VISITORS!

 WEEK 199

Team A

Origin: Sweden, The Philippines & Taiwan

Name: Daniel, Miguel, & David

Watchmaking class: Fullskill

Current mood:

This week we focused on making our tools.

Daniel practiced using the milling machine and lathe milling attachment to make his pointed hand vice.

David used the milling machine to prepare his polishing tripod and his brass anvil.

And I focused on making my brass wheel truing guide, my steel angular rule and finishing the base of my balance bridge holder.

- Miguel

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, Henrik introduced Tetsu and Dean to gear train and jeweling.  This included making adjustments to the barrel to ensure negative end shake removed.  Also, the straightening of wheels was covered to ensure flatness and concentricity.  Jeweling was covered with how to use the Horia tool to remove, install, and adjust their heights.  In addition to this, wheel end shake, clearance, division, and side shake was introduced.  After the lesson, Tetsu and Dean applied what they learned to their seven school movements to then show their work to Henrik for review and corrections, if necessary.  It’s nice to be learning this skills while assembling and adjusting these movements.

Have a great weekend everyone!



Tetsu and Dean

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Hello everyone, this week has been really busy. 

I made a special pallet fork holder entirely machined made.

It was a really nice exercise that helped to keep my micro-mechanics skills current, I turned and milled in the lathe, bored in the jig-borer, milled the platform in the Aciera, drilled and tapped.

Then I finished it with straight-graining,

 frosting and plated it.

Then I kept on going with the technician program, this week I adjusted the division between the pallet fork and the escape wheel.

See you next week,

Francesco.

Team D

Origin: Finland

Name: Xinying

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood: n/a

STEP 1: TASTER COURSE! (LOUISE)

We also had Louise from New York taking the taster course!

STEP 2: PANCAKES! (EVERYONE)

As we had a lot of maple syrup from Dean we decided to have a Saturday pancake breakfast, delicious! 

STEP 3: GEARS! (DEAN & TETSU)

Dean and Tetsu learn to check the condition of gear train wheels and truing them in the flat!

STEP 4: WATCHES! (DEAN)

Dean got one of his watches apart!

STEP 5: TOOLS! (XIN)

As Xin is studying the escapement he got some vintage escapemeters!

STEP 6: TOOL MAKING! (DAVID, DANIEL & MIGUEL)

Miguel, David and Daniel continue working on their tools!

STEP 7: VISITORS! (JOE & NICK)

It was really a great highlight of the week to see Joe and Nick again after so many years!

STEP 8: TOOLS! (FRANCESCO)

Francesco made his fancy pallet fork holder for shellacing!

HENRIK's WORDS:

 

 

The temperature stabilized at around 0°C and no more snow fall, partially windy week though! Francesco, Asmund, Robert and Xin continued with the escapement course doing endshakes and divisions, Daniel, David and Miguel continued practicing machining! Renato and David L. learn the basics of timing and had a balance/hairspring & timing trial exam! Tetsu and Dean got introduced to the gear train of a mechanical watch! We also had Louise from New York doing the taster course which was nice! We also had the luck of having Joe and Nick from England visiting on Friday, Joe was part of the first graduating class and Nick works together with Joe and is taking the lapping and polishing class in WOSTEP it was really nice to see Joe and Nick again after so many years!! It was a super interesting week! Have a nice weekend everyone!

COLD!

 WEEK 198

Team A

Origin: Sweden, The Philippines & Taiwan

Name: Daniel, Miguel, & David

Watchmaking class: Fullskill

Current mood:

This week we learned how to use the milling attachment for the lathe, we used the milling machine to practice the brass anvil and make our polishing tripod.

Me and David made the balance bridge holder and Daniel started working on his pointed nose hand vise.

I also made a practice piece with the different divisions of the milling attachment on a single brass bar.

-Miguel

Team B

Origin: Japan/Switzerland & Canada

Name: Tetsu & Dean

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

This week, (16~20 January) Dean & Tetsu continued their current tasks: Disassembly, cleaning, oiling, and assembly of Incabloc settings, in addition to the winding & setting mechanisms of the mandatory seven movements.

Dean worked on refreshing his skills, which he gained from previous years, by applying what he learned in school so far to strengthen his abilities. He also registered some of his watches for repair points, and has already almost finished one of them.

It was a bit different for Tetsu as he has no previous experience. Everything he learns this year would be entirely new. He took his time to first get accustomed to handling tweezers and screwdrivers. Then, he tried to understand how to work on the watch components. It would not be easy at the beginning, but he needs to go through step by step. There will be no shortcuts for this one.

On Thursday, Henrik gave them a lecture, explaining the construction of different types of barrels and how to service those, and the guys have already started this new task.

No time to stop!

We wish you all a nice weekend! 

Dean & Tetsu

Team C

Origin: Switzerland, Norway & USA

Name: Renato, David, Francesco, Åsmund & Robert

Watchmaking class: Fullskill 

Current mood:

Overview: This week was an introduction to the pallet fork and balance wheel of the Swiss lever escapement. We worked on our school movements to find and correct any introduced faults on those new parts of our studies. (Pallet stones in reversed positions, the odd little things like that...)

In addition, we each worked on a different version of a tool that is used to hold a pallet fork on a heater so shellac could be applied to secure the pallet stones in the pallet.

Local news: It's hovering around 0°C day and night, the snow we got should last for 4 or 5 more days.

-Robert

David and I reached the final steps before the hairspring exam: studding up the hairspring on the balance bridge, forming the regulating curve and double bend, centering and flattening everything nicely in all directions. Very interesting to slowly get the feel for the hairspring manipulations and which tools to use for each operation. Next and last step before the exam will be the timing, beginning of next week. Also we'll start the practice exams then. Quite a demanding exam with very many process steps!

-Renato

Team D

Origin: Finland

Name: Xinying

Watchmaking class: Technician

Current mood:

This week I had some theory about divisions and endshakes from escapement wheel to balance. Spent most of the week practicing it in movements. Feeling that I am starting have more routine in doing things and feeling more comfortable with movements. Overall a nice week.

Xinying 

STEP 1: MACHINING! (DANIEL,DAVID & MIGUEL)

Lots of machine practice this week!

STEP 2: WATCHES! (DEAN)

Dean got some watches for overhaul!

STEP 3: REPAIR! (DEAN)

Dean found a broken balance staff, he will later replace it or make a new one!

Oscillating weight in need of new axle!

STEP 4: BARRELS! (TETSU & DEAN)

Tetsu and Dean started to practice restoration and service of mainspring barrels, here they are learning to inspect a barrel with damaged bearings that runs unflat!

STEP 5: BOOKS! (KHWCC LIBRARY)

Xin donated these books to the school library. Thank you Xin!

STEP 6: ARTICLE! (JACK @AWCI)

Thank you for featuring us in the Horological Times Jack!

HENRIK's WORDS:

It got really cold some days this week around -10°C with lots of additional snow fall, in the neighbouring town just 10 minutes away they got as low as -21°C! now on Friday it got a bit milder and its back at around 0°C! Francesco, Asmund, Robert and Xin continued with the escapement course doing endshakes and divisions, Daniel, David and Miguel continued practicing machining! Renato and David L. have reached the end of the hairspring course and will soon begin to practice for the exam! Tetsu and Dean got introduced to mainsprings and barrels, the energy accumulator of a mechanical watch! We also got featured in the Horological Times of AWCI, thank you Jack!! It was a really crisp and great week! Have a nice weekend everyone!