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I’d like to learn more about the mechanics of watch movements, can anyone point me to particularly helpful resources for basic understanding.
I’m considering stripping a movement down. Is there a particular watch/movement that is simple to understand as far as stripping it down goes. I guess a cheap pocket watch may be better as it’s larger?
Any pointers appreciated.
I looked into this a little. After watching a few uTube videos I think I remember the advice was to get a very cheap Russian wind up and start from there. Good luck and I hope you have a loupe and a steady hand.
Perhaps somewhere on the Internet,maybe even google.
This might work.Quote:
Originally Posted by P9CLY
Theres a book called watch repair for beginners thats pretty decent and the DeCarle books are good. A little outdated but the mechanics haven't changed much.
Practice on a cheap and cheerful Chinese ETA clone.
I keep meaning to try one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00...UwL&ref=plSrch
Definitely go and watch some youtube videos first and foremost. After that get a cheap running/non-running watch. Either a pocket watch or a men's watch as the movements should be larger.
To get you started a little bit here's what lies underneath the dial of a 101 years old pocket watch. :)
https://s9.postimg.org/ilbgeu8j3/IMG_6967.jpg
Well done. That’s second only to ‘try the forum search’ as a typical clever clogs answer.Quote:
Originally Posted by P9CLY
Google is a wonderful resource no doubt, but a bit like saying go to a library vs recommending a book, facetious.
I haven't heard anyone say clever clogs in years! Brilliant!Quote:
Originally Posted by anz3001
Here's a link to a thread I did about five years ago. Hopefully it might help.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...hlight=russian
Cheers,
Gary
I had a seven day ban recently so I’m playing it safe 🤐Quote:
Originally Posted by 200mwaterresistant
Thanks to all the helpful posters, already some places to start and I’ll be ordering the build a clock ‘for my daughter’
If you're going to start with cheap Russian watches I'd definitely recommend this guy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOY...rQyABow/videos
Also this guy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7v...cYq0z8oiYFk0zQ
Very helpful, a great thread, thank you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Omegary
Nice to see Gary’s post again, ideally stuff like this should be stickys so people can easily access them.
It’s 8 years since I took redundancy/ early retirement and started to get involved in movement work. I was lucky, I got some training paid for at BHI as part of my redundancy package. The 5 day Basic Mechanical Watch course is a great starting point, there’s no substitute for being shown how to do it in an ideal working environment. Only drawback is the time required and the cost, but if it’s treated as a holiday ( and we all know holidays cost money!) it’s easier to justify. This course is a great starting point, after this it’s easier to self-learn with by working on a few scrap movements.
it’s a big mistake to start with a non- running watch, it may have a serious fault that a novice won ‘t spot. Better to start with a basic hand- wound Swiss movement that’s running but running sluggishly. The fact that it’s running means it’s basically sound and it’s unlikely to have any serious faults.
I’d also recommend the DeCarle books, they’re very dated but the principles are very sound. DeCarle was a brilliant guy, a gifted watchmaker and true ‘watch god’ in my opinion.
A small cheap ultrasonic bath is a must, I use cheap ones at around £45 and replace them when they burn out . A few small jars for cleaning fluids can be easily obtained, but the fluids themselves are expensive and there’s no easy way round this. A parts drier can easily be made using a desk lamp and a 60 watt filament bulb....trust me it works!
I could write a book on how to work to professional standards without making eye- wateringly expensive outlay on facilities and equipment......maybe I should do it! However, the best starting point is to experience an ideal working environment with the best equipment and tuition, and that’s what the BHI course provides.
Paul
Thank you Paul, I have just discovered a BHI branch meets less than a mile away from me.Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerwek1958
Hands on experience with a professional is great advantage. I started on big ETA 6497 movements that are easy to work on, readily available spares and many resources in how to tear it down and reassemble.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Its not that clever,Google will have you find everything you need,just thought I'd let you know because some people don't know this.Quote:
Originally Posted by anz3001
Does it help with grammar? Maybe an enthusiastic spell checker changed some words,just some Wednesday morning banter, please treat as such.Quote:
Originally Posted by P9CLY
yEah pissiblee henthusihastic smelchecka on mi HiPaid init purhapz.Quote:
Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)
hit dus his me off haft ta a while,,,specly if yer nit lucking at wot yor tipping.
If I was to learn watch repairing again I`d start with the BHI course but spend more time developing the basic skills before tackling a watch. Developing the technique to pick small parts up with tweezers, handling small screws, using small screwdrivers etc etc.........I`d break it down to it's basic elements and do skill practice till I reached a good standard. Sounds boring but it would've helped. One thing I did do was to build a movement up, then tear it down and build it again..........and again.
Learning how to handle tiny parts is a major challenge, as is learning how to work with magnifiers.
One of the best tools is the digital camera, forget taking pics with a phone, you need a decent macro facility to get the close-up detail required. Take pics at EVERY stage, load them on your computer, and study them afterwards. Never rely on memory to reassemble anything. I use a fairly cheap digital camera I`ve owned for years and I still use it when stripping a strange movement down, it's a godsend.
Paul
Further to Paul's excellent "take a picture at every stage" suggestion, I'd highly recommend a USB digital microscope camera. Mine was about £30 and it's, in my opinion anyway, a lot less hassle than a phone/camera - simply tap the keyboard at each stage and carry on. Something like this:Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerwek1958
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....8L._SY355_.jpg
In addition to the good advice so far, one thing I've found helpful while teaching myself is to place any disassembled parts into a tray or receptacle in the order that you have removed them. Cleaning the parts takes longer as you need to do them in small groups (or even individually) but reassembly is made simpler by just working your way back in reverse order. As has been noted, this is also far easier with a series of photos.
The dedicated small round dishes with the clear lids work well for a few parts, but I've even used a plastic artists palette for more complicated movements....
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3754/...a235e2df4f.jpg
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/795/4...2dd59942cd.jpg
Very interesting thread, thanks to Omegary et al for the practical advice, particularly when geared to the hobbyist novice without a raft of expensive tools & equipment.
What great idea and thanks for the tip. Like Paul I just use a digital camera and takes pics as I go along when working on unfamiliar movements.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lampoc
Another top tip there and the artist palette is a great idea for more complicated movements. Going to nick that idea so thanks :eagerness:Quote:
Originally Posted by boywithabubblegun
You're most welcome and if you're interested I did a series of 'tales from the bench' posts. A search using tales bench in the keywords box and Omegary as a user name should find them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stringer
Cheers,
Gary
Everyone develops their own way of working. I always store the dial and hands in small plastic bags, I only keep movement parts in the round trays. I like the blue round trays, I use two at once to fit the parts into small groups, this is especialy useful if I’m not familiar with the movement.
When taking a watch apart it pays to get as much information as you can before reducing it to a pile of parts. If any faults need correcting it’s sometimes best to do this before cleaning the parts, especially if a lot of handling is involved. I like to check and corect end- shakes on train wheels whilst before cleaning and I usually correct balance spring faults too. If all the problems ate sorted before assembly you get a clear run at putting it together and everything should be straightforward; when I started I would clean and assemble a watch and then find the problems........better to do it the other way around.
Paul
Hi Paul,Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerwek1958
Random thread pollution (Sorry OP) but have you received the last couple of PMs from me? Not sure if I’m being daft or you’ve not got round to looking at them yet. Probably me being daft.
As you were thread, carry on :)
Excellent, just searched for those and they'll keep me in reading for a bit - I agree with Paul, that sort of resource really deserves to be 'stickied' so more posters stumble across it. I see you managed to change careers to work at Bremont - that's really quite inspiring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Omegary
Cheers