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December 31, 2013 at 3:17 pm #48778
Good day ladies and gents, I am currently working on a dime store trinket from Disney. A ladies wrist watch with only one jewel. Wheel alignment and bridge alignment has plagued me for the last three days. Doe’s anyone here have any trade secrets that may assist me with this? It’s apparent, my current approach is just not enough. Riding only on determination now, wheel alignment between the center and release wheel has become a real !!!!! when it comes to bridge and wheel pin placement. The transition between wrenches, big and cumbersome, to watch tools, petite and much more precise/parts, has totally differed. A little help here please….. (“leave no man behind”…..) To all, have a very safe and secured new year. Ed…..
December 31, 2013 at 9:21 pm #54890Ed,
As I am sure you know, watch parts are extremely tiny. They are not only hard to see without magnafication but they are hard to manipulate without some special tools. The good news is you can make some of these tools yourself. Almost every grocery store sells bamboo skewers and small sewing needles. Take some of the skewers and cut them into 2 inch lengths. Drill tiny holes into one end of each piece with one of the sewing needles. Clip off the eye of the needle and shove that end into the hole you just drilled. Make sure you use the smallest needles you can find. You can bend the ends of some of the needles to various angles to suit your needs. I have also ground part of the eyes away and pushed the pointed end into the handle to work on hairsprings. Once you have some of these made you will find that you will use them almost every time you work on a watch.
davidJanuary 1, 2014 at 8:01 am #54891@david pierce wrote:
Ed,
As I am sure you know, watch parts are extremely tiny. They are not only hard to see without magnafication but they are hard to manipulate without some special tools. The good news is you can make some of these tools yourself. Almost every grocery store sells bamboo skewers and small sewing needles. Take some of the skewers and cut them into 2 inch lengths. Drill tiny holes into one end of each piece with one of the sewing needles. Clip off the eye of the needle and shove that end into the hole you just drilled. Make sure you use the smallest needles you can find. You can bend the ends of some of the needles to various angles to suit your needs. I have also ground part of the eyes away and pushed the pointed end into the handle to work on hairsprings. Once you have some of these made you will find that you will use them almost every time you work on a watch.
davidHey David,
You may have something that will benefit me in my endeavors and frustrating moments. I would have never thought of this one. I have been making tools to accommodate me and they have worked some wonders for me, but with this watch, I’ll set the center wheel and the forth wheel and the release and click will pop out and upon re-setting them the second and or third wheel acts-up. I have purchased many tools. Now I have a much greater outlook on this subject. Thanks and on my way out now to locate these items. Will keep you abreast of my progress. Happy new year. Ed…..January 1, 2014 at 8:51 am #54892Rodico is a very useful putty, it can hold things, clean things, help stop things flying out, soak up oil, clean off finger-prints, No I dont work for them
January 1, 2014 at 9:23 am #54893Ed,
I’ve worked on quite a few ladies ( dress/evening ) watches, and a few Disney branded ones as well.Not knowing your level of expertise, I will offer the following.
This is where patience, a steady hand and good magnification/lighting can’t be replaced.
That being said, I get my chair and bench adjusted to where I’m almost looking at the movement from the side, so that I can watch everything as it moves. Get your light placed for best visibility.
I use a small clear plastic rod to help hold a light bit of tension on the bridge plates as I use a smaller tool to reach in and wiggle the train wheels into place. David’s tool would work for this, as well as a hairspring tool if you have one.
Using the plastic stick allows me to keep just enough tension to facilitate the placement and to keep everything in place as I start the screws, and if it slides on the plate, it won’t mar the finish.Best of luck…
Randy
January 1, 2014 at 10:58 am #54894Ed,
When K&D was in business they made a set of plastic handled tools with thin stiff sharp wires that they called hairspring tools. I have only seen one set come up for sale on Ebay in the last several years and they were expensive.
davidJanuary 1, 2014 at 1:52 pm #54895@ewinrow wrote:
@david pierce wrote:
Ed,
As I am sure you know, watch parts are extremely tiny. They are not only hard to see without magnafication but they are hard to manipulate without some special tools. The good news is you can make some of these tools yourself. Almost every grocery store sells bamboo skewers and small sewing needles. Take some of the skewers and cut them into 2 inch lengths. Drill tiny holes into one end of each piece with one of the sewing needles. Clip off the eye of the needle and shove that end into the hole you just drilled. Make sure you use the smallest needles you can find. You can bend the ends of some of the needles to various angles to suit your needs. I have also ground part of the eyes away and pushed the pointed end into the handle to work on hairsprings. Once you have some of these made you will find that you will use them almost every time you work on a watch.
davidHey David,
You may have something that will benefit me in my endeavors and frustrating moments. I would have never thought of this one. I have been making tools to accommodate me and they have worked some wonders for me, but with this watch, I’ll set the center wheel and the forth wheel and the release and click will pop out and upon re-setting them the second and or third wheel acts-up. I have purchased many tools. Now I have a much greater outlook on this subject. Thanks and on my way out now to locate these items. Will keep you abreast of my progress. Happy new year. Ed…..Hey Dave: I made a mistake when I said (Release wheel and click.) I meant, (Release wheel and pallet fork.) Now with that being said, I took your advice and got it. Very good advice. One thing also, I started with the release wheel and worked my way to all of the larger ones. Do you know if their is a start to finish on this or is it just workers preference? Or which ever way allows you to achieve your goal. Thanks David. Ed…..
January 1, 2014 at 2:26 pm #54896Ed,
When you say RELEASE WHEEL I now think you are refering to the ESCAPE WHEEL. The way I look at the train is to number the wheels 1,2,3,4,5. It is a simpler system for me and avoids a lot of confusion. Number one is the mainspring barrel (gear), two is the center wheel, three is the third wheel, four is the fourth wheel and five is the excape wheel. When I disassemble a watch I store the wheels in that order either in compartments (milk bottle caps work fine) or stick them in a pithwood button. When I put the watch back together I don’t have to worry about getting anything mixed up. Reassembling a watch is always difficult because it is easy to damage a pivot when the plates are put back together. I put the plates on lightly but not secured and then go in with the small tools and move the parts around until I am sure that the holes are lined up over the pivots. This is where a microscope can really save the day. As I put the plate or bridge into place I can make sure that the pivots are comming up through the holes. I think everybody else does this differently than the way I do it but it works for me.
davidJanuary 1, 2014 at 2:41 pm #54897@Arutha wrote:
Rodico is a very useful putty, it can hold things, clean things, help stop things flying out, soak up oil, clean off finger-prints, No I dont work for them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3LJGa9z-h8Hey Arutha, good advice but I didn’t see anything in the short skit that was to any avail. Never the less, I do thank you for both your time and concern. Thanks again and happy new year to you and yours. Ed…..
January 1, 2014 at 3:06 pm #54898@david pierce wrote:
Ed,
When you say RELEASE WHEEL I now think you are refering to the ESCAPE WHEEL. The way I look at the train is to number the wheels 1,2,3,4,5. It is a simpler system for me and avoids a lot of confusion. Number one is the mainspring barrel (gear), two is the center wheel, three is the third wheel, four is the fourth wheel and five is the excape wheel. When I disassemble a watch I store the wheels in that order either in compartments (milk bottle caps work fine) or stick them in a pithwood button. When I put the watch back together I don’t have to worry about getting anything mixed up. Reassembling a watch is always difficult because it is easy to damage a pivot when the plates are put back together. I put the plates on lightly but not secured and then go in with the small tools and move the parts around until I am sure that the holes are lined up over the pivots. This is where a microscope can really save the day. As I put the plate or bridge into place I can make sure that the pivots are comming up through the holes. I think everybody else does this differently than the way I do it but it works for me.
davidHey David; I see what you are saying and I do place separate parts in milk caps, Being new to this I have been learning a lot from you and others here on the site. My noun nomenclature isn’t always correct and will get better in time. But with your advice I got everything lined-up with the exception of the escape wheel and pallet fork. After that oiling and driving on with assembly. Dave is their anyway I can check out the movement before total assembly? Or do I have to assemble the release wheel, pallet fork and balance 1st? Thanks David and I place much value on your comments. Ed…..
January 1, 2014 at 3:47 pm #54899Ed,
Yes, there are two things that need to be checked. One is called end shake and you can check this by taking your needle tool and moving each wheel in the train up and down. This will ensure that the staffs will not bind on the plates and/or bridges. The second check is to make sure that the train rotates. The pallet and mainspring barrel can be inserted after this test is done and you are sure that everything rotates without any obstructions. Make sure that everything is clean and there are no particles that are going to jam any of the gear teeth. Rotate the train by gently pushing on the center wheel (#2) with your needle tool.
davidJanuary 1, 2014 at 4:14 pm #54900@david pierce wrote:
Ed,
When K&D was in business they made a set of plastic handled tools with thin stiff sharp wires that they called hairspring tools. I have only seen one set come up for sale on Ebay in the last several years and they were expensive.
davidEd:
There is currently a set on eBay that might be what David is talking about: Here’s the link
As David said… they are a bit pricey.
Later,
TomJanuary 1, 2014 at 4:24 pm #54901Tom,
Those look handy but the ones I was refering to had clear plastic handles with color coded ends and small pieces of stiff sharp wire on the business end. I don’t know what they cost new but the whole set probably cost no more than a couple of dollars. The only way I know to get them now is to wait for someone to die and have them put up for sale on Ebay.
davidJanuary 1, 2014 at 4:57 pm #54902Well I hope it’s a long wait David cuz I have a set and I’m in no hurry for them to hit ebay!
Actually my set consists of 4 or 5 tools similar to the pic you put up Tom only with pink handles. No, really…I bought them years ago and they came with pink handles. I think I’ve seen these up on Uncle Larrys before.
BobJanuary 1, 2014 at 7:45 pm #54903 -
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