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Where Do I Get A Feeler Guage And Roller Table Jewels?

swordfish

By swordfish
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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swordfish Watch Enthusiast

swordfish

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It's time for me to make new mistakes!  In trying to repair a size 0 grade 198 Elgin pocket watch, I snapped the perfectly good roller table jewel.  <sigh>  Now I have the challenge of replacing it. I've never done that before.

 

From what I read, I need to measure the gap between the tines of the pallet fork, then order a roller table jewel with that measurement in mind.  I read that I need a tool called a feeler guage--sounds sexier than it is, I expect--to measure the tiny gap.  Is this true?  If so, where could I find one?  Where can I find the roller table jewel?  I see lots of places on line where I can buy shellac.  I probably need a little heating table (I don't know the proper name) upon which to set the roller table to gently heat it to melt the shellac, etc.  I hear there is also a "combination" device for holding the combination of balance and roller table, obviating the need of removing the roller table just to set a new jewel into it.

 

I expect I'll screw up several of the jewels, so I better buy a lot of them.

 

So, gentlemen, my ignorance and problem are probably obvious.  Please advise me, and feel free to offer unsolicited advice as well.  I don't know what I don't know.  I am in the United States, so an American supplier would be preferable just to avoid delay and increased shipping cost.

 

Thanks!

 

Eric, a.k.a., swordfish

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clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

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I found a tube with a selection of roller jewels on eBay a while ago. I had to replace the roller jewel on a pocket watch & I just sorted through the selection until I found one that fitted the old jewel hole (it was missing so no reference) & did not bind on the horn of the folk. I then secured it with shellac (there are vids on youtube showing how to use shellac). The issue to be aware of is if the jewel is to long it catches on the pallet folk guard pin. The method I used is not correct but it worked a dream.

 

However after a bit of research this morning apparently the correct way is to measure between the horns & subtract .02mm to get  the correct width. The length is then the issue to be aware of. I found this chart that may be of some use.

 

post-234-0-06615600-1440400656_thumb.png

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DJT2 WRT Addict

DJT2

Posted
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It's time for me to make new mistakes! In trying to repair a size 0 grade 198 Elgin pocket watch, I snapped the perfectly good roller table jewel. <sigh> Now I have the challenge of replacing it. I've never done that before.

From what I read, I need to measure the gap between the tines of the pallet fork, then order a roller table jewel with that measurement in mind. I read that I need a tool called a feeler guage--sounds sexier than it is, I expect--to measure the tiny gap. Is this true? If so, where could I find one? Where can I find the roller table jewel? I see lots of places on line where I can buy shellac. I probably need a little heating table (I don't know the proper name) upon which to set the roller table to gently heat it to melt the shellac, etc. I hear there is also a "combination" device for holding the combination of balance and roller table, obviating the need of removing the roller table just to set a new jewel into it.

I expect I'll screw up several of the jewels, so I better buy a lot of them.

So, gentlemen, my ignorance and problem are probably obvious. Please advise me, and feel free to offer unsolicited advice as well. I don't know what I don't know. I am in the United States, so an American supplier would be preferable just to avoid delay and increased shipping cost.

Thanks!

Eric, a.k.a., swordfish

Not sure this is what your looking for but thought I'd share incase it was

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281756081478&alt=web

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  • 2 weeks later...
swordfish Watch Enthusiast

swordfish

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Thanks to all who offered advice. I acquired feeler gauges, and measured the gap between the tines of the pallet fork (using an Elgin feeler gauge) to be 0.38 mm. I need a D shaped roller jewel. On eBay and the usual supply house I find only unspecified mixes of various size jewels, of various shapes. Surely there must be some company that manufactures these little but vital parts. Who makes them? Where is the whole range of them sold retail?

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swordfish Watch Enthusiast

swordfish

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Thanks to both clockboy and Blacklab. The Swiss Jewel link did not have what I was looking for, but the Cousins UK link had it exactly. I ordered some 0.36 mm D shaped roller jewels, since I read that one should use a jewel which is 0.02 mm smaller than the measured gap. I think that many of the folks on this site live in the U.K., and I live in Ohio, USA. Perhaps that's why I hadn't even thought of Cousins before now.

I am, as I mentioned, a watch repair newbie hobbyist. I'm both excited and anxious to proceed with the next level in my skill acquisition. Currently the roller table is detached from the balance arbor. Do y'all recommend that I implant the jewel and then replace the table on the arbor, or do it in reverse order?

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