Job Number 250148

There's a lot of screws in these.

The underside of the mainspring barrel includes cut-outs for a Geneva Stop. The parts are missing though, as they almost always are. I don't know if Elgin stopped installing this complication at some point or if watchmakers servicing the watch left it out. These are very uncommon parts.

The Geneve Stop halts winding just before the end of the spring. It's not required for the watch to run perfectly normally, and it may not have been clear to some how to line up the gear when assembling the barrel.

The setting mechanism looks good. I'm optimistic that it won't need much effort to get it working correctly. A little too much wear on that flat spring and the inner wheel will not stay engaged.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lre7xNxQ9eTiXfSU8

Elgin serial number 3793826 is a grade 70, 18 size, 15 jewels, made about 1890. This is a B.W. Raymond model.

As is often the case with older 18 size movements, my timing machine has trouble locking on. To sanity check the rate I have to go ahead and put the hands on, set it, and let it run for several hours. 

The basic rate test having gone well, I case it up and start with a few days of testing in positions. 

Job Number 250148

Here's a before image... It's pretty clean and all there.

This style of lever-setting mechanism is remarkably clever, but for good reason it wasn't used by Elgin for long. Note the setting wheel in the center with teeth both inside and outside. The tension on this, so is stays engaged on the cannon pinion, is critical and hard to get just right.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lre7xNxQ9eTiXfSU8

Elgin serial number 3793826 is a grade 70, 18 size, 15 jewels, made about 1890. This is a B.W. Raymond model.

Job Number 250142

Here are a few before images. This one is a bit rough around the edges.

This is an H.H. Taylor model, Elgin serial number 287949, grade 58, 18 size, 15 jewels, made about 1873.

Follow the album for this project here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZQ3PAD7DhUEud9Sp6

As sometimes is the case with early, slow beat movements, my timing machine is useless. It somehow fails to lock on and give a valid reading. The machine never tells the whole story anyway. It's just for getting in the ballpark. I always do practical 24 hour tests in positions. In instances like this though, I can't even get it in the ballpark without putting the hands on and letting it run.

I was pleasantly surprised, it's almost perfect, with in  minute, as-is 24 hours after assembly.

I had to file off a bit of a case washer to make it narrow enough to fit against the hinge.

Job Number 250140

Here's another nice Illinois Watch Company product, the A. Lincoln model.

This one is ticking but the upper pivot of the balance staff is all but worn away causing too much end-shake. The balance wheel touches the pallet bridge in certain orientations. I'll have to replace the staff.

Unfortunately I don't have it on hand so they'll be a delay until the part arrives. Illinois part number 47607, by the way, for a two-part double roller...

Illinois number 2834773 is an A. Lincoln, model 9, 16 size, 21 jewels made about 1915.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ndPSUd1nY2sCQ5Tz5 

New Arrival, Job Number 250140

Follow the album for this project here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ndPSUd1nY2sCQ5Tz5

Job Number 250139

Here's all the motor barrel parts for this style.

After getting the movement all together and running, I found I actually had to loosen the cannon pinion - the opposite of the typical problem. Close examination showed it had clearly been tightened in the past, but too much. It was very hard to set. That's particularly bad because it's easy to break teeth on off if moving it requires too much force.

Illinois serial number 5128763 is a Bunn Special, Type III, Model 14, 16 size, 21 jewels, made about 1928. 

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cgtajUEmGAKYyyQt8

Job Number 250128

The album for this watch is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YfBjw4p5tDcNbgt26

Elgin serial number 14608181 is an 18 size, grade 294, 7 jewels, made about 1910.

Job Number 250126

I had a hunch about this one that turned out to be right. It had the wrong hairspring. The regulator was for an over-coiled spring. Someone probably dropped a complete balance in there rather than replace a broken balance staff. Correct hairspring installed, it runs well.

Elgin serial number 14065284 is an 18 size, grade 288, 7

jewels, made about 1910.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BowzV2NDZkdXkzfD7

Job Number 250137

No special notes. This one went pretty smoothly. All I added was a replacement bow.

Elgin serial number 24509265 is a grade 313, 16 size, 15 jewels, made about 1922.

The album for this watch is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fn8WEcKu6ZXZvFc1A

Instagram and this Blog

Instagram has made a few changes over the past few weeks.

Firstly, it is no longer possible to view my posts without an Instagram login. The people I work with often have no interest in creating an Instagram account. Secondly, URLs, such as to the Google Photos albums I create are no longer "live" and clickable. This was long the case in the app, but in the web interface, links worked until recently. Thirdly, the search change is truing baffling. Who implements a search that excludes exact matches? This change has rendered hash tags useless, as it's no longer possible to find my posts by job number tag. 

There's just no reason for the time and effort it takes to make posts to Instagram if they can't be accessed by the watch owners.

I've been meaning to do this eventually anyway. I have extracted all my content from Instagram (as I did from Google+ before that), and will be gradually getting it posted here, back dated years into the past. I see no reason to delete the Instagram account, and will probably post something there now and then, but new content on projects will be here on the blog going forward. 

Posts here will be less frequent as it's more work, but they are retrievable by job number.

Job Number 250133

I had to get into this one again and replace the lower balance jewel due to excessive end-shake. The pivot hole was too big. I didn't catch this at first but in running it in various positions the trouble imerged.

Serial number 24973516 is a grade 291, 16 size, 7 jewels, made about 1922.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s1ryMuTqr9AxqcqT9

New Arrival, Job Number 250139

Follow the album for this project here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cgtajUEmGAKYyyQt8

Job Number 250133

No particular issues with this one.

Ready for a few days of testing...

Serial number 24973516 is a grade 291, 16 size, 7 jewels, made about 1922.

The album for this project is here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s1ryMuTqr9AxqcqT9