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  • #49340
    maitai11
    Participant

      Hi Guys,

      So, now that I’ve completed my first servicing of a pocket watch, I have a couple questions for you…all points of view welcome!!!

      1. How important do you believe it is for jewels of the same diameter to be tracked and placed in the exact hole they came from?

      2. How important do you believe it is for SCREWS of the same size to be tracked and placed in the exact screw hole they came from?

      3. Would question 1 apply to the hole and cap jewels of the balance and pallet? Or, would it be that only the hole jewels without a cap could be swapped?

      The reason I ask this is for a couple of reasons. First, cleaning of watch parts. I ran my ten little baskets through three full rotations because of my attempt at keeping everything exactly where it came from – only to find out later that half of my labels (1-10, for each basket) came loose and many parts became jumbled. Secondly, it would be for efficiency’s sake. If my hearing serves me correctly, it sounded like most parts Bob removed in his videos were put on a kitchen plate or bowl…so, it would seem to me that keeping everything separate would be for brand new aspiring watchmakers, to help them get through their first servicing. At the end of my first servicing, I gotta tell you, those parts and their functions were pretty much burned into my awareness. In other words, I don’t see any problems with a routine servicing where I put most parts together, unless questions 1 and 3 are true to form, that jewels must be kept in their original holes. I have a new-found confidence in understanding the parts of a pocket watch – certainly, some exceptions apply!

      Thanks for your opinions and interactions :)

      Best,

      Tim :)

      #60816
      chris mabbott
      Participant

        I feel that it is as important as putting your shoes on the correct feet, if your right shoe was on your left foot it would feel a little funny.

        It’s the same for jewels, a cap jewel usually shows some sign of where its pivot has been rotating. Another cap jewel may not have the same position mark, this could cause a slight imbalance.

        Also, with the varied forces being applied at different directions, the hole jewel could also have its sweet spot. Slight, insignificant wear, or an embedded imprint. Or not.

        Also, the two mating cap/hole jewels are usually set for the correct depth of contact with the pivot, a matched pair.

        Personally, I remove one set of jewels,I.e the top plate cap/ hole, then I clean them, polish the screw heads, clean the plate hole, and replace after oiling.

        I also remove the plate jewels to clean the setting plate hole and properly polish the setting/screws.

        This way, you don’t have to worry about getting parts mismatched..
        Just my two bits.

        #60817
        bernie weishapl
        Participant

          I agree with Chris. I always make sure the same jewels go back in the same holes. Same with screws. I don’t move them around either even if they are the same length/thread, etc. That is the way I was taught and it makes sense to me.

          #60818
          maitai11
          Participant

            Very good, thank you both for the input. :)

            On that first watch I did, not only did I have the jewels mixed up, I was also trying to force one in that didn’t belong there!

            On the smaller bridge, I believe I had both of those mixed up. I traded positions of each one, and it made everything all better. You have both made some compelling reasons as to the why’s and wherefore’s regarding this topic – and I thank you very much!

            Best,

            Tim :)

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