Jump to content

Shellac solvent glue

szbalogh

By szbalogh
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

szbalogh Super WRT Addict

szbalogh

Posted
Posted

Recently, using dissolved shellac got some attention as i mentioned that it can be used conveniently to secure an impulse jewel. An old watchmaker mentioned this to me in a Facebook chat. 

I tried dichloromethane first do dissolve shellac, but the solvent phase turnedonly to a pale yellow color. The flakes got soft and puffed up. 

Then tried another paint solvent which is 80% xylene and 20% iso-butyl alcohol stated on the label. A small amount can dissolve much shellac slowly, but quickly with some heating. 

Yesterday i tried this solvent on a Stowa pocket watch movement impulse jewel. It had a jewel replaced with brass which was wobbling. So i just pushed it out with a tweezer, put the ruby jewel in. The roller table was placed in a piece of my kids putty and simply added a drop of the shellac solvent. It was a bit thin, so after drying repeated the process two times. I suggest making an oil consistency solution which can be simply applied with an oiler. But one can make it even to a honey-like consistency. Put the table next to the stowe for an hour to dry faster but had time to try the result only the next morning. The watch is ticking happyly with the new jewel :)

Great advantage of this method that one has time to align the jewel length and upright when the glue is half dry. Will make closer pics today. 

20160925_202706.jpeg20160925_201622.jpeg20160925_202641.jpeg

szbalogh Super WRT Addict

szbalogh

Posted
  • Author
Posted
11 minutes ago, clockboy said:

Shellac is normally removed/applied using controlled heat.

Yes. It is much faster with heat. Good for an experienced watchmaker if the customer is in the shop waiting for the repair. But for me as a hobbyst... i can wait a few hours to let it dry  :)

bobm12 Distinguished Member

bobm12

Posted
Posted

 I personally like the chemistry way of SZ! Cheaper, more "work time" convenient and there is no need to spend money and/or time in equipment. It is still a good thing to know the traditional way just for the sake of it and the speed. Other than that, if I had a choice, I'd go with the chemistry method!

Cheers,

Bob

szbalogh Super WRT Addict

szbalogh

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Some close-ups.

Next to the glued ruby is the old "jewel" :)

Snapshot_20160926.PNG

I had enough time to align it upright.

Snapshot_20160926_16.PNGSnapshot_20160926_6.PNG

And the result :)

Working.jpg

Yes, there is something wrong with the second wheel. 

  • Like 2
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • watchweasol
      Oldhippy

      By watchweasol · Posted

      Get well soon Old Hippy, torn muscles.,  not good
    • SwissSeiko
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By SwissSeiko · Posted

      Id love to see how he has the output shaft mounted to this setup, as I have the same rotary stage and stepper in my build.
    • Poljot
      Broken watch stem in watch crown

      By Poljot · Posted

      If you see at least one thread protruding, or even a half, then you may have a chance using this "tool", but don't squeeze hard. Lot's of patience, and if you notice any signs of loctite or other adhesives, then apply several drops of acetone on top of broken stem. Use heat (hair dryer) also. You should be able gradually turn it counterclockwise, just like i did on this broken Timex stem, which was glued with something like nail hardener. Then you can use an extender to save your broken stem. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513DVvkfW5L.__AC_SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg   You can also try cutting a small grove / slot on top of the broken stem to use 0.7mm flat screwdriver.   Depending on the Crown material and Stem material, you can try dissolving the stem. 
    • ColinC
      What's your thoughts on this Rolex Sea-Dweller, ref. 16600, calibre 3135 project?

      By ColinC · Posted

      How long had it been without any wind before you first put it on the timegrapher?  Perhaps there was some debris / old lubricant that loosened up while you were waiting to do the 24 hour reading? I recently serviced a Seiko 6319 that immediately after service was absolutely horrible on the timegrapher - 24 hours later (without me doing anything) it was rock solid!  I was a little surprised by this (as I have seen improvements in amplitude after letting it run in but never a watch going from useless to great!). I was suspicious that some dirt must still be in there so I took it apart and cleaned and lubcricated it again and had exactly the same experience - snow storm that after some hours turned into a nice straigh line with good amplitude 🤷‍♂️
    • mbwatch
      Full plate watch, Suitable tool for adjusting & testing pallet stones?

      By mbwatch · Posted

      Yes, I know it was able to run before just enough that everything supposed to be affixed with shellac could fall out. I won't get back to work on this watch for several days at least, but one thing you mentioned about the banking pin adjustments being intended for fork horn clearance got me wondering.... The last adjustment I made to the entry stone yesterday did not solve the problem when the balance is installed. The escape teeth can't quite clear the stone when the balance swings. But I thought it was going to work because manually snapping the fork back and forth did allow the escape wheel to advance almost all the time. I wonder if there's another issue with the impulse jewel, that I have to shellac again anyway. I am going to measure the fork slot and the jewel because I am curious if it is the right size or possibly narrower than it should be. My thinking is if the horn clearance is too great maybe it is not getting enough impulse to clear the escape tooth. But pushing the fork with a tool can move it far enough to clear the escape wheel tooth.  I'll see later in the week. I didn't expect a big challenge from this watch because it ticked for 5 minutes before stopping without shellac. As always I was way wrong.
×
×
  • Create New...