More Auto Awesome

Another Google+ auto-awesome photo!

Auto Awesome

Google+'s "auto awesome" photo feature at work...

Balance Wheel Truing Calipers

Once a new staff is riveted to the balance wheel, this tool is used to true the balance round and flat.

My Elgin's Alright

I received an email about an interesting painting...

This painting is either a prototype for a well known Elgin advertising postcard, from the late 1930s, or the painting is made from the postcard image.  At any rate there seen to be a connection.

Here's the painting, and the postcard.

Has anyone ever seen this painting, or one like it, before?

Address Change Again

The ISP changed my IP address, again, at some point, probably overnight.  I just reset the DNS.  The Elgin serial number site will be available again within a few minutes as the change propagates.

http://home.elgintime.com:8080/elgintime/SnumLookup

A Case Pin for Early 18 Size Elgin Movements

Early Elgin movements are held in the case by just one case screw, and a pin on the other side.  The pin sticks out of the edge of  the movement and into a hole inside the case.  These pins are small pieces of brass with threads on one end to thread into the movement.

For whatever reason, these little pins are often missing or broken and a new one has to be made.

16 Size Elgin Railroad Dials

These are two examples of a certain type of 16 size Elgin pocketwatch  dial.  Most Elgin dials are highly standardized and interchangeable on Elgin pocketwatches, of a given size, throughout the company's 100 year history.  But these are for certain higher end 16 size models, including B. W. Raymond grades.  They are double sunk with railroad approved markings, set up for open faced cases.  But their feet are in different places for usual, and the holes in the center and for the seconds hand are slightly closer together than on other Elgin dials, meaning that watches that need these dials have to have this dial.  

These are getting quite hard to find in good condition.  The fact that they are often not recognized by people selling them as being just slightly different makes finding one that much harder.  Better parts dealers will recognize these, but then they will also want 3 or 4 times a typical price.

Both of these examples are imperfect, as the photos show.