Friday, August 30, 2019

Exams are starting again....

Friday, August 30, 2019

WEEK 21


Harman Wadhwa 
Origin : New Delhi, India
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 8 month Service & Technician course
Current mood : I am happy after all the efforts, mistakes  and mood swings Escapements are finally over, have an exam on it this Tuesday, hope it goes well. wish me luck and See you next week.

Pierre Aubert
Origin : Toulouse, France
Age : 23
Watchmaking class : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: Time flies in the workshop..!! Very busy week here. Started off by learning how to polish winding stems prior to my trial exams. In fact, I took two winding stem trial exams. It is great fun as I learn to be more efficient and consistent all the while raising the quality. Really good for the experience. I have two more to go before the real exam! I look forward to learning even more during these next trial exams. As for the school watch- I have made some progress..! Following the making of pins, I had to set them in the yoke.                                       In that regard, Henrik taught me how to use the Horia tool (really fun to use, not complicated, just requires all your attention and dexterity). Regular pushers wouldn't allow me to push the pins in. I therefore had to make my own. (I am also in the process of making extra pushers and anvil for that regard). The pins are now fitted. Next step: clean the pins to make sure they have no burrs before fitting the yoke in the main plate, after-which I will file the yoke to function..! I hope to be done with it soon enough so that I can start working on my bridges. (Hole locations have already been gathered..! Same for design ideas. I just need to start!). 
Have a great week-end and see you soon. 

                                               
Markus McDonald 
Origin : Stockholm Sweden
Age : 20
Watchmaking class: 2 years fullskill course 
Current mood : This week was an incredible melting pot of experiences split between precision filling which included modifying one of my gravers to accommodate cutting a sharp corner and learning the milling machine plus the Agathon.
The experience of learning the new industrial machinery outside of regular and precision filling brought with it the usual intensity of a new subject but after modifying several gravers with the agathon and learning to mill I found that the procedure was incredibly straight forward, becoming integrated both into my muscle and cerebral memory. 
In conclusion this week although taxing and challenging was an incredible learning experience which will serve as the basis for further learning. 

Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
Age : 26
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood : Things are relatively stable now. I think it has something to do with having a fully functional apartment. It is reassuring to know that you have a base to go back to and have your rest. The process building such a place isn't so fun though. Lots of sweats and more sweats and even more sweats. The practice is smooth as usually. If anything it's a little hot this week, reminds me of home. Actually no, the AC is always on when I was home. Learned how to use the drilling machine this week as well as the profile projector. Very interesting.


STEP 1: HARMAN

Days when you have to laugh it off your frustration๐Ÿ˜

STEP 2: PINS (PIERRE)


STEP 3: HORIA TOOL (PIERRE)

Making of the pusher that will help me push the pins in place


 My pusher has a conical inside hole so that the pins can rest against its walls and be pushed down straight. (Pusher is the part above the pin). 

 Both pins are now in ๐Ÿ˜‡๐Ÿ˜Ž

Preparing another pusher 

                                                            Henrik’s Word
This week it got intense again! As both Harman and Pierre having trial exams. Alex learned the drilling this week, that went very easy and smooth, he continued throughout the week to practice drilling various sized holes. Markus learned a new machine; the manual milling machine he seemed super excited about it! As it is so involved we will continue to learn new things about it next week. For me the week was pretty intense as well but I still got to write on a new article that I promised Fratello Watches long time ago, so its very due! Hopefully you will see it soon online, the sapphire project progresses well but slow at the moment as I have so many things to do at the time of writing. see you next week!

Friday, August 23, 2019

BACK TO THE HUSTLE

 WEEK 20

                                               
Harman Wadhwa 
Origin : New Delhi, India
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 8 month Service & Technician course
Current mood : 

Pierre Aubert
Origin : Toulouse, France
Age : 23
Watchmaking class : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: Lots of things going in on this week! I finished practicing slots (with the gravers made last week) on blue steel and learned how to thread on the 8mm lathe. I have also started to work on my first real winding stem ๐Ÿ˜Ž. I forgot to account for the security margin that I took when starting it- it is now too long ๐Ÿ˜… (Silly mistake..!!). But no harm done, I can simply bring it back to the required dimensions and make it as desired! It's only about time๐Ÿ˜‰. I look forward to finishing it on Monday since my first winding stem trial exam is on Tuesday. As for the school watch, I am moving forward ๐Ÿ˜†
After last week's work on the pantograph, I now made pin holes on my yoke to hold it in place and provide tension. Why? My Yoke and the Yoke spring are only one piece, hence the pins. I also drilled through the original pin of the 6498 main-plate to make a screw that will ensure stability of the Yoke. Last but not least- I began to turn the required pins out of blue steel: they are beveled and around 1mm (length). I will have to friction fit them next week. For that purpose- I will certainly have to adjust their diameter. In fact, I am aiming for 5-8 microns above the main plate and yoke's hole! More in the pictures..!! I apologize for the information overload ๐Ÿ˜… Have a great week-end everyone! A la semaine prochaine ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Markus McDonald
Origin : Stockholm, Sweden
Age : 20
Current mood: This week was primarily focused on filing the base plates for my tools, this went very well and I was able to complete one tool and begin work on another. Furthermore I was introduced to a new machine for maintaining the gravers, this was exciting followed by a sense of impending euphoria after each intense session. This in combination with the filing allowed the week to be dynamic and keep me energized.

Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Age : 26
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood : It's the end to my first week. In day I file in night I search. Search for the furniture that is so desperately  needed in my spacious yet empty apartment. The life style here is very different than what I am used to. There is still a long way to go. The filing is going great though, at least in my mind it is. That's it for me.

STEP 1: SLOT MAKING (PIERRE)


STEP 2: THREADING (PIERRE)

In this first trial we can see the beginning of the threads failed due to too heavy cut, but from half way on the cut was only one sixth of a turn and the result became way better!

STEP 3: DRILLING AND PIN MAKING

 Setting up the Jig-Borer

 
 Drilling

                                                                           Results

      Pin Making

      


                                                          Henrik’s Word
This week I got a new student in the Fullksill course! Alex from Taiwan, after putting his bench in order he started warming up with some filing and will learn drilling next week. Pierre progressed well with his setting mechanism as well as reached the complete making of winding stems, next week he will sit his first winding stem trial exam, Harman did his first trial escapement exam hours ago and will continue with 3 more trial exams before sitting the real one. Markus continued with his tools but also got introduced to the Agathon grinding machine, which he seemed to like! I was very busy this week with various tasks which I like anyway, and I also got one of my restoration articles published with WatchesBySJX which you can find here; https://watchesbysjx.com/2019/08/patek-philippe-pendant-watch-restoration.html  hopefully next week will be as fun and efficient as this one! see you next week!








Friday, August 16, 2019

Summer is over!

                                                         WEEK 19
                                                  Summer is over!

Harman Wadhwa 
Origin : New Delhi, India
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 8 month Service & Technician course
Current mood : It's good to be back, it took few days to settle and get in the work mode.๐Ÿ˜‹ Anyhow, I am half way through my course and there is so much to do. I am covering the last section of the course on escapement. It is going well and I am looking forward to meet the new student coming in next week. (Hint: he is an Asian)
Adios, See you next week.

Pierre Aubert
Origin : Toulouse, France
Age : 23
Watchmaking class : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: Great to be back at it! It took a few days for the skills to get back to normal.
 I learned how to make slot gravers (used for the making of the winding stems) on the Agathon- such a powerful and pleasing machine to use. As for the school watch, I have started to make the final version of my yoke on the Pantograph (see pictures below). More to come next week! Have a great week-end everyone!

Markus McDonald
Origin : Stockholm, Sweden
Age : 20

Current mood: This week we returned back to the course and I found that I was able to get back into the rhythm quite well. The week was primarily consistent of filing the base plates with varying degrees of speed fast at the start but much more slower as I got to the finish.
Although this can be seen as a grind it was a good way of breaking me into the rhythm of the course again whilst allowing me to prepare my tools and work on filling.



STEP 1: HARMAN 

                         We all need something to look at life, like the way I look at my watch parts. ๐Ÿ˜œ๐Ÿ˜‚

                                                          Adjusting of the pallet jewels


Applying the shellac on the pallet jewels


STEP 2: GRAVER MAKING (PIERRE)




STEP 3: SCHOOL WATCH (PIERRE)




                                                       Henrik’s Word
We are all back from the summer vacation, the students slowly got back to their previous work to warm up and get their hands back, Harman started to adjust pallet jewels and practicing some shellacking of pallets, Pierre got to learn how to make a new type of graver which will later help him turn the slot in the winding stems and Markus continued working on his tool bases. During my summer vacation I got to teach a restoration class here in Le Locle and directly after I went to teach another restoration class in AWCI Harrison, Ohio https://www.awci.com/ Both classes went really well and the students were really nice! AWCI now starts to feel like my second home as a teacher! As usual Tom assisted me during the class which was really nice!  As I did not have time to do the blogging during the vacation, I include some highlights from the two classes below. 

                                                              Restoration I in Le Locle:















                                    Restoration and Construction Techniques in AWCI:

This was cool to see! we are inside the new AWCI watchmaking buss that will give courses all around the US, surprisingly spacious inside and equipped with top of the line tools! Very cool indeed!