Your lessons have made me an Elgin fixing fool! I have brought
Elgins out of the cabinet (16s and 12s) that I have waited until I was
skillful enough with small parts before I tried to fix. One my wife
bought for me several years ago and I had taken it to a watch
repairman (the only one I could find in this area). It was about this
time of the year. He told me he only worked on pocket watches one
month of the year and that was February!  So I waited to February and took it back to him. He told me I was too late.  I had to have it with him BEFORE February! Any way,
I made up my mind that day,  if I was going to collect old
pocket watches, I needed to learn how to work on them. And thanks to
you I did!
  I have really learned the importance of taking the jewels out one
at a time and cleaning them. I never realized how much filth could
get trapped between a cap and hole jewel!
   Just trying to say THANKS A MILLION ED!

 

Long Letter of Thanks

    I purchased your combined lessens 6 weeks ago hoping to learn enough to repair a pocket watch I was given. The watch is a Illinois size 8 with 11j that would only tick for a short time. After reading volumes 1-3 several times I worked up the bravery to work on the watch. The first problem I discovered was a brown goop on several surfaces that made me think it was old oil. I did a simple (not complete) disassembly to discover the first problem, the cannon pinion was way too tight.

   After cleaning, polishing and lubrication the canon pinion was tight but the time could be set. Next I discovered that the roller jewel was pushed up (out of position). I cleaned the area with alcohol (I don’t have an ultra sonic cleaner with trichlorethylene, yet) and glued it to my best judgment. At this point I had a ticking watch but it was way too fast (20 minutes a day). I disassembled the watch expecting that I did something wrong to find more brown goop on the hair spring. Carefully cleaning the hair spring I noticed it is quite rusty in spots.

With the goop gone the watch now runs only a few minutes off a day. I think I’ll have to find a new hair spring.
   At this point I’m thoroughly infected with a lust for vintage pocket watches and my wife was upset with that, until I got her a pocket watch.

   So “Thank You” for sharing your love of vintage watches and providing valuable reference material. I expect to enjoy the hobby for a long time.

  J. R.