Surprise Bazaar and New Lesson!

Week 4 

 

This week we had a nice surprise! Our friend Sabri stopped by for a surprise tool bazaar!

 

He had a nice selection of tools from tweezers, to escape meters, to mandrins.
 

 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop B

Students:
Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun

    This week Ivan, Louis and Varun learned how to make an hour wheel on the lathe. 

Here is Ivan using the gear cutter to make the teeth of the hour wheel.

Louis is parting off the finished hour wheel from the bar.

      

    This week Louis also passed his hour wheel exam!  

    This week Louis also repaired the holder attachment for the agathon.

The thread for the handle was stripped so he pressed in a brass bushing and then pressed in the threaded bar after turning down one end to fit the bushing.

Due to the size and tight fit of the bushing and the bar, we had to use our large press to push it in!

 

    This week Dunham made a graver holder and started making his pivot gauges.

GUEST STARRING

Workshop A

Students:
Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine

    This week Miguel finished restoring an old wheel flattening tool.

The tool was tarnished and was missing 2 of the reverse cones on one side as they had been cut off.

Miguel round polished the head of the main screw by hand.

Next he turned down a steel washer from 16mm to 14mm and from 1.5 mm thick to 0.4 mm thick. This goes between the two halves of the tool to reduce friction.

He used a small endmill and drill to re-make the holes for the steel reverse cones that hold the wheels.

Here is a close up of the new reverse cones made out of blue steel and friction fit into the new holes.

 

After polishing all of the brass parts, some of the stains and tarnished spots still remained.

Here is the finished tool. It now has 2 new steel inserts for the reverse cones to hold large wheels, a new washer, the whole tool was polished and plated, half in white rhodium, which was affected by some spotting from the remaining tarnish, and half in black rhodium. Finally the central screw was tempered to purple and 2 holes were drilled and tapped to prepare for future attachments.

Thank you for reading!

 

Hope to see you again next week!

Snail's place!

 

Week 3 

 

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

Workshop A

Students:
Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine

    This week, Daniel, David and Miguel started learning about escapements. They learned about the parts of the pallet fork and balance and the checks and safeties for each part. 

    They also learned how to do snailing on wheels.

Here is Daniel's 6498. He double snailed the wheels and made a polished groove to separate them.

Here is David's 6498. He also double snailed the ratchet wheel.

 

 

    This week David also made a square hole punch to make his graver holder.

 This week Miguel finished fixing the division and end shakes for his 7 movements. He also started repairing a damaged Heuer stopwatch.

Sizing and fitting a new crystal, as the orignal was missing.

The original winding stem. The thread is broken and the tip of the square is damaged. There is a burr formed which prevents it from being removed from the winding pinion.

 

GUEST STARRING

Workshop B

Students:
Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun 

    This week Amer finished servicing a Longines wristwatch with timing down to delta 7!

    This week Dunham finished his winding stems and started preparing to start making pivot gauges.

    This week Ivan continued working on a restoration project, making a barrel bridge for an old pocket watch.

Spotting the center and opening up the holes in the lathe.

Here is the bridge after opening up the holes.

    This week Louis also did the restoration of an old pocket watch. He made a new in-setting for a rubbed in jewel and a new balance staff.

The jewel sitting in side the brass rod for the in setting.

Using a custom graver to cut the material to rub in the jewel.

The finished and parted off in-setting.

 

The finished balance staff. Its smaller than a dime!

Here is a close up of the finished balance staff.

Thank you for reading! 

Hope to see you again next week!

Back To School!

 Week 02

 

Christmas break is over! Welcome back everyone!

At the end of last year we said goodbye to our newest alumni, Dean and Tetsu.

This year we're starting off with 2 new faces! Art from Kazakhstan and Nine from Thailand!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS


Workshop A&B
Students:
    Art, Daniel, David, Harold, Miguel, Nine
    Amer, Dunham, Faris, Ivan, Louis, Varun

    This week Art and Nine started learning how to file, and Michael taught them how to use the drill press to drill and tap holes.

Here Art is flattening the sides of his balance bridge holder base.

Nine is filing the male piece out of brass.

    This week, Daniel, David and Miguel continued their gear train lessons. David and Miguel both finished their practice and real exams for gear train and they both passed! Daniel is still preparing the gear train of his 7 movements to practice for the exam.

Here is Daniel's 7750 that he is preparing.

    This week Amer finished making the click for his Omega pocketwatch and finished servicing it.

The piece was made of one whole piece of steel and the vertical part that interacts with the crown wheel was bent upwards. The piece is not yet finished.

Here is the piece after finishing and installed in the watch again ready for use.

 

Thank you for reading!

Hope to see you again next week!