Friday, December 18, 2020

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 WEEK 89

Happy Holidays!

Soon holiday! Had a really fun week as we ended the week with black-polishing! Willy and Michael also had their gear-train exams. We also had our end of year big cleaning, and everyone helped out, thank you! The school feels like new now and it will be so nice and refreshing to get back again! Thank you everyone for all the nice holiday wishes, we wish all of our readers the same! Enjoy the holidays, Christmas and new year and see you ones again in January.




Friday, December 11, 2020

ALMOST THERE!

 WEEK 88


Willy, Yuriy, Alex, Michael
Origin : Singapore, Canada, Taiwan, Malaysia 
Age: n. a.
Watchmaking class: Technician & Fullskill 
Current mood: Week of wonder (According to Willy). Markus baked brownies and made pizza. Alex and Yuriy did their real Gear Train exam. Willy and I will be doing it next week. Have not been feeling well myself and did a few trial exams as well. Looking forward to Christmas!


Pierre Aubert
Origin :Toulouse, France.
Age : 24
Watchmaking class: Fullskill
Current mood: Modifying the 6498’s crown wheel and making a cupping wheel for it! I first turned the step for the crown wheel following last week’s design. Next I turned the cupping wheel with its step higher than the crown wheel’s in order to allow some endshake. Before drilling and tapping the hole for the cupping wheel, I did some lapping with the crown wheel. I did that on the lathe with some tetrabore.
I then drilled the cupping wheel on the jigborer and tapped it.
Last but not least I hardened the cupping wheel and tempered it. Because of hardening, the endshake is gone and I will have to clean the piece and lap it again for smooth functioning. But that did not prevent me from checking how it would look :)! And also see how’s the hidden screw looking from under the bridge! Voilà for this week! Lots of work and I am very much looking forward to resting this weekend. See you next week everyone!


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: 
This week I continued with the hairspring module tackling each new part and the theory.
So far this module has been both challenging and rewarding hitting a wall occasionally but being able to move forward thanks to previous experiences That have pushed me.


STEP 1: MICROMECHANICS! (TECHNICIAN)
Willy making a brass hammer.
Head to be modified later.

Michael made wooden stands for tools and Horia anvils in brass.

Alex working on a special screw for one of his tools, this will be the outer brass part and below is the inner stainless steel part.



Turned, drilled and milled in the lathe.

STEP 2: VIBRATING/COUNTING! (MARKUS)
Markus vibrating one of his oscillators.


STEP 3: SCHOOL WATCH! (PIERRE)
Pierre working on his crown wheel.










HENRIK's WORDS:

Can’t believe we only have one more week left before holidays! This week turned out to be rather creative, the technician course students who finished the barrel and gear exam went back to do all kinds of creative micromechanical work, the Aciera F1, Lathes, Jig borer etc. were all in great use. Markus learned how to vibrate hairsprings as well as lining up inner (collet) and outer pinning points (regulating point) called the 2nd pinning. Pierre was working on his school watch with the crown wheel modification doing good progress, Indeed a nice week! Have a great weekend everyone! 

Friday, December 4, 2020

SNOW!

 WEEK 87



Willy, Yuriy, Alex, Michael
Origin : Singapore, Canada, Taiwan, Malaysia 
Age: n. a.
Watchmaking class: Technician & Fullskill 
Current mood: Winter has come, and during the cold are our first 2 trial exams. As to all exams, the first one is always a bit difficult. It is one thing to complete each task separately and quite another when you have to complete all of them within a certain time frame. Prioritizing is crucial, same with working for a real client. The exam is designed in a way that it is a reflection of the real world, which is amazing in me opinion. Anyway, e all improved a lot for our second trial, so that's great. Some of us will for sure take the real exam next week so fingers crossed. Calling it a day here. Winter has come!!!


Pierre Aubert
Origin :Toulouse, France.
Age : 24
Watchmaking class: Fullskill
Current mood: More time on the barrel bridge! I’ve prepared the bridge to receive a special cupping wheel for the crown wheel. The crown wheel will only consist of an outer ring with teeth, while it will be held in the middle by a cupping wheel with a central pin + a screw. Now the difference is that I’ve decided to hide this screw :)
In that regard I have drilled the hole required for the screw in the bridge and tapped it!
PS the middle section will rest on the bridge and have a second step slightly higher than the crown wheel in order to give it some endshake!
But for now it’s time to go home and rest! See you next week everyone!


Name: Markus McDonald.
Origin: Stockholm, Sweden. 
Course: 2 years full skill course.
Current mode: 
This week I continued with the hairspring module, Focusing on moving down the list of the various tasks and operation checks for the hairspring. The hairspring section has been one of the most intricate subjects I have tackled so far as even though their isn’t much to it in terms of material and inventory. It is one of the most complicated with many tools necessary for checks with an intricate theory built on contradictory rules and fundamentals that are very straightforward but since one step might have complete different rules to another it takes practice and patience.
In conclusion this module is one of the most intricate really distinguishing watching as a classic art.


STEP 1: SCHOOL WATCH! (PIERRE)
Drawing of the modifications to the original 6498 crown wheel. He wanted to have the crown wheel in a more pure style without the screw visible, that's why he decided to modify it and hide the screw so he can later make some nice finish in the center such as black polishing or matt finish or any other cool looking finish on steel.
Searching for a suitable screw.
Found one!
Making some modifications to the bridge as it will be fastened under so its not visible.
Tapping the screw hole.


STEP 2: TOOL MAKING! (ALEX)
Alex decided to finish some unfinished business as a relaxation in between the trial exams, here is his artistic style pointed nose vice in its raw state, will need some more machining.

Locating point made, time to drill!
Final hole drilled.
Tapping!
Trying out the function of the threaded screw holes with Michael's trial screws.



STEP 3: DIAL FEETS! (YURIY)
Thank you Yuriy! We will certainly find use of these in some future projects!




STEP 4: PROBLEM FOUND! (YURIY)
In a previous post 
http://khwcc.blogspot.com/2020/11/transmission-legacy.html we mentioned the reverse umbrella wheel that Yuriy found on one of his Zodiac watches, and we were wondering why this is the case before bending it flat, and now when he learn the jeweling he knows why! it was to compensate for the mainplate jewel being too low so the wheel was bent up to get clearance, otherwise with the lowered jewel this wheel would touch and stop the wheel, now with this new knowledge he can in the correct way solve this problem by first raising the jewel in the mainplate so its ones again correctly divided and then make the wheel flat again, knowledge is power!



STEP 5: SNOW! (ALL)
Its so much better with snow as it brings more light and everything looks amazing!



HENRIK's WORDS:

Great amount of snow arrived this week! Very beautiful! and we may get plenty more over the weekend! The technicians did some practice exams for the barrel and geartrain course this week and the trend is excellent! In between the trials they did some micromechanics and tool making. Markus started to pin up hairsprings to the collet and practiced restoring old hairsprings that were out of shape. Yuriy donated a dial feet assortment to the school, which we will first use to practice with on some old broken scrap dials next year, thank you Yuriy!! Pierre is going strong with his school watch. All in all, a very interesting, intense but also productive and fun week. Have a great weekend everyone!