Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

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NP317
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Re: Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

Post by NP317 »

THAT was fun! ((-;
Thanks for the entertainment. Particularly difficult because I did not know what the gear looked like before locating it!
Happy New Year.
RussN
RSG
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Re: Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

Post by RSG »

ctwo wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 4:55 pm 15 minutes after that to spot it using 7x mag.
I was going to mention that....I drop 1-72 screws in a pile of shavings often and end up on my hands and knees with a flashlight and a magnifying glass....LOL
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
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ctwo
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Re: Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

Post by ctwo »

What is blue steel?

I picked the piece of drill bit out of the pinion and made a new pivot from drill rod, then hardened it. It was a good light press set in super glue, about 1.5 diameters deep. I left the pivot on the 3/16 drill rod that I was making it from so I could handle it, then I snipped it off and honed the end. Here I felt like I was finally a step ahead and all that was left was to reassemble the gear train and see if this watch would tick.

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Then I saw the other side and noticed it was now missing its pivot! Somehow I must have broken it off, which I'm not sure how. I made a bench block with a hole to accept the pinion gear when working on it, and the other side of the gear is shorter. I did drop the gear once off the block. The break is flush and very crystalline. This one might be harder to drill, and I need to find a way to hold the pinion without pushing it back out of the wheel gear or crushing it, or having it collapse via twisting. I'm thinking of a split collar like originally, but with a bottom to take the drill pressure.

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RSG
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Re: Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

Post by RSG »

Bummer! That's the thing when working so small, you have to be very careful how you handle it or something will unforeseen happen.

And if you are asking what Blue Steel is, it's pre-hardened and tempered pivot wire

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ctwo
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Re: Alternative Lubricants for Watch Movements

Post by ctwo »

OK, I was thinking it was going to be more of that unicorn stuff that only certain industries use. I read it is the same as drill rod after heat treatment. So I think I'm using the right stuff for repivoting.
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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