so many other tools that would be more essential that have. I'm attaching the PDF of how the tool is supposed to function.

7135 7136 tool for straightening bent pivots.pdf

[rehajm]

So my turn to be the tool...of the day. A quick search and I can't find another one like it, perhaps because I don't know what to search for. Wassthis?

...a hole gauge of some sort yes? Hands? How to use it as there are a few numeric labels but not sufficient for the gradients of the sticky out bits...

[RichardHarris123]

Is it a  broach? 

[rehajm]

48 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Is it a  broach? 

Difficult to see in my photos but there are sharply defined edges as the ends get larger towards the middle, and they are smooth and polished, not textured like a broach, so I’d say no…but honestly I do not know what it is for…

[Neverenoughwatches]

40 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Is it a  broach? 

Hard to say Rich, ive not seen one of these, if the steps are tapered then i would guess maybe, but the steps would stop you furthering any reaming, unless the other side can make a continuation.   If cylindrical then maybe a hole gauge , a measurement of the steps might help to figure out the stamped numbers

3 minutes ago, rehajm said:

Difficult to see in my photos but there are sharply defined edges as the ends get larger towards the middle, and they are smooth and polished, not textured like a broach, so I’d say no…but honestly I do not know what it is for…

See the numbers 60 to  120 on one side , so 0.6mm -1.2mm.  Then a continuation on the opposite side 130 to 200 , so 1.3mm to 2.0mm.  Range from 0.6 to 2.00mm

9 minutes ago, rehajm said:

Difficult to see in my photos but there are sharply defined edges as the ends get larger towards the middle, and they are smooth and polished, not textured like a broach, so I’d say no…but honestly I do not know what it is for…

A hole burnisher is smooth polished.

[rehajm]

18 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

A hole burnisher is smooth polished.

…and has defined edges so you clean up the top of the hole, yes? I like this one…hmmm..

[Neverenoughwatches]

8 minutes ago, rehajm said:

…and has defined edges so you clean up the top of the hole, yes? I like this one…hmmm..

Not the ones i have, just a round tapered smooth polished rod, i use them for gentle smooth broaching / final burnish to a hole. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

A Star staking set UK peepsies, this was relisted today as nobody put an offer in around the 150 mark. The seller may not want to risk another non sale fee and sell it early on in the relisting, this has worked for me a few times. My thoughts are an offer of 100 a bit harsh but 110 might take the seller's attention. I have Star, a set bigger than here but this has some interesting stakes i don't have, a couple i know unlikely to get used like the cylinder stakes but even so for 110 plus del. Could be a fair starting set. If interested ask questions to get input from others more knowledgeable than I.  Oh also it has sink rollers and some other countersinks so providing it has the reamer spindle to hold them then a nice little addition. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225790269990?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=GrRgYQlBSY-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=tBiLZaCfRb2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Edited September 26, 2023 by Neverenoughwatches

[rehajm]

On 9/19/2023 at 9:43 AM, rehajm said:

So my turn to be the tool...of the day. A quick search and I can't find another one like it, perhaps because I don't know what to search for. Wassthis?

...a hole gauge of some sort yes? Hands? How to use it as there are a few numeric labels but not sufficient for the gradients of the sticky out bits...

So I've finally identified this thingie- there's a lovely post what shows this jewel gauge...and everything you wanted to know about watch screws....

...helpful for me as I have cased a watch I have posted here previously and the movement ring is unfortunately a bit wonky, so I'm down the rabbit hole of sizing and locating case clamps, screws et al...

Edited October 11, 2023 by rehajm

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, rehajm said:

So I've finally identified this thingie- there's a lovely post what shows this jewel gauge...and everything you wanted to know about watch screws....

...helpful for me as I have cased a watch I have posted here previously and the movement ring is unfortunately a bit wonky, so I'm down the rabbit hole of sizing and locating case clamps, screws et al...

I've been on the lookout for these or a more modern alternative, nothing available under 2mm ,mostly bigger engineering stuff.  The hand gauge might be the closest idea for measuring jewel holes above 0.3mm. For any holes within a plate or big bridge the individual gauges would need to be removed, but that leaves the gauges without thd size markers.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Neverenoughwatches

[rehajm]

Yah the hand gauge is readily available- cool for hands but not much else...

...for fun I checked on eBay for the Swartchild gauge- krikey! One for $70US in Canada...I guess I'm there was one floating around in my Seitz set as a bonus, even though I don't know what it is.... Oh the economics of horology...

...and here's a tool likely we all use but for me in a new and very helpful way- one of those honkin' stumps of peg wood for barrel arbor fitting...

It grips the barrel sufficiently, then I counter rotate the barrel opposite the spring so the arbor hook drops right in! 

...what was once kind of a fiddly job takes only a minute. Thanks Kalle!

 

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

58 minutes ago, rehajm said:

Yah the hand gauge is readily available- cool for hands but not much else...

...for fun I checked on eBay for the Swartchild gauge- krikey! One for $70US in Canada...I guess I'm there was one floating around in my Seitz set as a bonus, even though I don't know what it is.... Oh the economics of horology...

...and here's a tool likely we all use but for me in a new and very helpful way- one of those honkin' stumps of peg wood for barrel arbor fitting...

It grips the barrel sufficiently, then I counter rotate the barrel opposite the spring so the arbor hook drops right in! 

...what was once kind of a fiddly job takes only a minute. Thanks Kalle!

 

 

This seem to have a good watchmaker range .

[dadistic]

That would be a nice complement to a set of jewel gauges like these. I lost access to the shop when I retired, so now I have to get my own darn tools. I think the set you are showing is UK only, though, and shipping to the US might be prohibitive, otherwise I'd consider that set for myself. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 10/11/2023 at 10:38 PM, dadistic said:

That would be a nice complement to a set of jewel gauges like these. I lost access to the shop when I retired, so now I have to get my own darn tools. I think the set you are showing is UK only, though, and shipping to the US might be prohibitive, otherwise I'd consider that set for myself. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285211999320?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=r1kfqhqZStS&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=tBiLZaCfRb2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Jon]

I bought these pin gauges a few months ago, as well as the 1 mm to 2 mm set. They are bang-on when it comes to their thickness. Really helps when re-bushing, so you don't have to remove the bridge or mainplate to measure the bored-out hole. I've got a set of Bergeon pin gauges measuring 0.07 to 0.5 mm, which cost a small fortune but couldn't do without them for smaller work and measuring the inside diameter of jewel holes.

The same seller does pin gauges from 0.1 to 1 mm

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005362640246.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.31.21ef1802cKI5O7

Edited October 19, 2023 by Jon

[Neverenoughwatches]

Hey all watch peeps, i trust we are all in good health.  I have another tool for us to identify,  this time i don't know exactly what it is.  I thought I had seen it described a year or so back by an ebay seller but i cant quite figure out how it works per the description.  There are various sized drill bits and taps and a brass holder with 2 removable ends.  Yes its for making a hole and then threading that hole but for something in particular on a watch. What might that be ? and how exactly does the tool do that ? Its open to anyone that knows becasuse i dont know for sure

[JohnR725]

4 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I have another tool for us to identify,  this time i don't know exactly what it is. 

typically I ignore this discussion because a while back you put a restriction on who could answer. in other words on some previous tool you perceive that it would be too easy for most of us you're looking for others to use their imagination as to what it can be. Strangely enough this tool falls into that category doesn't it?  mine is lurking in the bench I don't think I've ever actually used it. For the most part is typically not something I would do at least with normal watches. Then I don't think I've ever seen instructions on how to use the thing.

But still it does make for a nice mystery tool the clues are in his description but?

[Neverenoughwatches]

8 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

typically I ignore this discussion because a while back you put a restriction on who could answer. in other words on some previous tool you perceive that it would be too easy for most of us you're looking for others to use their imagination as to what it can be. Strangely enough this tool falls into that category doesn't it?  mine is lurking in the bench I don't think I've ever actually used it. For the most part is typically not something I would do at least with normal watches. Then I don't think I've ever seen instructions on how to use the thing.

But still it does make for a nice mystery tool the clues are in his description but?

Hey John, yes some mystery tools are just too easy for you pros, its good to give others a chance of guessing it first This i didn't think really fitted into that category, i dont really know what it is for maybe i should put a time limit before professionals give us a definite answer. We can see that its used to drill a hole and cut a thread but in what exactly?  I think it has a specific use and maybe something else besides the drills and taps fits into the brass holder.