[David Walter]

I have a job which is complete rebuild of a modern ( 2003) regulator. This was required because the complete train, escapement and crutch were beyond useless, the original maker had no idea of how a true regulator is made and the clock simply did not work, the list of faults is almost a record. The rebuild required a new dial and blued steel hands. It is the new steel hands in the style of Reifler that I have made today.
The photos should be clear, beginning with the seconds hand cut out and the hour and minute hands marked on the steel, then the hour hand cut with half the minute hand filed. The dial photo with the hands is a printout of the new dial drawing.
The last photo shows the tools I used to make the hands.

Now what did you do today ?

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20 ... Hands1.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20 ... Hands2.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20 ... Hands4.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk20 ... tools5.jpg

[Thomas Carey]

I am guessing the cost to repair this is high enough that the owner should have thought about just having you make a whole new clock.

[David Walter]

Hi Thomas,

The person who made the original clocks would certainly have been better served to have me make the movements for him ( he made 30 of these), however I wasn't asked and the cost would certainly have been much more, but then they would have worked and he wouldn't have had angry customers. The pendulum is well made in the Strasser and Rohde style, I believe it was made by a company in Belgium using the Invar they supply.

This is another tribute to the old adage "You get what you pay for". Pay little, get little and a bonus load of problems.

David

[David Walter]

In reply to a private email, the minute hand is 120mm long and the seconds hand is balanced, the minute hand has a counter balance fitted to the cannon pinion. This is very important on a precision clock, an unbalanced minute hand will create a gain between 12 & 6 and a loss between 6 and 12 and this is very easily recorded using a MicroSet system.

Who has done something special today ? Some must have discovered something new at the bench or at least something interesting to share even if its a "how can I do this ?"

David