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They don't seem especially clogged not like teeth on a file, maybe a little but a good clean up will certainly improve them. That one in particular is unnamed but still seems fair condition, the others are really good quality, i think the seller was hoping for higher bids. No thats just staining Rich , the surface i would say are pretty even. Probably some discolouration from a metal it was used on. They all bite into spring steel nicely, better than buggering up a toothed file. The brands are from two reputable manufacturers. Thats a really good price . See how the bidding goes.

For those of you who are looking for a Seitz jewel gauge, I just want to make you aware that there may be a good opportunity right now at Tradera.com (Swedish eBay). The site has significantly fewer visitors than eBay and I have made several fantastic deals there. 1500 SEK corresponds to approx. £110/€128/$137 https://www.tradera.com/item/1922/631487681/seitz-urmakarverktyg-matare Just to make sure, I'm not associated with this listing in any way!

I think we all get a lot out of this group, and it has been pivotal in my development by the sharing of knowledge, experience and learning from more seasoned experts such as @JohnR725 and others (you know who you are!) as well as fellow novices. I think that having a backup communication plan in reserve so that if there is a future problem just makes good sense. I don't think anyone is trying to undermine the forum, but if something unthinkable happens, like the Ranfft website for example, then it would be good if those who are willing can still keep in contact. Speaking personally, and I know I risk a charge of heresy, it would be good if Mark could be a little more visible in this forum, and maybe give any insight from time to time on the future/progress of forum and instructional videos etc. even if its just to confirm the status quo. I appreciate he is a busy man with a full time job, but so are most of the rest of us and to post a few lines every now and then shouldn't be too much to ask to reassure the restless villagers. Best outcome for me would be a message saying something along the lines of: "Hi guys, all good, no planned changes... enjoy the forum, will message again next month!" Just my two cents.

More eloquently put than i Stephen, although i dont think i was too far behind you . I received an email from Episurf, they dont provide specfic instructions for its application, but did tell me that some watchmakers use a dry rub method and others do not, also in their literature they provide a surface tension measurement of Epilame.

OK, let me try and expand on why I think this is right (but maybe misleading at the same time). Wikipedia has a good explanation of surface tension, which is where I got most of the ideas below. The cohesion of the liquid molecules binds them together into the most compact form possible. If there are no external forces acting, this is a sphere. Surface tension is the combined effect of the cohesion between molecules on the surface with others on the surface, as well as the cohesion to molecules just under the surface, causing contraction and the formation of a denser "skin". The way a droplet of a liquid forms on a solid surface is determined by the strength of this cohesive force relative to the adhesive force between the liquid molecules and the surface material. If cohesion >> adhesion, you get a droplet. If cohesion is similar to adhesion, the liquid tends to spread out on the surface and creep away from its original location. Oil doesn't have the same high surface tension that water does, so it is not going to form a really rounded droplet on any surface in the way that water will "bead" on wax. This is where my earlier statement is misleading, but it is still exactly the same principles at work. Drops of oil on an epilamed surface are not going to run off in all directions at the lightest provocation. What the epilame does, I think, is reduce the adhesive force to the surface somewhat, making the weak cohesive force of the oil molecules more effective. The result is less tendency of the oil to spread out and creep, and more tendency to stick together as a cohesive mass. I don't think epilame has any effect on surface tension. That is a property of the liquid and is determined solely by the cohesive forces between the liquid molecules. I also don't think the epilame makes the liquid "stick" to where it is applied. The oil adheres ("sticks") more strongly to a non-treated surface than to a surface treated with epilame. This is why the epilame needs to be removed from the contact surfaces by running dry for a short period. The oil then sticks more readily to the local contact surfaces, where the epilame layer is worn away, than to the surrounding area. The oil sticks together, and is thereby anchored in place as a single body. Interestingly, reducing the adhesion of the oil to the solid surfaces will also reduce capillary action, which is what we rely on if we don't use epilame. Another reason to make sure the epilame is worn away from the spot you want the oil to stay put.

I was considering just building a watch from scratch, I've heard the nh35 movements have a lot of case and dial choices and apparently they run poorly when you buy them new so a good service is required. But honestly building a watch like that doesn't interest me. I love fixing things. There's nothing more satisfying to me than taking something broken and making it work again. Plus watches are cool and easier to store than a car engine! I only had one engine in the dining room and my wife complained. Hopefully the watches will go unnoticed.

I tried the Moebius 9415 from any sensible amount, down to a microscopic drop (or "super minimalistic"); the size of droplet which makes you really wonder why one would/should apply anything at all? But to no avail, consistently a lower amplitude compared to my Dr.Tillwich 1-3. Of course, as John mentioned above, the Dr.Tillwich 1-3, just like the Moebius 9010, likes to go somewhere else. Since short however, I'm the (proud?) owner of a bottle of Moebius Fixodrop. Can't say that I'm a proud owner of the 9415. So far, I haven't seen or discovered the "magic" of the 9415. Meanwhile, Moebius () has my money though.........

Even for myself who only started getting into watch repair/servicing during COVID I have seen a huge jump in watch prices - we have a 404 channel on this forum. When I started you could relatively easily find a watch on eBay to restore and put onto the channel, however this is now almost impossible and the only feasible solution is to buy a job lot with an average price <4.04. Even watches sold for parts/spares are 3 or four times the price of only a few years ago. Why - Either Demand must have increased in order to push up the price, or supply is reduced. I think it is a little of both, I think that most watches in the UK/US may have been picked over, which agrees with most of what @Neverenoughwatches says so supply of all kinds of vintage watches, including tat is dwindling. As a double whammy I think that more people are wanting watches, either to work on, or as a way to differentiate themselves from the Apple Watch and FitBit crowd. The upshot is that half decent watches that require restoration are now $500 instead of $100 and cheaper watches (Seiko 5 etc) are now $50 instead of $10, and even Mumbai Specials and garbage are now pushing $50 each. When - how long will this last, I think that most of the people who are returning to mechanical watches are those that have previously experienced life without them and want to return to something with a bit of personality that doesn't buzz every 10 seconds on your wrist and tell you how many steps you have done today. i.e. the 30-40+ generation. My son who is 17 has several mechanical watches but only wears one on a special occasion and is obviously only aware of them at all in part due to my hobby. I asked him the other day how many of his friends wear a watch and he told me that some use a smart watch but most just use their phones. So as I see it, demand will start to fall once the sub-thirty crowd start becoming the majority and/or the older amongst us stop buying watches and switch our attention to mobility scooters and trying to remember our bank password. Price - I think this is here to stay, even if demand does start to drop as the older generation becomes to decrepit and stops buying and the younger generation isn't interested in buying, supply will become progressively less as time goes on as more vintage watches become lost or broken beyond repair. I think the prices will plateau at some point as an equilibrium is reached as reduced demand is balanced with reduced supply, i.e. less and less people buying less and less watches. Sorry for the long ramble!

Knocked out another 404 last night...when you are in the zone! This watch was a non-runner which I picked up as part of a lot of 8 watches, so works out to be $3.12 per watch. Before: And the finished watch, new crown and stem and the crystal was cracked so was replaced. I also replaced the mainspring as the original was the old steel type spiral and very 'set' - all else is original: The Movement was a AS 1686, but in reading around a little the ACCRO watch company were sued for their use of the five point crown on their Jacques Pere range as it resembled Rolex, see below: ACCRO then reverted to just ACCRO on their watches - I have done some sniffing around the internet and haven't seen another example of ACCRO and the crown together on a dial so maybe I have something unusual, or maybe I was looking in the wrong places .

No idea Rich, but for your own sake please avoid inhaling the fumes.

I guess it also depends on the precision and quality of the watch. He works on vintage watches mainly and surface treatments on 50 - 60 year old watches probably isn't going to make much difference. I read about nano coatings for car finishes. The article claims that nano coatings can reduced the coefficient of drag by 5%. Is that number significant? I don't know. Maybe if you were trying to break the land speed record. But applying that on a 50 year old clunker isn't going to make it go any faster, accelerate better or save on petrol.

Used with the correct fitting staking punch it will remove the roller.

I know Stephen there was no way i was paying out for a brand name, being yorkshire born and bred i go direct to an ingredient and hope its just one. I've had a big jewel suspended over a jar of 90° heated stearic acid for 5 hours , its time to oil it up. No idea if i reached enough temperature but it was a bit wiffy so i assume fumes were produced. Well its certainly fumigated the jewel, it looks like a thick coating of frost I have some findings but the experiment needs to be more controlled. The first sample was a large old jewel, tested untreated the oil didn’t really wet the surface, maybe that is the nature of an old real ruby ? After fuming in stearic acid the jewel took on a heavy coating of vapour after a considerable length of time. Then oiled up the oil formed a good round bead, vigorous shaking would not move the droplet. Pulling an oiler through the droplet would move it but only momentarily as the bulk of the drop would pull back anything drawn away. I guess the bigger mass is pulling a lesser mass back into position through cohesion. But the droplet was certainly mobile ( i could drag it to the edge of the jewel ) and i can imagine that the constant thrashing of an escape wheel through it would have a considerable effect above what i could manage with an oiler. Heres where it gets wierd, i next mopped up the oil with watchpaper this removed the thick coating and a leather pad buffed up the jewel back up to a full shine. I then reoiled and the droplet action was exactly the same, so whether the coating is still present or a previous coating is still there i dont know. Next up i found a more modern standard jewel, oiling this i could manage to wet the whole surface of the jewel, very little surface tension present. That jewel is now in the stearic pot being fumed. A final test sample will have a groove through the coating to see if the droplet will pull from a non epliamed surface toban epilamed surface. Please note this is steric acid vapour coated and not a proprietary epilame treatment.

Which was the standard for years https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilamisierung

I think that tells us precisely nothing about how their product works, and I suspect that is intentional.

That's OK no harm asking .

I haven't seen restores do that. But i'm not a furniture restorer.

The balance with the screws is older technology, which was abandoned with the evolution of watchmaking. The screws can be replaced for regulation of the moment of inertia and poising. The old balance seems to me to be for movement which was not shock protected, and the new one for sure is for shock protected movement. So, it makes me doubt if You will be able to use this new balance. Sorry, welcome to the world of watch repairs...

They weren't keen on providing information of its use, i think we mentioned earlier that the oil makes the barrier between the epilame and a mechanical disruption of it. I also thought that but i assume the ST measurement is in it's solution form not as a film.

Hi, I am in York so we are neighbours. Thanks for the replies this is a good place to be.

Same goes for me, i like to pull broken things apart to fix them, it forces me to think more about how they work. If i take something new and working apart and then break it then thats just gonna pee me off.

VWatchie, I remember you saying you have picked up a few bargains on that site.

Your original balance can be poised by adjusting the balance screws. The replacement can't and it is cheaper to make.

Look up index vs free sprung balances. The screws are for timing.

That is the reason why. I think it is better then have them all over the place. Regarding unmerged I can't see the sense.

Visually pocket watches suit some people. Having bigger parts to work with makes things a little easier to understand, the con to this is older timepieces that have been messed around with. Teachers recommend starting with something new and in good working order, this way if it doesn't run after you have serviced it then you are only looking for a fault that you created. That didn't suit me though because I'm quite mad with a little crazy mixed in

Its a touch under ive just remeasured it and added a wrist shot. Unbelievably it was £13 plus 3 postage. You dont find watches that nice for that money every day of the week. Maybe removing the epilame in the oil region improves the purpose of it. We may know very soon as i emailed Episurf 4 hours ago to ask that exact question. they are happy to provide an answer for us. How do you fancy trying a stearic acid vapour treatment experiment H . Shall i have a go this afternoon ? Stearic acid experiment underway, its started to melt at around 65° C. The idea is to find a large cap jewel to suspend over the vapour release.

That's the size of my grandfather's Ernest Borel watch. Definitely not a lady's watch!

Thanks H It does have a big crown for the watch , it could be considered a ladies watch these days i guess, it measures 33mm case 36mm with that large crown 18mm lug space. A tad small for a guy of today, but still very wearable. The photo was deceptive so here it is adorning my 7 1/4 " wrist. It need some love to make it run better. The hair coils are touching so running a bit fast at the moment, not caused by magnetism, and maybe just a clean and a service. The dtal is in fantastic shape.

I used to be quite active on The Lotus Forum when I owned my Esprit. I was there for so long, Bibs asked me to be a moderator. I'm not sure how long I did that for, but I think I turned into the second longest serving moderator. When I 'handed back my keys', Bibs made me a Full Forum Member. Normally this is a paid membership. My reward I suppose for helping out for many years. Bibs (forum owner) is quite active on there and if I am not wrong, don't quote me in other words, I think he once said that the money from memberships didn't cover the running cost. He adds money himself to keep it going. Does Mark have any sort of subscription scheme on here? I'll admit that I never paid to be a member on TLF. I should have. I never did. I agree that it would be a good idea that there is some sort of contingency plan for this forum. I intend on becoming more active on here. Life has just been getting in the way recently. I enrolled on Mark's watch course and was keenly doing that, but even that has had to take a back seat for a while. I am looking forward to getting back into that and also starting to do work on the clocks that I have been amassing. To do that successfully, I see myself needing to lean on the other members here. If for whatever reason this forum was to close, I think a great many of us would struggle.

The problem with oil in particular 9010 is it likes to spread. This is why you're supposed to use epilam anywhere it's used to keep the oil in place. Then you want to splurge on money you could buy 941 it's actually an oil that existed before 9415. Then the problem with the grease yes it stays in place but if you have too much you lose amplitude. Then if you get really obsessed with this he would follow Omega's recommendation for escapement lubrication. One of the problems with internal documents of the watch companies is typically are never going to see Them.But a few of them out in the wild for instance at this link Below I searched for the keyword of working. In particular working instructions of the Omega watch company for which there is way more than This but this is all they have. So you want to download number 40 as were going to talk about that and also download Number 81. Plus anything else that looks interesting https://www.cousinsuk.com/document/search?SearchString=Working Then number 40 covers lubrication of the watch. Most interesting is lubrication of the lever escapement under three different conditions with Lubrifar Which you probably no longer have has been washed off without which is what you have and then a course with epilam. Notice how they go supers super minimalistic with the 9415 because if it's too heavy you lose amplitude. Then if you lose amplitude the group will be disappointed with you and the end of the world will come.

Thank you! Yes I did. I did not notice a difference. Although 9415 is advertised as a thixotropic grease (and I did had high hopes for it), the only advantage at this point I see is that its “easier” to apply than an oil (if one does not use epilame). But this is subjective, I guess. What I did notice though, if you apply a bit too much grease, that definitely slows down the movement. Oil in this case is a bit more forgiving, as its super thin, and it would usually just spread out. Again, imho.

Mark keeps a close eye on his forum. I'm sure if you asked him he will reply, he might not do it right away but you will receive his answer.

I agree with @JohnR725. Oil on an epilamed surface is essentially the same as water on a waxed surface. The same physical properties are at work (surface tension vs. adhesion).

Drat and double drat i was looking forward to the royalties on that idea.

Compression Spring Various Size. This might be helpful. I have watch furniture restorers and how they go about this problem, they inject glue underneath with a syringe and clamp it, leave over night. Next day remove clamp and it smooth. You could use an iron but be careful not to burn the wood. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265697329513?chn=ps&_ul=GB&var=565484998457&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1jd_-94ilTHWZLQ3PxHeC1A73&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=565484998457_265697329513&targetid=1647205088320&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006662&poi=&campaignid=17206177401&mkgroupid=136851690655&rlsatarget=pla-1647205088320&abcId=9300866&merchantid=119334104&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk849TnBArEYdgv1DpHf_somCZYmB7ViqD3UtvNJJc_dn4kj0AFxBXngaArSAEALw_wcB

i think your first statement is rather dramatic, but i will take it in good humour. I think the thread speaks for itself John. What we are aiming for and when i say we, thats not actually that many that have spoke up. Is to have a back up plan to keep members in touch in case the forum ever disappears. So in essence yes the group has maybe taken on a life of its own and would like to remain together forever ( i can also be dramatic ) maybe more members need to give some input of how they feel about it or say they are just not that bothered. Either way at least the question gets answered. Can i ask what the forum means to you and how you would feel without it ? Thats one answer Rich from one person, without knowing how others feel the thread was just a waste of time. Aw Rich are you saying you'd miss me ? I'm touched

Here is all the info on the 'Brocot' suspension block and regulating arbor. http://www.ian-partridge.co.uk/brocotsq.htm

I usually don't read new introductions but when you came to the group did you want to learn watch repair? The reason I ask is your watch seems so suffered some damage under your hands. And now you're ready to move on to a new patient and have you learned? I often relate watch repair like learning to be a doctor lots of practicing. Even though this is a damaged watch have you practice taking it apart and putting it together a whole bunch at times so you feel confident that the next watch you probably won't break anything? Then when watches were invented specifically pallet forks they didn't have epoxy glue which even if they did they wouldn't you used anyway because the pallet stones need to be moved around they need to be adjusted. so the substance of choice for holding pallet stones and roller jewel's in is shellac. It's a really interesting substance were if it's warmed up at melts the palace on can be moved around hopefully the correct position when it cools shellac hardens back up in the pallet stone will be held in place. If you're carefully could probably put your pallet stone back just warm up the fork carefully ideally there's a tool for this and your pallet stone would be fine.

No John, we don't want Mark to change anything, we are just scared of losing a brilliant forum and losing contact with each other. As pointed out, this forum is full of knowledge and I for one, consider the regulars friends. I would hate to lose contact with you and the others. PS, this forum is really important to me.

I'm not sentimental, I see it this way. I inherit something I don't like, I could sell it, buy something I do like and remember the person with the new item. For example, I inherit a watch ( I haven't), I don't like it, I buy a watch I do like, every time I look at the watch, I think of the person.

can I ask why you're not happy? did you notice that the acceptable low 24 hour amplitude of this watch is 160°? is there any possibility that a watch company could manufacture a watch that could actually run at a low amplitude and keep time? so if they can run at 160° at 24 hours and keep time then they probably would keep time at 240° which yours seems to be doing? then if you're really unhappy with this I would recommend purchasing an original Omega mainspring. Just because the aftermarket have numbers like an Omega mainspring it doesn't mean it's the same thing. Then I would also recommend replacing the escape wheel and the pallet fork. This is what they do in the Swatch group service center if they are unhappy with anything on the other hand they have an infinite supply of spare parts.

No matter what I did, I could not get the amplitude more than 240 deg. At least there is 0.2 beat error and minus 1-2 s/d. So, probably not the happy end I would have hoped for, but still I think the watch turned out quite nice. You be the judge of that. Thank you everyone for your help!

According to these guys "Coating watch parts with a thin, even monolayer of epilame provides an effective oleophobic barrier that halts oil spread in its tracks." Which is exactly the same process that causes water beading on a waxed car. An oleophilic treatment would actually cause the oil to spread out to as thin a layer as possible as every oil molecule would try and come into contact with the oleophilic surface. The reason an oleophobic surface prevents spreading is because the oil behaves in such a way as to have as little contact with the treated surface as possible.

Hopefully if the issue is running costs, Mark would let us know and suggest ways of raising finance. If it's the other issue, which we are skirting around, sites can be passed onto others. PS because I know you're all interested, I had a bacon and mushroom sandwich for breakfast. Hehe.

I have that set and really like it. I prefer that crystal holder over the one that came with my Bergeon claw tool and any time I use the claw I use this one instead of the Bergeon one, just an additional bonus with this tool.

yes by all means let's gather up our weapons tar feathers find the nearest tree in case Mark is not agreeable to our terms on our demands and storm his Castle. I don't quite understand what you're trying to do here? In other words you want Mark to somehow guarantee that the group will live on forever no matter what? You want Mark to somehow change his business model of what is trying to do or should we just take the group away from him? oh and is quite possible that Mark never realized that his discussion group would take on a life of its own. That the members of the group would like to continue on forever.