Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted
Before fitting the hairspring, always a good idea to check the balance wheel is running true. Riveting on these split balance wheels can lift an arm sometimes if your unlucky. And some minor adjustment to re-true the balance may be necessary

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk



Put it in a truing calliper and it looked good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • Like 2
Posted
22 minutes ago, jdrichard said:
23 minutes ago, jdrichard said:


Put it in a truing calliper and it looked good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

The way to prevent any misalignments is to rotate the punch while you are tapping the balance wheel onto the new staff this will help the balance wheel to be re-seated correctly.   

 

Posted

PS: I may have shaved a bit too much material off one of the pivots using my jacott tool, SO, i may have to start all over again. Will know by the days end


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Posted

BTW, what kind of steel are you using and what type of gravers? You have to be careful with steel selection and avoid any that undergo work hardening. They sell something called "blued steel" at many places that is typically horrible stuff for what we are doing. Best bet is to get annealed O tool steel and do the gardening and tempering yourself. That way you know what you are getting. 

  • Like 1
Posted
BTW, what kind of steel are you using and what type of gravers? You have to be careful with steel selection and avoid any that undergo work hardening. They sell something called "blued steel" at many places that is typically horrible stuff for what we are doing. Best bet is to get annealed O tool steel and do the gardening and tempering yourself. That way you know what you are getting. 

I’ll need to find some annealed O Tool Steel. Do you have a reliable source


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Update. Had to re-shellac the roller jewel, then i staked in on my new staff. I then aligned the hairspring with the balance cock and the pallet fork. I put the lot together and it started running right away: with exceptional amplitude. However as i completed tightening the balance cock, the balance stopped. Too long a pivot on the top of the screen staff. Tomorrow i shall Jacot the pivot and start the adjustments48aedcffd969c76f3f3b079a503d0bcd.jpg6cbd0acddd3c1b28430e8495cfbf8d42.jpg6651d8d0f452306bdcfb1d5f5bec77ad.jpg04c9128c1ae9763a67c5b950b3a9f258.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Posted

Needed to trim the upper pivot in my Jacot tool. Also cleaned the upper Balance Cock jewel and cap.f380ede84371605d7216922ce49ce97d.jpg0404026166ec377bbba2d75eee8d5e40.jpg4c4dbc2c717cb0cfbfb52f4384f62591.jpgb524162f9b8cd34f4e61c3fcbfce461c.jpgTeated the pivot size again by placing the jewel on it.92b59a52c4104860584af08c2032d76a.jpgd4ee597ed750d856f0a6f0d3db49cea0.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Posted
What you did ~works~ in an worker kind of way. If you blow a measurement on a staff, only solution is to start again. What you did would work on a clock, but centricity on a watch balance is too critical. By tightening the roller table in a staking set you've mangled the center and I'd be surprised if you got that thing even well poised. Like I said though, it will ~work~ but you've just forfeited precision and introduced positional timing variability. 

Worked and accurate


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Posted

Congratulations. You have achieved something that many watch repairs would never be able to do. You really do have watchmaker skills.  :Bravo:

  • Like 1
Posted
Congratulations. You have achieved something that many watch repairs would never be able to do. You really do have watchmaker skills.  :Bravo:


Big thanks. You have helped me big time over the last few years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Posted
Congrats!!! [emoji898]


What lathe are you using? Beautiful work.

Cheers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

G. Boley Lathe. I have some videos on youtube . Look for jdrichard01


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • Like 1
Posted

Honestly, once you've manufactured and fitted your own working hairsprings there's going to be no limit to your possibilities. Very well done indeed

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

Posted
Honestly, once you've manufactured and fitted your own working hairsprings there's going to be no limit to your possibilities. Very well done indeed

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk



Another adventure I’m sure:) I wouldn’t know where to start to manufacture a hair spring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Posted
Honestly, once you've manufactured and fitted your own working hairsprings there's going to be no limit to your possibilities. Very well done indeed

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk



You said hairspring? Did you mean Balance Staff?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Just finished my second balance staff. For a full plate Waltham.1486237953ea8c8185331fba5d0a4c48.jpgOriginal Balance Staff. Used for reference.
33a10cf87d02853e89e6f6e7bcfd48dc.jpg51685d557466be6ff088ff621be13812.jpgbfe1ebcea8d7762ef02276512c94517f.jpg0fdd0e32ef6712e93fca208f1ea66dba.jpg
I also made a youtube video of cutting the roller table staff part and the final pivot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  • Like 2


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • I see. And is there a possibility to convert it to a springless system by replacing it with a standard split stem model?
    • Sharpening gauge.   I found the easiest side to do was the safety roller as the roller table laid flat on a block provided stability.  The other way requires a specific stump for the roller and pin to sit in, but may also grip better way.
    • Yes, the problem isn't so much with the 'background' radiation but inhaling or digesting loose flakes and dust that can become airborne.
    • The spring is so the crown pops out to the winding position when unscrewed.
    • Radium and the horrible story of the Radium Girls scares everyone - But there is also a lot of paranoia here.  I did a whole bunch of readings on a watch with Radium lume recently. My Geiger counter read 2µsv/h through the crystal with the sensor part of the Geiger counter right on top of the watch.  This measurement dropped off to the normal background rate of 0.18µsv/h as soon at the Geiger counter is just a few cms away. Measuring from the back of the watch and there is virtually no increase.  The rate went up to 5µsv/h from the dial and hands when the movement was removed from the case. To put this in perspective a Frankfurt to New York flight would give you about 50µsv of exposure and a chest x-ray about 100µsv.  Norwegian labour law states “The limit value for workers over the age of 18 years is set to 20 mSv per calendar year.” - that is the equivalent of 400 flights across the Atlantic! I will however point out at this point it is important that you don’t ingest the radium from the watch! One of the worst things you can do is scrape the radium off the dials and create radioactive dust that you could breath in! That being said… If for each radium lumed watch you work on you spend 15 minutes getting the movement out of the case and the dial and hands off and then another 15 minutes at the end putting the dial and hands back on your exposure would be less than 2.5µsv  Once you have the hands and dial off they can go in a box and put safely out of the way (probably good practice for any watch!). I believe the risks are negligible If you take precautions such as wearing a mask and gloves and wiping your work surfaces down with a damp paper towel and disposing of the towel, gloves and mask once you are finished  
×
×
  • Create New...