Tourbillon build

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RSG
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Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:59 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Tourbillon build

Post by RSG »

I thought it might be interesting to post a thread on a fishing reel build I have been working on for a few years now. Whats interesting about this project is a working Tourbillon I designed and am building that fits in the back of the reel. It's more of a collector reel than a reel you would fish with but it is functional.

This journey has taken me places I never thought interested me before and I am learning a ton of things like how a watch works, gear cutting and jewel bearing design to mention a few. There have been many hurdles I have overcome and many more I'm sure. If you care to follow along I'll post pics as I go. My goal is to have the rest of the project complete by late fall.


So far I have the backplate housing, spool and small assemblies complete with lots of mill work still required.

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Lot of little items like power springs and hair springs

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And Jewel bearings...these are perhaps a bit smaller then I need for this project so I am about to attempt to machine my own housings and head stone retainers to accommodate some larger jewels I found from a supplier. I'll save these for another project I am designing with three tourbillons inside.

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Up next is some cycloidal gear cutters I have decided to machine since I cant find ones in the configuration I need for this build.

I'll keep posting as I go for those interested.

RSG
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
pete
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by pete »

Very interested for sure. I know you don't have cnc, so how are you doing the engraved lettering?
RSG
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by RSG »

pete wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 3:43 pm I know you don't have cnc, so how are you doing the engraved lettering?
With my fiber laser! I can deep engrave to .080 easily and could likely go deeper if I set up the correct profile.
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
pete
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by pete »

Faulty memory again, in a way you now have cnc, just not in a conventional metal cutting method. It still looks great though.
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Harold_V
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by Harold_V »

RSG wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:51 pm With my fiber laser! I can deep engrave to .080 easily and could likely go deeper if I set up the correct profile.
Wow! That's ultra cool!
H
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rmac
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by rmac »

RSG wrote: I'll keep posting as I go for those interested.
You can count me as a member of that group.
RSG
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by RSG »

I've been chipping away at this project and have a few more items made. I've made a tempering tray for bluing hand made screws, Honing bridge for the Cycloidal cutters, an arbour, a profile fixture and a depthing tool for the wheels/pinions. I've borrowed some of the tool designs from Clickspring, but have not bothered to put the time in to do the finishes he does. I have way too much to do so my tools are accurate and functional....I'll save the pretty finishes for the actual parts. I did some impressive grinding and lapping of HSS as well to get the radius's I need. There are two required - .0100" and .039" so I used my fiber laser to mark the surface so I could see it on the grinder and wore a X20 loupe. I hate having my eyes so close to the grinder wheels but in this case I had no choice. Yes I did wear safety glasses.

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Bill Shields
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by Bill Shields »

i am so happy that God wired me to be a loco builder / blacksmith instead of a horologist...
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
pete
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by pete »

I've seen the watch making term loosely used while building 3.5" gauge loco's and smaller more than a few times Bill. :-) As always Ron great work. Chris (Clickspring) makes the heat blueing of screws look effortless, I'll be interested in how easy you find it.
RSG
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by RSG »

The completed gear cutters!

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Now to start cutting some wheels and pinions
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
pete
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by pete »

Well I'm more than impressed Ron. Some definite Clickspring influence in those.:-) A great person to borrow from for what's already known to work and work well.
RSG
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Re: Tourbillon build

Post by RSG »

pete wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2022 6:04 pm Some definite Clickspring influence in those.:-) A great person to borrow from for what's already known to work and work well.
Thanks Pete, I appreciate your support.... yes he's been a great influence, especially about the heat treating part. I learned a lot using boric acid and D/N Alcohol during the heat treating process. It actually coats the parts with a crystalline substance that looks and feels like glass during the process which is what I assume is how it protects the parts form oxidation and carbon build up. The one thing I did differently though is to follow actual recommended temp settings of (1400F) and heating times, preheating the quenching oil to 300F and tempering in a proper oven at 300F for one hour, something that Clickspring doesn't seem to do. You can sure see a difference in the outcome of hardened steel when complete. It has a different feel and is almost slippery.
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
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