JIG BORER!

 WEEK 156

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood: 

                 School Blog-April 1st, 2022

As per usual, the technicians have been very busy. We continue to work on our escapements, making incredibly small adjustments in order to achieve maximize performance. The most recent exercise starts with the balance, on which we are to adjust the maximum vertical movement (endshake) to 0.02-0.03 mm! Then it’s on to adjusting the guard pin on the pallet fork to align properly with the roller table on the balance. Next, we align the pallet jewels to meet ideally with the escape wheel teeth and THEN we adjust the end shakes of both the pallet fork and the escape wheel. If this sounds hard, it is!

Two more steps to go: We adjust the guard pin on the pallet fork so there is equal lateral movement of the pallet fork on the tick and the tock. And the last step is to make micro adjustments to the pallet fork jewels so that their interaction with the escape wheel allows a smoothly running, efficient watch. It goes without saying that we assure that our movements are extremely clean and that all screws are tightened with the right torque before our job is done. It’s all a beautiful jigsaw puzzle.

Side note: A sure sign that the apocalypse has arrived is when tens of thousands of people in Europe and Asia stand in line for up to eight hours (sometimes much more) to purchase a $250 plastic watch. Enough said.

David

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: 

This week, (28 March - 1 April) Tetsu and Dean continued working on making their tools.  Tetsu worked on checking the details of his brass anvil, poising plate.

Dean finished the basic dimensions of his poising plate and cut the threads for what will become the square screws for it.

Henrik introduced Tetsu and Dean to the jig borer, which provided Dean an opportunity to drill holes for two of the feet on his polishing tripod in addition to boring the hole which will hold the pin vice.  

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: n/a

STEP 1: JIG BORER! (DEAN & TETSU)

Dean and Tetsu got introduced to the jig borer, Dean trying out drilling with it!

STEP 2: WINDING STEMS! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco was busy practicing for the upcoming winding stem exam

STEP 3: ROLLER JEWEL (RENATO)

Renato got his modified roller jewel attached to the roller, he left a small radius of visible shellac at the bottom edge as extra support. 

STEP 4: BOOKS! (KHWCC LIBRARY)

This is an interesting book if interested in Houriet, very detailed into the movements even!

STEP 5: SNOW! (EVERYONE)

First of April snow!

HENRIK's WORDS:

 We got snow again! and it will keep snowing over the weekend according to the forecast! Dean and Tetsu got introduced to the jig boring machine, Dean used his tripod base to learn to spot the precise location of the holes he needs to drill but also how to set up the boring head to increase a precisely located pilot hole to a very exact diameter in order to fit his pinvice without play in the tripod base. The technicians had two escapement practice exams! Renato finalized his roller jewel and fitted it to the roller and secured it with some shellac, since he now finished the roller he could add the final dimensions to his balance staff design. David also got introduced to something new; how to turn blue steel between fixed centres and also how to burnish pivots with the Jacot tool! The students are now going to visit the Masters of Horology with Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants show in Geneva! Have a great weekend everyone!