Tweezers advice?

[VWatchie]

On 4/17/2019 at 10:59 PM, harlantk said:

I too am amazed at Mark's video's and how steady his hands are

 

On 4/17/2019 at 10:59 PM, harlantk said:

my unsteady hands

Unless you suffer from some condition this is all a matter of being able to relax. When working on watches I constantly monitor my mental and physical state in this respect. You may think that you are relaxed, but trust me there's always more to do. For example, check your shoulders, can you let them down and relax them even a bit more? The answer is yes! Check your respiration. It should be slow and controlled . When I was younger I used to shoot Olympic air rifles. 90 % of being successful comes down to being able to relax and to control your breath. Be especially watchful when doing difficult stuff like fitting springs when you know that a mistake will likely cost you the part and possibly weeks or or even months of searching for a replacement. So, relax!

Edited December 27, 2021 by VWatchie

[jmd]

Hi, I'm new here. I want to buy some Dumont tweezers but need a little advice on which to get. According to various online catalogs, it looks like there's over 30 versions of style 5 tweezers. There are several variable characteristics like coating, alloy and finish that make for the wide selection, but I'd like your opinions on tip dimensions. Almost all Dumont style 5 tweezers fall into two sizes of tips (thickness and width in millimeters):
0.01 x 0.05 and
0.06 x 0.1
This represents a factor of 12 difference in tip cross-sectional area and stiffness in Dumoxel and Dumostar alloys, as well as a significant difference in aspect ratio.
What would be your recommendation for which tip dimension to use?

[nickelsilver]

1 hour ago, jmd said:

Hi, I'm new here. I want to buy some Dumont tweezers but need a little advice on which to get. According to various online catalogs, it looks like there's over 30 versions of style 5 tweezers. There are several variable characteristics like coating, alloy and finish that make for the wide selection, but I'd like your opinions on tip dimensions. Almost all Dumont style 5 tweezers fall into two sizes of tips (thickness and width in millimeters):
0.01 x 0.05 and
0.06 x 0.1
This represents a factor of 12 difference in tip cross-sectional area and stiffness in Dumoxel and Dumostar alloys, as well as a significant difference in aspect ratio.
What would be your recommendation for which tip dimension to use?

I'd go for the thicker tips, the fine ones are too fine even for working on a LeCoultre 101. And I wholeheartedly recommend Dumostar, the difference in quality is so huge compared to other alloys and other brands I'm surprised they aren't more expensive than they are. Hands down the best.

[Tony13]

On 3/7/2021 at 7:46 PM, jdm said:

Indeed. Wonder if they're still in business? Got mine from a material house on the days they were closing down.

Just a question are the Viola ones better than the vetus ones? As I think I cracked the code the ST chinese Vetus ones are normal stainless steel but the 2-SA ones are better quality antimagnetic stainless steel en cost double. A whooping 4 euro plus shipping.

After being disappointed big time in buying a set of 5 Bergeon 30081 screwdrivers that hardly outperform my Chinese cheapo set I decided to go the cheap route for a No2 plyers and save 38 euro's.

[Woolshire]

I really like my Voila brass tweezers. They have served me well. I’m going to buy a couple more styles.

[ifibrin]

On 12/28/2021 at 6:17 AM, LittleWatchShop said:

Vintage Dumont on the left, brand spank'n new Dumont on the right.

I find that the amount of relaxed spread for a given model of tweezers can vary by about 50%, even for high end tweezers like bergeon. I bought two brass bergeon tweezers 7422, and the two pairs of tweezers did not have identical relaxed spread, and one was about 50% wider relaxed spread than the other.

I tend to use the bergeon brass tweezers with smaller relaxed spread for smaller items, using the bergeon brass tweezers with larger relaxed spread for bigger items like the barrel. In a way, I am glad I gave both, because it would be a waste to artificially increase the relaxed spread of a pair of tweezers, since you have to use more force to grip a small item if the relaxed spread is large.

However, some people do complain about tweezers with small relaxed spread, finding them too soft and mushy…

[HectorLooi]

I like my tweezers to have a very light touch, (soft and mushy). This gives me better tactile feedback and better control of small objects like balance jewels and small screws.

I don't own a single Dumont or Bergeon. All my tweezers are cheap tweezers but modified and tweaked to my preference.

The jaw opening and closing force can be tailored to an individual's preference by grinding down the thickness of the metal at the back end of the tweezer and bending the spread of the jaws.

The important thing is that the jaws of the tweezers must be well dressed and aligned. Poorly maintained tips is the main cause of parts pinging away.

[RichardHarris123]

I'm investing in some quality tweezers, Dumont seems to be the best choice.  For general disassemble etc No 2  and which material, stainless, carbon steel  

[noirrac1j]

I have quite a few tweezers, both stainless, brass and even composite. I find myself mainly using Dumont AM brass, Horotec MM brass and Viola 3TC brass.

J

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 3/8/2022 at 11:16 PM, RichardHarris123 said:

I'm investing in some quality tweezers, Dumont seems to be the best choice.  For general disassemble etc No 2  and which material, stainless, carbon steel  

Hi Richard. I struggled for months with cheapish stainless steel tweezers and even spent a lot of time reducing the tension on them by taking down the thickness at the sprung end. I had a cheap pair of brass also with less tension but these wear quickly and need frequent dressing. Eventually  I picked up a good ebay purchase of 14 pairs of dumont for 60 quid. Needed some work to bring them to order but still very serviceable and there was already a good range between them. Unfortunately very few of them were antimagnetic and sometimes drive me potty having to demagnetise them throughout a project. But all have great control and really easy to manipulate and spin over. My favourite  are a pair of bent no.7 that have more varied use than a straight pair imo. Also consider titanium, lighter and stronger. I would spend time researching and learning  to dress them as this makes a big difference  when handling small screws. I'll leave you with a great tip, have a slightly rougher finish to the inside of the tips this will help with their gripping power though not so rough as to scratch anything or encourage fibre attraction.

[oldhippy]

Dumont No 3 is what I used for normal watch use and No 5 for fine work.

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Dumont No 3 is what I used for normal watch use and No 5 for fine work.

Thanks old hippy, this seems like a good choice to me. As a beginner I wanted to buy a tweezer for each and every step, I quickly realised I could have wasted money in doing so. Learning to only need a couple for basic work and maybe a couple for more intricate delicate stuff. What are your thoughts on choice of materials, pro and cons.

[oldhippy]

I have used anti magnetic and the normal ones. The trouble with the anti ones you can't tell if any part of the movement is magnetic, but after saying that I always demagnetize the watch movement before starting the repair. Brass tweezers are good because they don't leave scratches but they are soft and very easily go out of shape. In the end I stayed with the two I suggested. I did have other types for hairspring work. For starters you don't need to those. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

37 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

I have used anti magnetic and the normal ones. The trouble with the anti ones you can't tell if any part of the movement is magnetic, but after saying that I always demagnetize the watch movement before starting the repair. Brass tweezers are good because they don't leave scratches but they are soft and very easily go out of shape. In the end I stayed with the two I suggested. I did have other types for hairspring work. For starters you don't need to those. 

Appreciate  that thank you oldhippy, I never considered the advantage of having magnetizable tweezers in that way. I'm too busy demagnetizing the ones I use lol. I think my demagnetizer  is a bit naff, I'm demagnetizing them anywhere from every ten mims to every couple of hours. I also recently  decided to do the watch as a whole before I start work, when I remember,hopefully this will help.

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 12/27/2021 at 10:58 PM, VWatchie said:

 

Unless you suffer from some condition this is all a matter of being able to relax. When working on watches I constantly monitor my mental and physical state in this respect. You may think that you are relaxed, but trust me there's always more to do. For example, check your shoulders, can you let them down and relax them even a bit more? The answer is yes! Check your respiration. It should be slow and controlled . When I was younger I used to shoot Olympic air rifles. 90 % of being successful comes down to being able to relax and to control your breath. Be especially watchful when doing difficult stuff like fitting springs when you know that a mistake will likely cost you the part and possibly weeks or or even months of searching for a replacement. So, relax!

Hi. This may sound obvious but until its mentioned it can easily be overlooked . Check your blood sugar, I don't mean literally with a meter that's going a bit too far. Low blood sugar becomes much more noticeable at smaller scaled activities. Very slight hand shakes would be a first sign before more prominent  symptoms eventually start to appear like lethargy and headaches, the average adults hunger hormones would normally kick in well before that though. A simple fruit juice drink may  reduce the effects enough to stabilise your blood sugar levels and steady your hands. Everyone is different but give it a try, or you may be ready for a meal before your stomach tells you.  

[Crockpot]

This is something that I’ve figured out that helps a lot when doing incabloc jewels. These are just regular number 3 stainless antimagnetic tweezers and What I use is a round dremel stone   that’s used for sharpening a chainsaw. Don’t use it in a dremel for this! DO THIS BY HAND ONLY and go slowly. Take your time Then after I have the round shape in tweezer tip I take a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and cut a small piece about an inch wide and about an long and roll it up tightly into the round shape like the stone and smooth it out some. Then I do the same thing with 1500 grit wet/dry paper.Here’s some pictures. It works great for me and I hope it helps some of you.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Crockpot

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 hours ago, Crockpot said:

This is something that I’ve figured out that helps a lot when doing incabloc jewels. These are just regular number 3 stainless antimagnetic tweezers and What I use is a round dremel stone   that’s used for sharpening a chainsaw. Don’t use it in a dremel for this! DO THIS BY HAND ONLY and go slowly. Take your time Then after I have the round shape in tweezer tip I take a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and cut a small piece about an inch wide and about an long and roll it up tightly into the round shape like the stone and smooth it out some. Then I do the same thing with 1500 grit wet/dry paper.Here’s some pictures. It works great for me and I hope it helps some of you.

Hello crackpot, I like the idea of that. I made a simple shocksetting spring press out of a toothpick for clipping a diashock spring in place , it was giving me some grief. I lost the slippery little 3 pronged  begger twice. The toothpick made sure he wasn't leaving home a third time. I won't be using any similar method on my adult children though that's for sure.

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hello crackpot, I like the idea of that. I made a simple shocksetting spring press out of a toothpick for clipping a diashock spring in place , it was giving me some grief. I lost the slippery little 3 pronged  begger twice. The toothpick made sure he wasn't leaving home a third time. I won't be using any similar method on my adult children though that's for sure.

I've told my wife that if she tells my 28 year old son that he's more than welcome to come live at home again if things don't go right AGAIN. I will cure her of her snoring in the middle of the night and I will make it look like an accident. 

[Waggy]

I have been using Dumont steel tweezers for some time and was very happy with them, even at the high price tag, and I also had some generic brass tweezers and was looking to replace them with a more quality set as I was tired of re-dressing them so often. When looking I stumbled upon titanium tweezers, I decided to give them a go. Long story short, I couldn't get the type I wanted in Dumont so decided to give the CousinsUK own brand titanium tweezers a try... and I have to admit that I found them very good and ending up going back and replacing my Dumont tweezers with them and now use them in preference to the Dumonts. Link HERE for anyone interested.

I also wanted to give bronze tweezers a try as a replacement for the cheap-o brass ones I am still using, as I have read they have the non-marking properties of brass but don't require the constant re-dressing  of brass ones. Does anyone have any recommendations as I can only find the Bergeon  in one size at an eye wateringly high price...or would a quality brass set be a better option? I know its often down to personal preference, but I am interested to hear peoples experience with regards to the bronze and quality brass tweezers.

[dadistic]

I use ASCO P5 bronze tweezers on a regular basis.  Speaking of dressing, you reminded me that I need to do that

I find that they are sturdier than brass, but still don't usually scratch when I goof.

Cheers!

[LittleWatchShop]

I use "vintage" Dumont for 90% of my work.  I have a brand new Dumont, but the feel is just not right--cannot explain.  I bought them thinking I deserved a new tool.  Never use them.

I have some new Bergeon gold-plated tweezers because somebody somewhere told me I needed them.  I do use them from time to time.

The recent posts here make me think I should try some titanium tweezers.

[VWatchie]

Just have a quick question. I have some Indian no-name brass tweezers but never use them as I discovered they quite easily crumble away when I for example use them to remove and replace barrel arbors. Not visible with the naked eye but when seen around 10X-20X magnification. Tried carbon fibre tweezers but didn't like them one bit. So, would Swiss-quality brass tweezers (Dumont, Bergeon, etc.) be any better in this respect?

[Waggy]

I guess we are all searching for that 'Goldilox' material/brand that is soft enough that it doesn't mark up the watch components, but strong enough that it is usable without constant re-dressing.

[mikepilk]

11 hours ago, VWatchie said:

Just have a quick question. I have some Indian no-name brass tweezers but never use them as I discovered they quite easily crumble away when I for example use them to remove and replace barrel arbors. Not visible with the naked eye but when seen around 10X-20X magnification. Tried carbon fibre tweezers but didn't like them one bit. So, would Swiss-quality brass tweezers (Dumont, Bergeon, etc.) be any better in this respect?

Barrel arbors are hardened and I'm not worried about scratching. You need something sturdy to push the arbor in, so I use some cheap sturdy stainless steel tweezers.  For almost everything else I use Dumont #2, apart from bridges and parts which may be marked, I use cheap brass tweezers. For very fine work, hairsprings etc, I use Vetus ST-14

[Waggy]

18 hours ago, dadistic said:

I use ASCO P5 bronze tweezers on a regular basis.  Speaking of dressing, you reminded me that I need to do that

I find that they are sturdier than brass, but still don't usually scratch when I goof.

Cheers!

Where did you get them?