Staking tool?

[Burruz]

Hi all

I am getting addicted to buying tools for this watchmaking hobby and purchased this beauty.  It was advertised as a staking tool.Is this correct? Thanks.

 

[nickelsilver]

That's a puller intended for pulling roller tables on balances.

[Burruz]

1 hour ago, nickelsilver said:

That's a puller intended for pulling roller tables on balances.

Ahh of course it is. I have just noticed the small hole in the end of the centre (push) part for the pivot. Thanks you very much

Edited December 2, 2024 by Burruz

[oldhippy]

Its for pulling watch hands off. The center piece which is adjustable presses on the top of the cannon pinion. The two side pieces fit under the hands and by turning the adjuster at the end it will pull the hands off. I had this very tool in my workshop.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

I have half a dozen versions of this tool with different centers and have used them for pulling both rollers and hands. The one with the through hole with the adjacent hole i use for roller removing , the staff pivot can run through and if breaks can be cleared out.

Personally i prefer this for removing the roller table, the jaws need to be kept free of damage .

[mbwatch]

1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Personally i prefer this for removing the roller table, the jaws need to be kept free of damage .

How do you go about maintaining yours? I have both the Indian copy of this tool and the real Bergeon/Bradux and every time I use either of them the blades get further chewed up.  I've used them on pocket watch roller tables. Eventually I bought good staking tool accessories for roller removal and have not gone back to this type.

Edited December 2, 2024 by mbwatch

[oldhippy]

Neverenoughwatches

The simplest of tools works very well. It never failed me.

[Neverenoughwatches]

29 minutes ago, mbwatch said:

How do you go about maintaining yours? I have both the Indian copy of this tool and the real Bergeon/Bradux and every time I use either of them the blades get further chewed up.  I've used them on pocket watch roller tables. Eventually I bought good staking tool accessories for roller removal and have not gone back to this type.

The Indian one is naff, the Bradux one is better, its just a case of being really careful with them. The steel they are made from is not tough, I keep on top of any damage thats about it. The reason I like them is for the view and control I get with them. 

[RichardHarris123]

I don't understand why the blades, for want of a better word, isn't hardened.

[oldhippy]

Simple Bergeon 2810 Watch Roller Remover Tool will cost you £39 

Etsy will sell you one for £5. 95

[RichardHarris123]

14 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

Simple Bergeon 2810 Watch Roller Remover Tool will cost you £39 

Etsy will sell you one for £5. 95

Has the bergeon one got hardened blades? 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Has the bergeon one got hardened blades? 

I have 2 bradux which I seem to think is Bergeon. On both the jaws were a liitle chewed up when i got them in some joblots. No idea if they are hardened but maybe not as roller tables are soft, unless a heavy handed someone has been chopping balance staffs with then .

[oldhippy]

Mine never showed any signs of wear on the edges and it was a Bergeon.

[mbwatch]

I have read it somewhere that the balance staffs on American pocket watches were much harder than those of Swiss watches. I'll guess mine are all dinged up from the mighty Elgin & Waltham staffs.

[Burruz]

I also got this little gem. I don’t know what it is about the older tools but they had so much more style. 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Burruz

[mbwatch]

6 minutes ago, Burruz said:

I also got this little gem. I don’t know what it is but the older tools had so much more style.

Oooh that's a beauty. What a box too!

That is a balance poising tool. The two jaws have a hard substance (ruby ideally, sometimes agate, sometimes hard polished steel) which are intended to be perfectly parallel. The balance (without hairspring) is placed with pivots spanning the two jaws and allowed to gently roll. If it stops in the same place, that spot is heavy and needs to be compensated either by removing weight there (from a screw or boring a tiny divot) or adding weight to the opposite spot. Example: 

 

[Burruz]

Cool video. Thanks mb.

[oldhippy]

Having the little round level means its complete, I have seen so many where the level is missing. Look after it with care. 

[mbwatch]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

Having the little round level means its complete

That looks like a modern plastic replacement level as can be bought on amazon (exactly like the one I have mounted on my Bergeon/Vigor poising tool)

[SwissSeiko]

On 12/2/2024 at 12:59 PM, RichardHarris123 said:

Has the bergeon one got hardened blades? 

 

21 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I have 2 bradux which I seem to think is Bergeon. On both the jaws were a liitle chewed up when i got them in some joblots. No idea if they are hardened but maybe not as roller tables are soft, unless a heavy handed someone has been chopping balance staffs with then .

If they arent hardened, its east to do yourself. Just touch some part of the tool on a bench grinder and see if the sparks are bright yellow. Then you can harden it. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

 

If they arent hardened, its east to do yourself. Just touch some part of the tool on a bench grinder and see if the sparks are bright yellow. Then you can harden it. 

big bright yella sparks...carbon steel.....little orange ones....hss. 

[oldhippy]

2 hours ago, mbwatch said:

That looks like a modern plastic replacement level as can be bought on amazon (exactly like the one I have mounted on my Bergeon/Vigor poising tool)

I didn't know you could buy modern replacements. I stand corrected. 

[mbwatch]

14 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

I didn't know you could buy modern replacements. I stand corrected. 

They're cheap! But not great. Definitely not good as the heavy & stable old ones with metal bases. 

28 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

2 hours ago, SwissSeiko said:

 

If they arent hardened, its east to do yourself. Just touch some part of the tool on a bench grinder and see if the sparks are bright yellow. Then you can harden it. 

big bright yella sparks...carbon steel.....little orange ones....hss. 

Now I gotta buy a bench grinder too? There's no end to this.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, mbwatch said:

They're cheap! But not great. Definitely not good as the heavy & stable old ones with metal bases. 

Now I gotta buy a bench grinder too? There's no end to this.

The more you do, the more you need the tools to do it. Does it ever end ? Probably not in one lifetime . Get a lathe...then you can make more and buy less.  Now I've found my lathe/lathes....as Caseback put it.....I'll never buy another jewel pusher....In fact I could have save a hundred notes on the concave pushers and hand closers

[Burruz]

23 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Having the little round level means its complete, I have seen so many where the level is missing. Look after it with care. 

I will do thanks. It just looks and feels so well made. I understand it is German from around 1920's.