Hi all.
Getting into this great hobby big time now, and have bought a non worker to learn how to disassemble/reassemble.
I've invested in quite a lot of proper tools now, but won't be buying a watch cleaning machine (yet anyway).
I'm an engineer so it doesn't phase me, it's when you have bits left over there's a problem.
So the question is, for those of you who service your watches, and don't have a cleaning machine, what do you use to clean the parts?

 

What watchmaking books do you have? If you have none, these are also tools you need to invest in, so texts like:

http://www.amazon.ca/Practical-Watch-Repairing-Donald-Carle/dp/1602393575

http://www.amazon.ca/Watch-Repairers-Manual-Henry-Fried/dp/1626549982

These are both older texts that will give you basics about how various mechanisms work, some simple steps on performing repairs, and yes sections on how to clean "the old fashioned way" without dropping $15k or more on a modern cleaning machine.

A good free text is TM 9-1575, which is a 1950's repair manual for ordnance maintenance, for wrist watches, pocket watches, stop watches, and clocks. Here is a link to download this document for free:

https://archive.org/details/TM9-1575

Cheers, Al

 

Quadrophenic-Schizophrenia

 

I am also an amateur in this and have the first and third books Al recommended. As an Engineer as well, I make sure I understand each part of the mechanism before disassembly. Take photos as well and always assume that the part you thought was easy to dissasemble will leap away from you onto the floor. Good advice Al gave me was "Don't work when you're tired". By the way, far easier to start with something that does work.

Good luck and interested to see how you get on.

Cheers, Chris

 

I'd also suggest that you keep the screws with the parts that they secure. In time you will get to know which ones go where but there are small differences in sizes and putting a too long screw in the wrong place can cause damage.

 

Good point, I use these multi pocketed containers. This is a 562 and the parts/screws are organised by function. This is probably a bit over the top but you can clean them in groups initially. Some parts are very small and I keep those in the central area and with the obvious balance, pallet fork and seconds pinion are the separated Incablocs and the tiny reversing gears from the auto winder wheel (barely visible below the fork).

Cheers, Chris

 

Good topic!

Is something like TZ Watch School worth investing in for the basics?

 

Thanks all.
Got the container as suggested and will keep everything together. I reckon that taking a non worker apart and studying it will give me a start. If I can diagnose the fault (hopefully it will just need cleaning) and get it working, then that will spur me on.
Al, I did read somewhere that apprentices weren't allowed to use the cleaning machine until they'd done it all by hand, and that's what I'll be doing. Funny 56 years old and still learning. That's what makes life interesting.
If I get this non-runner going, I'll disassemble my brand new speedy(only joking)
I'll keep you informed, but one lesson learnt already, there are some left hand threads on watch screws...Doh

 

Crown wheel screws are left handed, except when they are not. Left handed screws have 3 slots cut into the head, except when they don't.

Other screws can also be left handed depending on the movement...

I hope the non-runner you bought is a simple manual winding watch, and not an automatic with any complications. If you had asked, I would have suggested getting a Chinese clone of an ETA 6497 to start with. Having a running watch to start with is highly recommended, because if it does not run after you get it back together you know that you screwed something up. With the non-runner you have now you won't know if it was you or the watch if it doesn't run when you are done.

Also starting with a larger movement, and one that if you do break it it's is cheap is a good thing.

In addition to the advice I gave Chris not to work when you are tired, I would also suggest if you get frustrated (and you will) that you walk away and leave it for a couple of hours. Don't keep working when things are not going well - it will only lead to broken parts and more problems. Patience is key!

As Stewart mentioned keeping screws with the parts they are for is a good thing, but eventually you need to learn where the short screws typically go for example. If you don't learn this, the first time you spill your tray of parts and all the screws get mixed up, you will be in trouble.

The last time I was at Swatch for training, we serviced a Cal. 3313, so a co-axial version of the Piquet chronograph Omega uses. It has a lot of very similar looking screws, and if you put the wrong one in the wrong place, you will have problems. I was careful to keep them all separated during assembly and cleaning, but when we got our movements back after cleaning, the instructor told us to remove the screws from the trays and put them on our benches. I had them all in little piles by function - he came along and scrambled the whole lot into one big pile, and said "Now everyone sort these out and let me know when you are done." Once we had the screws correctly sorted, we could proceed with completing the service of the watch - he would not let you start unless you had them properly sorted.

Make sure your tweezers and screwdrivers are properly prepared, and this will save you trouble also. I personally use bronze tweezers - they require more frequent dressing for sure, but have less spring and tend to launch parts less than steel tweezers do.

And remember to use the best tool you have - the one between your ears.

Cheers, Al

 

Good points Al.

I also like using bronze tweezers, they have a nicer feel than steel ones.

My tip, only use gentle pressure with your tweezers, don't try to grip the item too hard, just enough to pick it up and control it.

Remember, the harder you grip it, the further away it goes

 

Thanks Al.
Your story reminds me of a friend who served his apprenticeship at Rolls Royce. When he was seconded to the mechanical section, his mentor took him to the stores, and emptied every kind of bolt onto the floor in a heap, and made him sort them out into the right sizes. When he'd finished, he did it again, several times, until my friend could just look at a bolt, and tell you size, pitch etc. just by looking. When he was doing it, he wondered why as you would as a young person and was obviously frustrated. Now, he knows why, and doesn't need screw gauges to identify the majority of bolts.
I'm going to buy a cheap Chinese or Indian watch to "play" with as suggested.
I learnt the walk away and come back philosophy many years ago, and it does work, so will still be doing that.
Have pinged a couple of parts already, so a light hand has been registered in my grey matter.
Merry Xmas to you all.

 

If you are flinging parts from your tweezers, I would suggest starting every watchmaking session with some tweezing practice. It might sound daft, but the only way you will get the feel of using tweezers properly is to practice. Finding the right pressure (not too light, not too hard) is key.

If you go on eBay and find an assortment of watch screws - something cheap. Dump them in a pile on your bench, spread them out, and practice picking them up and putting them into a small can or container. Do this every day for a couple of weeks, and I guarantee you will have fewer watch parts flying off on you. The smaller the screws, the better. Note that if you buy an assortment of Swiss screws, they will come in handy also when one is or goes missing.

As you get better, you will be able to pick up something simple in your tweezers, and flip the tweezers in your hand to flip the part the other way around without dropping it. I was just doing that yesterday with a set of #5's and some escape wheel cap jewels for a Rolex 1570. It takes a while before you can pick up a cap jewel and flip it over one handed using your tweezers, and then place it without dropping it...

Have fun.

Cheers, Al

 

Whoa that sounds positively Yoda-esque!

 

Just managed five flips before firing a cap jewel up my right nostril.

What other games do they play at the watchmakers Christmas party?

 

Surely there is the "All this close up work hasn't affected my vision at all" game. Seeing tiny items easily from across the room. Although there is the variation on the hands and knees with stockings and hoover, apparently.
Here's some chaps practising the classic version before their trip to the factory in Switzerland:

 

The "Picking cap jewels out of nostrils" game of course.

Cheers, Al