When a bigger hammer isn't the answer!

[spunkymonkey]

Now, I'm a great fan of hit it harder till it works but, just occasionally, that's not the answer.

Just finished sorting out a watch for Pete ready for the weekend (I've only had it since about last June ). After enjoying digging out the small tools after a couple of years break, then finding that the simple movement (posh name for the workings) swap wasn't so simple because the only spare I had was faulty, I thought some of you lot might be interested to see one of those times when subtlety is a better idea than brute force!

The photo below is of the 4 wheels in the main train of the replacement movement (a typical quartz one). There are a few more wheels in there, but these are the ones that actually drive the thing. The fingertip in the background is there for scale



The fault was a manufacturing burr on the edge of one tooth of the wheel nearest the bottom of the photo and that's something that a bigger hammer just won't help with ;D

[33grinder]

Wow, I'm so grateful Joe, it was a cheap watch but of great sentimental value. When I started courting the now Mrs G she liked the watch so I gave it to her. Even when the hands fell off she still kept it in her jewellery box. She's not your typical magpie so I guess it must be special to her.

Sometimes I think I should take up watchmaking as without my glasses I have a focal distance of 14cms, but when I remove the specs and hold objects like those up close then I see all the detail. Only problem is I wouldn't have the patience! But I am grateful, many thanks Joe.

[Bob Scrivens]

And they work with very little lubrication for years and years, just started using a self winding Swish watch my Mother brought me on my 21st as my Seconda has just blasted through the 3 rd battery in 6 months.
Hi Joe you have the touch!!!!

Bob

[Patrick]

I've a self winding Seiko. It's on it's 14th year and has just developed a mysterious hole in the face glass. (Don't remember bashing it) It hasn't been going quite continually in that time, as about four years ago it stopped. So I put it to one side for a quiet lie down in it's box in a darkened room, and mysteriously when I took it out 4 or 5 months later in a "Must do something about this" sort of way, one small shake and is started again!