JLC 218 entry pallet stone

[gerene]

I have this Jaeger-Le Coultre 218 movement on my desk which has a problem with the entry pallet stone. This stone has moved in the pallet and is too far out making it impossible to turn the escape wheel.

I know that the pallet stone is (was) fixed in the lever with shellac. I have been reading De Carles Practical Watch Repairing page 35 for the correct procedure, but I am a bit reluctant in starting this procedure.

First of all, I don’t have a blueing pan and I guess i should make or buy one.

The correct position of the stone is also a bit of a problem. There is a trace on the stone, probably marking the approximate position the stone should be in. I guess I could try that position first.

Anyone familiar with this would be so kind to give me some good advice?

Thanks,

Jan

[willofiam]

Hey Jan. sorry for the picture quality, here are a couple of pallet warmers I use. the homemade one is my favorite. hopefully you can see the construction, very simple. in his book deCarle explains the process for moving the pallets well. Most likely it will be some trial and error, like you said start with the position it appeared to be in first and go from there. William

[chris mabbott]

Jan, you’ll likely get 20 different recommendations LOL so here’s what I use…

I’ve used the one William has shown and it also works fine..
For me personally, I find this model suits me a bit better as it gives me precise control when moving the stones in, and I can set it for length…

[willofiam]

Chris, thats fantastic….where did you find that? or did you make it on the mill? can you send me or post some detail photos, might make for a fun project. William

[randy]

If I remember right it’s a Gaston Pallet setting tool. I have one also…and I love the control it gives.

[gerene]

Thanks guys for the information and the pictures of pallet warmers.
Chris you are right there will be many different opinions about this and methods to do it.
I was reading a little further and found that Fried gives a good explanation in “The Watch Repairer’s Manual” including the description of (yet another ) pallet warmer, complete with dimensions and how to make it.

I guess I will start with making Frieds pallet warmer , although Williams homemade one is also attractive for its simplicity . The one Chris uses looks very elaborate and I would love to have more detailed pictures and dimensions, because I couldn’t locate one on the internet.

Jan

[arutha]

Hi Jan,
if you have an old pocket watch plate knocking about you can braze a length of brass rod to it and use that as a pallet warmer. It is handy for other jobs when needing to gently heat stuff and you cant drill and tap holes in it for holding stuff.
Paul.

[chris mabbott]

@willofiam wrote:

Chris, where did you find that? or did you make it on the mill? William

😆 I think you’re confusing me with that Bob Tascione guy 😆

[gerene]

I made a pallet warmer, loosely based on the description given by Fried, from a few pieces of scrap brass that I had lying around. It does not have any clamping arangement for the pallet fork, maybe I might need that. Did not try to use it yet. That will have to wait since I am being called for family business
I am always interrested in your thoughts about this tool.

Jan

[gerene]

Forgot to mention that I also found a rather good explanation on setting the pallet stones in the “Chicago school of watchmaking” Lesson 26.

Jan

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Jan,
I was just about to put a link to a warmer that Uncle Larry has but see that you made a beautiful tool. I prefer a thinner base plate as it’s easier for me to control the heating up process without going past the shellac melting temp. Also quicker cooling with a thinner plate. Works better for me but that’s just my preference. For simple clamping you can reform a paper clip. This will hold it well enough for making light adjustments.
Take care over there,
Bob

[gerene]

Hello Bob, thanks for the compliment.
I too thought that it was a rather thick baseplate, after looking at the pictures of other warmers. However, Fried writes that most of the commercially available tools are too thin and loose heat too rapidly, necessitating frequent reheating (sic). I don’t know who is right .
He also says that the pallet should not be on the tool while being heated, but placed on the tool when it is the right temperature. He then places the pallet on the tool, holds it with sturdy tweezers and uses a pointed brass pin to move the jewel.
I made mine 1/4″ thick, as per the dimensions in Fried’s book. I will try it this way and see how it goes. Maybe I will remove some material from the base if necessary. How thick do you prefer the base to be?

Jan

[willofiam]

very nice Jan, if you put a holding device on this please show us what you come up with. William

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Jan,
What Fried says is correct. Heat a piece of shellac first and when it just begins to melt you can place the pallet in place. The thicker plate will retain the heat while setting up the pallet. For me about half that thickness is good. Again just a preference and may not be as good for you as the way Fried does it. Also you already have the tool ready to go so would definitely go as Fried suggests. I’ve never known him to give bad advise!

Let us know how it goes Jan,
Bob

[gerene]

I followed Fried’s advice on setting the stone by putting the pallet fork with the jewel in place on the warmer and heating untill a piece of shellack on the side starts to melt, which happened rather quick. I then held a thread of shellack on the seam of the jewel, which melted immediately and let it cool down (took a while). Actually not as difficult as anticipated
Happy with my new tool and acquired skill.

Jan

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