Thank you so much for making these videos! I've been looking for a video on the polishing frog forever. Truly a service to future watchmakers documenting these types on processes.
Alex. Absolutely fabulous. As a person who served an apprenticeship as a ships engineer I can really appreciate the 'frog', and it is something I can make. Way to go! So interesting yet again. Thank you.
Hay Dude. You inspired me to buy some tools off Amazon and get a old Elgin pocket watch and work on it. I have no intention of being a watch maker but I do enjoy messing with it. Lots of fun, I recommend it to everyone
Absolutely brilliant video. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us! I will be making one of these tools soon. I didn’t realize how versatile they can be.
Hi Alex, thank you for the info about the polishing tool, i made one and been waiting a month for some lapping film, it arrived today and well i'm just down to 3 mic, thank you for the info, great channel i do enjoy watching not just for the tips, cheers mate. Dave from UK
Excellent Dave, As I'm sure you already know, adding a little bit of water to the lapping paper will extend its life, But I choose not to because I don't wanna spend as much time cleaning the parts between grits.
The hairspring part was the most helpful. I searched for a while looking for a tutorial. I bought a micro vise on Amazon. It worked well but this tool is 2 birds 1 stone.
Man! The way you make it look so effortless! Great job! I can’t wait until I get to a point where I don’t lose/break anything. Everything’s going to get polished. Lol
The hand tool that you made for fixing the screw to be polished- can you make it for a price so that interested viewers can buy? If yes, please let me know the cost.Thank you, Sir, for this video. Your knowledge and passion for watch repairs is truly exemplary.
Short of using a lathe, the best option is to hold the screw in a pin vise and use a rotary tool. No rotary tool, you can put your compounds on soft wood or a leather buff.
Really nice and incredibly informative video! thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with us. I have a couple of questions: 1. How did you mount the diamont lapping paper on the glass? did you glue it? 2. You are passing the whole tool on the diamant paper. Aren't the levelers affected by that? Many thanks in advance. Fabrizio
The diamond paper is peel and stick, so he just pulled the backing, and it sticks to the glass. To your second question all it does is polish them as well. They are also quite thick.
Hey, Alex! Another excellent video! Man, have I learned so many things from you! I just love the excellent way how you explain everything that makes things so easy to understand and follow! I have a quick question if you don’t mind me asking. I recently bought a watchmaker’s lathe and would like to attempt making screws and winding stems and everything else I can. I am very new with this and was wondering if you could tell me what would be the best steel to make screws and or stems? Thank you for your help, and please keep up the great work!
Hey brother, I would use "O1" tool steel which is commonly just called "drill rod" or "silver steel". Just make sure it's 01. It is a oil hardening steel and is kind of the standard for all watch parts made in a shop environment.
I love your videos. I plan on using your end shake video in my apprentice class to explain how you need to understand how something works before you can attempt to fix it. Question: Are the adjustment feet sacrificial since they hold the screw in plane?
@@watchrepairtutorials any kind of watch Chrystal (glass), trying to find a replacement can be difficult should they be domed, etc. how to measure when the Chrystal is broken etc.
Hello Alex, today I made mine with my 3D printer, a super useful tool that I didn't know about. I'm eagerly waiting for your next video. By the way, what watch are you wearing in this video?
Oh thats a Seiko 7S36-04N0 that a modified. I replaced the 7S36 movement with a NH36, replaced the crystal with a flat sapphire crystal and added a sapphire bezel insert. I also converted the crown to a screw down crown. You like?
I printed off your link description of the frog. All the measurements are metric and threads are BA. Do you have the prints/dimensions of the frog you made cuz I'm going to make one. I've been using lanterns and pin vises! Obviously yours isn't the same as your link, should I just convert the metrics to SAE? gonna pick up those sheets and escapement buffs from your link. Thanks again Alex.
I noticed in your videos that the distance between the microscope and the worktop is quite long (although the magnification seems quite high from the video). In my case, despite mainly using the lowest magnification setting (X7), the screwdriver barely gets in between the worktop and the lens, blocking the view or causing several inconveniences. Should I buy another microscope? The model name is Nikon's multipurpose real microscope SMZ-1. I was wondering if you had any advice. Thank you!
I keep a small jar of liquid shellac. That’s just shellac dissolved and denatured alcohol. It just takes a small amount underneath the part and then I hit it with a little bit of heat and it sets it.
I had a question about misaligned bezels. I've seen videos where they do a reassembly of the bezel insert to realign it, but what if the bezel is a solid piece? Do I just pop it off and press it back on, hoping to get that fraction of a millimeter to line up? Or is it possible to get a good grip on it and rotate it ever so slightly?
It’s hard to say without knowing how it was attached to the case. It could be pressed on or glued on. The chance of damaging it when removing are pretty high so I would caution you before you do anything like trying to pry it off or clamp onto it with a wrench to twist it.
@@watchrepairtutorials It's a Seiko Prospex Speedtimer. It's very subtle. The second hand and 12 o'clock marker are lined up, but points just behind the 60 line on the bezel. Quality control issue from Seiko, but could be worse.
Just found ur channel and So glad I did ! Just absorbing info right now while waiting on $ as I’m on disability lookn fer a hobby. Been watching service videos on TH-cam, that I thought were educational somewhat…. But NOooo ! lol. You the man Alex ! No way now will I attempt my grandfather’s 220 grade Waltham model 94, from 1907. Until I do like ya said and learn some easier modern watches first. Like I said, still trying absorb knowledge first, yiur lessons are awesome and you present them so my DUMBASS can even understand !!
Master, can you provide a first issue on how to confirm the position of the hairspring on the swing wheel without marking the position of the outer pile of the hairspring🤝
@@watchrepairtutorials Perhaps it was me expressing it,What I want to know is,When the hairspring is removed from the swing wheel, its original position is not marked. How to determine the accurate position of the hairspring on the swing wheel. thanks!!
@@kamluntang if there was no marking on the balance wheel, lay the hairspring on the balance cock with the hairspring stud in its place. Look at the position of the opening in the collet and then using that information lay it on the balance staff and stake it on. Then you can adjust it for beat error. Hope that answers your question.
Great method and demonstration Alex. As a caution to others, two mistakes I've made: 1. Your polish is "too good" and the polished screw stands out from the originals. 2. You polish too aggressively which results in shortening the screw head height so it sits too deep in the countersink, also telegraphing that the screw us not original. So many mistakes too be made learning this craft!
Good points. Often times all the screws need to be polished for consistency, that’s for sure. I have also found that the lapping films remove as little material as possible. Great comment sir.
Not really. I was trained to work a lathe. But I also like to figure things out I live by the Creed, “ If the women don’t find you handsome, at least they should find you handy.” Red Green
They are just cut from steel rod. There’s a couple of ways to attach them to the threaded screw that moves them in and out of the brass plate depending on what you have available available for tools. If you have a laid then you can just turn the threaded rod and the foot as one piece. The next easiest way would be to drill and tap the foot piece and then thread your screw into that. Another option would be to find A bolt that is round and uses a hex or Allan key. Search this phrase, “M6 x 6mm Full Thread Cap Head Screws (DIN 912) - Stainless Steel (A2)” and you will see what I mean.
Made one of these tools when I was doing the BHI course/exams. Never thought to use it for removing hairspring pins, genius!
Thank you Chris. Works perfect.
Thank you so much for making these videos! I've been looking for a video on the polishing frog forever. Truly a service to future watchmakers documenting these types on processes.
Thank you. That’s what I am hoping for.
You changed man, watching your old videos, 1year before...yes it is aging.
God bless you
Welcome back! I am getting older my friend
We all are
Alex. Absolutely fabulous. As a person who served an apprenticeship as a ships engineer I can really appreciate the 'frog', and it is something I can make. Way to go! So interesting yet again. Thank you.
I think you’re the first person who got the reference and realizes why it is called a frog.
This screw head looks gorgeous.
Not bad for a couple minutes right?
Alex, I cannot express my gratitude for all you share with us. You are just a well of knowhow and experience. Great thanks and hats down.
I appreciate you brother. More videos coming down the road soon
@@watchrepairtutorials Great thanks in advance!
Hay Dude. You inspired me to buy some tools off Amazon and get a old Elgin pocket watch and work on it. I have no intention of being a watch maker but I do enjoy messing with it. Lots of fun, I recommend it to everyone
Just have fun with it man. That’s awesome.
Awesome Video !!!! and your using a studding table/polishing frog !!!! I have a vintage studding table but it is only a studding table
I appreciate you Sonny. Multi use tools are the best IMO
Absolutely brilliant video. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us! I will be making one of these tools soon. I didn’t realize how versatile they can be.
Glad it was helpful my friend. Always good to see your comments here.
Thank you for a great lesson. You are a true craftsman.
I appreciate that! Thank you
Hi Alex, thank you for the info about the polishing tool, i made one and been waiting a month for some lapping film, it arrived today and well i'm just down to 3 mic, thank you for the info, great channel i do enjoy watching not just for the tips, cheers mate. Dave from UK
Excellent Dave,
As I'm sure you already know, adding a little bit of water to the lapping paper will extend its life, But I choose not to because I don't wanna spend as much time cleaning the parts between grits.
Thank you for the video. I received the diamond polishing film from Sharpo and it was easy to use and did a fantastic job with the super polishing!
Perfect!
The hairspring part was the most helpful. I searched for a while looking for a tutorial. I bought a micro vise on Amazon. It worked well but this tool is 2 birds 1 stone.
There are tools specifically for holding hairspray studs, but this works well
Cool! I would love to see more multi-purpose tools just like this.
Very nice polish on that screw
Pretty simple eh?
Man! The way you make it look so effortless! Great job! I can’t wait until I get to a point where I don’t lose/break anything. Everything’s going to get polished. Lol
You can do it!
Thanks for the video. Excellent as usual.
Glad you enjoyed it Brian. Thanks for letting me know. 🤘
Another great video Alex. I love black polishing anything. And anglage and the occaisional rondelage.
Glad you enjoyed it my friend.🤙
Alex,Brilliant and very well explained, I love your videos
Many thanks! I appreciate you brother
Great information. Thank you.
Thanks for watching my friend
Nice to see you. Appreciate the information. Always learning.
Thanks for watching my friend. There’s always something new to learn.
Excellent work... 😊
Thank you so much 😀
Do you have a video for making a custom watch dial made from a blank sheet of metal? Would love to know what tools are used. Tia.
no, unfortunately, dial making is a specialty within the watchmaking world.
Excellent video! Could you show in a future video how you polish the sides of the screw?
It’s best done on a lathe with a burnisher
Top job I was using a pin vice but I fancy making one of those.
Yea, this is a whole different level of polishing.
You could buy more modern ones, but they’re quite expensive .
Thanks Alex!
Hey Tim, no problemo
The hand tool that you made for fixing the screw to be polished- can you make it for a price so that interested viewers can buy? If yes, please let me know the cost.Thank you, Sir, for this video. Your knowledge and passion for watch repairs is truly exemplary.
I wish I had the time. Thanks for watching.
Hi Alex, thank you for another first class video, love your work. How do you polish screws that are not flat or are domed ?
Short of using a lathe, the best option is to hold the screw in a pin vise and use a rotary tool. No rotary tool, you can put your compounds on soft wood or a leather buff.
@ Thank you 🙏
Nicely done
Thank you! Cheers!
Really nice and incredibly informative video! thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with us. I have a couple of questions:
1. How did you mount the diamont lapping paper on the glass? did you glue it?
2. You are passing the whole tool on the diamant paper. Aren't the levelers affected by that?
Many thanks in advance. Fabrizio
The diamond paper is peel and stick, so he just pulled the backing, and it sticks to the glass.
To your second question all it does is polish them as well. They are also quite thick.
Love your videos. Have learned so much from you. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
Hey, Alex! Another excellent video! Man, have I learned so many things from you! I just love the excellent way how you explain everything that makes things so easy to understand and follow!
I have a quick question if you don’t mind me asking. I recently bought a watchmaker’s lathe and would like to attempt making screws and winding stems and everything else I can. I am very new with this and was wondering if you could tell me what would be the best steel to make screws and or stems? Thank you for your help, and please keep up the great work!
Hey brother,
I would use "O1" tool steel which is commonly just called "drill rod" or "silver steel". Just make sure it's 01. It is a oil hardening steel and is kind of the standard for all watch parts made in a shop environment.
@@watchrepairtutorials Thank you so much, Alex! Your videos are amazing man! You do an excellent job explaining everything!
I love your videos. I plan on using your end shake video in my apprentice class to explain how you need to understand how something works before you can attempt to fix it. Question: Are the adjustment feet sacrificial since they hold the screw in plane?
If you’re referring to loss of material on the two leveler feet, it is minimal. The grit equivalency of these micron papers is very high.
Thanks so much for sharing! My “Tools Still Needed” list just got a little bit longer.
Would this process also work for flat mineral crystals?
In theory, but it’s not worth it because mineral crystals are so cheap
Another great video, could you do the same type of video but on Chrystals. I found your mainspring video a great source of information.
Thank you. What kind of crystal?
@@watchrepairtutorials any kind of watch Chrystal (glass), trying to find a replacement can be difficult should they be domed, etc. how to measure when the Chrystal is broken etc.
Cool to learn! Thanks
My pleasure! Sailgears
Hello Alex, today I made mine with my 3D printer, a super useful tool that I didn't know about. I'm eagerly waiting for your next video. By the way, what watch are you wearing in this video?
Oh thats a Seiko 7S36-04N0 that a modified. I replaced the 7S36 movement with a NH36, replaced the crystal with a flat sapphire crystal and added a sapphire bezel insert. I also converted the crown to a screw down crown.
You like?
@@watchrepairtutorialsfor the winding hack? I did this to a SKX I picked up awhile ago. Where'd you get your parts?
Thanks!
No problem! Thanks for the support my friend
I printed off your link description of the frog. All the measurements are metric and threads are BA. Do you have the prints/dimensions of the frog you made cuz I'm going to make one. I've been using lanterns and pin vises! Obviously yours isn't the same as your link, should I just convert the metrics to SAE?
gonna pick up those sheets and escapement buffs from your link. Thanks again Alex.
I do not have the original plans from mine. There were no computers when we made this one. The plans can be converted and dont need to be exact.
Alex just a quick one is HEXANE ok to use on any shellac items i.e. pallet and roller even vintage movements thanks ady
Yes. Yes it is.
I noticed in your videos that the distance between the microscope and the worktop is quite long (although the magnification seems quite high from the video). In my case, despite mainly using the lowest magnification setting (X7), the screwdriver barely gets in between the worktop and the lens, blocking the view or causing several inconveniences. Should I buy another microscope? The model name is Nikon's multipurpose real microscope SMZ-1. I was wondering if you had any advice. Thank you!
Try to find a .5x Barlow lens. That’s how you get a wider field of view and more working distance.
Great video mate, crammed with juicy stuff! How could you make sure you shellac items completely flat to the frog?
I keep a small jar of liquid shellac. That’s just shellac dissolved and denatured alcohol. It just takes a small amount underneath the part and then I hit it with a little bit of heat and it sets it.
@@watchrepairtutorials thanks Alex. I guess because it’s more liquid like it’s thin and easier to get the part set flat.
@@boydsargeant7496 perhaps. I have never really had an issue with a part laying flat that was in good condition.
What is a good method for polishing a domed screw head, love the channel and looking forward to more.
Gu Lai Fu
A Lathe
Is the stud backwards? Notch faces in? I'm a pain, i know.
Don't know.That was a demonstration on an additional use of the tool.
I had a question about misaligned bezels. I've seen videos where they do a reassembly of the bezel insert to realign it, but what if the bezel is a solid piece?
Do I just pop it off and press it back on, hoping to get that fraction of a millimeter to line up? Or is it possible to get a good grip on it and rotate it ever so slightly?
It’s hard to say without knowing how it was attached to the case. It could be pressed on or glued on. The chance of damaging it when removing are pretty high so I would caution you before you do anything like trying to pry it off or clamp onto it with a wrench to twist it.
@@watchrepairtutorials It's a Seiko Prospex Speedtimer. It's very subtle. The second hand and 12 o'clock marker are lined up, but points just behind the 60 line on the bezel.
Quality control issue from Seiko, but could be worse.
@@johnbentley364 what’s the model number?
@@watchrepairtutorials SBDL103
@@watchrepairtutorials SBDL103
Just found ur channel and So glad I did !
Just absorbing info right now while waiting on $ as I’m on disability lookn fer a hobby. Been watching service videos on TH-cam, that I thought were educational somewhat…. But NOooo ! lol. You the man Alex ! No way now will I attempt my grandfather’s 220 grade Waltham model 94, from 1907. Until I do like ya said and learn some easier modern watches first. Like I said, still trying absorb knowledge first, yiur lessons are awesome and you present them so my DUMBASS can even understand !!
LOL. Smart. Start slow and learn before moving on to the heirloom. 😀
Master, can you provide a first issue on how to confirm the position of the hairspring on the swing wheel without marking the position of the outer pile of the hairspring🤝
Use a sharpe. It’s easy to remove with a q-tip and alcohol
@@watchrepairtutorials Perhaps it was me expressing it,What I want to know is,When the hairspring is removed from the swing wheel, its original position is not marked. How to determine the accurate position of the hairspring on the swing wheel. thanks!!
@@kamluntang if there was no marking on the balance wheel, lay the hairspring on the balance cock with the hairspring stud in its place.
Look at the position of the opening in the collet and then using that information lay it on the balance staff and stake it on.
Then you can adjust it for beat error.
Hope that answers your question.
thanks,Master@@watchrepairtutorials
Hi Alex a still can't understand how you make this tool is there better explaining from the chart
Did you download the lesson?
Not the lesson the sheet that's on the petreon web page there isn't a lesson shows how to make this tool
@@mirauldloufoukou7364 I have not made a video on making the tool. I will eventually but not at this time.
Great method and demonstration Alex. As a caution to others, two mistakes I've made: 1. Your polish is "too good" and the polished screw stands out from the originals. 2. You polish too aggressively which results in shortening the screw head height so it sits too deep in the countersink, also telegraphing that the screw us not original. So many mistakes too be made learning this craft!
Good points. Often times all the screws need to be polished for consistency, that’s for sure.
I have also found that the lapping films remove as little material as possible.
Great comment sir.
Were you a machinist or a mechanic in a former life, Alex? You seem very adept at fabricating and with tools of all sorts.
Not really. I was trained to work a lathe. But I also like to figure things out I live by the Creed, “ If the women don’t find you handsome, at least they should find you handy.”
Red Green
Damn, thought I was seeing Nick Nolte for a sec... 😵💫
That’s a new one. LOL
nice video I haven't done much screw polishing Now I have no excuse.
Hello Amanda,
Try it. It works amazing well.
-Alex
where can i find the leveling bolts for this tool? what are they called? @watchrepairtutorials
They are just cut from steel rod.
There’s a couple of ways to attach them to the threaded screw that moves them in and out of the brass plate depending on what you have available available for tools. If you have a laid then you can just turn the threaded rod and the foot as one piece.
The next easiest way would be to drill and tap the foot piece and then thread your screw into that.
Another option would be to find A bolt that is round and uses a hex or Allan key.
Search this phrase, “M6 x 6mm Full Thread Cap Head Screws (DIN 912) - Stainless Steel (A2)” and you will see what I mean.
Thank you once again for another top notch video.
I taught you well, Grasshopper 🫡
lol, yes you did