VERY BUSY!

 WEEK 177

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

The Final exam is coming soon. We are preparing to it. But this week, we also had a relax outing day and visiting Simonin books store.

Technicians are busy with the last trial exam and next week is the last week of the learning and preparation for the exam. Hope it will be ok for all of us.

A

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, Tetsu and Dean continued working on their winding stems; this time, in steel, which is more time-consuming than brass, but allows for not too much material to be removed during graver operations.  Henrik introduced Tetsu and Dean to heat treatment, involving the process of hardening and tempering.  This provided its own set of challenges, including ensuring that the winding stem is heated enough to harden the steel.  The tempering process requires the piece to be heated to a temperature over a period of time adequate enough to evenly heat the piece throughout, bringing it to a blue colour before it is removed from the heat.

Have a great weekend everyone!



Tetsu and Dean

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Robert-

My week was all about making pivot gauges. They are used to measure (gauge) the holes in the jewels of a watch. These are perhaps some of the most time-consuming projects per piece so far, and all I have are bad examples. Just a little too much pressure, and they will break before being finished. See Åsmund's good example.

This Friday was also a visit to Mr. Simonin's bookstore. We got some books, some tools, and listened to Mr. Simonin explain the history of some watches.

Åsmund-

This week was pivot gauges, too. See the picture of the example Robert mentioned.

Francesco-

This was a project week, working on a balance staff for an old English lever pocket watch. 

STEP 1: FIRE! (DEAN & TETSU)

Heating the winding stem before dunking into saline! 

First Dean and Tetsu made cocoons to keep the winding stems in with a handle to quench them safely!

STEP 2: WINDING STEMS! (TETSU)

Tetsu hard at work turning winding stems!

STEP 3: CUSTOM TOOLS! (FULLSKILL DAVID)

David realized he needed a support for jeweling purposes that was not commercially available and then made his own!

STEP 4: BALANCE STAFF II! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco in the process of calculating the values the new balance staff need to have, and also comparing the old balance staff size!

Francesco working on his second balance staff!

STEP 5: HAND SETTING! (TECHNICIANS)

Technicians learning handsetting!

STEP 6: CUSTOMIZATION! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco made these micrometer jaws for one of his micrometers as the original were too thick!

STEP 7: TOBOGGAN! (EVERYONE)

It was really exciting and fun to ride the Toboggan and ending with a nice picknick! 

STEP 8: PIVOT GAUGE! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund finished his first nice pivot at 0.20 mm diameter! (pictures taken with different lighting conditions).

HENRIK's WORDS:

It got really busy in all the workshops this week! The technicians continued repairing watches to practice for their final exam next week! Dean and Tetsu practiced for the first time hardening and tempering of their winding stems. David and Renato had their gear train exam and completed almost all the exercises of that course . Robert continued with his pivot gauges and Asmund finished his first nice pivot gauge at 0.20 mm diameter! Francesco continued with a second balance staff. in the middle of the week it was nice to have a student outing as the temperature and weather was really ideal! it was incredibly exciting especially for the adrenalin addicts of the teams :) we ended the week in Mr. Simonins watch/tool bookstore; https://www.booksimonin.ch/   very cool and very busy week!! Have a great weekend everyone!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

 WEEK 176

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

Happy Friday! 

The technicians have been hard at work preparing for our upcoming final exams. We have continued working on our watch repairs and had a great discussion about after-sales service procedures. During one of our lessons, we were able to remove and repair the case back of a watch that I have had many failed attempts at opening. I’m very excited to finally be able to overhaul this movement. 

To end the week, we have started our 16 hour trial exam to give us a look at what to expect in the final exams. While it can be a bit frustrating at times, we are enjoying the process of finding and solving problems in our movements. 

Have a great week everyone.

- Lani

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (15~19 August) Dean & Tetsu continued gaining their hand turning experience with the 8 mm lathe. This time, they did slot cutting on blued steel and thread cutting on silver steel.

For slot cutting, there were 5 pieces in 5 different sizes, using self-made hard metal (tungsten carbide) gravers to achieve this. The tolerance was down to +/- 0.01 mm instead of usual +/- 0.05 mm, so it required quite a bit of concentration.

Thread cutting, the other task for the week, was done on silver steel wire, which would be the material for our winding stem practice and exam. We used 1.2 mm dies and cut the thread very carefully; another nerve wrenching test.

Apart from the heat treatment lesson coming up shortly, we were ready to make winding stems. Our practice session has already begun.

We wish you all a nice weekend! 

Dean & Tetsu

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Hello everyone, this week I made my first balance staff! I took all the measurements from the movement by using an horizontal micrometer and a set of pivot gauges.

After that I turned the steps with the Schaublin 102 equipped with the microscope. Once all the diameters and lengths were done I used the Horia lathe to turn the pivots between centers. Finally I burnished both the pivots and the domes as you can see in the photos.

Yesterday I started a new restoration project on an English lever pocket watch. The balance staff pivot was broken and the balance jewel was broken too. So I searched the correct jewel among the billions that Henrik has in his sets and I found it pretty quickly! After pressing it in the setting I assembled it back in the mainplate . On Monday I’m looking forward to start taking all the measurements from the movement and then make it!

Have a great weekend, 

Francesco.

STEP 1: OLD TOOLS! (ROBERT)

Robert took the opportunity in between making pivot gauges to work on his brass anvil, specifically to drill and bore the holes.

STEP 2: TURNING! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco turning the body of his balance staff, he later turned the pivots and conical section for the double roller between fixed centres.

STEP 3: BALANCE STAFF PIVOT! (FRANCESCO)

After burnishing the balance staff pivot!

STEP 4: JEWEL! (FRANCESCO)

For the second balance staff that Francesco will make (for the English pocket watch mentioned in previous weeks blog post) he also found that the jewel where the pivot was broken in was not good, but he found a new antique jewel with similar color for it, in the picture it's already inserted in its setting, the right hand one is the broken one, now he is able to take down the dimensions for the new balances staff!

STEP 5: CASES! (TECHNICIAN)

The technicians continued with repairs and studied also the case how to open them with different tools and how to close them, as well as water resistance checking, adjusting winding stems to length and truing crowns to run smooth when winding the movement and setting the time!

STEP 6: BOOKS! (ROBERT)

Robert brought this interesting book about Zenith El Primero watches, seems to be a very good book for anyone collecting Zenith El Primero watches!

HENRIK's WORDS:

We got plenty of rain this week, might as well be good as it has been dry for long time! The technicians got introduced to after sales service procedures and the case of the watch, including how to change and adapt new winding stems for the crown, they also practiced for the final exam. Dean and Tetsu continued practicing for the winding stem cutting slots ending the weak with making their first brass prototype winding stem to get used to the dimensions and locations of the various dimensions. David and Renato had their first gear train trial exam and will most likely have their real one next week. Robert was busy with pivot gauge making and also working on his brass anvil, Asmund continued with pivot gauges and Francesco with balance staff making as well as replacing a broken antique jewel that was necessary before he can take the dimensions for the balance staff he will make for it. very creative and busy week!! Have a great weekend everyone!

BACK TO WORK!

  WEEK 175

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

This week we returned back to the program, it took a few days for the skills to get back to normal. However, we are covering the last section of the course on quartz watch and Chronograph. We are enjoying to work for our own repair movements. They need to be done to reach a certain amount to be allowed to take the Final exam. Finally, the course is going to be done and we are looking forward to celebrate soon.

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (8-12 August) Henrik introduced Tetsu and Dean to the making of winding stem slots.  This included guidance with the shaping of slot gravers from tungsten carbide.  After a tutorial on the Agathon grinding machine, Tetsu and Dean made their slot gravers, then got to work on shaping and cutting slots in practice brass pieces prior to preparing some blue steel pieces from which to cut slots for further practice.  This will continue into the following week in preparation for them to make fully functional winding stems.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tetsu and Dean

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

After doing all the barrels, David and I had the jewel intro, being the last topic before the next exam. Fitting, removal and adjustment within the mainplate and bridges. Kinda fun to get a feel for endshake differences of a few hundreds and wheel positioning for divisions. Will be interesting to apply this to the smaller movements. Next week we can do some practice exams that encompass all the movement topics covered so far (winding/setting, wheel truing, barrel maintenance, jewel adjustment). Nice!

STEP 1: QUARTZ WATCHES! (TECHNICIAN)

Technicians learning as much as possible about the quartz watch!

STEP 2: JEWELED BEARINGS! (RENATO & DAVID)

Not all jewels in antique and vintage watches look the same!

Renato and David started to work with the bearings of the watch, mainly jeweled bearings, these are some of the typical anvils/stumps and pushers used to deal with various situations regarding them.

STEP 3: OVERHAUL OF HEAD STOCK! (KHWCC)

One of our Schaublin 102 lathes needed a new fresh belt as the other one was disintegrating from 12 years of use :) also it got fresh new ball bearings and a complete check up, a Spa treatment for a lathe!!

STEP 4: FRIENDS! (EVERYONE)

Nice to be back among our friends!

STEP 5: BOOKS! KHWCC)

We also got a donation of these two books for the school library which will come in very handy! Thank you!

STEP 6: RESTORATION! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco got this project from Renato to later make a balance staff for!

STEP 7: WATCHES! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund got this project for later repair!

STEP 8: WATCHES! (DAVID FULLSKILL)

David got this nice school watch to later overhaul!

STEP 9: HARD WORKING! (TECHNICIANS)

Technicians back on their benches working hard on the last watches before the final exam!

HENRIK's WORDS:

Finally back to normality! The summer vacation was really good though, I only had one option, to stay in Switzerland due to passport issues, but it turned out great as the weather was just the best! not too hot and not too cold, just the perfect summer! The technicians got introduced to the quartz watch and continued on their repairs as well. Renato and David started to work on endshakes, divisions and clearances of the gear train by learning to replace and adjust the jewels! Tetsu and Dean started practicing slots for winding stems, Asmund and Francesco working on making various size pivots and Robert preparing some tools before starting to make pivot gauges!  It was a very nice and also productive first week back! have a great weekend everyone!