SUMMER HOLIDAY!

  WEEK 171

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

Having completed the Balance and Hairspring course, the technicians are now studying the Chronograph-defined as “a portable timekeeper that measures intervals of time or elapsed time, as well as recording the current time". In other words, it’s a stopwatch that tells time. We have been working on both column wheel and cam-based chronographs and our vocabulary has now expanded considerably with words such as minute jumper, hammer spring, heart cam, chronograph runner, coupling clutch and blocking lever to name just a few.

We have been adjusting the chronographs for proper depth of contact between adjacent wheels as well as precise minute changes.

These movements are quite complicated but we are beginning to understand their functions and how to service them effectively. It’s all one big interesting, perplexing and ultimately satisfying jigsaw puzzle!

David

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (11~15 July) Dean & Tetsu were facing their final tasks before going into the 3-week-summer break. Going through the process of gaining hand turning experience with the 8 mm lathe, hand filing square section out of cylindrical brass was the next one to tackle. 

There were 6 pieces in 5 different sizes; the 1st one was free hand filing by using a pin vise and slotted wooden support block to feel and understand what it would be like.

From the 2nd to 6th, starting from 2.20 mm square down to 0.75 mm, they still filed by hand but on the lathe with 4 locked positions (separated by 90° each to achieve 4 flat faces) and the help from a roller rest. It was in a way easier (or less difficult), it required our highest concentration nevertheless.

The reality is that the smallest size (0.75 mm) they achieved was just good enough for some pocket watch winding stems and way bigger compared to ones for wrist watches. Also the material will be steel.

So, keep pushing guys!

Having finished their final work in time, they spent a day to do an intensive cleaning of the whole school.

See you in 3 weeks.

We wish you all a wonderful summer break!

Dean & Tetsu

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood: n/a

STEP 1: TOOLS! (ÅSMUND)

Very nice look for this tool!

STEP 2: COFFEE! (TETSU)

As some of us have our own ways of making coffee, probably Tetsu has the most special way!

STEP 3: TIMING! (TECHNICIANS)

The timing is getting really good with the technicians, this one came from A!

STEP 4: TOOLS! (ROBERT)

This work in progress was spotted this week, its something Robert is working on, will be interesting to see where it will go!

STEP 5: HAND FILING! (TETSU & DEAN)

Free hand filing as a challenge!

Filing with a roller support in the lathe, much easier!

This first one Tetsu filed free hand without the lathe and roller support, not bad!

HENRIK's WORDS:

The temperature this week has steadily gone up and it really feels like summer now! Renato and David from the Fullskill course completed a lot of their barrel and gear train wheel exercises and will finalize them after the break, Robert was working on some very interesting part for one of his tools, looking very much forward to see how it all comes out! Tetsu and Dean practiced filing squares by hand on a wood block as support completely free hand and after with the guidance of the roller rest in the lathe. The technicians learned a lot about chronographs, Asmund completed some more tools and black rhodium plated his pointed nose vice, it came out looking really nice! Francesco completed some of his old tools as well. The week ended with the school inventory and the big summer cleaning, school feels like new now! Very enjoyable week and fun!! Will be so great to come back to a fresh school again! Enjoy the summer everyone and see you in 3 weeks!

ALMOST HOLIDAY!

 WEEK 170

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

Finally, we have done the hair spring exam. We learn so many things until now. The course will be finish soon and we have the last two exam left which is Theory and Final exam. Now we have to make many repair pieces to practice for a certain number of watches. Then, we will be allowed to take the Final exam. Everyone is working hard as usually and We have our own goal to be done.


A Verachai

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (4-8 July) was Tetsu’s and Dean’s introduction to high speed steel (HSS) graver sharpening and 8 mm lathe work for hand turning.  To familiarize themselves with the gravers and lathes, they worked on some brass hand-turning exercises.  The development of these foundational skills will lend themselves to their ability to hand turn parts.

Henrik also introduced Tetsu and Dean to winding stems.  For practice, they turned some 3 mm diameter brass pieces in preparation to file the square portions.  There are several steps to making a winding stem; the filing of the square is particularly important as it is easy to file it off centre and/or in rectangular shape.  Learning this skill will be invaluable during work on vintage pieces where stems are no longer available for purchase on the open market.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This was the week I finished all the machining on the 2 halves of the pointed-nose vice. As with other projects, there is some autonomy in how projects can be completed. I could be done with the total project of the pointed-nose vice, but shortening 2 common allen-head screws would not give me a tool I would want to look at. So...now I just need to machine 2 heads out of brass to install on threaded rods for tightening the 2 vice halves together, put some plating on all the parts, and that project is checked off.

In addition to that work, Henrik started instructions for Åsmund and I on pivot work. Never a dull moment here!

Weather has been absolutely gorgeous all week, well, Monday had a little moisture, but all other days have been very mild. We might have broken 21°C on a day or two, sun shining, birds singing, the bells of "Spot" the cow and his companions sounding in the field next to us...an idyllic Swiss week. (Especially when a project watch I ordered showed up, a thin automatic Buren micro-rotor with date...the date does not advance, the rotor rubbing on the caseback...project watch.)

Robert

STEP 1: TOOLS! (ROBERT)

Robert busy working on his pointed nose vice!

STEP 2: HAND TURNING! (TETSU & DEAN)

Tetsu and Dean practicing turning different shapes such as male cones, female cones to learn to spot the centre, conical pivots and straight pivots.

STEP 3: WATCHES! (LEILANI)

Leilani will soon service this cool looking watch!

STEP 4: CUSTOM TOOLS! (DEAN)

Dean made these tools to be able to extract worn out ball bearings for the ETA 2824 oscillating weight. 

STEP 5: BLUE STEEL TURNING! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund practicing turning blue steel by hand between centres with HSS gravers, the finish is slowly getting smoother and smoother!

HENRIK's WORDS:

The weather in Le Locle got nice and sunny and luckily not too hot! The week was very fast due to that soon we go on summer holiday and the students want to finish as much of their exercises as possible. The technicians finished their exam and now try to finish the last balance and hairspring related exercises and also working on repairing complete watches. Dean and Tetsu completed some brass hand turning exercises and next they will practice how to file squares which is related to the later making of winding stems. David and Renato worked on the barrel and mainspring exercise and will also soon start to work on gear train wheels. Robert almost finished his pointed nose vice and Francesco had his pivot gauge exam as well. It was a very nice and also productive week! have a great weekend everyone!

VISITOR!

 WEEK 169

Team A

Origin: Thailand & USA, 

Name: A, Kate, David & Leilani

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

This week the technicians are back at their benches preparing for the hairspring and timing exam. The week has been full of ups and downs as we work through servicing movements for repair points and trial exams. We have all improved our skills through the trial exam process and a lot of progress has been made to complete the exam in a timely manner. Next week we will be finishing up the timing and hairspring unit and taking the real exam! 

Have a great weekend.

-Lani

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (27 June~01 July) Dean & Tetsu had a bit of exciting week after having finished all their mandatory tools. On top of working on some small projects, such as cleaning, refurbishing and restoring old tools they obtained in the last few months, they finally had an introduction of “8mm lathe”.

So before going into the lathe work, the first thing to do is preparation of the gravers for hand graving, that will be the basic skill for what we are going to do from now on.

About their other projects; 

Dean was on a series of escapement meters, which seemed like 40-50 years old.

One was still in a good condition and he took apart, cleaned and reassembled. It is ready to go!

The other 2 were a bit more tricky. He decided to have one of them as a donor for the other and has been tackling with them.

Amazing job it is.

Tetsu was checking and light cleaning some measuring tools. He quickly made a small piece to have them easier to operate.

He also found a bit of time, making another version of pallet fork platform, which does not contain a spring but a block coming down & going up to hold & release a pallet fork. There would be small tweaks needed but it functions OK.

It was a less stressful week but a productive one and they are ready for a weekend.

It is amazing to realize that 6 months have already gone. We feel it like a few weeks.

Hope you all have a nice one, too.

Dean & Tetsu

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Finished the disassembly/cleaning/lubrication/reassembly of the winding/setting mechanism on the seven different movements we work on. Not very intuitively, how those industrial movements are constructed. Cost reduction is key there, it seems. After that, David and I had the barrel/mainspring maintenance introduction. Have to make a tool for that and start practicing next week. Also got some special parts to finish my custom design pallet fork holder. Looks pretty good and seems to work fine with its combined screw/pre-tension/push action. Looking forward to next week!

-Renato

Finished all winding stem assignments, these skills will come in handy later on for a couple of watches: a column-wheel Landeron 39 chronograph that is missing a winding stem, and a quarter-repeater chronograph that has, of all things, a lift-out winding stem. (Might be a sign of additional problems, could be interesting.)

Finished out the week by working on a jig to hold a project in a lathe for turning.

Looking forward to our shopping spree for tooling and parts at Herrli's in Biel tomorrow. The forecast for Biel is a warm, sunny 27°C/80°F, looking forward to it!

Robert

STEP 1: VISIT! (EVERYONE)

We had the luck of having Brad visit us as he was passing by, so great to see Brad again after so many years!!

STEP 2: GOLAY MICRO QUARTZ!! (FOR KHWCC)

Quartz watch with mechanical detached escapement!

Also with balance and hairspring!

Thank you so much for the donation Renato! This will be used as a demonstrational historical model in the quartz course!

STEP 3: TOOLS! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund finished one of his pointed nose hand vice jaws with really nice finish!

STEP 4: WATCHES! (LEILANI)

Leilani got these two beauties for later overhauling!

STEP 5: TOOLS! (TETSU)

Tetsu decided to make another design of the pallet fork support tool, both looks really cool! 

STEP 6: TOOLS! (RENATO)

Renato machining a screw for his pallet fork support tool!

Rhodium plating some of the parts!

After Rhodium plating!

Renato decided to finalize his pallet fork support tool!

Very cool design!

STEP 7: BARREL AND MAINSPRINGS! (DAVID & RENATO)

Renato and David got introduced to barrels and mainsprings of antique, vintage and modern watches!

STEP 8: TRUING! (DAVID & RENATO)

Renato and David also got introduced to truing wheels in the flat! 

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

The temperature dropped down and we got hail and rain this week! We were very lucky to have Brad swing by the school, he was in the very first group of students who graduated, and now he got his own watch brand and is doing really well for himself and already even working on his second series which looks amazing!! here you can find some more information; https://www.bradleytaylor.ca/  and  https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-canadian-independent-watchmaker-bradley-taylor-lutria-new-model-specs-price/   and his Instagram;   https://www.instagram.com/bradleytaylor.ca/?hl=en    This week was also another creative one, Renato and David got introduced to the barrel with mainspring and the gear train of the watch, the technicians continued with balance and hairspring work and had another two practice exams as next week will be the real one! Francesco and Asmund continued with pivot gauges It was a very busy but great week especially to see Brad after so many years! have a great weekend everyone!