PROJECTS!

 WEEK 137

Michael

Origin : Malaysia 

Watchmaking class: Technician & Fullskill 

Current mood: Another busy week drawing up the escapement. Did some calculations on the Gear ratio and draft up the available space for the tourbillon cage and start putting the correct measurements to draw the mixed or semi-equidistant escapement. Really enjoy the process and drawing the escapement really helped to understand it even better in my opinion. Have a great weekend everyone! 

Renato & David

Origin: Zug, Zürich, Switzerland

Watchmaking class: Fullskill

Current mood: This week I worked on finishing my tools. I was able to complete my polishing tripod. Still working on completing my brass anvil. I need to file a triangular hole with sharp corners. David

Had to decide on the thread side design of the new stem for the movement I am restoring. So I went with a massive thread and since I have no crown for that movement, I thought I'd make one. Also, I decided on a display case design with 4mm thickness. So I made the crown accordingly from brass by turning and milling in the lathe. Came out cool. A bit modern but OK. Afterwards I rhodium plated it for protection. Besides that I finished the actual steel winding stem as I now had the final dimensions. Friday I started on the Maltese cross design for the same movement and read up on the topic. Nice task for next week! Renato

Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Origin: Italy, Norway, USA

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: Hello everyone, this week I used a lot of time on the Shaublin 70 to turn some screw heads for the polishing tripod. I tried to get a nice pattern on the surface, you will see them next week on the blog photos.

Then I finished the flanks with the straight graining and the flat surface with frosting.

Now I’ve just started to hand-file the triangular hole on the brass anvil.

Next week will be really busy because I will start my first restoration project for a real client!

It’s going to be a tricky challenge. Stay tuned!

If you want to see my progress with tools and future projects, follow me on Instagram: @fb_watchmaking 

See you next weekend,

Francesco.

Not a lot to say, working on a sharp internal corner for a tool, and projects using finishing techniques: Polishing, frosting, and testing Geneva stripes.

Robert

STEP 1:  POCKET WATCH RESTORATION! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco got an interesting restoration project all the way from an important client in Iceland!

The beautiful Zenith movement came back home visiting her birth place after so many decades gone by! 

STEP 2:  MILLING & TURNING! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco milling parts for his tools!

STEP 3:  MACHINING! (RENATO)

Renato made a cool looking crown for one of his many projects!

STEP 4:  BOOKS! (ROBERT)

Robert got these gold and silver stamps book to do some research on his pocket watches!

STEP 5:  PART MAKING! (RENATO)

Renato also completed his winding stem now in steel, brass prototype to the right and the steel one for his pocket watch on the left!

STEP 6:  MALTESE CROSS! (RENATO)

As the Maltese cross of one of his pocket watch barrel mainspring stop works was missing he has to make a new one, here he is checking the centre distance with the episcope in the profile projector to be able to make the necessary calculations to design a new one.

First concept!

STEP 7:  TOOLS! (ROBERT)

Polishing countersinks!

Experiment placing the Geneva stripes in a sunray pattern!

Robert practicing filing a narrow sharp corner.

HENRIK's WORDS:

Another very busy week! So much going on this week, Francesco was turning and milling some parts for his tools in the Schaublin lathe and in the same time Asmund was also milling his brass anvil but in the Aciera F1 milling machine, Renato completed his winding stem and setting lever and made a crown that he will use for a display case he will later make. Michael continued drawing another type of Swiss lever escapement, last week he draw the equidistant locking type and this week he draw the semi equidistant pallet type. Very creative week! Have a great weekend everyone!