Less than perfect tools

[skridlov]

I know that one should only buy the best. How many amateurs do, at least initially?

Here are a couple of beefs about the tools I'm currently using:

Movement holders. I had a half-useful plastic job whose metal bolt ran through a hole bearing plastic threads; do I need to say more? The alloy ones I'm currently using have the infuriating habit of suddenly ejecting the movement when pressure is applied to a screw; I've yet to completely destroy a movement on this account but it surely must be only a matter of time.

Demagnetiser. I guess like hundreds of people I have one of the "blue boxes" emanating from smoggy Shenzen. Sort of works, some of the time on some watches/movements. But often (very often) no amount of use will eliminate the magnetisation completely. 

Hand broaching vice. I only obtained one of these this week. A chromed version which costs £10 and is widely available. The first one arrived and was immediately, obviously, entirely useless. The two discs with holes that line up (theoretically) don't line up. By the time you get to the smallest (most useful) sizes the holes are 50% out of congruence and 100% useless. I mailed the supplier - a well known UK company with an interest in poultry - with a snap and a mild complaint. They sent me another one, which had been "checked". It's still useless, only slightly less so.

Speaking of "useless", incessant attempts to delete an accidentally uploaded snap have proved fruitless.The forum constantly reverts to the previously inserted text and snaps - even if you leave and return. Ignore that which isn't of the broaching vice.

Roy

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by skridlov
extreme irritation... 27 seconds elapse...

[RyMoeller]

Yeah, I've noticed the problem of being unable to delete an uploaded picture.  Fortunate for me (and all viewers I suppose) I've only accidentally uploaded the wrong watch movement image and and never a pic from my "Cooking while naked" album. 

I would say about a third of my tools are cheap knock-offs and the rest either vintage Swiss or new Swiss.  With watchmaking the tolerances are so small the knock-off will almost never do, but with budgets being what they are, sometimes you just have to make do. The tools that perform poorly help me develop better skills to work around their deficiencies though.  Sadly I've also needed to develop new curse words on occasion as well.

[digginstony]

Experience has educated me to only use cheap Chinese or Indian etc..tools for work that requires no manipulation or application . Why pay £50 for a Bergeon movement cushion when you can buy a non branded one for £5.
If you're looking for a decent demagetiser I can thoroughly recommend the Elma demagetiser. Not cheap but worth every penny.
Regarding expensive quality tools. The cost is not that great when considering the potential to recover a great deal of your original investment on the "Used Market"
Some people will argue that you can modify cheap tools to be satisfactory but until you own and use a pair of Dumont tweezers, you can't appreciate not only the functional but the tactile beauty of quality.
As for brands I'm happy to recommend Bergeon, Horotec and similar

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[rodabod]

I think it's worth paying £15 or whatever it is for a good movement holder. It's just not worth the risk. A knackered hairspring could cost you a lot more than the price of a movement holder. 

[digginstony]

I use a Bergeon adjustable plastic holder that's excellent and not too pricey. It grips the movement. I found the cheaper ones slip .


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[Dch48]

I have a cheap plastic Chinese movement holder and a cheap Chinese demagnetizer. Both of them work very well for the limited type of work I'm able to do. I change batteries, oil pivots I can see from the outside,  replace dials and hands, recase movements, resize metal bracelets, and that's about it. I don't mess with hairsprings. I've destroyed a couple trying to get them back in shape. I don't disassemble anything unless it's already broken and what happens doesn't matter.

[digginstony]

Louis Brandt started of casing movements and look what Omega grew into ! I'm sure once you strip a movement and assemble and it still has a heart beat you'll being doing all sorts of things [emoji16]

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[skridlov]

I've had a fair amount of success is dismantling, cleaning, re-assembling and lubricating so far (I have only once removed the balance cock and it didn't turn out well.) In most cases I remove the barrel bridge etc and the keyless work (a less archaic term wouldn't hurt, IMHO) and immerse the parts in Elma Pro for a while, and then a 180 sec ultrasonic treatment and a couple of rinses with Iso-P. Luckily I have a lot of stuff to practice on and mostly it's not a disaster if the outcome is negative. Even though I've only once done a full dis-assembly and usually clean the movement with the balance assembly and train in situ (apologies; I can almost hear the groans), I don't recall having any problem directly associated with this approach. But how to lubricate the upper balance pivot? I am starting to realise that you gets wot you pays for - in this discipline as well as every other I've encountered. I'd certainly like some good tweezers!

I'm currently working on a hunter and the difficulty of getting the hands set (I re-lumed them) and the crystal fitted without collisions occurring is not to be understated. I broke the incredibly thin V. low dome crystal despite immense care trying to refit the bezel. This is the second time I've had this problem with a hunter.

I also regularly encounter problems with the KW (see above). These sub-systems always seem so crudely designed.

I have a beautiful Omega 1906/7 half-hunter here that lacks a setting lever and stem. The stem may just exist in the parts skip. It runs like brand new with a sparkling gilt movement (only 15j unfortunately). Anyone here make parts like this? 

Roy