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Other Watchmaking
- Thread starter DavidR8
- Start date
It's insane!
I started to watch and then had to quit. Just can't handle videos that drone on and on and on.
Roughly what time is the screw making at? That might be worth watching.
Thank you!
Six O Two
(Marco)
Yeah, watchmaking is on a whole other level. I'm cautiously dipping my toes into that world and predictably, my first effort has been a bit of mess. I'm definitely not used to working at this scale, and not sure I want to, ha.
I've got a watch case I wanted to modify so that I could fit a different band to the watch, so I was milling chamfers into it to give more clearance to the springbars. I didn't tighten the vise quite enough though, and just as I finished the cut, the case slipped
. Oh well, at least it's on the backside.
Working on the case feels so small, but it's still a whole order of magnitude less small and fiddly than working on the mechanism would be...
I've got a watch case I wanted to modify so that I could fit a different band to the watch, so I was milling chamfers into it to give more clearance to the springbars. I didn't tighten the vise quite enough though, and just as I finished the cut, the case slipped
. Oh well, at least it's on the backside.Working on the case feels so small, but it's still a whole order of magnitude less small and fiddly than working on the mechanism would be...
Precision machining at a whole smaller scale than many are used to dealing with!
As yet another rabbit hole I went down, over the years, I pursued an interest in watch and clock repair, pretty much until I had educated myself up to a level where I understood how little I knew! But I still have a pretty good collection of books and periodicals that relate, and the stuff is pretty damned cool!
As yet another rabbit hole I went down, over the years, I pursued an interest in watch and clock repair, pretty much until I had educated myself up to a level where I understood how little I knew! But I still have a pretty good collection of books and periodicals that relate, and the stuff is pretty damned cool!
I love that dividing mechanism. And the electron microscope lol.
Here's a photo I took to give sense of scale, the large one is a 1/4-20 cap head screw. I think someone with good machining knowledge has a huge edge on most amateur watch and clock guys....but there is of course still lots to learn and new skills to develop. Handling those small parts is very different....and as a relative beginner you get the all to frequent ping as some minuscule part shoots out of the tweezers and you know its then hands and knees on the floor until you find it. Great motivation to improve one's skills!
Here's a photo I took to give sense of scale, the large one is a 1/4-20 cap head screw. I think someone with good machining knowledge has a huge edge on most amateur watch and clock guys....but there is of course still lots to learn and new skills to develop. Handling those small parts is very different....and as a relative beginner you get the all to frequent ping as some minuscule part shoots out of the tweezers and you know its then hands and knees on the floor until you find it. Great motivation to improve one's skills!
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gerritv
Gerrit
Malcolm Wild's Gear and Pinion Cutting in Horology book is a gem for gear cutting in the clock and smaller sizes.
historicalarms
Ultra Member
One of the first gunsmith "how too" books I read suggested a handy item that would work just as well for you I think. The author suggested before even starting a career in smithing, that the first thing you build for yourself is a big open top box that can sit in front of you on your bench , cut two holes in one side that your arms will fit through and cover the open top with glass...you now have a work environ that will contain all those miniscule "sproingy" things that will inevitably launch themselves to places never to be found again....that was almost 40 yrs ago that I read that but still havent built my own tho....the "boss" still has good eyes and can still get down on her knees fairly easy to look for my stuff
I have spent my fair share of time crawling across the floor, chasing after yet another little wee screw that the cheap tweezers have ejected!I make extras, because I have yet to perfect tweezer skills for holding them
A strip of the magnet that usually gets used on old school metal White Boards, is a REALLY handy tool. And chasing screws across the floor, makes you really appreciate why a top quality set of tweezers is actually worth what they cost, too!
I REALLY like my Dumont Tweezers!
Do they make one with a closer clamp so you can let go and keep the screw (or whatever) in the tweezers?
I do believe that they do.
I have at least one in my collection that has that ability.
The last, truly "Watchmaker" related catalog I had received, had well over 40 pages of tweezers alone, in it. And, I'll be damned if I can recall the name of the outfit! Thye used to have a branch in Vancouver.
A good place to start is Gesswein https://www.gessweincanada.com/category-s/54.htm
Their cross lock tweezers are spring loaded to hold the part. But I have, had a few pair of tweezers that had a button to lock them shut on a small part!
Chicken lights
Forum Pony Express Driver
The “boss” is overworked, undervalued and under paidOne of the first gunsmith "how too" books I read suggested a handy item that would work just as well for you I think. The author suggested before even starting a career in smithing, that the first thing you build for yourself is a big open top box that can sit in front of you on your bench , cut two holes in one side that your arms will fit through and cover the open top with glass...you now have a work environ that will contain all those miniscule "sproingy" things that will inevitably launch themselves to places never to be found again....that was almost 40 yrs ago that I read that but still havent built my own tho....the "boss" still has good eyes and can still get down on her knees fairly easy to look for my stuff
and, yes, I know which side of my toast is going to get buttered so I’m leaning towards the most favourable odds
Negative action - https://www.dumonttweezers.com/Tweezer/TweezerStyleList/34
start looking under standard tips on the left see how many different Dumount tweezers there are.
The negative ones however are of little use for watch things imo, its hard to explain, but you are not clamping on to the screw, you're using the tweezers like finger tip extensions. You have to feel, and you vary pressure depending what you are clamping, weight size and geometry, (to much: ping! to little and the part slips out or out of position). You also have to often let up just a tad to push the part into something to position it, rotate it a bit, etc.
I don't mean to make it sound more than it is, but its deceptively difficult at first to pick up, position and place small parts. Things improve with practice, but you are scuppered without good tweezers. High quality screw drivers and tweezers are high on the list of first tools to buy, probably in the top five along with a loupe, case opener and hand removing levers....you need them before you service your first watch
Trev, I believe the biggest in Canada is Perrin. Even if not into horology, they have unique tools that would be hard to find elsewhere....where else are going go to pick up #6 Swiss cut file? (better take along a week's worth of lunch money though lol)
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Wow.......
Wow again......
Not sure this is the one you meant, but here is a link to Perrin for others.
Vallorbe Swiss Round Needle File Cut 6
Vallorbe Swiss Round Needle File Cut 6 supplier Perrin-A world leader in Watch Tools, Clock Tools, and Jeweller Tools since 1929. Choose from a large selection of specialized tools for clockmakers, watchmakers and jewellers.
perrinwatchparts.com