Completions

Here are some photos of those projects I talked earlier about. Still working on other ones and I'll post pics as I finish them.

Heating plate for bluing screws. If you don't know anything about blue screws then I will try to explain it for you. Basically the steel made for screws must be hardened and then tempered. When tempering, the steel goes through a unique range of colors according to the hardness it is. This color is due to a reaction with the air but that's not really important. What is important is the correct hardness which, thankfully for aesthetic purposes, is a really nice shade of blue. It is known in watchmaking that this bluing of screws and hands is a sign of extra care and effort. Some companies with less time and money will fake this color. Here are are two examples:

Real blue screws

Fake blue screws

Now obviously to the majority of people it is hard to tell. But once you actually blue the steel yourself and know what you are looking for, it's a little bit easier. The real blue screws have a deeper blue and the fake ones more of an 'electric' blue. It's much easier to tell from magazine photos but also the price of the watch can sometimes tip you off as well.

Anyways to get to the point, I made a table to blue these screws. The pattern of the holes was personal choice.

If you hadn't noticed, the pattern is made to look like the Swiss cross

And here are some pics of those other tools I talked about. Most people will just buy these tools from a company like Bergeon but it was pretty cool to be able to build these all by hand. Many hours were put into these (like 20+ each).

More to come tomorrow!

Watch-not-really-maker

I have received the following question now over a dozen times and feel I should settle the issue:

"So Aaron, have you made any watches yet?"

The final answer to this question is a resounding "Hell NO!" I will try to explain in short form why.

A. It can take some companies 5 years to build some watches with experienced engineers and watchmakers

B. I have only been doing this for 2 months

C. The part of the course I am doing right now is called micro-mechanics

D. The term 'Watchmaker' is not as it sounds. I technically will not be 'making' any watches. Watchmaker is a term given to the skilled individuals who service and repair watches. Here is a link to explain a little better: Watchmaker

E. Although when I am finished the course I will probably possess the skills to make a watch, the time and amount of work put in is ridiculous in comparison to the return if said watch was sold. Maybe this is why most people don't understand why or how a watch could cost over $100,000.

So with that said I hope all of you will understand that it is not really about 'making' watches. It is more about learning how they work and how to fix and repair them quickly and easily. I know it doesn't make sense why I would be called a Watchmaker, but hey I didn't invent the name.

We are however planning to modify a watch in class and will get to build parts for it and add our own personal touch to it. But by no means are we building a watch from scratch. The 2 years of school with no experience would definately not be enough time to complete such a project. I have already been told that a lot of extra hours aside from class are needed to do the school watch. I am looking forward to it and will definately have lots of updates when we start.

Vid-yo

Just a quick video from today. This is basically what I do all day right now... and yeah that is the sound of the motor. Imagine 4 of those going at once and that's what it's like. That's why I like to listen to tunes. It also helps me focus. I was just turning a cylinder at 3.00 mm for a tool. I have to do only half at a time since the tool rest isn't wide enough to cover the 20.00 mm long I wanted. It's sort of dumb but you get used to it I guess.

If you can't see the video from your RSS reader go to the actual website...

And here are a few more photo's from the recent projects.