Pics of My Watch Shop - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 19, 2025, 06:22:10 pm
content: Just for Giggles. Can you figure out which area is for my hobby?Regards,Dewey

author: Analog Kid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2025, 06:23:31 pm
content: Too neat. How do you guys get any work done?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2025, 10:02:03 pm
content: Who wants to get work done with such a view? I'd probably be out wandering in the forrest most of the day if I'd live there!

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2025, 11:19:57 pm
content: Is that a tiny little furnace/oven in the first picture?

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2025, 11:31:44 pm
content: Nice 'shop... if only mine was that tidy.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2025, 12:42:09 am
content: Quote from: Someone on April 19, 2025, 11:19:57 pmGood spot. YES and it comes in handy at times. It is a dental furnace. In the shop you may spy an orthodontic welder. What makes this useful is how the electrodes clamp the work. I have used it for years to modify mainsprings for watches made with unobtanium. The brands have stopped making parts available and mainsprings are very important for precision timekeeping. So I said, "To Hell with them".

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2025, 02:08:42 am
content: A close up shot of the pocket watches display please.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2025, 02:33:42 am
content: Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to see photographs of other peoples' worlds.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2025, 06:47:40 am
content: I like the medicine bottles to protect the eye pieces of the microscopes.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2025, 06:52:14 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 19, 2025, 10:02:03 pmOne gets used to it. We have similar views from our windows. Attached is a picture from our terrace. The two big trees are now gone. After lots of years of consideration my wife decided that they blocked to much sun and had to go.

author: Furna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2025, 10:30:57 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on April 19, 2025, 06:22:10 pmEasy ... the messy area.

author: rdenney
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 01:01:23 pm
content: I don't have pics of my watchmaker area, or anything current from the electronics bench. I need to straighten up so I can fix that.Tell us about the lathe. Is that a drill-press handle that cranks the quill on the tailstock? That's a new one on me. My machine tools are on the ground floor of the shop, while my electronics and watchmaking area is above it in the "attic" (the attic is 16' x 60' with an 8' ceiling). The attic is built for residential-code floor loading but not for anything resembling machine tools (except for my 8mm Peerless lathe).In my watchmaker area, I have a desk that I use as a low bench, with an inspection microscope. If I need to work under the microscope, the work surface needs to be standard desk height. And I have a high bench for when I'm working with loupes (it's actually an old jeweler's bench, but it has the necessary catch-all tray and the required 4000 drawers). Even though I've restored dozens of clocks over the last four decades and have been collecting watches for years, I consider myself knowledgeable but beginner-clumsy when doing actual watch work. My tweezer technique frankly sucks, and that's a serious limitation when working on watches. But it's one among many a hobbies and I can't really invest the time needed for skills practice.I see the L&R washing machine--that's the next investment I need to make. The Elma ultrasonic bath I have just doesn't get the job done with old, dried oil, even using Elma cleaning chemicals. I also see the d-bit grinder, which would be fun to own.Of course, the electronics bench in your pictures is the hobby area--hobbies always get relegated to the basement until you get to build your own shop building, by which time you'll be too old to really do everything you'd hoped to do in a shop. Ask me how I know.Rick "could use a good ~6" horology lathe like in your picture--too big a gap between the Peerless and the 14-1/2" South Bend" Denney

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 05:52:45 pm
content: Quote from: rdenney on April 24, 2025, 01:01:23 pmSorry to butt in, but that sounds rather like a "sensitive drilling attachment", although I can't find it in the photos. It's actually a misnomer, for reasons we could discuss later.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 05:57:18 pm
content: That is rack and pinion tailstock. It is useful for drilling and reaming, faster and better feel..

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 11:06:14 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on April 24, 2025, 05:57:18 pmThanks. Which photo?

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 06:42:34 am
content: Quote from: SteveThackery on April 24, 2025, 11:06:14 pm1st. With the lathe in the left side.It is Habegger lathe. Swiss made.https://www.lathes.co.uk/habegger/index.html

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 10:21:27 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on April 25, 2025, 06:42:34 amYeah unusual but nice, only ever seen similar on turret lathes.Good website is lathes UK but not entirely/fully accurate as my Harrison 12 (L6 Mk3) version factory options aren't even mentioned in its webpage listing.https://www.lathes.co.uk/harrison/page16.htmlEmailed Tony with its spec and offers of pics but didn't seem to want to update the webpage with more accurate info.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 10:26:19 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on April 26, 2025, 10:21:27 pmI had to look up "turret lathe".Yes these are exactly that, for secondary operations in serial production. There is depth limiter and you can set it for fast drilling of predefined depth...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 10:40:50 pm
content: Back on topic, quite enjoy watching the nekkid watchmaker journeys and all the toys and tricks he has for restoring old timepieces....https://www.youtube.com/@NekkidWatchmaker/videosBit of fun and a look at some of Joe's capabilities:https://youtu.be/akFSiA89gXg

author: rdenney
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 01:02:40 am
content: Quote from: tautech on April 26, 2025, 10:40:50 pmJoe’s good. Also good is Stian Lofstad and his Youtube channel at Vintage Watch Services. He’s Norwegian but based in Switzerland. There are others who are hobbyists, even skilled hobbyists, but those two are solid pros.Rick “follows five or six of them” Denney

author: EC8010
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 10:01:11 am
content: Lovely workshop. My wife smirked at the yeast tins over the eyepieces of my microscope. My workshop supports electronics, so not quite such diddy stuff as yours. I'll have to see about taking some pictures...

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 12:41:56 am
content: is it possible to get a metal screw that has like say a 0.3mm or even 0.25mm diameter while also being maybe... 3+mm long... preferably from brass?The idea was to make a tiny bolt with a loop on top, so you can bolt it into a via to make a measurement point on annoying mini circuits. Say ones that have a 0.3mm via size... preferably with a corresponding nut driver, or better yet torque limited nut driverA 0000 screw is 0.5mm , which does let you handle conventional vias, but being able to connect to 0.3mm vias would be very interestingYes, there are other ways to do it, but I just want to know about tiny screws and tiny nuts for thempreferably like a gun screw, with a rounded bottom, incase the via is slightly recessed under solder mask (dome base)it sounds like something that might be a watch partI might try to braze or solder a small loop to a 0000 screw as a starting pointsuddenly that via stitching becomes a real ground connection loop

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 10:53:52 am
content: I think watch screws can be that small. I've never measured one, but some are truly tiny. I've got a few thread-cutting plates: I'll see how small they go.Maybe a thread more like a self-tapper might work better?

author: rdenney
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 02:00:24 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on May 01, 2025, 12:41:56 amI'd buy brass rod in the correct diameter and run it through a thread cutter plate, but the smallest diameter I see in currently available cutter plates is about 0.6mm. The smallest thread-cutting dies I see at any watchmaker supply is an expensive German-made set that goes down to 0.4mm. I don't see anything smaller than that.Cousins UK is my go-to for a supplier outside the U.S.--inside the U.S. I'll use Esslinger if they have what I need. Cousins is better, though.Rick "fingers too fat to make screws that small" Denney

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2025, 03:12:26 am
content: What are these plates? Is that a die?0.4mm does let you hit a 0.5mm via. Fairly common.

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2025, 02:11:25 pm
content: Not a very good picture, but this is one:

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2025, 12:20:43 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on May 01, 2025, 12:41:56 amThe smallest tread I ever tapped was a .4mm. It gets very tricky at this size; nut I am a manual machine type guy. I am out of town but I will measure some of my jewel cap screws when I get home.BTW, Hamilton watch company started with metric threads when they began operation in 1895. There were many things that Cain, Rood and Perry thought through before starting production that really did not significantly change for 50 years.The item pictured is calle a screw plate. It does not really cut threads, but rolls them. And there were regional standards.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2025, 10:04:15 pm
content: So its not suitable for hard metals if its a plate but a die is suitable for hard metals?Is it supposed to be pre-cut to some degree or it does the whole operation ?What is the difference in quality if you compare a screw made with a screw plate to a screw die?TO me rolled means burnished instead of torn, meaning better surface finish and maybe less propensity for a thread to crack off or something? Smoother too..But I only associate rolled threads with forming thin tubes to retain screws, though I only have seen roller taps. I never saw a roller die. Do you get the same benefits as you would from rolling a screw in a factory (that is, like machine rolling with 2 cylinders that spin, usually only seen on assembly line because its massive)Just to summarize I know of1) rolled threads from factory on big specialized machine2) rolled threads from roller tap for thin tubing threading where you don't want it to go any thinner (forming tap), but I see you can also use them in place of cut threads in general3) cut threads from typical tap or dieWhat you say is unique because its essentially a rolled thread die, not some special apparatus (for forming threads on the OD of something). Rolled ID threads (from a tap) are common/well defined. Rolled OD threads are basically new to me, unless you are buying things from a screw factory

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 06, 2025, 10:18:52 pm
content: and if you happened to use cutting die's instead of a screw making plate for making watch parts, you would get lower quality properties or possibly a malfunction ? Like stuff getting loose, breaking, etcIt seems that this might be something china-watches have a problem with, because they might buy some general purpose high precision cutting machine for a factory that can make geometrically close parts, that have the wrong material properties because they are cut not rolled.I do appreciate the 'forged' aspect of objects... they are always stronger / more reliable. I had someone make me little custom wrenches on a CNC for something in a special kit.... and while precise, they are weak compared to manufactured forged wrenches, I managed to damage one pretty quickly (though they still work fine for the application, its just that you don't want people taking these wrenches for 'general' uses. In this case its a plus because the wrench is not important

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 01:52:49 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on May 06, 2025, 10:18:52 pmYes, screw plates are antiques. They were not used in "factories" that I know of. They were used by individuals making early watches and later by rural watch repairers. Metric obviated their use.Fun fact, Hamilton from the very start not only used the metric system, but they were the only factory that rationalized their screws (and all the other parts). Whereas Waltham and Elgin used different screws to hold the lower and upper balance staff cap jewels, Hamilton used one style screw. This difference included all the plate screws, only one style where the other companies used several different styles. This reduced tooling, operations and inventory and is one example of why Hamilton became the Juggernaut within 10 years of initial production.For kicks, here is apic of .35mm Hamilton screw compared to a 5-40 set screw. You can also see the tap for that screw.So I would think production of your screw is very possible. They may well already be. As for tapping, I would only use these taps on brass, nickel and possibly annealed steel. One quarter turn at a time.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 03:35:35 pm
content: Amazing! Kudos for having the skills to deal with such tiny parts and being able to make them

author: SteveThackery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 07:28:35 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on May 04, 2025, 12:20:43 pmNow thisseemsto go against what I was taught, so it looks like there's a learning opportunity here!Here's what I understand to be true: a cut thread is made by cutting away material; a rolled thread is made bydisplacingmaterial.Cut threads are made by taps and dies, in the way we are all familiar with. Rolled threads are made on a machine that squeezes the cylindrical blank between two or more extra-hard dies which have the thread form on their surfaces, and then rolled. These dies can be flat or cylindrical. The high pressures and mechanical precision means that thread rolling isn't really practical by hand: a machine is required in order to deliver the required pressure and accuracy.So, that's what I was taught. Presumably there's more to it, so I look forward to learning more, especially in the context of screw plates.PS: I understand the gap in each threaded hole in a screw plate is there to allow the removed material to escape, just like normal taps and dies. This suggests they are intended to cut, rather than displace, the material.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 07:48:53 pm
content: I will see if I have one in a box somewhere, If I do I will run a brass taper pin thru it and we can see how crude the threading is. I do not think I ever saw swarf when these are used.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 09:37:01 pm
content: I wonder if you dip it in ferric chloride or something and look under a strong microscope if you can see anything different tooI don't know how to expose brass crystals or if you can. But i think if its been displaced it might be compressed or something and be finer ?