Reply To: Gears that don’t move?

[watchfixer]

I decided to move up to something bigger than wrist watches, at least until I get more experienced. I nailed 3 pocket watches off of ebay for a total of $24 for the lot. One is an Ingersol gold watch made in 1908. Last night I disassembled it with absolutely no problem! Working on larger watches is a breeze! I will stick with pocket watches for quite some time, then move back to the pile of smaller ones that I have. I sure do love this kind of work, what a great hobby! People ask me all the time about it, all sorts of questions, and I’m surprised at the number of people wanting me to fix their watches! It could end up being a full time job, but I won’t allow it to do so. It’s true.. “Never let your hobby become your business” it would take all of the fun out of it. Every chance I get I buy more and more tools. A great place to find tweezers at is at a cosmetic store, and at a great price also. I also found that even though it sounds like a good idea to invest in an expensive set of screw drivers, that this just may not be a good option. I have a $5 set from Harbor Freight, they work just fine. I got a good sharpening stone, and the tool that holds them at the proper angle for sharpening. In the two months that I have had this set I’ve only had to sharpen them twice. And when they wear out, I’ll blow another 5 bucks. I found that tempering the blades work just fine. I also want to comment on books. I use an iPad for entertainment, at work, and for reading books. I downloaded 45+ books on clocks/watches from google books for FREE!!! I have more than enough goodies to read now. I suspect that the technology has not changed much in repair work, so even these antique books are still of value! So anyone who has an ebook reader, dig around internet, you will find a boat load of free goodies!

Anyhow, I’m very excited about my new pocket watches! I plan on fixing the gold one for myself! The other two… one goes to my wife, and the other is going to a best friend. Can you think of a better gift to give someone… something you fixed yourself, and they will treasure for life knowing that YOU fixed it just for them! What a rewarding hobby!!!