Reply To: Pallet Action

[watchthebear]

Good morning all, and I hope you are enjoying the holidays (Now: from Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl………Why not the Master’s?). Thanks William for the input. I’m working w/ a pool of about 20 watches, that were screened from a pool of 80 using the load of good advice i got in the thread about 4 down. So: yes I have about 5 that do what you describe. But when the reach the other banking pin the situation is repeated. The fork is locked and if i slowly nudge it, it eventually heads for the other banking pin. I guess it is something like a snap–it appears a force takes over. On most of these patients I have found several interesting things. I shall give you one: if i take a sharp toothpick and go to the center wheel and gently try to turn it , the fork pallet will lock up. If i very gently and slowly start rocking the center wheel back and forth (all the time trying to “feel the escapement”), I will get a “lock and release” going. That is, w/ each movement (or w/ every 2, I am not quite sure, as I can’t take in that much) the fork will lock, then leave one side and go to the other, and then back to the first one. back and forth. If I get the rhythm right I can make it look like it is running. I have eliminated everything I can think of, or know of. After the advice from the other post I tried many things on the whole pool. Found, for instance, that almost 10 of the pallets had jewels that could be easily moved back and forth w/in the slot. They were kicked out. I found 8 watches that had the shaft of the 4th wheel worn so far through the plate that I could have pricked my finger to test my blood. Found 2 escape wheels that had the same problem. I found 3 escape wheels that had at least 1 broken tooth. And on it went. Now I have this batch that are left, and no idea what to do. I spent about an hour looking up books and phamplets on “the Escapement” yesterday. Then I thought” “they are all going to say the same thing, I need to get insight from the people on this forum who are actually working w/ the movements”. thanks William. I will await more ideas . All suggestions appreciated, and I will try them all if I can understand how to do them………..take care…………..b