BST repair

[Dave S]

We have a clock in the kitchen, cheap quartz one, I think from Tesco some years ago.
Anyway SWMBO likes it, and a couple of months ago the seconds hand stopped - it just hangs at 6 oclock and doesnt move. I hadnt got round to it, but as we had to change the clocks I thought I'd have a look.
Turns out the seconds hand has become detached from its (cheap, injection moulded plastic) hub.



Well, I can fix that, and use it as an excuse to practive some lathe skills ;)
SWMBO specification for the new hub: silver, and brushed finish.
A quick rake around found some likely looking aluminium bar, about 10 mm in diameter.



Now the hub is 6mm, which is too big to fit in my largest watchmakers lathe collet, but fortunately I have a Unimat as well



- which happens to take ER16 collets, that 10mm fits into. See I *do* need all those different lathes ;)

A few roughing passes and the stock is the outer diameter



At this point I threw a 0.8mm hole in the middle,





Then turned down the pipe and roughed out the rivet to hold the hand.



Because the size is too large for the collets I have for my watchmakers lathe, and I could not be doing with centering in the 4 Jaw chuck I broke out my poor mans angle iron grave rest for the Unimat.





Using a graver I finished the rivet, and grooved it so that it would spread and hold the hand nicely.



Quick trial fit:



And confirm the lengths



before flipping round to square up the end



And then cut a nice dome on the end. SWMBO decreed a brushed finish, so thats what I made



Then it was out with the staking set and spread the rivet.



Clock reassembled with new second hand, set to BST, then rehung in the Kitchen.



Not bad for a morning messing around in the garage :)

Dave

[Mr Curta]

Thanks, I enjoyed that. Top skills.

[magirus]

Great work as usual Dave. Now, about that Porsche . . .

[Webwatchmaker]

Well done that man !
I'm glad I'm not the only one who will spend time repairing something that most would consider eccentricity at least and uneconomical at best !
Readers may remember that a while back I replaced a broken drive belt on a 70s Grundig reel to reel tape recorder.
When I told a dear friend what I had been doing that morning, she told me she had a recording of her 1972 wedding which she had never heard. I was pleased to lend her the machine especially since her husband died recently.
Of course I enjoy repairing old watches of great sentimental value for much the same reason. The pleasure it gives my customer is far more precious than any financial reward.

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[willie_gunn]

That’s fantastic - skills that I can only wonder at.


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[Webwatchmaker]

*Just a thought. If your clock goes wrong again you could update it with a radio controlled movement. Easy to fit and only a tenner from Cousins.

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