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Search results

  1. K

    Beginner cleaning solution question.

    Decent, friction fit jewels tolerate most things except for mechanical forces. They crack easily if subjected to point loads. I remember a member of this forum who sacrificed a scrap bridge as an experiment in order to settle a debate about thermal expansion of the surrounding metal if heated...
  2. K

    Glue type for watch dial

    Soldered dial feet have been the traditional way to do it. There are soldering machines for the purpose that apply heat extremely locally. But mostly: no, I wouldn’t attach a Seiko dial to an AS movement. Dials and movements are made to fit each other.
  3. K

    How to diagnose low amplitude

    The original wind. Not sure why it would be different after winding again? It normally takes a couple of hours of running for everything to “settle in” after lubrication but after that you should see no variation.
  4. K

    Glue type for watch dial

    I must say, the only term that comes to mind from your description is “bad practice”. Don’t glue dials to movements.
  5. K

    How to diagnose low amplitude

    Amplitude should be consistent for a given position over at least an hour. It will vary between the horizontal and vertical positions due to friction. But for a given position it should not fluctuate. If it does you likely have gear train issues (bent teeth, dirt in pinions etc.). An acceptable...
  6. K

    How to diagnose low amplitude

    Amplitude is probably the one thing that can have the most things affect it. Most common are probably dirty/poorly lubricated power train and set mainspring. Any wear or misalignment of gear meshes due to that wear will also reduce the efficiency of the transmission of power. Then there’s the...
  7. K

    how to change paint on hand?

    Probably get new hands that are silver to start with. If it’s golden it’s probably gilt. And the original omega hands that are “silver” will probably either be stainless steel that’s been polished or nickel plated. You will have a hard time getting a good finish on something as sensitive as...
  8. K

    Fusee pocket watches routine cleaning question

    What he said. More descriptive than my attempt. Thanks Graham!
  9. K

    Fusee pocket watches routine cleaning question

    Pre-tensioning the chain is another tedious task that sometimes requires a special tensioning block and key. It needs to be the right amount and engage with the stop lever at the correct height.
  10. K

    Beginner cleaning solution question.

    Was there any dirt matching those patterns before you started cleaning it? If so, it could be pitting from rust that was already there. The surfaces that are affected are comparatively large, steel surfaces so it makes sense that they would be affected by condensation. Did you dry with warm air?
  11. K

    Case remedy.

    That's the way I did it. The first couple of pictures on the soldering block is me removing the old tube.
  12. K

    Case remedy.

    The aforementioned process:
  13. K

    Case remedy.

    If there is a gap at the hinge I think it would be a safer bet that the hinge is simply worn. The method of adressing this is to desolder the existing hinge tubes, filing a fresh seat for a new tube once the lid has been adjusted to a proper fit again, making a new tube, soldering pieces in...
  14. K

    Looking for help fixing my ultrasonic cleaner

    Whoops, meant to edit my reply but I must have replied to it instead… My entry above contains what I meant to say.
  15. K

    Looking for help fixing my ultrasonic cleaner

    Saw a video of a guy who built his own US cleaner with multiple follow up videos. He also did a lot of strain tests of adherence of the transducers, as this was the most common mode of failure. Two takeaways from his video: Attaching the trancducers by a silver soldered stud was the most...
  16. K

    "Casing the place"

    Yes, sure does. That was part of the process, to create reference surfaces that could be used for machining. There is quite a lot of work involved in both machining and finishing of the case. Figuring out the correct angle for the snap case back was also challenging. Silver is very soft to...
  17. K

    "Casing the place"

    I tried to make a process for recreating worn out, plated cases by casting in sterling silver. I think this is viable for wristwatches but for PWs I think it would be less work to just turn rings. I can elaborate on my process if it’s sounds interesting. It does rely on you having a master...
  18. K

    Mystery clamps bits chucks accessories?

    I think he was saying that the radiused profiles look like they have rough surfaces. I agree, then look like they were stamped and then plated without any additional finishing in between.
  19. K

    Tangential tool holder

    I've been interested in one but I don't have one. How did you make yours? I see the set screw but how did you make the square? And is the set screw enough to hold the tool in place? I've seen some designs that have a clamp instead. This one in particular came to mind: The Diamond Tool Holder...

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Philadelphia Watch Case Co. by Kent