Tweezers advice?

[rodabod]

^ I forgot that you can't use the word c.o.a.r.s.e. 

[Ishima]

I texture the inside of my tweezers with emery paper, 500 grit? i forget exactly, on the finer side but c.o.a.r.s.e enough that you can still feel the grit with your fingers. Just place the paper inbetween, close the tweezers and pull, fold it to do both sides at once. 

Edited February 21, 2017 by Ishima

[digginstony]

Carbon steel tweezers can be glass-hard. My stainless Dumonts are softer and still get magnetised slightly anyway. I also have their "Dumostar" versions which are very hard, to be fair. 
As already mentioned, dressing them is very important, including giving the insides a slightly co**BLEEP** finish to provide grip. 

I suspect your Dumostar may have a higher nickle content to achieve their hardness. As previously mentioned, EN21 steel retains flexibility or to be more precise elasticity but derives strength through its nickle content

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

[94marconi]

Love my Dumont carbon No.1s but the **BLEEP** things are sooo magnetised. I have half the **BLEEP** watch hanging off of them. I really must get a demagnetizer.... My stainless Supras are nice though...nice and light. Really must get a set of brass ones though. Have a set of Dumont No, 5 in stainless but have not used them yet so can't comment on them.

Why in the heck can't we say c.o.u.r.s.e.??? or b.l.o.o.d.y....

Ron

Edited February 22, 2017 by 94marconi
spelling

[Endeavor]

@RyMoeller Since electronics are also in my hobby spectrum, I knew these tweezers are anti-static & anti-magnetic Stainless Steel. They don't come with a watch-brand printed on them, perhaps hence the cheap price?

IMHO, they work great !

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6pcs-ESD-Anti-Static-Stainless-Steel-Pointed-Tweezers-for-Repair-Tool-/272088601890?hash=item3f59be9522

ESD-11 is, together to my brass tweezers, the workhorse.

Edited February 22, 2017 by Endeavor

[Blubarb]

Apologies if this has been covered numerous times, but what are your preferred tweezers, manufacturer, sizes (and material, eg: non-magnetic SS or brass) for removing screws, bridges, etc...? 

I have a lot to select from. Too many. 

[oldhippy]

I always used Dumont s/s tweezers, 3 for basic watch work and fine clockwork, 5 for fine watch work. For large clockwork old tweezers that would have, the out of shape or broken points filed down. Even older ones for soldering work.

[rogart63]

Use the one you like. Personal favorit is Dumont AA. Cheap and nice to work with. 

[rogart63]

1 hour ago, rogart63 said:

Use the one you like. Personal favorit is Dumont AA. Cheap and nice to work with. 

Sorry mean 00 not AA . 

[mikepilk]

I use Dumont 2 for just about everything.

I have some brass ones (just says '3' on them) for handling steel components I don't want to mark

and a very fine Vetus pair for (usually screwing up) hairsprings. 

[JohnR725]

Three 3c seems to be very popular with a lot of people and I prefer number 2 for watch work. So tweezers I use are made by Fontax and they're called Taxal nonmagnetic. There are actually very interesting how they're made casual observance they look like normal tweezers careful observance you'll notice that the tips are made out of a different material. Normally anti-magnetic is soft these are not whatever the alloy is is almost indestructible. Then unfortunately I've seen the modern version and they changed the shape slightly I don't like them. This represents one of the problems of there's no universal standard for numbers of the tweezers various manufacturers have slightly different interpretations.

[MrRoundel]

I love my Dumont 3C's in carbon steel. They have held their tips beautifully for years, and have a very light touch.

[Pango]

Still have not done any real work yet, but have been practicing picking up parts and dressing tweezers, etc.

 

One thing I did discover early on is that your hand size can make a difference to which tweezers work best.

 

I have large palms that just swallow up many tweezer sizes, so the longer ones work better for me, at least for general work. AA and SS, for example. For finer work like hairsprings you just have to manage with what is available.

 

I find that the SS tips can cross a bit easily compared to the more robust AA. Might just need more practice. But I did slim my AA tips down a little finer and that seems a good compromise.

 

Also slimmed the shoulders of the AA, more like the 3, so I can more easily roll the tweezers in my hand.

[rodabod]

Dumont Dumostar 2 for most work. Dumont Dumostar 5 for hairsprings.

Very important that they are well dressed....

[StuartBaker104]

My favourites are Dumont dumoxel #2 for most work then #5 for hairsprings.

I bought a set of Vetus tweezers from Cousins to get a range of shapes and sizes, but there is a reason why the Dumont ones are nearly 10x the price and I tend to just use these for odd jobs. Good tweezers feel like an extension of your hands. Cheap ones are an obstacle to learning to use them and you will regret the difference in price the first time you ping a part across the room.

I’ve also picked up some used oddments from eBay: Fontax #4, good for fine work; Fontax F, which have polished tips for handling hands; and Dumont carbon steel #7, useful to use with the #5 for hairsprings. I have also seen a lot of abused tweezers which have gone for high prices on eBay.

 

 

[jdm]

1 minute ago, StuartBaker104 said:

I bought a set of Vetus tweezers from Cousins to get a range of shapes and sizes, but there is a reason why the Dumont ones are nearly 10x the price and I tend to just use these for odd jobs. Good tweezers feel like an extension of your hands. Cheap ones are an obstacle to learning to use them and you will regret the difference in price the first time you ping a part across the room.

I use Vetus tweezers and have absolutely no problem with them. It's the person and his/her dexterity that does the job, not the tool.

[StuartBaker104]

9 minutes ago, jdm said:

I use Vetus tweezers and have absolutely no problem with them. It's the person and his/her dexterity that does the job, not the tool.

Well yes - this is sadly true, but lacking the experience, I find the Dumonts much easier to work with. 

I’m assuming you are talking about the Vetus ones that cost about £4 a set? Be interested to know what yours were like straight out of the packet?  Mine needed a lot of work to get the tips to anywhere near the finish of the Dumont ones.

 

[rodabod]

Some Vetus are fake, especially the eBay ones. I have a fine of fine ones. They are ok, but have more twist at the tips than Dumont and are a lot softer. Basically, they are not as good, but they seem like good value.

[jdm]

3 minutes ago, StuartBaker104 said:

I’m assuming you are talking about the Vetus ones that cost about £4 a set? Be interested to know what yours were like straight out of the packet? 

Yes, I think so. I did nothing to them, I just try to grab parts as logic and physics dictates. I don't expect the tool to make any miracle and in return for a good service I do not abuse it.

I have bought some more tweezers from a now defunct domestic maker, but haven't even tried them. 

[Len33]

I have a ladies, very small, (No model number on it) Sekonda wind up watch that needs some work attending to on the hairspring.

This obviously represents quite a challenge and, without really good, fine tweezers, I think there's no hope of (Hopefully) getting this watch back in use.

I use a stereo microscope and when I view the tweezers that I have, they look like a garden shovel; compared to the hairspring!

Can anyone recommend any reasonably priced tweezers and where to buy?

I know there are plenty available, but they are way too cost prohibitive.

 

 

[rodabod]

Vetus make a fine tipped set of tweezers, but buy them from Cousins, otherwise you will probably end up with a fake pair like I did.

Ideally you would get something like Dumont 5.

[oldhippy]

Dumont 5 is what I used for fine work. Nice to see rodabod thinks so as well.

[jamesbrack]

I purchase this from Amazon, it may satisfying you.

watch repair kit

[Tudor]

I also have a "fake" pair of Vetus tweezers, and after putting them through the "ringer" of completely refining the tips, they work nearly as well as my trusty "ZEE brand medical tweezers that I currently use for EVERYTHING, including installing crown tubes!

Since I don't like to rely on only one of any critical tool, I'm currently mid-search to see if other brands (Such as Stella) are good, or if I should just bite the bullet and get Dumont tweezers. Honestly, it's second (maybe) only to screwdrivers with regards to how often they are used so I guess I'm answering my own question regarding: "Should I just get Dumonts..."

[MilTimeCan]

On 3/24/2018 at 5:14 AM, jamesbrack said:

I purchase this from Amazon, it may satisfying you.

watch repair kit

I started off with that kit, you might want to consider better tweezers. It really is a worthwhile investment.