A Hobbyist's Watchmaking Shopping List

[PadraicB]

You know the most disgusting part about that link? He pulls that plastic surround off last. The online tutorial has it coming off near the very start when there's lots of delicate parts still attached waiting to be crushed by a careless finger :).

 

Very helpful link!

[bobm12]

The first thing I do is to remove the balance wheel and put it aside, then I feel safe to work on the rest! And yes, you are absolutely right, that ring is better removed when there is no delicate parts left on.

[Geo]

This was originally a post regarding what tools to buy and it has now turned into a post regarding the repair of a Seiko movement. Both are good posts, but would it be possible for Mark (the boss) to create a new post so that anyone searching topics could find the Seiko one easier? :-)

[PadraicB]

I'll probably post one separately once I've done it a few times and am happy to move onto another movement. Besides taking apart Seikos, I also enjoy writing quite a bit. Fiction, technical articles (http://phpsecurity.readthedocs.org/en/latest/) and a blog. Should be fun working that into watchmaking...

[bobm12]

@Geo: ...and the pithwood holder, don't forget that! :)

 

@Padraic: I looked at your link, excellent and I intend to read it through! Very interesting! Thank you for posting it!

Edited October 1, 2014 by bobm12

[SSTEEL]

@Geo: ...and the pithwood holder, don't forget that! :)

 

 

Got a link to this Pithwood holder mate?  To prime my tweezers, and screwdrivers, I use pith wood, but instead of cutting it the traditional way, I cut it length ways, and secure it to my bench with blutak. Here's a new one I fitted today..

 

SANY5540 by Micky.!, on Flickr

 

And here's my bench again since I reorganised it. Tried one of those Chinese winders, the green one in the photo, the orange one is a Bergeon, silent it is, more than can be said about the cheap Chinese one, it will be replaced soon, but at $800 a pop, its a heavy investment, the differences in green and orange models is the speed, the orange model is the slower, final test winder whereas the green is slightly faster.

 

Untitled by Micky.!, on Flickr

[bobm12]

Sniff! You didn't like my pith holder! (Wiping a tear) It's sooooo cuuuute! ---That was my small daughter when let down. (Now she is big and a black belt ...and no more sulking!   :)

 

In any case, I like the way you hold the pithwood SSteel. The blue tack is like a putty isn't it? I use buttons so it would be even better with the blue tack thing. Nice solution and now we all have it! Doesn't this Forum rocks?!

 

By the way, nice desk and nice mini review of the Chinese winder!

Edited October 1, 2014 by bobm12

[SSTEEL]

No problem, you can see the grease stains on the green winder where I had to add extra grease to make it quieter, but its still too noisy for my liking hence the decision to stick with another Bergeon.

 

So you use a button to hold your pith wood?  Hows that work then?  Curious :)

 

Blue Tak is similar to Rodico, but is normally used in teenagers bedrooms for holding posters of their favourite bands on their walls lol

[PadraicB]

I see you're using the same stackable trays I am ;). I used up two of them for the Seiko disassembly. Very handy with the lid for storage.

 

@bobm12: A work in progress - I add to it whenever I'm in the mood. My mood being driven by whatever security issue is currently ticking me off in the PHP language which is why the cross-site scripting, SSL and entropy chapters are so comprehensive. I've spent a chunk of time over the years reaching out (also known as "screaming at" ;)) the PHP community and considering that the constant complaining has led to some internals changes (the SSL weaknesses are mostly fixed in PHP 5.6 just this year, and Composer now plays nice with SSL) that has been mostly a success. I have a lot less to complain about these days!

 

Enough with programming, it's tweezer time this evening. I have a Seiko to put back together.

 

P.S. I have blu-tac here :). Let's see how it works.

Edited October 1, 2014 by PadraicB

[bobm12]

I believe it is good that you reach out since apparently you've been heard so all that hard work is not in vain. I myself am involved more and more with everchanging network security standards and appreciate the updates.

 

So, back to Seiko, keep up the good work and post a picture when you can!

 

@SSteel: No, I meant I use pithwood buttons they are like the sticks of pithwood but already cut "in slices". They are very stable and because they are cut, they present a natural surface for the blue tack idea. Here is a picture:

 

 

 

[SSTEEL]

Ah I see now :)

[PadraicB]

Damn, but I REALLY admire the experienced watchmakers out there right now - I've been at this for a couple of hours! The assembly of my 7S26 appeared to be going really well. I got the barrel, reduction wheels, etc., all the way to being ready to turn the movement over and slip on the canon pinion with everything apparently working well and freely.

Then I decided to check over everything one more time...

It turns out that while screwing down the yoke spring, I didn't notice that the yoke had jumped up over it's corner alignment pin. The yoke tail was put back in place and it stayed at the time, but now it is sticking out making the problem obvious :(. Tomorrow, I disassemble the movement back to that point to rectify the problem. And so another lesson is learned :). I do hope I haven't messed up the spring and that it settles correctly. My mistake appears to have been checking everything from a top down view - and not checking it from the side where the problem would have been obvious. The devil is in the details...

There's a lot of details in two trays...



I have to say something else - rodico, pith and pegwood. Well worth getting at the very start. Digging stuff out of a tray and getting it to the work area is just begging for trouble with tweezers only - at least at my level of experience! Rodico is a real saver there.

Unable to capture a live shark, here's my DIY "pith holder" :P. An unused mouse charger stand that has found new purpose.

[PadraicB]

Just finished putting the Seiko back together :).

 

I had one lucky moment when I tried turning a short screw for the date wheel cover over in my tweezers and it pinged off. Luckily it hit a tray and was kicked back onto the work mat! Had to strip it back to correct the yoke positioning since it had slipped of its alignment pin. Double checked everything while assembling. Main pain was getting the balance back in - the balance cock kept slipping around in the tweezer grip and I was getting afraid it would fall out on me. It's back in its case now.

 

I get to do this all again tomorrow...

 

Anyhow, a batch of "vitcims" have finally reached me this morning ;). Actually my first set of projects - I got hold of a number of military style watches that need work. Group photo when I get a chance tomorrow.

Edited October 3, 2014 by PadraicB

[Geo]

Well done sir!

[bobm12]

Wasn't that fun! And the pride of having it back on and ticking? Way to go Padraic and I like the pith holder, less hazardous than mine! :)

[PadraicB]

Beginners luck all the way ;). Probably a wee bit of thanks goes to Seiko too - everything was lining up under bridges very easily. Nobody will want me servicing their watch for three days, but speed will come, as it always does, with practice and experience.