Help With A Loose Vintage Minute Hand.

[chrisbuxton27]

Can anyone advise me on how to reduce the hole size of a vintage minute hand. The hand is flatl and through age and wear is loose on the minute wheel arbor. I have a comprehensive staking set but don't know which to use.. Thanks

[bobm12]

I've just received my staking set (this morning, still in the box, waiting for me at home) and I would like to know how to do that too!!! Thank you in advance.

[chrisbuxton27]

Never had a problem with the hour and seconds hands, I just use the same technique as for tightening a cannon pinion. Just drop it down a broach good side up and give the shaft a little squeeze with blunt nail clippers.

[bobm12]

Thanks for the tip, may I ask what broaches you find more useful. I'm about to order some but I'm not sure where to start.

[clockboy]

A controlled nip is required. For this reason I put them in a lathe collet and GENTLY tighten. It is really,really easy to go to far. You can use a broach but I recommend you put the broach in a vice so you have total control. 

[chrisbuxton27]

Clockboy the type of minute hand I mean has no stem just a flat hand with a hole to push onto the minute wheel. So there is nothing to place in the lathe collet. I'm thinking a stake of some shape to to close the gap slightly but not sure which would do it. Maybe a stake used for setting jewel stones would do it but that's something I've not tried either.

[chrisbuxton27]

Nice idea about the lathe collet... Ironically I just sold my boley cus I never used it lol

[clockboy]

Ok sorry did not read the post correctly. However I recommend to get hold of the Cousins catalogue and browse it.

There are lots of hands available , different styles etc.  You will need to know length,width hole size etc. Too small is Ok because you can broach the hole out to fit but to big I really don,t know a way around it. Using a staking set punch might be to much for a delicate hand. The cleaver boys (not me) would make another arbour with a fatter shaft or thin the minute arbour and put a sleeve on. But you need a watchmakers lathe and lots of skill which I do not possess.

[Geo]

Clockboy the type of minute hand I mean has no stem just a flat hand with a hole to push onto the minute wheel.

A very gentle tap with a round nose stake should do the trick.

[Charlie]

On a proper staking set you will find several hole reducing punches. The five blued punches with round polished ends are the ones I use to re-size hands. Smaller seconds hands as found on sub-seconds dials with tiny tubes I do with my set of pin vises. There are also other ways to accomplish this task, but I find these punches work well for me. I will post a photo shortly.

[Charlie]

[Charlie]

Geo got it right, a light tap on the mandrel with the handle removed from the jeweling tool, using one of the above punches or similar will do it.