Ok I went to the Chapter 6 NAWCC quarterly meeting here for my first time to be greeted warmly. I arrived a bit early and was anticipating helping to set up but everything was ready kudos to President Ray and members. I was educated on French clocks, new tools, old clocks, methods, and too many other things to list, thank you Chapter 6. So I left with more books and movements from the meeting and stopped by a members home that I was invited to to buy some needed parts for a ST A103 movement I destroyed learning on. Norm gave me the whole movement for free and said learn. I asked how long he was working on clocks he said since he was 14. Over 60 years. Wow I felt exhilarated that I was learning from such a kind and knowledgeable horologist. I explained my inability to buy everything I thought I needed and he explained techniques he’s learned when tools were not available to him either. I was elated to have the honor of seeing a real working American repair shop with with clock antiques dating into the 1800s on repair stands he was working on. I felt really appreciatively grateful to be able to ask so many repair questions of a seasoned pro. I found out about clock face restorations by artists and a plethora of interesting repair ideas and methodology that I am now using in my new shop of horrors 
Did it change my thoughts about clock repair? Yes? Am I better for the opportunity to have been around such wonderfully helpful repair persons? Immensely ! My thanks and gratitude to this chapter is unmeasurable to people who just had another meeting that was normal to them. To those of you who take time to introduce people like me I am grateful. To those of you who aren’t going to the meeting locally possibly you should because there are seated in that meeting people who love this occupation and are eager to share the knowledge and help the novice also like myself and each other.
So off the soapbox on to the rebuild, I am successful at reassembling the 3 trains and all is moving freely now, only two days to learn what I read and was told and shown. My challenge now is learning the assembly of the timing of the mechanical parts assembly. if You would, can you suggest where I can get a picture of the a430 front for placement, did not know about the taking pictures when dissembling my first movement, and timing the movement parts when reassembling. I don’t know where lever lever goes second picture or spring in picture 3. Does assembly look ok so far?
thanks
James
Did it change my thoughts about clock repair? Yes? Am I better for the opportunity to have been around such wonderfully helpful repair persons? Immensely ! My thanks and gratitude to this chapter is unmeasurable to people who just had another meeting that was normal to them. To those of you who take time to introduce people like me I am grateful. To those of you who aren’t going to the meeting locally possibly you should because there are seated in that meeting people who love this occupation and are eager to share the knowledge and help the novice also like myself and each other.
So off the soapbox on to the rebuild, I am successful at reassembling the 3 trains and all is moving freely now, only two days to learn what I read and was told and shown. My challenge now is learning the assembly of the timing of the mechanical parts assembly. if You would, can you suggest where I can get a picture of the a430 front for placement, did not know about the taking pictures when dissembling my first movement, and timing the movement parts when reassembling. I don’t know where lever lever goes second picture or spring in picture 3. Does assembly look ok so far?
thanks
James
