Friday, June 26, 2020

THE CHRONOGRAPH!

WEEK 64


Pierre Aubert, James Punshon, Jayne Zhuo
Origin : Sydney, Australia. Toulouse, France. Singapore.
Age : 23
Watchmaking class: Technician Course
Current mood: Hi everyone, Jayne here! What an exciting week of chronograph work! It’s nice to finally make some sense of all those springs and levers! Really enjoyed examining some vintage chronograph movements and comparing them to the modern versions.
As part of the chronograph module, we made a column wheel key and a reverse screwdriver, which you will hopefully see in this weeks pictures.
Looking forward to a sunny weekend! Enjoy everyone!


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: This week went very well as I focused on making tools specially the brass anvil. One of the biggest elements too this tool was the milling section being divided into two areas of the tool. One requiring four slots too be milled and the other requiring a deep rectangles slot in the center. The first section went very well after experimenting and making test pieces I was able too successfully mill and it turned out very well. The second section was a bit more demanding as I experimented with several methods to zeroing and set up and this went very well, finishing it today. In conclusion this week was very productive making great progress with the tool and feeling both good and confident for the technician module next week.


Michael
Origin : Malaysia
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 2 years Fullskill Program
Current Mood: A Very HOT week ends with a rainy cool evening. Practising on brass winding stems and started with silver steel winding stem. The process is very challenging. Have to do the slots after hardening and tempering. Polishing the winding stem is the upmost difficult task. Definitely need to practice more. Looking forward to next week! 



Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
Age : 27
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: It was a week of trial exams, overall the results are good!! One more trial and then final exam, not too excited about that one... Hope I get enough rest during the weekend.


STEP 1: SQUARES! (MICHAEL)
These are Michaels winding stem square practice pieces for which he also made an elegant wooden table!


STEP 2: WINDING STEMS! (MICHAEL)
Michaels first ever winding stems. One in brass to get the complete understanding of dimensions and order of making it, and the other one in steel were he got a feel for the real material, looking not too bad as his first pieces and will for sure soon look sublime!



STEP 3: CHRONOGRAPH TOOL MAKING! (JAMES)
 Filing the shape of the chronograph column wheel key


 Heat treatment!


 De-burring, polishing and cleaning the tip of the tool!

Ready for action!

STEP 4: PIVOT GAUGES! (ALEX)
Alex practicing for his exam!


STEP 5: MILLING! (MARKUS)
Markus milling a deep sink on the back side of his brass anvil in the Aciera F1!


HENRIK's WORDS:

The technicians started a new course this week, the chronograph course. We always start this course with first understanding how a classical column wheel chronograph works in its principle, before going on to the more modern chronograph types, so we had lots of theory this week, as it’s a rather complicated mechanism when you first learn about it, lots to take in! They were also each given a classical column wheel chronograph movement to practice the eccentrics adjustments for depth of the various chronograph wheels as well as all the other necessary checks such as the timing of the various levers interacting with the column wheel. This is very important as the chronograph mechanism action is far too rapid for the human eye to see. For that they use a special key that they also made during the week, which facilitates the slow turning of the column wheel while observing for example at what moment the blocking lever leaves the chronograph runner and at what moment the coupling clutch wheel moves into the chronograph runner to start the recording.

Markus finished milling slots and a deep sink on his brass anvil and will start his second-year (the technician module) next week, I am sure that will be very exciting for him! Alex had two trial pivot gauge exams this week, both went really well! Michael is progressing well with winding stems and made a first one in steel, and also had some practice cleaning and finishing it after the heat treatment. This Saturday also some of the students were lucky to get an appointment with Maurizio who runs Herrli in Biel/Bienne, it’s a magical watchmaker second hand tool and watch parts store. the students have been looking forward for long time now to have the opportunity to visit him, that will for sure be good for them! All is going well and looks very positive! Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday, June 19, 2020

MIXED BAG!

WEEK 63


Pierre Aubert, James Punshon, Jayne Zhuo
Origin : Sydney, Australia. Toulouse, France. Singapore.
Age : 23
Watchmaking class: Technician Course
Current mood: Pierre here! After last week’s exams, this week was the usual independent week. All of us moved forward with all the remaining hairspring exercises and tasks. Although this seemed a bit repetitive and tiring at first, I must admit this was necessary! In fact, I feel that our ability to make hairsprings flat and centred around the collet has improved: we are no longer over complicating the reading of every situation and much more “just” in every move we make, all of which make for a more efficient and enjoyable process 😅😄🤓. We should start with chronographs next week, we are all very excited! We also very much look forward to repairing watches from A to Z with the repair course! Have a good weekend everyone! 


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: This week I finished my pivot gauge module building to it throughout the week focusing on perfecting and bringing every step to the next level. This went very well and I was able to bring the exam piece too the next section. This was a huge success and I was able to pass and make my pivot gauge far better than my previous pieces.
In conclusion this week was hugely successful and rewarding as I finished one of the hardest modules. 


Michael
Origin : Malaysia
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 2 years Fullskill Program
Current Mood: I finished the winding stem slot exercise and made a stand for it. Start the next interesting task which is to make a winding stem practice piece but in brass. Looking forward to next week with better weather please!


Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
Age : 27
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: After weeks of practicing, I am finally turning the franchise around. I have stopped breaking the pivots and the burnishing is good!! Gonna go for a trial exam next week and see what happens. Ciao~~~


STEP 1: SLOT MAKING! (MICHAEL)
Michael finished his slot making exercises, and made a nice wooden stand for them!

STEP 2: BURNISHED PIVOT! (ALEX)
Alex pivots are getting more black polished look from the burnishing!




STEP 3: CANNON PINIONS! (TECHNICIAN COURSE)
 Various types of friction clutch systems (cannon pinions).


Installing the cannon pinion in a safe way on the ETA 6498 movement.

HENRIK's WORDS:

Mixed bag of interesting techniques this week, not only pivot gauges and hairsprings! The technicians learning how to deal with various friction clutch systems such as the cannon pinion with various different types from antique to modern, as well as finishing all the old hairspring work. Michael started to prepare to make complete winding stems by finishing his slot exercises and preparing a hardened protection ring for the square filing. Alex continue with pivot gauges, starting to look really good now, and Markus took his final pivot gauge exam. All in all a really enjoyable week! Have a great weekend and see you next week!

Friday, June 12, 2020

HAIRSPRING EXAM COMPLETED!

WEEK 62


Pierre Aubert, James Punshon, Jayne Zhuo
Origin : Sydney, Australia. Toulouse, France. Singapore.
Age : 38
Watchmaking class: Technician Course
Current mood: James here! A very intense couple of weeks, with our trial and final hairspring exams. The learning curve has been frighteningly steep! What once seemed like an impossible task now surprisingly makes sense! Everyone today is noticeably lighter in mood now that the final exam is behind us.
Looking forward to putting hairsprings behind us and starting the vintage restoration course!
Have a great weekend everybody!


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: This week I focused on furthering the pivot gauge mock/trial exams, focusing on further simulating the real conditions for the the exam.
Both with the four hour time span as in the exam. Plus using the randomization of the pivot dimension. This went very well as although it was psychological intensive the end result was very good thanks too the techniques and methods I incorporated in regard too feel and focus.


Michael
Origin : Malaysia
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 2 years Fullskill Program
Current Mood: I was doing the brass anvil this week and unfortunately I have to put it on hold as Henrik introduce the winding stem slot exercise. Learned how to make my own slot gravers using the Agathon. Started with the slot turning exercises. Will continue doing more next week! 


Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
Age : 27
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: Another week, another broken pivot. Although I feel like progress is being made, no longer do I break them during burnishing so that's good. Anyway, that's it from me this week!!


STEP 1: SCREW EXTRACTION! (MICHAEL)
Drilling out the broken screw head.


Before extracting, it can be seen the left screw was damaged.

Centering the screw head with the microscope in the Aciera F1.

Inserted a new screw and the broken extracted one on top of the graver holder.

STEP 2: SLOT GRAVER MAKING! (MICHAEL)
Square tungsten carbide stock material for graver.

Grinding by hand in the Agathon!

Finished slot graver for winding stems!




HENRIK's WORDS:

The final balance & hairspring exam for the technician course finished yesterday, very happy to have that behind us as now we are more free, since that was the final large course of the program. Next up will be complete repairs and overhauls and interesting short courses here and there, as well as repairs of personal, family and friends watches. Michael was kind enough to repair a broken graver holder for the school as one screw was broken and stuck in it, and he also learn how to extract screws in general as well, which can come in handy if he restores old watches, thank you Michael! Peter from The Naked Watchmaker launched the second part of my interview as well as the special project we worked on together as I mention some weeks back. It’s a deconstruction video of a classical style modern watch and it came out looking really nice! Thank you Peter! Link to The Naked Watchmaker; https://www.thenakedwatchmaker.com/

The Deconstruction video;


Part 2 of my interview;



Have a great weekend everyone!!

Friday, June 5, 2020

LIKE NOVEMBER!

WEEK 61


Pierre Aubert, James Punshon, Jayne Zhuo
Origin : Sydney, Australia. Toulouse, France. Singapore.
Age : 23
Watchmaking class: Technician Course
Current mood:  Jayne here. 
Amazing week of hairspring (HS) work. So much to learn as we soon realized that one mistake can cost you the whole day to fix or it can just be as simple as a 15 mins fix. Always remember to apply Rule 1 where u either push in/out or up/down on the elbow of the HS or Rule 2 where you twist the HS to make yr HS as flat and center as possible. Then just do trial and error, like a game of poker. Exam's up next week, can't wait to complete it. 😎


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: This week I focused on the trial exams for the pivot gauges. This was quiet trying as not only did I run into certain issues but the psychological stress of the values system was stressful. However although I ran into certain problems the end result was consistent. Additionally in between the trial exams I focused both on my three required winding stems, which when put into perspective with the pivot gauges was smooth. I also coordinated with Henrik on a pivot exercise which helped a lot with experimenting with the piece and expanding and decreasing stress for the exam.
In conclusion this week wasn’t easy but it was necessary, intense and consistent for the course and the fundamentals.


Michael
Origin : Malaysia
Age : 28
Watchmaking class : 2 years Fullskill Program
Current Mood: Learned the Jig Boring machine. A very VERY accurate machine. Did more file modification. Probably will get some sexy callus on my finger tips soon. Please no. Looking forward to next week. 


Alex
Origin : Kaohsiung, Taiwan 
Age : 27
Watchmaking : 2Y Fullskill Program
Current mood: It's been a rather exhausting week. That one day off isn't sufficient against a week of rainy weather. And to think it will continue till next week..... I hope the sun is up from time to time at least.


STEP 1: JIG-BORING! (MICHAEL)
Setting up the stock material.

Drilling/milling flat ended blind holes.

Inspecting with the microscope.

Drilling/milling, scribing and centering exercise. 





HENRIK's WORDS:


The weather got suddenly very cold and rainy, feeling like November! Other than that, this week continued with practice exams for the hairsprings and pivot gauges, getting now closer to the real one and hopefully everyone will be ready soon. Its a bit of a repetitive kind of week, which is fine ones in a while. Michael learn a new machine this week, as I introduced him to the Jig-boring machine, which can simply be described as a really precise drilling machine. Ones he learns the basics he will be able to for example drill all the locating pin holes, jewel and screw holes in a mainplate extremely accurately positioned, among an unlimited number of other uses in watchmaking, prototyping and restoration.  Have a great weekend everyone!