Hello friends

[coreymsnow]

Hi y'all. My name is Corey and I'm from Olympia Washington. I narrate audiobooks and do the occasional voiceover as my more or less "job", and I also drive a school bus, which gets me out of the house and keeps me on a schedule.

I've only recently come to working on watches after many years restoring and fixing antique radios and the occasional electric clock. Watch repair seems to scratch the same itch but without the high voltage and bulky equipment.

So far I've torn down a couple of pocket watches. I was even able to reform and remount a broken hairspring on the first one I tore down- a non-jeweled "Railway Timekeeper" pocket watch that was cheap even when it was made. Sadly, even though I overcame the broken hairspring, a tiny pin broke off the pallet fork- although that's probably not the right term for it, as the escapement used a square-toothed wheel. Maybe I'll try my soldering skills on it at some point.

I'm currently working on a Waltham Grade 230 pocket watch that is absolutely gorgeous and totally destroyed. The balance staff is broken- both pivots! There's damage at the edge of the dial that looks like it was dropped, or maybe thrown at really high speed, and I'm pretty sure there's several broken jewels. I'm also tinkering with a fairly small Elgin movement.

So far I've managed to use my tweezers to fling about four of those REALLY tiny screws and the brass pin that holds the hairspring on some watches off into the ether, but- and this is still incredible to me- I haven't lost one yet, although one or two took 20 or more minutes of hunting around on the floor and confusing the cat, who thought I wanted to play.

Anyway, I'm enjoying what I've learned so far, and I'm looking forward to learning more. This is a fascinating hobby.

Cheers!

-Corey

Edited December 12, 2024 by coreymsnow
Correcting image position

[RichardHarris123]

Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 

[clockboy]

Welcome to the forum Corey, enjoy

[Neverenoughwatches]

Welcome Corey, it sounds like you've already made a good start. Congratulations for having the nerve for tackling a hairspring at this early stage . Your next stop is tools, tools and then some more tools, and then after that...yet more tools.  Enjoy.

[oldhippy]

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. 

If there is anything we can help you with don’t be afraid to ask. Nice clear photos can help a lot.

[rehajm]

Hi Corey from South Carolina. It’s so nice your cat lets you try watchmaking. From the photo it’s clear who runs things …

…that Elgin is valuable! Hands in good condition are difficult to locate- have fun…

Edited December 12, 2024 by rehajm

[watchweasol]

Hi and welcome to the forum.    Enjouy

[coreymsnow]

4 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Welcome Corey, it sounds like you've already made a good start. Congratulations for having the nerve for tackling a hairspring at this early stage . Your next stop is tools, tools and then some more tools, and then after that...yet more tools.  Enjoy.

Heh. I already have some basic screw drivers and a nice pair of tweezers. I got a very basic oiling kit and some other bits and bobs.

But I really want a staking set and a microacope.

2 hours ago, rehajm said:

Hi Corey from South Carolina. It’s so nice your cat lets you try watchmaking. From the photo it’s clear who runs things …

…that Elgin is valuable! Hands in good condition are difficult to locate- have fun…

That's my buddy The Duke.

The Elgin runs, but has no case, and the second hand is missing. I want to get it into a case with strap eventually.

[mbwatch]

Welcome, and a tip from an amateur to an amateur: Buy yourself a pack of strong magnets from amazon or ebay, glue them to a ruler or similar, and you will have your most valuable tool as you gain control of your tweezers. Use your magnetic wand with the same motion as an airport security agent sweeping and you will usually find your lost ferrous parts in secods. (Demagnetize them after, and store it away from your work area)

[coreymsnow]

7 minutes ago, mbwatch said:

Welcome, and a tip from an amateur to an amateur: Buy yourself a pack of strong magnets from amazon or ebay, glue them to a ruler or similar, and you will have your most valuable tool as you gain control of your tweezers. Use your magnetic wand with the same motion as an airport security agent sweeping and you will usually find your lost ferrous parts in secods. (Demagnetize them after, and store it away from your work area)

I have an old magnet from a hard drive that was how I found the missing screws on the floor- I'm considering attaching it to an old broom handle to make it easier on my very creaky knees!

Appreciate the tip.