ENDING AND BEGINNING!

WEEK 183

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (3-7 October) Tetsu and Dean completed their winding stem exams.  These were eight-hour exams where they were to hand-turn a winding stem to a set of specific dimensions, cut threads, harden them, which was checked by Henrik, temper them, which was also checked by Henrik, then cut the yoke slot before finishing the surface of the stem.

Suffice to say Tetsu and Dean are relieved and ready for the next component of the micro mechanics program: Pivot gauges.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Hello once again everyone, 

This week went through pretty fast. Spent some time finding a proper way to polish the balance staff on both sides, since once you have done one side you need a good strategy on holding it on the other end, without scratching the black polishing. After making a jig, using shellac and borrow a heating gun, I found a proper way to hold it and making it centered in the lathe. The other way was pretty easy using a collet on the balance seat. It turned out pretty good and I were satisfied, I learned a lot of new techniques and ways of doing it, so the future one will be better and faster! Furthermore I made several handy manipulation tools and useful everyday stuff for the technician course. - check out the picture section to see the results for the balance staff. 

Francesco is still continuing on the school project, made a holder for the lights on his microscope and some handy tools for the technician course. He also started the new assignments on the technician course. Check out the tools and holder in the picture section! 

Robert made more progress on the pivot gauges and handed in more of them and started on the Incablock assignment for the technician course. 

Have a great weekend! 

-Åsmund

STEP 1: TOOLS! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund finished a couple of old tools from his first year!

STEP 2: BALANCE STAFF! (ÅSMUND)

Asmund lathe setup with microscope for polishing his balance staff!

Polishing the large bevel!

After the polishing!

STEP 3: ESCAPEMENTS! (RENATO & DAVID)

Renato and David had a look at different old escapements and how different they were compared to the new Swiss lever escapements used mostly today.

STEP 4: WATCHES! (DEAN)

Dean submitted a watch for registration in the repair system, for this one he will make a winding stem as an exercise to learn to design a new winding stem for watches where it would be missing one, that is great for his future as it gets harder and harder to obtain spare parts for watches already these days!

STEP 5: SMALL HAND TOOLS! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco made these nice hand tools for the technician course!

STEP 6: LATHE CLEANING! (DEAN & TETSU)

Dean and Tetsu's lathe's got spa treatment after the winding stem work!

Checking spindle play after cleaning, lubing, re-assembling and adjusting!

STEP 7: MICROSCOPE LAMP HOLDER! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco made his own articulating lamp holders for his private microscope!

HENRIK's WORDS:

We finally got a very nice week, it got much warmer, up to 18°C and sunshine the whole week! Dean and Tetsu finished the winding stem course and ended the week with overhauling their lathes! Renato found one of his mainplates had a stripped thread and made a threaded friction fit bushing for it! Francesco continued on his school watch project and also practiced cleaning and lubricating shock absorbers, Robert pressed on with his pivot gauges and got 2 more completed! Renato and David learn the horn and guard pin clearance as well as shifting the pallets to have a safe and high performing Swiss lever escapement which they will practice more on next week. Also Francesco, Robert and Asmund got introduced to the technician course, we talked about movement assembly/disassembly techniques as well as lubrication of the winding and setting mechanism and practical hand tools that can be used etc. It was a very nice week! Lots of work but it was also fun! Have a great weekend everyone!