WEEK 149
Origin: Thailand & USA,
Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani
Watchmaking class: Technician
Current mood:
The technicians had another busy week of learning and working on their 7 movements. This week we focused on barrel service as well as checking for and correcting the flatness of wheels. Lots of tedious work, but very rewarding! To finish the week off, all the technicians worked on making a conical post for their balance bridge holders and got a demonstration on how to remove/replace/adjust friction fit jewels in main plates and bridges.
Have a great week!
-Leilani
Team B
Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada
Name: Tetsu & Dean
Watchmaking class: Fullskill
Current mood:
What was new for us this week, (07~11 February)?
Dean & Tetsu learnt a new technique, “hand graving” on the Schaublin 70 lathe from Henrik. Instead of using a graver in a holder fixed on an x-y compound table, which give us 1/100 mm precise measurement and smooth motion, now we are cutting a material with a hand graver totally controlled by ourselves!
We both tried it, which seemed to be a very simple thing to do, but the reality was …
Again, this was an “if it is easy, anybody can do it” task and very important to master the skill for us to become a watchmaker.He also gave us a refresh lesson of the famous “10-way adjustable” grinding machine, complicated but very useful. We will need a few more lessons before operating it on our own.
After spending a month at the school, we start to realize that we are slowly getting used to the tools and the machines. There are still a bit of hit & miss and some mishaps but we feel more comfortable and are building up confidence in ourselves.
Preparation, practice and patience…P.S.; Dean has an Instagram account exclusively for his school activities. If you want to check it out, his handle is @watchmaking__student. We wish you all a great weekend!
Dean & Tetsu
Team C
Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA
Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert
Watchmaking class: Fullskill
Current mood:
Continued making pivot gauges. Plenty of experimenting around the burnishing, especially dome burr removal, but also the whole process and getting plenty of routine in using the Jacot tool. Made a good looking 0.11mm gauge at the end of this week. Many more to follow :)
-Renato
Hi everybody, this week I finished the exercise pieces for the winding stem. I practiced my hand-turning skills by making female and male cones, I used radius gauges to verify my pivots and dome-ended 1/1.5/2 mm shafts.
Then I started a new project last week, I’m making a special tripod for square pin-vises.
Now I’m finishing it, next week you’ll see the result.
Have a great weekend,
Francesco.
STEP 1: TRUEING! (TECHNICIANS)
STEP 2: HERRLI! (FULLSKILL)
STEP 3: PIVOT GAUGE! (RENATO)
STEP 4: BARRELS! (TECHNICIANS)
The technicians also learn to check the efficiency of the automatic mainspring, Leilani attaching here a special pinvice to hold the arbour of the barrel before checking the efficiency!
STEP 5: SNOW! (EVERYONE)
STEP 6: TURNING! (TECHNICIANS)
HENRIK's WORDS:
Le Locle has been calm this week we only got very little snow. Renato Finished his first pivot gauge at 0.11 mm diameter which was very nice to see! The technicians learn how to inspect wheels and pinions for damage and finally true the good ones in the flat, they also got introduced how to deal with the jewelled bearings that watch pinion pivots and other parts are running in. David finished making the winding stem for his Omega prototype movement. Asmund started to turn brass with the 8 mm lathe for the first time by hand and Tetsu and Dean also tried out spotting the centre on brass by hand! The week was very creative and extremely fast! have a great weekend everyone!
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