Revisiting an old hobby

[RichardHarris123]

10 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Watch mechanisms of various sorts and variable quality turn up at auction fairly regularly. Generally these orphaned pieces are the result of some vandal melting the original case down for its scrap gold value. Surely a flogging offence if ever there was one. 

I've see some re-cased in modern cases as wrist watches but this one steals the show in that regard.

Maybe we should start a thread for the best re-making of an old timepiece.

https://german242.com/en/touchon-gold-enamel-minute-repeater/

 

I think we should start a thread on removing junk from ebay.  We buy junk, rescue any usable parts and scrap the rest.  Save newbies from bad choices, it would only cost us a few pounds each. 

[watchweasol]

Hi Richard. Not short of junk got plenty, collected over the years. Usually what ever I have the parts rarely fit anything else, a case of Murpheys law.

[AndyHull]

 

Another mechanical time machine for you to admire. This time it comes from the Soyuz program and is the "Globus" indicator that flew on many USSR era (and later) flights.

This marvel of eletro-mechanical magic was originally driven by the onboard electromechanical clock, which CuriousMarc and his friends also examined in detail so in case you missed that series of videos, start here.

 

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by AndyHull

[RichardHarris123]

25 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

 

Another mechanical time machine for you to admire. This time it comes from the Soyuz program and is the "Globus" indicator that flew on many USSR era (and later) flights.

This marvel of eletro-mechanical magic was originally driven by the onboard electromechanical clock, which CuriousMarc and his friends also examined in detail so in case you missed that series of videos, start here.

 

 

Marvel indeed. 

[rossjackson01]

Just come across this posting. Read from start to finish. Entertaining, amazing and so interesting. For a beginner like me, 13 month now, I'm now able to understand so much of what you have done, doing and preparing.  Well worth another read, me thinks. 

Thank you

Ross

Edited February 28, 2023 by rossjackson01
grammar

[rossjackson01]

5 hours ago, rossjackson01 said:

Just come across this posting. Read from start to finish. Entertaining, amazing and so interesting. For a beginner like me, 13 month now, I'm now able to understand so much of what you have done, doing and preparing.  Well worth another read, me thinks. 

Thank you

Ross

Just finished the re-read. Still agog.

So amazed that you can do replacement dials. Do you place (put) them onto equivalent brass dials? Not been able to figure it out. Could you explain (show). I can't do it, just interested. If it is too awkward, that's ok.

Thank you 

Ross

Edited February 28, 2023 by rossjackson01

[AndyHull]

On 2/28/2023 at 4:01 PM, rossjackson01 said:

So amazed that you can do replacement dials.

There are a number complete threads on the subject of creating your own dials.
They go in to a lot of details.
You might like to take a look at this ->

This custom Seiko is one of my favourites -> 

 

 

[AndyHull]

You might like this.

 

[RichardHarris123]

25 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

You might like this.

 

Several things come to mind: I watched machines "weaving " gold chains, the really fine ones, incredible.  "Dumb and intelligent machines " I read a link on here about the " American way of manufacture " , basically intelligent machines used by semi- skilled people.  Finally the word "sabotage " , French clogs are called sabots and were thrown into machinery by p@#sed of workers. 

[AndyHull]

 

A little bit of dial making "madness" for you all to enjoy.

[RichardHarris123]

I could do that, blindfolded, one handed and in half the time.  Hehe. 

[AndyHull]

 

Some more horological curiosities.

 

[RichardHarris123]

I suppose it's all our dream to find something so different. 

[AndyHull]

Knitting Clock. Its a clock. It knits.

 

https://kylerank.in/tempus_nectit/

 

[RichardHarris123]

6 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Knitting Clock. Its a clock. It knits.

 

https://kylerank.in/tempus_nectit/

 

Does it tell the time? 

[AndyHull]

6 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Does it tell the time?

Define "tell the time".
It knits a scarf, one stitch per half hour, so it tells the time about as accurately as a sundial, so long as you are prepared to count stitches.. 
On the plus side, if you wait a year, it will have knitted you a 2m scarf.

Besides, if you want to know the time, you ask a police man.

Edited April 6, 2023 by AndyHull

[AndyHull]

Stealing time. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-time-thief-who-stole-106-rare-clocks-in-a-daring-heist-180981979/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

[AndyHull]

On 10/25/2018 at 3:18 PM, AndyHull said:

Another member of the class of 404

This one might however prove a a little more challenging, owing to the invisible balance made, no doubt from pure, refined 100% "unobtanium". 

 

A bit of a shame really as I like the vintage look of the thing. Oh well, you win some, you loose some.

Way back in 2018, I picked up the Newmark shown in the post above.

I've been keeping an eye out for a suitable "404 club" style donor with a balance for it. One recently showed up on ebay, so persistence paid off, eventually.

That of course is where the problems started.

The donor arrived and I harvested the balance, and it sort of ran, slightly. So I stripped down the donor, cleaned it all and fitted the balance. It ran a little better, but the donor had no sub-seconds wheel, so I then stripped down the original movement and cleaned it too. It still didn't run well.

The issue was traced to a loose shaft on the balance fork, so the balance fork was also harvested from the donor. It ran a lot better, but the hairspring was now causing problems, as it was sticky. I eventually resorted to degreasing it with acetone, as my usual trick of dipping these crude balances in lighter fluid didn't work.

Now it runs pretty well, if somewhat fast, so I'm going to leave it going to see if it makes it through the next 24hrs without any issues. If so, I'll regulate it and see if I can correct the beat error at the same time without wrecking the hairspring.

I'm also tempted to swap in the plate from the other movement as rather oddly it has something resembling Geneva stripes on it, Croydon stripes perhaps. 

I'm now a bit of an expert on these somewhat agricultural movements. I can't say I'm impressed with the build quality, but they are quite easy to strip down and re-assemble. The balance is a little bit finicky to fit, and the hairspring is somewhat delicate. The least little disturbance tends to pull it out of alignment.

A new crystal was fitted, and a new navy blue Nato band is on its way for it, and then it can finally join the 404 club after an almost five year wait.

Edited May 3, 2023 by AndyHull

[rossjackson01]

53 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

so it can finally join the 404 club after an almost five year wait.

Excuse my ignorance. What is meant by 404? I see the comment often.

[AndyHull]

12 hours ago, rossjackson01 said:

Excuse my ignorance. What is meant by 404? I see the comment often.

Good question. There is an informal "club" of low cost watches. Anything that costs  £4.04 GBP or less (or a similar 404 of the local currency). 
Its not to be taken too seriously, so the rules are a fairly flexible.

There is an entire thread on the subject, with some real surprises from the bargain bins of ebay and various flea markets and car boot sales around the world. 
Obviously there are some specimens that start off looking pretty sorry for themselves at these low prices, but that's half the fun of it.

You can read all about the "404 club" here.
 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by AndyHull

[AndyHull]

I'm about to try to match the lume colour on the hands of a "Montine" 17 jewel dress watch.

I'm not going to touch the lume on the dial, 'cos I don't want to ruin the dial, so I'm doing a few experiments with "dollar store" acrylic paints, my selection of cheap Chinese lumes and my date expired Westfalia lumes to see if I can get a close match with what is currently on the dial.

I could just mix up some shiny new lume, but it would probably look way too clean.

As a result of all of my messing about, the bench currently looks like Holywood's idea of what a nuclear spill would look like. 

I'm getting some pretty interesting effects. The experiment consists of mixing up PVA wood glue with acrylic paints and various spooky looking powdered pigments.

I'm sure there are more important things I *should* be doing, but none of them appeal quite as much as messing around like a small kid with things that glow in the dark.

Edited May 7, 2023 by AndyHull

[AndyHull]

 

John and James Harrison's clock.

[AndyHull]

Now I'm pretty sure that 'aint right. The random panel pin in the works looks like a non factory fitted option.

Sadly however, the free scrap metal was not the only issue. In the course of removing it, I took off the balance, and sadly the top balance pivot is shot.
Oh well, the watch *looks* good, even if it wont be working any day soon.

Edited May 16, 2023 by AndyHull

[AndyHull]

Wireless?! Am I missing something?

[rossjackson01]

9 hours ago, AndyHull said:

Wireless?! Am I missing something?

Can't see any wires. Must be correct. Har har