Jump to content

Finding Bits I've Dropped

mwilkes

By mwilkes
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

mwilkes WRT Addict

mwilkes

Posted
Posted

I've discovered an excellent way of finding bits I've dropped, such as incabloc jewels: after crawling around until my knees hurt, simply order them from Cousins, paying extra for speedy delivery. Magically the dropped part will appear behind your microscope, where you looked before.

Sigh.

If anyone needs an upper incabloc 1347, gimme a shout - I'll have a spare on Wednesday...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
WillFly Distinguished Member

WillFly

Posted
Posted

Ha - my sympathies! I was changing a watch strap t'other day and the pin slipped out of the strap and plinked on to the floor... Luckily, in wristwatch terms, a strap pin is pretty big, and I spotted it straightaway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
autowind Distinguished Member

autowind

Posted
Posted

Spent many a happy hour on all fours trying to find something that`s invisibly small.  A nice bright led flashlight is a big help, as is a telescopic magnet (although not much use for jewels).  I noticed on videos of the American watch factories that some of the workers wore an apron with a neck loop,  the other end was fixed to the workbench,  this would help in catching runaway parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lee WRT Addict

Lee

Posted
Posted

I've found using a horsehair shoe brush which is dense in bristles and soft, so things don't ping about a great sweeper to draw tiny "things" into a pile great for aiding the recovery of such "things" lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
Karimn40 New Member

Karimn40

Posted
Posted

There was one student in my class who lost an escape wheel and did use a magnet, check the apron and still couldn't find it. He had a large beard and wouldn't you know the escape wheel fell out of his beard. True story

I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Karim Noorani and I live in Fresno California. I am in to watch repair as a hobby.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
Vich Distinguished Member

Vich

Posted
Posted

Hello Karim and welcome,

 

I am as bald as the veritable coot without a beard but to compensate I have a moustache.  I shall now check it first before getting on my knees.

 

Cheers,

 

Vich

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

had a spring ping into the "black hole", days later, putting on socks, that had been through the wash and on the garden line. There it was, embedded in the weave of the sock...... :)

Looks like you need a new washing machine then! :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canthus Super WRT Addict

canthus

Posted
Posted

I have a polished length of steel and attach 2 small (25mm dia) powerful magnets I rescued from the closure flap of a gift box!!  Easy to sweep large areas, and then go through the 'rubbish' with an eyeglass. 

 

For non-metals I use short length of duct tape (Gaffer tape) which is very sticky and again sweep/dab the areas with this and inspect with eyeglass. 

 

I used duct tape to find a cap jewel (took several pieces and much time!), checked pieces several times and found nothing except some pinkish fibre blobs. Angry and frustrated I decided to give up and try and source one elewhere, but ever the optimist I decided to check the tapes one last time before I binned them!  Joy and relief to see the jewel on the 2nd (of 8) strip of tape, which I must have missed several times or thought it to be some of the pinkish fibre,  I did have a clean floor and bench though!! 

 

However some parts still vanish for ever!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Michael1962
      I'm going to be setting up a decent little workshop here at home.

      By Michael1962 · Posted

      Saturday morning 27/4 Sunday evening 28/4 Monday evening 29/4 Floor has a drain in the middle so I am hoping that there is very little fall on it, if any.
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Epilame / Fixodrop

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      This makes much more sense now, the oil is withdrawing itself to make as little contact with the epilame as possible. Same principle as wax on a car creates a hyrophobic surface that makes the cohesive properties of water molecules pull together.  The water beads run off only when under the influence of gravity but still remain cohesively beaded up. And as mentioned earlier a pivot would keep the oil in place on a cap jewel.  Epilame on an escapement would be a different scenario, there is nothing to hold the oil in position if gravity tugs at the bead to move, plus the escape teeth pull the oil about Maybe this is why its suggested to run the watch for a short while to remove the epilame to make two oleophobic surfaces either side of the oil, creating a ring of fire 🔥 around it 😅
    • mikepilk
      Balance wheelwheel crooked

      By mikepilk · Posted

      As with every skill it watchmaking, it takes practice. Notice at the top of the document it says, "Practical work - 40 hours".  I can get the balance wheels 'close enough' to flat, but never seem to get them perfect. Same with gear wheels. Guess I need more practice.
    • transporter
      Beat adjustment

      By transporter · Posted

      Has it got a beat adjustment on the platform or is it a fixed hairspring? in short what you are looking at to get it just about in beat is to get the roller jewel sitting dead centre between the banking pins. So remove the platform and take of the pallet fork and escape wheel to give you clear line of site, sit the platform with the balance in place and with it level look between the banking pins and see if the roller jewel is sitting between them, if it is nice and central its there or there abouts in beat, if its not the the position of the pinned end of the hairspring needs to be adjusted to move the roller jewel into the correct position, thats why I asked if it has an adjustment on the platform or not, if it has its an easier job. 
    • MapleWood
      Help - London Elliott Mantle Clock Night Silence

      By MapleWood · Posted

      I've managed to adjust it. I'm going to try and explain it as well as I can with my limited horology knowledge but I hope it helps someone in the future. There is a cam to the right of the front plate as shown in the picture. As the clock ticks along, the pin indicated in the gear comes around and slots into one of the silencer cam gaps, turning the cam. The pin completes a full rotation in 2 hours. To adjust the cam to start at the right time set the clock to just before 7. I did 6:45. Then I turned the silencer cam anticlockwise, which spins freely, until it pushed the silencer lever up and was placed just before the drop. Just before the 7AM indicated in the picture. All I then had to do was progress the hands to 7-7:15which made the pin slot into the silencer cam gap and turn the cam so the lever comes down again, unsilencing the clock. That was it. If anyone comes across this issue again I'd be happy to assist. Thanks again to everyone that helped. Hey Transporter! Thanks a lot for the reply. That was a really good explanation and I'm sure it would have made my troubleshooting a lot less painful haha. I'm sure someone will find it useful in the future. Thank you again for taking the time to try and help me out with this.
×
×
  • Create New...