Visitors

 Hello again,

Another eventful week at K&H. Early in the week our first visitor was the watchmaker and entrepreneur Roman Winiger from Open Movements. He gave our students a detailed explanation of his goals and journey so far. Open Movements is a non profit organisation that aims to construct watch movements and parts for the public domain using open source principles. It is a place where watchmakers can freely share ideas and help one another. 

Roman Winiger talking to the group

A prototype made with the watch parts that OM offers

Later in the week, the alumni Charles came to the workshop. Charles is first generation K&H student, a real OG. 

The gang 

Finally, the new batch of students have started a new chapter. They have all started using the 8mm lathe and learning to hand turn. Will soon be pumping out winding stems pivot gauges.

Using a dial gauge to check the spindle play

Let’s not forget the peppernuts brought in by Craig

That’s it for now, until next time!

Making Tools

Week 7 

It's Valentine's Day! Don't forget to pick up some flowers.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

    This week Joan began practicing filing squares for winding stems. We will be seeing these flat surfaces show up in later work.

 

Louis Lu finished making two tools: a tripod for black-polishing components, and a jig for sharpening gravers. Every student can remember the painful fingers from sharpening those by hand...

Louis Lu's Black-Polishing Tripod

A jig for sharpening gravers

Workshop B

Students:
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Sheikh, Varun

    Varun continued his work on gear finishes, producing a rainbow of colors and styles.

 Louis made a custom swing tool to file down a detent; incredibly precise work.

 

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

Outing

 Hello everyone,

This is a two in one blog update. Last week had an eventful ending with a trip to the treasure trove, Cenic watches and parts, then a visit to the great Thomas Prescher. 

At Cenic almost every student left with a bag of new toys, it is a grail of a shop for watchmakers. Selling everything from specialised tools to individual parts of rare movements.

The students mesmerised by vintage and historic calibres

 After this visit we proceeded to Thomas Prescher’s workshop. The evening started with an instructive presentation from Mr. Prescher where he gave us an introduction into his entry into the world of watchmaking and told us some stories about the industry. Afterwards we were given a tour of his workshop and shown where all the components of his handmade watches are crafted. Once the tour was over, his wife and himself treated all of us to some Fondue. The evening ended with the best part, Mr. Prescher brought out a large watch box. He brought some of his iconic pieces for us to see, from new pieces to the very first triple axis tourbillon. 

Thank you once again Mr.Prescher for your invitation and hospitality.

Fondue all round

Now for this week! An eventful time as well. Two of our students have started their technician course. Art finished making his black polishing tripod from his micro mechanics course.

Black polishing tripod

Louis, one of the senior students hand turned a new staff for his Elgin pocket. 

Old and new balance staff

Craig pushed the limits detailed engraving with the pantograph, with great success!

A couple trials

That’s it’s for this week. 

Until next time!

Finishing Touches

 

 

Week 4

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
    Art, Bernd, Cesar, Joan, Louis Lu, Mun, Nine

    This week Art finished his winding stems, and Louis Lu used hand filing to make a pointed nose vise.

Art's final winding stem

Louis Lu's nose vise

Workshop B

Students:
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Sheikh, Varun

    Ivan and Varun tried out new approaches for finishing ratchet wheels. Ivan perfected a snailing finish, while Varun worked on sunray grinding and tempering the steel to an auburn brown.

 

Ivan's snailing finish

Varun's sunray finish (above) and auburn tempering (below)

    Ivan also completed the design for his school watch, and began the first milling operations on the prototype.

 

Renders of Ivan's design (compiles by Miles Ross)

    Louis spent the week on restorations. First, he re-burnished every pivot on his marine chronometer and lapped a diamond endstone to a flat finish. Casing everything up, it began ticking! Now it's ready for several weeks of timing adjustment.

The diamond endstone before (above) and after (below) lapping

 After the chronometer, Louis also began restoration of a chronograph with an instantaneous minute counter.

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

Learning new things

 Henrik started his students off with the chronograph course. Running them through theoretical concepts of old to new chronographs.

Educational movement 

In the meanwhile, Michael’s students got a thorough lesson on the jig-borer. They were introduced to the Hauser 2A3 jig borer. Exercises included centering the work piece with the microscope, scribing a square and a circle, as well as drilling holes with different diameters and depths.

The Hauser 

Michael showing Bernd the ropes

Centering 

The finished exercise 

This week Greg also made some headway on his own project. He managed to finish turning and polishing a pinion, then he riveted the pinion to a brass he made. 

The pinion 

The riveted on center wheel

That’s it’s for this week.

Until next time!

3D Printing

 

Week 2

The globe turns and another year begins anew. In the lobby of the school, KHWCC has hung a map of the globe with pins to mark where all of the students have come from.

Our international student body

Another new feature in this new year: the workshop has gained a 3D printer. After the initial setup and stock test prints, Louis and Dunny from Workshop B used this tool of additive manufacturing to make custom movement holders.

Dunny's movement holder with personalized insignia

Louis's movement holder for his marine chronometer

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop B

Students:
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Sheikh, Varun

    Craig learned how to cut the leaves for a pinion, and then polish them to mirror perfection using a wooden wheel and hand finishing.

 

 Louis continued his restoration of a mid-19th century marine chronometer by making a new ratchet wheel and spring, modifying a click to fit, and fitting a new fusée chain. To manufacture the ratchet wheel, he first had to make a custom fly cutter, and the fusée chain needed to be shortened and the direction of the barrel hook flipped.

 

The marine chronometer with new ratchet wheel, spring, and modified click

Cutting the ratchet wheel

Riveting the fusée chain

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!

Out with a bang

 Last week!

The year comes to a close and the students get ready to fly back home. With the last few days before the break we are all tying loose ends and finishing up any bits of work.

Art finished his hour wheel exam, and with Nine, they will be moving on to start their technician course next year! Craig started work on the center wheel for a 6498. This week he completed machining, filling and bevelling the wheel.

Almost finished product 

On the penultimate day we had a trip to visit a horologists in Sainte-Croix. We first had a tour of the micro-engineers at Cap14 then we got to explore the manufacturing facility of Reugue at mec-art. We were given the opportunity to listen to some of their legendary music pieces. 

Stay tuned for a more in depth post coming up!

Tour of Cap14 micro engineering manufacturers 

For lunch we shared several kilograms of Fondue. The hardest part of the week was leaving no cheese behind. All the students were given matching K&H bennies for the winter.

The last day was spent as every last day in K&H is spent… cleaning! From morning to evening every student does his part to leave no surface of the workshop unscrubbed. Every shelf is emptied and wiped, all machines cleaned and oiled, fridge is cleared out every corner is cleaned with the attention of a watchmaker. 

Final touches 

And that’s it for this year!

Have a lovely Christmas and special new years!!!

Until next time.