I am a hobbyist that usually works on wristwatches, and I am making my first attempt at cleaning and repairing a pocket watch.
I picked up a Lorraine pocketwatch at the recent NAWCC regional in San Diego. It has a Gallet 17 jewel, 3 adjustments movement that runs with very low amplitude. I am preparing to clean it and discovered that the head end of the regulator screw in the swan's neck regulator (i hope I have the lingo correct) is broken off. Amazingly the only other pocket watch I happen to have in my collection is an old beat up Gallet 17 jewel that was given to me by a relative. It has a mangled hairspring and probably some other problems, but it has an intact screw in its regulator. I would like to swap the regulator screw to the serviceable watch, but need advice as to how to remove the broken screw.
I am unable to grip it with my forceps with enough force to be able to turn the screw out. The gap where the screw is accessible is too small to get into with any of my pliers. I have sonicated it in heptane in the hopes that it may jiggle it's way out a bit, but it didn't move. The swans neck and the screw are both steel so alum is not a possibility. Does anyone have a trick to grip the screw in order to back it out of the hole?
Hopefully if I can get it out, the screw from the parts watch is the right size to replace the broken one.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ed Schweiger
I picked up a Lorraine pocketwatch at the recent NAWCC regional in San Diego. It has a Gallet 17 jewel, 3 adjustments movement that runs with very low amplitude. I am preparing to clean it and discovered that the head end of the regulator screw in the swan's neck regulator (i hope I have the lingo correct) is broken off. Amazingly the only other pocket watch I happen to have in my collection is an old beat up Gallet 17 jewel that was given to me by a relative. It has a mangled hairspring and probably some other problems, but it has an intact screw in its regulator. I would like to swap the regulator screw to the serviceable watch, but need advice as to how to remove the broken screw.
I am unable to grip it with my forceps with enough force to be able to turn the screw out. The gap where the screw is accessible is too small to get into with any of my pliers. I have sonicated it in heptane in the hopes that it may jiggle it's way out a bit, but it didn't move. The swans neck and the screw are both steel so alum is not a possibility. Does anyone have a trick to grip the screw in order to back it out of the hole?
Hopefully if I can get it out, the screw from the parts watch is the right size to replace the broken one.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ed Schweiger
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