Noobie losing screws question..

[bamadadof3]

Just starting out as a hobby but my two biggest headaches so far is first getting all the pivots to line up on the wheel bridge and second losing those dang little screws. I know the wheel bridge problem just comes with patience. I have lost a couple jewels too but if I’m careful I think with practice I can resolve that problem with tweezers pressure and just being careful. The screws are a two fold problem. I have lost a few just popping out of the work place but most have disappeared while going through the cleanup (ultrasonic) process and getting it back to the workbench for reassembly. I have been cleaning my parts in small groups with the plates and screws that go with that group all in one container. This is fine for now but makes the whole cleaning process slow. I know as I get better at identifying the difference screw types and shapes this will become less necessary. Some of these wristwatch screws are so small they are very easy to overlook in the cleaning baskets or I’ve even seen them floating with water tension on top of the water in my glass beakers. This is especially true with jewels too! They love to float.

Here is my question- can I just put the screws (if they are rust free)back in the plates before cleaning? If they are tight they should stay put through the ultrasonic process right? Is this an acceptable process for professional watchmakers? I’m guessing it would be frowned upon. I’m also guessing the condition of the movement before cleaning would also determine if this would be acceptable. My second thought is to not clean the screws and just clean them with pith-wood and organize them in the pith-wood. I’ve read someone else doing this.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Glenn

[chris mabbott]

Hey Glenn, welcome to the forum, and sometimes wacky wonderful world of horology, in all of its various forms and guises

I think I can speak for some/most of the guys on here by saying…. the rules are…..flexible. The aim is to have fun while learning, hey, it worked for sesame street 😆

Anyhow, to answer your question, yes, you can leave the screws in, if you wish, but, the holes wont be fully clean, nor will the screw threads, something important for an anal cleaner like myself 🙄

Not sure if you’ve read some of the posts regarding USC machine cleaning, but I think our very own Bernie placed a link where to purchase those spring loaded tea strainers, which come in very handy for keeping small parts controlled. If you purchase a few of those, issue solved.

If you look at a recent thread by maitai the link should be in there..

Don’t be afraid to try and share new discoveries with us lovely folks on here and please, if you have any questions, it really helps if you can post photos of your issue, besides, I like to see what others are working on..

Hope this helps ya’ll

[willofiam]

Welcome Glen, looks like your having some fun
I always worry about getting liquid in the threads if I leave screws in, and not getting the liquid fully out, If your using a water based or unconventional cleaning solution then it could be potential problem down the road. Just my thoughts on this and maybe overreacting.
Also, I use the screw together thimble size baskets for cleaning, I have marked them so I know what it what in them. I like to seperate and clean certain items together so I dont mix them up, possible this saves time in the end, at least I am not guessing at what goes where. Some screws are slightly longer/ shorter than others and for a reason, its good to keep track of such things. William

[bamadadof3]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions Chris and William. William its good to hear I’m not the only one keeping things in separate baskets while cleaning. I just ordered more baskets to accommodate more in the cleaner at one time and this will speed up the process I think. I really don’t like the idea of leaving the screws in the plate so I’ll just address it with more baskets and label them.

Take a look at my other post about the shaft problem on my jaeger Lecoultre aircraft clock and see what you think. I’m reading around looking for more info on how these shafts are inserted into the cog/wheels. The wheel in question is the forth wheel and it’s just a strange problem and set-up.

Thanks for you help!

Glenn

[tmac1956]

@Bamadadof3 wrote:

Just starting out as a hobby but my two biggest headaches so far is first getting all the pivots to line up on the wheel bridge and second losing those dang little screws. I know the wheel bridge problem just comes with patience. I have lost a couple jewels too but if I’m careful I think with practice I can resolve that problem with tweezers pressure and just being careful.

snip…

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Glenn

Glen:

I had the same problem in the beginning. However, I watched a video interview with George Daniels where he stated that one should be able to hold a tiny watch screw in your tweezers and rotate it 180 deg. without dropping it. I practiced on this and before long I was able to do it. Like most things though, it’s all about practice. Another thing that helped me was using brass tweezers – the steel threads on those small screws tends to dig into the brass a little which helps. Of course, I have to dress the tips every week or so. Additionally, the right kind of working surface helps keep parts from bouncing when they pop out of the tweezers – which is still going to happen.

I hope this helps!
Tom

[bamadadof3]

You are so correct about the working surface. I bought one of the fake bergeron green pads from esslinger and just that little bit of soft padding made a world of difference! I can do the 180 degree rotation with bridge screws now but the little short shaft dudes forget about it. LOL…. I don’t have a set of brass tweezer yet thanks for the tip….

[tmac1956]

@Bamadadof3 wrote:

You are so correct about the working surface. I bought one of the fake bergeron green pads from esslinger and just that little bit of soft padding made a world of difference! I can do the 180 degree rotation with bridge screws now but the little short shaft dudes forget about it. LOL…. I don’t have a set of brass tweezer yet thanks for the tip….

Bamadadof3:

That green stuff is just a material made for drafting tables and the like. If it’s the stuff that I use (green on one side and white on the other) you can cut it with an Xacto knife and it will seal right back up. It’s pretty much all the same stuff. It’s just that Bergeon sticks their name on it and sells it 100 times what its worth.

Later,
Tom

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