Reply To: Staking set question…

[david pierce]

Tom,
I have found that it is easy to press them in crooked. One of the few thorough sources of written information on pressing friction jewels I found was in the CHICAGO SCHOOL OF WATCHMAKING course. Most of the other sources must have felt that the process was so simple and obvious that detailed explanations were not necessary. After screwing it up a few times I found out that it was not so simple and obvious.
Another source with some useful information about replacing a jewel in a chaton is the WISCONSON SCHOOL of HOROLOGY- Home Study Course. This was originally written in 1909 and predates the CHICAGO SCHOOL OF WATCHMAKING course in its current form. Their suggestion was to smash the old broken jewel into small pieces with a “small file” (punch) and hammer and then pick the pieces out with tweezers. Once the pieces are removed the opening tool is used to open the bezel just enough to accept the new jewel. The new jewel is then inserted and the bezel is closed with a closing tool. They warn against pressing a jewel out of a chaton in order to avoid damaging the bezel.
david