I set a jewel this morning ... successfully too

[justdigtickers]

At the risk of drawing the ire of those with formal education and training ... I tore down the 17 jewel Hampden last night and found the lower jewel on the 3rd wheel all but gone. There was a tiny sliver left and a big hole where the jewel used to be. It was really late, so I left it apart on the bench and "slept on it". Using stumps that I made on my drill press, I was able to remove the old jewel retainer and ream the hole (ever so slightly) to accept a jewel removed from a model 1883 Waltham that had a hole that favored the pivot on the pinion. It went quite well actually, but the hairspring in this watch is fouled up, binding against the balance wheel. That job is for another day. But once that is sorted out, this watch has no reason to not run.

It's actually amazing that the balance staff isn't wiped out. If you'd seen how this stuff was packed ... you'd know why I say it's "amazing". The movement was not in a case. It was simply tossed uncermoniously into a ziplock bag with everything else with nothing to offer it any protection, and shipped cross country. Somehow, the pivots on the staff weathered the storm.

I polished one of those filthy 18s cases and got the movement installed in it without any real problems. I have grown to really dislike those half headed case screws though. It was a "half headed" idea at best, concocted by somebody too lazy to turn the screw 3 or 4 more revolutions. I'll bet those screws are responsible for 80 percent of fractured dials from folks applying too much pressure to the dial in order to get the stupid screw started over the ridge of the case. I'm going to buy a bunch of real case screws and toss these in the trash routinely in the future.

JDT

[joeuk]

You seem to be very busy with all those PW. If only I had more time to do some work on watches.

[ec633]

At the risk of drawing the ire of those with formal education and training ... I tore down the 17 jewel Hampden last night and found the lower jewel on the 3rd wheel all but gone. There was a tiny sliver left and a big hole where the jewel used to be. It was really late, so I left it apart on the bench and "slept on it". Using stumps that I made on my drill press, I was able to remove the old jewel retainer and ream the hole (ever so slightly) to accept a jewel removed from a model 1883 Waltham that had a hole that favored the pivot on the pinion. It went quite well actually, but the hairspring in this watch is fouled up, binding against the balance wheel. That job is for another day. But once that is sorted out, this watch has no reason to not run.

It's actually amazing that the balance staff isn't wiped out. If you'd seen how this stuff was packed ... you'd know why I say it's "amazing". The movement was not in a case. It was simply tossed uncermoniously into a ziplock bag with everything else with nothing to offer it any protection, and shipped cross country. Somehow, the pivots on the staff weathered the storm.

I polished one of those filthy 18s cases and got the movement installed in it without any real problems. I have grown to really dislike those half headed case screws though. It was a "half headed" idea at best, concocted by somebody too lazy to turn the screw 3 or 4 more revolutions. I'll bet those screws are responsible for 80 percent of fractured dials from folks applying too much pressure to the dial in order to get the stupid screw started over the ridge of the case. I'm going to buy a bunch of real case screws and toss these in the trash routinely in the future.

JDT

On the contrary, the half headed case screws are designed for a specific function i e to enable the removal of the case or the dial when part of the screw is turned. As for the watch cases the two screws holding the case would have to be removed entirely before the movement can be dislodged. They are in my view not a " half headed "concoction as you put it. The function of the dial screws is also similar. Often folks not knowing what to do would have applied too much pressure when trying to remove the dial.. being ignorant in most cases.

[justdigtickers]

I've been having a lot of fun making watches out of paperweights. It's as gratifying a task as any I've undertaken. I've been fixing and making things my entire life. I admire the craftsmanship in these old mechanisms, and the watch factories must have been pretty amazing to somebody fascinated by machinery. All of those machines driven by one big steam engine.

As for case screws, I will only say ... having worked as a mechanic for over a decade prior to removing the back from the first watch case, I believe I understand the function of the screw. Some cases work better with that screw than others. It would always be my preference to remove the screw entirely, and have the freedom to apply exactly the pressure I want without having to squeeze things together. It was "a better mousetrap in a field with no mice". If you remove every bridge scew entirely to service a watch ... why is it suddenly "inconvenient" to remove two more, or in some cases, just one? I've no problem with dial screws ... they are far superior to the tapered pin arrangement that preceeded them.

JDT

[Ben_hutcherson]

Half head screws chew up case rims, and as has been noted make reinstalling the watch more difficult.