Jump to content

Gear Train

danizzz

By danizzz
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

danizzz Watch Enthusiast

danizzz

Posted
Posted

Hi guys,

I found great difficulty to assembly the gear train.

Do you have a special method or sequence to mount the gears?

I have great difficulty also to mount the plate with the correct allineament of the pinions.

Help please!

clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
Posted

One method which can help is once the wheels are in place & seated correctly mount the plate with it,s location screws so the plate is in the correct position & then worry the pivots in. BUT do not tighten down until absolutely certain everything is aligned.

  • Like 1
Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

Hi Dani, you should always take plenty of pictures or sketches as you disassembled a movement then reverse the sequence for assembly. When you have all the gears in the correct place, very carefully place the train bridge on top of the pinions and apply the slightest pressure with a piece of pegwood or toothpick. At the same time carefully wriggle the gears slightly until you feel the bridge settle down evenly. At this point gently try and rotate the gears, they should be very free to turn. Now fit the screws and nip them up very lightly while continuing to check that everything is still free. Continue this process until the screws are fully tightened. A good check to see if the train is running correctly, is to blow air on the periffery of the escape wheel. If all is well this will drive the gear train, but make sure that the click spring hasn't been fitted!

If you can post up a picture of the movement you are working on, it will be easier for someone to help yo out with what goes where.

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted (edited)

Some movements are harder to align then others . It was a long time ago since i snapped a pivot . But it happen yesterday . Four wheels and one gear to the  barrel and the barrel arbor  to align . My bad i didn't remove the balance and balance cook . It's usually much easier without the balance unmounted. I set all gears and wheels and then put on the train bridge . Put in the screws and just set them so much that the train bridge doesn't fall off . Then with a toothpick or pegwood i start to align one wheel at a time . And when they are all there i can do as Geo did . Put more and more pressure on the screw until there all done . A good loupe is necessary . Looking from the underside up through the jewels . And u can see when the pivots are at the right place . And a good working lamp . 

Edited by rogart63
anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

Posted
Posted

Hi Danizz,

 

I usually get the barrel and barrel bridge, followed by the train wheels and train bridge.

 

An alternative is to install the train and train wheels first, followed by the barrel. This way you can approach the wheels from 2 sides. This may not be possible for all watches (full bridges for example).

 

Anil

clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
Posted

I always install the train wheels first so I can  double check all is free without the risk of damage. Then the barrel check & again check. 

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted

I always install the train wheels first so I can  double check all is free without the risk of damage. Then the barrel check & again check. 

As they say practice makes perfect. You will always find some trains will fit back in without fiddling around others can be sods, the trick is not to loose your marbles and go at it like a bull at a gate because if you do pivots will be broken. 

anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

Posted
Posted

Hi Danizzz, what movement is this? some are harder than others..usually cheaper watches are a **BLEEP** to get back together, easiest are watches with cap jewels as the oil-sink is on the inside of the bridge so 21 jewel hand winds is what I recommend to newbies.!

 

Anilv

danizzz Watch Enthusiast

danizzz

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi Danizzz, what movement is this? some are harder than others..usually cheaper watches are a **BLEEP** to get back together, easiest are watches with cap jewels as the oil-sink is on the inside of the bridge so 21 jewel hand winds is what I recommend to newbies.!

Anilv

The movement I'm working on is a 2836 -2

Gingerr6 Watch Enthusiast

Gingerr6

Posted
Posted

I try and fit the seconds jewel 1st then lower and try to line up the screw holes. Most of the time the other just line up with a little luck :)

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi Danizz,

 

On the 2836 ... there is an intermediate wheel which sits under the barrel... for these movements I usually install the barel/barrel bridge first as I find the intermediate wheel tends to tumble away.

 

Once the intermediate wheel is in place..you are left with the escape, third and second wheel.. to be installed in the pivots in that order. I find it helpful to bring the movement up to eye level so I can view the wheels edge on but you need to be sure you don't drop the thing.

 

Put the bridge on top and while applying light pressure on the bridge (very light...just rest your finger on the bridge..don't press!) get the intermediate wheel followed by the third wheel in the proper holes. The second wheel usually presents no problem as well. You will be left with all the wheels in place except the escape wheel and the train bridge will still be at a slight angle with a small gap visible between bridge and mainplate..

 

While still applying light pressure on the train bridge, apply light downward pressure on the highest edge of the escape wheel... basically what you are trying to do is bring the wheel upright. I start by pushing the top of the wheel away so that the highest edge is facing me.. I then apply light pressure on the higher edge and the pivot should drop into place. Test by applying some pressure on the barrel side (there is usually a gap on the side of the barrel bridge where the barrel side is exposed) and if all the wheels spin then success!

 

Don't get too excited... if you lift you're finger of the bridge you may find the bridge will lift a little and undo all your hard work.... even if using finger cots (you are, right?).. try to expose the screw hole (roll your finger away) and get a screw started but not fully home...then roll your finger to expose the other screw..similarly don't tighten down. check the wheels still spin... tighten the 1st screw a bit more followed by the second...repeat until all are fairly tight and there are no gaps around the joint between train bridge and main plate.. final check to make sure everything is spinning wheel then tighten the screws fully.

 

Whenever tightening on pivots make sure that you constantly check... I got caught out a few months back while fitting a pallet lever.. that 'tick' sound when a pivot goes is soooooo sickening.

 

Finally... if you have been battling this for some time..put it away, clear your desk, leaving only what parts and tools you need on the desk. Get a good nights sleep, wake up fresh in the morning and start with a clean work bench and clear mind. You'll find it goes so much easier.

 

 

All the best.

 

Anil

Edited by anilv
  • Like 1
64americandeluxe WRT Addict

64americandeluxe

Posted
Posted

For me, as a novice watchmaker (master watchbreaker), aligning the pivots in the train bridge was the hardest thing to contend with. Patience, a delicate touch, and more patience is the best advice this rookie can offer you.

Roger

  • Like 2
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • coreymsnow
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By coreymsnow · Posted

      Excellent info, thank you! So when you say "conforms to the standard" does that mean, for example, that parts are interchangeable between brands and ages, or that you could use accessories built for that 110-year old one on a newer one that was built in the 1990s? Also, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and your patience.
    • mbwatch
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By mbwatch · Posted

      It was first a brand, but became a standardized style. So you will find some older lathes actually marked "Webster Whitcomb" and many other makers who built WW lathes conforming to the same dimensions for spindle height, bed shape, attachment setup, collet size and design. https://www.lathes.co.uk/derbyshire/ So when someone mentions a WW lathe today, they are talking about any lathe that conforms to the standard, which could be a 110 year old American made lathe or a European made lathe from the 1960s or something else.
    • watchweasol
      Timetrax

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Hi guys, just a little thank you for the CLOCKBARN site in America.  I purchased a TIMETRAX APMLIFIER to help with setting clocks in beat from CLOCKBARN it arrived on time and when tested worked ok.  A week later I had occasion to need it again, this time nothing the unit was dead. Checked out batteries , probes etc , nothing.    I messaged CLOCKBARN  to this effect.  I got a prompt reply that he would send a replacement which duly arrived today and having tested it it’s ok.  So I can recommend the site should you need to use it. The person,persons who run it are genuine guys.  So thank you CLOCKBARN  for your excellent service.
    • mbwatch
      Timex M33 - A small repair

      By mbwatch · Posted

      Hi there! You have learned how professional watchmakers feel about Timex. It is very difficult to find one willing to work on them, for a few reasons: 1) a lot of them wrongly believe Timex cannot be serviced, are riveted together. This is a myth. 2) when serviced, they still cannot meet the performance standards of jeweled mechanical watches (-20sec/day is good enough for a Timex) 3) customers are unwilling to pay the watchmaker's hourly bench rates because the watches are worth very little The service manual for the M33 is available at https://heritage1854.com/m33 but you also need the M32 and M31 manuals because they build on each other (31 is the base, 32 has date, 33 has day and date) https://heritage1854.com/m31 https://heritage1854.com/m32 A stuck date changeover can be due to a missing, bent or broken detent spring (part 2576 in the manual) or the date wheel (2556) got stuck or separated from its post, or maybe disengaged from the hour wheel. With a little confidence, these are not difficult to repair and parts are pretty much interchangeable with any other Timex from the same era having the same features. So it is very easy to find inexpensive spares in the form of junk watches (don't bother trying to search for individual spare parts). My recommendation would be to find a junk Timex with an M25 (older manual wind with date) and practice a little with it. Follow the service manual from the same website. The automatics are a bit more difficult to work on but once you get a feel for how they fit together, you can make an attempt at your automatic and you would be able to use many spare parts from the M25 if necessary. To work with most Timex movements, you do not need a lot of tools. Just one screwdriver, 1.4mm is a good size, tweezers, and hand levers to remove the hands plus hand pusher tools to replace them. Of course if you want to do a full cleaning and restoration more is needed. But to get it apart and diagnose, only minimal tools.
    • coreymsnow
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By coreymsnow · Posted

      I do indeed have some programming and electronics know-how. 3 decades writing code for a living, and playing with microcontrollers as a hobby. 🙂 It helps with my actual living of being a voice actor because I can maintain my own equipment- no one around to replace the caps or the tube in an obscure botique mic that isn't made or supported any longer. Also saves money maintaining and cleaning my own interfaces and mixers when they develop problems in the faders and such. That said... I do have a question that, I'm sure, will betray my ignorance about certain areas that I have yet to fill in. I understand a "WW" lathe is a "Webster Whitcomb", but from what I understand that is a style of lathe and not a brand, correct? If someone would be willing to clarify and maybe expand on the terminology, it would be helpful so I can better understand the advice being given and know what I need to look into to further my knowledge. For example, a Sherline mill would appear to be either a separate piece of gear or an attachment/expansion to their smaller lathe. When you say you have a WW lathe and a sherline mill, can you say exactly what devices you have? Thank you! (I just realized I have a few Raspberry Pis and some Arduinos of various form factors around here I could probably put to good use in a scenario like you describe above).  
×
×
  • Create New...