Jacot tool, new acquisition, just received today - advice needed?

[rjenkinsgb]

This is a somewhat shabby looking item in a very beaten up old case that's literally falling apart!

Despite the discoloration the fit on the spindles seems good and things slide or turn smoothly.

The only thing missing that I know of is the "bow" to rotate it? What would that be typically made of, how long & what section - and what string or cord is best?

 

I've never used one before, but some of the donor pocket watch parts I have appear to have been individually fitted & I have a pallet staff that needs the diameter reducing by a minuscule amount, as the first job for it

I've bought a very low cost, plain rectangular burnisher & also some 3mm "key steel", which I think [hope!] should grind down to make a couple of reasonable tapered ones.

Any suggestions on adjusting the burnisher shape before I start destroying parts would be appreciated!

[oldhippy]

Horse hair was used for the old bows. I think you can get that in good music shops. The bow fits in the box so you can get the length of the cane by the length of the box. The old ones were made of ivory, you can make one out of wood or wire. I don't know if bergeon still supply them ask at your suppliers. As to using the tool there are plenty of videos on Youtube.  

Edited May 31, 2024 by oldhippy

[mikepilk]

I started out using a bow, but now I much prefer using a retractable ID card holder, as shown in this video (at 13min)

 

[HectorLooi]

14 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

Horse hair was used for the old bows.

How many strands are needed for a bow?

I made a bow out of an old coat hanger and fishing line. But now I just use the built in retractable cord that came with my latest jacot tool.

[oldhippy]

I think the bergeon one used to come with ten. The one I had was very thin but I don't recall what it was made of. 

[nickelsilver]

I have a couple of whale bone bows around here, but have used the Bergeon wire bow for most of the last couple decades. I use monofilament fishing line, don't know the "test" strength, but it's 0.30mm diameter. I might change it once a decade. Otherwise the key/ID card setup Mike mentioned works great. Still have to get some fishing line.

 

If you can't find a retractable key thingy, I had a teacher who used elastic cord you would find in a sewing shop. A piece of that, with fishing line fastened to it, keyring at the end of that. He kept it fixed at the back of the bench, and it'd get whipped out anytime the Jacot got used. I tried it and it works great too.

 

Bergeon has discontinued their bow, #2045, but Horia sells one for a cool 85 bucks.

Edited May 31, 2024 by nickelsilver

[rjenkinsgb]

Brilliant, all great information, thanks!

[VWatchie]

5 hours ago, mikepilk said:

I started out using a bow, but now I much prefer using a retractable ID card holder, as shown in this video (at 13min)

So do I and it works well enough that I haven't made it a priority to get a bow. Anyway, if any of you have a bow that you do not need please get in touch with me.

Learning how to use the Jacot takes some practice but it is an invaluable tool to get those pivots in near-perfect condition and it can improve amplitude quite a bit. Especially if the pivots have been deformed by some microrust.

The most difficult bit is to learn not to press your face into the tool but to work with it from a distance. @nickelsilver was instrumental in teaching me this and I found it so useful that I recorded a video about it which you can see and read about in the following thread:

 

Edited May 31, 2024 by VWatchie