AS 1287 was going great until...

[MechanicMike]

I'm not at home but I'm 99% sure this is it, except it's got a different top plate in that it doesn't bolt directly onto the machine but rather looks like a sheetmetal table sitting atop grommets or something, and mine has a selector switch instead of a toggle. know anything about these things? We used to have four of them in the shop-only two worked. I got one and co-worker got the other. our electrician took one home and fixed it. i know zip about these things.

[LittleWatchShop]

What does it do to a hairspring??

[MechanicMike]

On 9/11/2022 at 11:27 AM, LittleWatchShop said:

What does it do to a hairspring??

oh man...i've never done a hairspring on it. all ive used it for is my tweezers, screwdrivers, screws and such. back in the old machine shop it was screwdrivers, wrenches and small parts turned in the lathe or machined on a mill.  I've never had the opportunity for a hairspring. now you have me wondering-is there such a thing as a too powerful demag device? it sometimes is quite a bit noisy, wondering if the table mounts or grommets are worn out? just a hobbyist and i've only been into repairing for almost three years. still a noobie.

[jdm]

On 9/11/2022 at 3:41 AM, MechanicMike said:

Like the label says, that is an industrial / machine shop demagnatizer. It's not "right" for watch repair also because a blue box cost less and is much smaller. That being said, most of watch faults are mechanic, not due to magnetization.

 

On 9/6/2022 at 3:49 AM, mbwatch said:

I hastily tried to get the setting lever spring on before the yoke spring popped out and lost BOTH of the tiny screws that hold it down out of my tweezers.

Why hastily? You need to work calm and patience, in a quiet environment, in the right position, arms supported, driver dressed, the right magnification. Most beginners totally neglect these basics then complain about loosing or breaking parts. But watch repair is not like swapping a tire.

Edited September 13, 2022 by jdm

[mbwatch]

13 hours ago, jdm said:

Why hastily? You need to work calm and patience, in a quiet environment, in the right position, arms supported

Got all those things. But "hastily" as in "secure this spring loaded part tonight" instead of "leave it for later in the week" wherein the partially assembled movement might be disturbed by a kid or a rowdy dog or my own clumsy bump while moving it to a safe location, or any number of other things that can happen when a hobbyist can only setup an ideal and isolated workspace incrementally. I count myself lucky to at least have access to a variable-height desk left over from covid work-at-home, that is deep enough to be able to work with supported elbows.

At no point would I relate this to anything like swapping a tire. It is, to me, a hobby I entered into only after years of interest and research, planning for purchasing essentials, and now, practice with no illusions that any difficult jobs or valuable pieces wouldn't be better left to a professional watchmaker. I am not here to complain about losing parts (despite using exactly those words), but to soften the sting of a frustrating mistake I caused myself, it can be helpful to commiserate in good humor with a few other like-minded amateurs who've been in the same place recently, or in years past.

[jdm]

40 minutes ago, mbwatch said:

it can be helpful to commiserate in good humor with a few other like-minded amateurs who've been in the same place recently, or in years past.

Seems to me you're on the right path to do well and get quickly to the point where accidents will become rare and then non-existent. The point IMHO is recognizing the typical bad patterns (in terms of tools, eyes and hands usage) which lead to incidents, and never repeat them because of laziness or distraction. Any humor or serious discussion you will want to have on this or other subjects is of course welcome.