Adjusting Bracelet Help Please

[solwisesteve]

Just received my Baby Dreadnaught.... and it's very nice :-)

I need to remove a couple of links but I'm not getting very far. I've tried with my usual jewellers set but I cannot get the screws undone for the links :-( They must be done up really tight; perhaps with Loctite?

Any advise please? Should I just send it back to Eddie to have the bracelet adjusted?

Thanks

Steve

[JasonM]

They probably are loctited in, you might need to heat the screws up, maybe in very hot water or Ive used the tip of a soldering iron on them before.

[solwisesteve]

They probably are loctited in, you might need to heat the screws up, maybe in very hot water or Ive used the tip of a soldering iron on them before.

I don't know if I'm brave enough to do that :-( If that's needed then I might email Eddie so I can send it back for adjustment.

Steve

[walkerwek1958]

2 or 3 seconds in a flame then quickly ease the screw out with a screwdriver that fits properly. Unless your eyesight’s v. good I strongly advise using a magnifier too. Be sure to warm the correct part of the link to get the heat into the threads.

[solwisesteve]

Cheers...

I see how I get along.

The boiling water sounds like the first (safest) thing to try :-)

[solwisesteve]

Okay.... so a pair of mole grips around the shaft of the screwdriver for extra leverage and then push down HARD and the screws finally shifted. :-)

Now on wrist and looked real nice :-)

[xellos99]

Hairdryer to heat the glue or expand the metal etc

Take the bracelet off first

[walkerwek1958]

Okay.... so a pair off mole grips around the shaft of the screwdriver for extra leverage and then push down HARD and the screws finally shifted. :-)

Now on wrist and looked real nice :-)

Really can’t recommend this, if the screws are too tight to come out with reasonable finger pressure by applying extra leverage you run a very real risk if shearing the head off the screw or breaking the threads and then you’ve got real problems! I think you’ve been lucky to avoid this. Some bracelets have the screwed end of the link threaded into a blind hole and you really don’t want to break these screws, Rolex owners take note. Mole grips on screwdrivers is ideal for very tight woodscrews, I use this technique, but it really doesn’t translate well to small- scale such as watch bracelets. Bracelet screws are small and brittle, if they won’t come out with moderate force apply some heat. If its an old watch there’s a risk the screws are corroded and they’ll need heat and penetrating oil to come out, but never excessive force.

I can’t understand the aversion to using naked flames on jobs like this, I have a gas micro- burner that by concidence I used this morning, but when I had a gas hob in the kitchen I often used that, the trick is to let the tip of the flame play on the item for literally 2 seconds, then get a screwdriver on the screw before it cools down. Wear a leather glove, that’ll prevent burnt fingers. A soldering iron is an alternative but the gas flame is much quicker.

Heating stainless steel excessively will cause it to discolour and eventually turn blue, but a quick flash in a flame won’t cause this.

[solwisesteve]

Really can’t recommend this, if the screws are too tight to come out with reasonable finger pressure by applying extra leverage you run a very real risk if shearing the head off the screw or breaking the threads and then you’ve got real problems! I think you’ve been lucky to avoid this. Some bracelets have the screwed end of the link threaded into a blind hole and you really don’t want to break these screws, Rolex owners take note. Mole grips on screwdrivers is ideal for very tight woodscrews, I use this technique, but it really doesn’t translate well to small- scale such as watch bracelets. Bracelet screws are small and brittle, if they won’t come out with moderate force apply some heat. If its an old watch there’s a risk the screws are corroded and they’ll need heat and penetrating oil to come out, but never excessive force.

I can’t understand the aversion to using naked flames on jobs like this, I have a gas micro- burner that by concidence I used this morning, but when I had a gas hob in the kitchen I often used that, the trick is to let the tip of the flame play on the item for literally 2 seconds, then get a screwdriver on the screw before it cools down. Wear a leather glove, that’ll prevent burnt fingers. A soldering iron is an alternative but the gas flame is much quicker.

Heating stainless steel excessively will cause it to discolour and eventually turn blue, but a quick flash in a flame won’t cause this.

Sorry... won't do it again. :-(

I did use boiling water on the link first of all.

I'll be honest I was worried that I might end up discolouring the steel and, point b), no one at work had a lighter, and we don't have a gas hob at home. I suppose I could have used the plumbing torch but a little OTT ;-)

tbh, now I think about it, I could have used a soldering iron which we DO have at work.

Lesson learnt :-)