Jump to content

How to open an old Elgin pocket watch?

mcass
 Share

Recommended Posts

vinn3 Distinguished Member

vinn3

Posted
Posted

wow,  nice chart, i copied for referance.  with some minor math  you should be able to select the amount of dome on a hunting case acquired with no crystal.!  measuring  the opening in the bezile accurately is the next step.  good luck.  vinn

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well it's been awhile since I worked on this one. I thought I was nearly done, having finally found a crystal. Thanks to whomever mentioned Dave's by the way!

Anyway, I pulled it out tonight to measure for the crystal and I noticed that will the balance wheel was beating and the second hand moving, the hour and minute hands aren't. It appears the other wheels are engaging and moving but for some reason the hour and minute hands aren't moving. Back to the drawing board this weekend! Any suggestions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 9 months later...
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted

OK I know it has been awhile but I have an update with a question. I have received another crystal that I am going to try and fit today. I pulled the watch out the other day to remeasure, gave it a wind, and the second-hand get running right away. However, I noticed two things one which seems very unusual. When winding the watch, the minute and second hands turn. That seems strange. When pulling the lever to set the hands, that seems to work properly except once I have it set and push the lever back in, the second-hand ticks but the hour and minute hands do not move. Hope this makes sense. I was really hoping to have this one finished today finally but it looks like I am having bigger issues which are going to require a strip down again. Any advice would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well I know this is a very old thread but I'm going to finally attempt to finish this this weekend. I believe I have found a crystal but before putting it in I'm having some issues. While the second hand is moving and appears to be operating as it should, the minute hand is not moving. Also, with the lever pushed in, the crown will still turn the hands while winding. What could be causing these issues???

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted
It sounds like a cannon pinion issue.  Has it been snapped back in place properly?  If it has, it could be needing tightened.  
I'll take a look. Was hoping to have an idea before I broke her down again. Thanks Geo that gives me some direction. I'll let you know what I find.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted
It sounds like a cannon pinion issue.  Has it been snapped back in place properly?  If it has, it could be needing tightened.  
Geo everything appears fine unless I misunderstand the function. The center wheel turns the Canon correct? Is it possible this is not happening because it fits too loose? Does there need to be a crimp or anything to hold it?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

The cannon pinion should be slightly tight on the centre pinion to allow slippage when setting the hands, but tight enough to allow the hands to be driven by the pinion.

Have a read of this thread it may help you.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mcass WRT Addict

mcass

Posted
  • Author
Posted
It sounds like a cannon pinion issue.  Has it been snapped back in place properly?  If it has, it could be needing tightened.  
Geo I actually found the problem. The lever that pulls out to set the watch actually had a loose screw and so it wasn't actuation the way it should. Tightened it down and now she is working ok.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • joelcarvajal
      Gamblin Gamsol for cleaning?

      By joelcarvajal · Posted

      Thank you all for the replies!  Very informative! True enough, the Gamsol took some time to evaporate and does leave a residue. So not all naphtha are created equal!  Need to find alternatives then. i was able to try Hexane recommended by Alex and it seems great.  I wonder what the cons are?
    • GuyMontag
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By GuyMontag · Posted

      Yeah, I saw that in the tech sheet but I don't see how it can be adequately cleaned with the friction pinion still in place. I've accidentally pulled the arbor right out of the wheel once when I used a presto tool to try and remove it. Mark shows how he does it with the Platax tool. Those are a little too pricey for me so I got one of these from Aliexpress and I just push down on the arbor with the end of my brass tweezers. That usually gets it most of the way out and then I just grab the wheel with one hand the and the friction pinion with the other and gently rotate them until it pops off. Probably not the best way but it's seemed to work for me so far.    
    • Zedster
      Movement inserted from crytal side

      By Zedster · Posted

      Thanks, Jon Sounds like a plan. Obviously I'll have the face on so do you think gripping with the holder will create any problems, but I will check in the morning to see how feasible it is but I assume it only needs to be lightly held. As for holding the movement instead of the holder won't be possible in this scenario as one hand will be puling on the stem while the other pushes the spring down. That was my initial concern is how the hell can I do this with only one pair of hands. All the other times I've had to remove the stem hasn't been a problem, apart from the force required to release the stem from the setting lever, but now I need to fit the face and hands its sent me into panic mode. If it had the screw type release things would be a lot simpler but that's life 😀   Another thing I will need to consider is once the dial and hands are fitted and the movement is sitting in the case I will need to turn it over to put the case screws in. I saw a vid on Wristwatch revival where he lightly fitted the crystal and bezel so he could turn it over, is this the only option or is there another method?      
    • nevenbekriev
      Main spring

      By nevenbekriev · Posted

      Hi Jon, do You think that relation spring torque - amplitude is linear? I would rather guess that the amplitude should be proportional to the square of the torque. I had once idea to check it, but still haven't.
    • ManSkirtBrew
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By ManSkirtBrew · Posted

      I did not. I thought about it, but I had cleaned it in my ultrasonic, and the tech sheet shows lubricating it in place already assembled, so I figured discretion was the better part of valor. Although since I have to depth the jewels anyway, maybe I pull the pinion off to rule it out 100% as part of the problem. Do you know if there's a safe way to do it? I don't want to use a puller because it would push down on the plane of the wheel, and that seems like a Bad Idea. I thought about using a roller table remover, but I don't think I have a hole stake pointy enough to push it down.
×
×
  • Create New...