Capt. Obvious and pallet fork jewel

[TKM3RD]

Hi!

Just saw this while assembling a Benrus CZ25, rose colored ladies movement I was restoring for a friend. May I safely assume I need a new fork? New jewel installation is beyond me at this point. Also, there's little to no information regarding this movement that I could find. Any ideas where to look?

~~Tom

 

[nickelsilver]

I can't see the issue, is there a chip or wear on the impulse face?

[RichardHarris123]

Are there any markings, under the balance or behind the dial? 

[AndyGSi]

Never been sure what the 25 stands for but as with other movements it could be a red herring.

https://www.emmywatch.com/db/movement/benrus--cz/

[nevenbekriev]

This could be cracks in the shellac only. It is not clear from the picture. If so, heating will make it melt and the cracks to disappear. If after all the stone is broken, then if the shellac holds it tight, still can work fine for many years

[TKM3RD]

4 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Are there any markings, under the balance or behind the dial? 

No.

4 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

I can't see the issue, is there a chip or wear on the impulse face?

Perhaps these pictures will be clearer. It looks like the shellac could be cracked, and not the stone. Could it be heated enough to fix the cracks with a heat gun?

[mbwatch]

A heat gun would be challenging (if it even gets hot enough for shellac, not sure). You don't want to blow your tiny part around, and you don't want to needlessly melt the shellac on both sides if you can avoid it.

If you don't have a pallet warmer and spirit lamp, you might lay the fork on a bench block and touch a soldering iron tip to the fork steel, close to the stone.

[Knebo]

17 minutes ago, mbwatch said:

you might lay the fork on a bench block and touch a soldering iron tip to the fork steel, close to the stone

This will definitely work if you are cautious. Maybe try with another broken fork first to get a feel for the melting point of shellac. 

A question though, do you have any indication that the pallet stone could be loose? I don't have much experience with what you're observing, but the shellac may still be functionally fine. 

[nevenbekriev]

The cracks are on the shellac only and it is not obligatory to melt it, seems to be good enough

[TKM3RD]

Thank you all for your kind words and sharing of expertise.

It looks like the pallet fork hasn't affected the performance...yet!