Screw driver help

[Douglas1701]

Could someone tell me the smallest screw driver to the largest screw driver i need for pocket watches and wrist watches?

Thanks

[noirrac1j]

2 hours ago, Douglas1701 said:

Could someone tell me the smallest screw driver to the largest screw driver i need for pocket watches and wrist watches?

Thanks

Hey Douglas,

Welcome to the forum.In my experience, You'll need these 5 sizes to get anything done:

0.60 mm Pink

0.80mm Yellow

1.00mm Black

1.20 mm Red

2.00mm Green

There may be a few brands that use screws sizes on either end of the spectrum, but these will get you through 99% of wristwatches and most pocket watches.

JC

Edited February 7, 2017 by noirrac1j

[Douglas1701]

What about the .00 and .5 ? I ordered a set today that had those in it up to 1.5mm. 

Thanks for the help. 

[noirrac1j]

5 minutes ago, Douglas1701 said:

What about the .00 and .5 ? I ordered a set today that had those in it up to 1.5mm. 

Thanks for the help. 

The 0.5mm will work in place of the .60mm and you'll see the difference when you use those sizes. I suggest you use the screwdriver that is closest to the slot size to prevent slipping. This happens anyway, but will be reduced if you use the proper size screwdriver. I remember I was tempted to use smaller screwdrivers on the larger barrel or winding wheel screws and simply messed up my small blades when they came up short on torque and slipped. Lesson learned!

 

JC

Edited February 7, 2017 by noirrac1j

[Douglas1701]

The reason i bout them that small was because i want to restore my gransfather wrist watch at some point in the future....there was a screw so small i could barely see it. That being said, the set was the only set i have run across that had that small of sizes...figured i better grab while the grabbing was good...it was a swiss set of 7 for $12.no one bid on it but me and one other.

doug

Edited February 7, 2017 by Douglas1701

[noirrac1j]

7 minutes ago, Douglas1701 said:

The reason i bout them that small was because i want to restore my gransfather wrist watch at some point in the future....there was a screw so small i could barely see it. That being said, the set was the only set i have run across that had that small of sizes...figured i better grab while the grabbing was good...it was a swiss set of 7 for $12.no one bid on it but me and one other.

doug

What type of watch is it? Can you post a picture or the caliber?

JC

[Douglas1701]

Its an elgin 1928...7 jewel....not expensive.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Douglas1701

[noirrac1j]

Its a beauty! We'll get that going...I'll help you in any way I can and so will the other fellows here. They're all top notch. Have you ever disassembled a watch before?

JC

[Douglas1701]

2 minutes ago, noirrac1j said:

Its a beauty! We'll get that going...I'll help you in any way I can and so will the other fellows here. They're all top notch. Have you ever disassembled a watch before?

JC

No, just started learning and getting tools together...got a pocket watch movement on the way to start practicing on. 

[Douglas1701]

Gonna start marks videos as soon as I can..might be awhile though. Ive been making some of my tools to speed up the process. So far i made a balance tool and i should finish the oiler station tomorrow or the next day.

Edited February 7, 2017 by Douglas1701

[noirrac1j]

Just now, Douglas1701 said:

No, just started learning and getting tools together...got a pocket watch movement on the way to start practicing on. 

OK that's a good plan. You'll need good lighting (either regular bulb or fluorescent/LED type) and quality 10X loupe (Bausch and Lomb or something good quality) and a general magnification visor with 4X. You'll also need at least one movement holder and a mat to work on.  One more thing: a good set of tweezers! I got some from Ebay that are decent, but they must be Swiss because the quality is the best and you need good tweezers to work.

JC

[noirrac1j]

2 minutes ago, Douglas1701 said:

Gonna start marks videos as soon as I can..might be awhile though.

Perfect. That's just how I started and I've done many, many watches since then. Mark's videos are the best and his technique is superb.

JC

Edited February 7, 2017 by noirrac1j

[Douglas1701]

Thanks for the info.

doug

[NMarsh]

@Douglas1701 Awesome looking balance tack! 

[noirrac1j]

20 hours ago, Douglas1701 said:

Gonna start marks videos as soon as I can..might be awhile though. Ive been making some of my tools to speed up the process. So far i made a balance tool and i should finish the oiler station tomorrow or the next day.

That is a NICE balance tack...much nicer than a metal one.

J

[Douglas1701]

Thanks, its pretty easy to make if you have a lathe.