Elgin Grade 95

 Elgin made a few grade early on that have male winding arbors, or stem. For these movement a square arbor sticks out of the movement into a square hole in the stem, in the neck of the watch case.

Most vintage American watches are the reverse, having the male part in the case, and a square hole in the winding arbor in the watch.

Cases for the older type, like this one, are extremely rare.

Note the square arbor sticking out at 3:00.

Also, this is an example of the hunter movement. The stem is 90 degrees from the seconds dial.

This watch is Elgin's grade 95. It is a lever-set 6 size, 7 jewels, made about 1891.

South Bend Grade 429

This one is a South Bend pocketwatch, 12 size, 19 jewels, grade 429, made about 1922.

This South Bend is a "bridged" movement. The train bridges are 2 pieces designed to appear to be four. It allows more of the works to be viewed when assembled.

This ratchet wheel had a broken tooth. I had to locate and order a replacement. I am rarely stumped for a vintage Elgin part, I almost always have what I need on hand. But other makes, not so much.

Many antique watch parts are getting much harder to find, very quickly. I didn't have too much trouble finding one of these though.

 Here are a couple views of the winding/setting mechanism.

This is the movement in winding mode (stem clicked in). The clutch is at the right. In setting mode, it is moved over to the left to engage the gears to move the hands.

The dial is a painted metal type. Any attempt to clean it with more than a gentle, soft brush would take the markings off. The label "South Bend" is almost not visible as it is from dirt and wear - and possibly earlier attempts to clean it.

Elgin Grade 212

This is a less common Elgin pocketwatch movement. It's a grade 212, 16 size, 7 jewels, made about 1904. 

The secondary serial number stamps on the major parts are prefixed with an 'X'.

This is a "Swing-out" case. There is no removable back. Instead the movement is mounted in a hinged ring that comes out from the front. Few joints in the case mean less dust getting inside.

Information Please!

From The American Horologist and Jeweler magazine, February, 1942

Information Please!
By W. H. SAMELIUS

P.W.A.: - I have been instructed to carefully true compensated balance in the round and poise them. When this is done, I find on returning to work the next morning, after the shop has been cold all night, that the balance is out of round. Should I true such a balance again after assembling the watch?

Ans: - A compensating balance can only be trued and remain so at one temperature. If you true the balance at 70° F and leave it on the bench overnight to get cold where the temperature probably dropped 20 or 30 degrees you will find the balance rims have moved outward and the balance out of round. In other words, the brass rim will have contracted more than the steel rim and the cut ends of the rim will extend beyond the length of the arms. You will note that as soon as the room temperature has increased to the same temperature as when the balance was trued, it will become true again, or back to its normal form.

B.S.: - How can I make a simple cement for patching broken porcelain watch dials?

Ans: - In a clean vessel, dissolve pure white wax and mix with an equal amount of zinc white. When cold, the cement can easily be pressed into the broken places in the dial. Heat the dial slightly to make the cement flow and adhere to the surface. Cleanliness in mixing and a little heat will contribute to the production of a very white wax.

JR.L.: - I see in the late Elgin Catalog and bulletins, an announcement of a patented grooved balance staff which has been introduced. Without a doubt, this proves to be a valuable timesaver for the man at the bench.

The fact that the new staff can be driven out and not injure the balance wheel and that a new staff can be staked to the wheel, leaving the wheel perfectly flat, so no or very little truing is required and that the balance will remain in poise, is a great step forward, but how can I distinguish the new staff from an old staff when a watch comes to the shop for repairs.

Ans: - The difference between the regular model staff and the new model grooved staff is that the waist, or hub on the regular staff is tapered, where the new model staff has a straight hub.

P.D.: - I am having trouble in attaching gummed paper printed clock dials, so the dial will stick and stay flat and smooth and not peel off after a few days.

Ans: - The surface of the metal dial must first be prepared by removing the old paint with paint remover. Thoroughly clean the surface by using coarse sand paper. Wet the gummed side of the dial with a cloth and when ,Nell moistened, attach paper to metal disc laid on flat surface, then with pads and weights, hold the dial down tight until dry. You will then have no further trouble.

E.L.O'B.: - Would like to know what causes the cannon pinion to raise up off center post, no matter how tight the cannon pinion is put on?

Ans : - This question is often asked and the illustrations show the causes for cannon pinion raising. 

Figure No. I - shows center post tapered at the lower end so when cannon pinion is applied, it will have a tendency to raise upward and become loose.

Figure No.2 - shows center post of equal diameter from top to bottom but with the groove slanted upward instead of downward toward the base of the arbor. A cannon pinion fitted to this center post will also cause the cannon pinion to climb up and become loose. 

Figure No.3 - shows center post of equal diameter from top to bottom with the groove so shaped that when the cannon pinion is attached, it will have a tendency to work downward and remain on the post. When fitting a new cannon pinion, make sure the pinion fits freely down to the shoulder of the post. Then by inserting a brass wire in the hole of the cannon pinion, placing the cannon pinion in a V stump and with a center punch, make a small indentation or bulge that will come just below the groove of center post, as indicated by arrows.

Occasionally, we find a cannon pinion, after being placed on center post, that has a tendency to turn rather hard. This may be due to a rough hole in the pinion or rough surface on center post. In such a case, it is permissible to lubricate the center post. 

Trade Secrets

From The American Horologist and Jeweler magazine, February, 1942

Trade Secrets

What are they, how do they benefit the holder, how do they react toward the attitude of the apprentice?

During the past years it was the custom of the watchmaker to cloud his craft in a cloak of secrecy. Even the apprentice under his direction could never be sure that he had acquired more than a working knowledge with which to face the world in his efforts to earn a living.

Most young apprentices had to be satisfied with just such information as the master chose to give them, some had the initiative and courage to get the masters secrets in any manner at hand, mostly by closely watching him when he, the master, did not know of the watchful attitude of the apprentice. Some apprentices managed to get certain information from the master by adroit questioning, feigning and ignorance that was quite an intelligent demonstration. It is commendable that in more recent years there has been an inclination to divulge these so-called trade secrets and rather to encourage students to inquire into the reasons and the whys of things horological.

The writer had the pleasure of being employed by a jeweler in Columbus, Ohio, for some time and as a new year tribute I claim this man is one of the fairest and squarest employers that ever established a business, he gave me much of his valuable time in correcting faults that J had fallen heir to in former connections and I have greatly profited by this employers good will and keen interest.

One of the items that has been under controversy for these many years has been the subject of cleaning watches; during my apprenticeship. I was taught that benzine was the only reliable watch cleaner, followed by the usual "dunking" in alcohol and endless brushing. Later on material houses "developed" cleaning solutions of their own and, properly labelled as a, cleaning solution was sold to watchmakers at $3.00 per gallon.

I am offering the following watch cleaning solution formula for the benefit of those watchmakers who have been unable to get a satisfactory solution, no doubt there are many in the craft who already have this formula but there are many of the newer men just coming along now that will find the solution beneficial in their work:

Oleic Acid _________________________2 oz.
Acetone __________________________.4 oz.
Ammonia., 28% ____________________18 oz.
Water, distilled, to make one gallon.

This solution will not tarnish or cause rust on any part of the steel work in watches, however, it is best to wash the parts immediately in cold water, direct from the faucet, and then immerse in alcohol to remove any water that may remain hidden in crevices-then dry and assemble.

After a light buffing of cases and jewelry, then a wash off in the above solution one will be astonished at the results; discolorations and stains are removed quickly after only a light brushing in this solution.

I am indebted to my former employer, Leland M. Swain, of Columbus, Ohio, for this formula.
Prices for this solution are as variable as the weather, it all depends upon the section where one may happen to be employed; for instance. one city has a fixed price of 80 cents per gallon, not so far distant another city charges $1.50, and I know of others that charge $1.00 and still another at $1.25.
I fail to see the reason for such variation since the cost of the chemicals when purchased in pound packages (standard weight designation by the largest chemical houses) would be approximately one-fourth the retail price of the lowest gallon charge stated above. 

The logical solution to the excessive cost would be for those jewelers employing several watchmakers to purchase the chemicals in bulk from a chemical distributor and mix the solutions in gallon lots, in their work rooms; for example, stores employing two active bench men should purchase the oleic acid and acetone in 10 pound containers and the ammonia in case lot of 10 nine pound bottles, the distilled water could be purchased from the local ice company in 5 gallon bottles or 10 gallon carboys, the initial cost per gallon of the solution would be greatly reduced and would amount to something like 40 cents per gallon. (Including time and glassware used in measuring and storage).

At the present time I am using the following system -

Tray No. l - Watch cleaning solution.
Tray No.2 - Naphtha gas.
Tray No.3 - Carbon tetrachloride.
Tray No.4 - Carbon tetrachloride. 

When solution in tray No.3 gets to the point where I think it should be changed I use this solution for washing off cases and jewelry after buffing and washing in solution No. 1, however, I use separate dishes for jewelry and use the discarded solutions for watch cleaning for this purpose. I do not use alcohol very often and then only for cases where I doubt the efficiency of the other solutions in the final washing and drying. I don't recall that I have had a single failure of sleeves or springs from rust traceable to the use of any of these solutions.

I do use alcohol as a precautionary measure on such cases as might harbor a trace of water in some hidden crevice.

If this formula benefits some member of the craft I will be amply repaid for the time and effort in writing it up as well as in detailing my experiences and observations from the use of the formula. 

Elgin Grade 130

This one had a problem. The watch is a small, zero size, movement in an early wristwatch case. These early wristwatches are normal ladies pocketwatch movements in an extra small case. One of the problems is that the snap mechanism, which on an early watch is part of the case, not the movement, is very small and fragile. It is just a smaller version of the pocket watch mechanism, but having far less space.

On this one the stem was broken. In the photos we see the two broken pieces. The sleeve which provides the "snap" is to the right and the crown to the left. To get the stem out, one unscrews the crown and then it comes out toward the inside of the case. That usually requires holding the stem so it won't turn. But this out was broken inside - nothing to hold. I was just about the give up on getting this apart when the crown suddenly unscrewed enough.

I got lucky and found this replacement stem in record time! These are completely unstandardized parts and are often hand made, but this one worked.

Elgin Grade 22

This next watch is a bit different. It deviates from other Elgin designs in many ways. 

This is Elgin's grade 22, a 10 size, 11 jewel movement, made about 1872. it is named for Gail Borden.

 Here's a bit of a problem though...

A screw that is part of what holds the ratchet is broken off inside the barrel bridge. Sometime I can get these out by turning the broken piece. In this case though, it is tight.

Getting this clear is simpler than one might think. The part is gilded brass. The screw body is steel. Soaking this part for a couple days in a chemical solution completely devolves the steel...

 ...but leaves the bridge totally unaffected, thus clearing the hole.

The ratchet mechanism on these is quite elegant. That big round, and blued, click spring is a very rare part though.

There are interesting secondary serial number stamps on this one. There is a sort of H symbol used as a prefix.

Gail Borden invented the process of condensing milk by vacuum. He was also a major stock holder in the Elgin National Watch Company, and built a condensed milk factory in Elgin, Illinois in 1865.

This type of hunting case has hinged parts connected to the central ring that hold the movement.

Elgin's Gail Borden watches are a little smaller than the "working man's" watch styles of that time. These are were definitely marketed toward the wealthy and successful businessmen - or at least those that aspired to be so.