Dial Day!

 

Week 16

This week we had the opportunity to go to Arc Stämpfli's workshop here in Le Locle and meet its owner, Lindsay!

This is her hand painting station for doing custom details such as lume or moonphases.

This is the pad printing station. This is where the dials are printed.

Here Lindsay is showing us how to apply the ink to the printing template.

Art, David, Miguel, Nine and Varun printed a blue dial with Breguet numerals.

Craig, Harold, Henrik, Michael and Mun printed a green dial with roman numerals.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS


Workshop A and B

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun

    This week David worked on his hairspring and fixed the flatness and centering.

 

    This week Miguel is restoring his vintage ERA military watch.

The lug at 4 oclock was broken, so Miguel made a new one following the style of the other 2 restored ones.

The brass rivet used to secure the new lug.

New lug at 4 oclock made of a brass sheet that was folded over with holes drilled in and brass pins riveted to hold it.

Testing the new lug on the case.

    This week ivan worked on his school watch. He made the  parts of his barrel.

Here is Ivan making the barrel parts on the lathe.

(Left to Right) The barrel drum, lid, ratchet and crown wheels, and the bushings.

 

Thank you for reading!


 Hope to see you again next week!

Watch week!

 

Week 15

This week Watches and Wonders has started in Geneva and with it, many other events and exhibits in the city.

 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A&B

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun

    This week Miguel vibrated his 6498 hairspring to 18,000 vibrations.

    The goal is to let the spokes swing together, that will let you know you are at the same frequency.

    This week Miguel also finished making the tin polishing wheel for his screw polishing tool.

The wheel has been refinished and the lower part in the center is the orignal surface after casting.

The wheel fitted onto the tool. It has to fit perfectly with no play.

    This week Art and Nine started learning how to file squares by hand in preparation for the winding stem.

    This week Daniel continued working on his hairspring exercises, vibrating and 2nd pinning and he is also servicing a Rolex precision movement.

     This week Craig and Mun learned how to use the drill press. They practiced drilling and tapping holes in a brass plate before they start trying to make their balance bridge holder.    

 

COMING UP NEXT... 

 This weekend the students will be going to Geneva to see whats new!

 

Thank you for reading!  

Hope to see you again next week!

Welcome new friends!

Week 14

This week we welcome 2 new students to the school! Welcome Mun from Hong Kong and Craig from Arizona!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop AB

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine
    Craig, Dunham, Ivan, Louis, Mun, Varun 

    This week everybody made their tin plates for polishing!

The tin comes in small shots, or droplets.

We heat them in a pot with a heating plate and prepare the mold and firebrick.

The plate after cooling down.

 

Miguel's tin plate after refacing in the lathe.

Daniel's plate after roughing the surface to prepare for use.

    This week Daniel has finished the parts for the detent pocket watch, making Crown wheel, intermediate setting wheel, winding opinion, winding stem and a setting lever screw, the watch runs fine without stopping and Daniel is going to finish the regulation next week.

    This week Miguel prepared a brass mold to pour tin into to create a tin wheel for use on his screw polishing tool which he also cleaned and restored this week.

Holes to push out the wheel after casting.

The screw polishing tool Miguel restored.

He removed the rust, refinished some parts and lubricated the moving parts.

 

 

 

COMING UP NEXT... 

Watches and Wonders, AHCI and the other watch exhibit events are starting next week so we'll be checking those out!

 

 

Hope to see you again next week! 

Thank you for reading!

Farewell to good friends

 

Week 13

This week we are going to say goodbye to Amer and Faris as they will be completing their time in school. Best of luck to them and congratulations!

They prospered under the care and guidance of Michael (far left) and Henrik (far right)

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A+B

Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine
    Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun

This week Daniel remade a broken crownweel for a detent pocket watch, it was a bit more tricky than conventional wheels due to teeth hearing downwards as well as outwards. Still more finishing to do but fits snuggly in place. 

Left: The newly made wheel
Right: The original wheel

    This week Miguel made a new bushing for the 6498 pallet fork jewel

Here he is reaming the hole to 129 on the staking set.

Miguel also restored a set of old horia pushers.

Here Miguel is cleaning the rust off the screw, spring and the pin

Upper: Pusher after re-finishing
Lower: Tarnished pusher

The complete set re-finished and restored

    This week Harold, after disassembly of 6498 and the Elgin pocket watch, has lubed up, reassembled, and ensured both can properly function before doing the timing. In the process, Harold learned the peculiarities of watchmaking in the past, as reflected in the Elgin pocket watch.

    This week Ivan made more progress on his school watch design.

    This week Ivan also made a new cannon pinion for a Rolex movement.

The old cannon pinion (above) had cracked down the middle.

 

 

    This week Louis made his own gear cutters from scratch to make his escape wheel.

Here he is scrubbing off the scale from hardening.

The finished cutters and the accompanying arbor with eccentric screw mount.

Thank you for reading!
Hope to see you again next week!