July 26, 2003, 01:24
John D. DuvallThe Stem & Sleeve Assembly
Welcome everyone,
Our "Helping Hand" presentations do not cover a subject from end-to-end. It is not meant to be an all-encompassing, repair presentation but rather an informal lecture. Approximately 20-30 hours of work goes into each presentation. This includes photography, slide preparation and HTML coding. Therefore, I try to keep details to a minimum while providing a good, general overview of the subject.
Enjoy!
The Stem & Sleeve AssemblyJohn D. Duvall
IHC Member 192
July 26, 2003, 01:59
Sam WilliamsonJohn,that is outstanding!!!! You have a gift for making complex procedures logical and understandable. Better be careful or you will start being compared to Fried,de Carle and those others we aspiring watchmakers bow down to!
Really,thank you for your time and work for the benefit of horologists everywhere.
Salute!
Sam Williamson
IHC Charter Member 14
Member Chapters 96 and 185
July 26, 2003, 15:17
John D. DuvallThanks for the nice comments everyone.
My apologies to Steve Maddox for having to abbreviate all of this into one slide for the presentation:
Hi John,
As is often the case, I find that many things are easier to explain with
illustrations, than with words alone. To that end, I have created a sketch which
shows the point I was attempting to explain in my previous note.
In the accompanying sketch, cross sections of the sleeve fingers are shown in
blue, the stem is shown in black, and the worn sections are shown in red.
Figure "A" shows how the cross section of a new sleeve would look.
Figure "B" shows how the cross section of a worn sleeve would look. The
portion in red indicates metal that has been worn away.
Figure "C" shows how a stem fits in a good sleeve. Note that the square
shoulder of the stem meets the square end of the sleeve, and is therefore not
likely to pull out.
Figure "D" shows how a stem fits in a worn sleeve. Note that the square
shoulder of the stem meets the beveled shoulder of the sleeve, therefore allowing
it pull entirely out of the sleeve when sufficient force is applied.
Figure "E" shows a portion of metal removed from the end of the sleeve, so
that a significant portion of the end is again flat.
Figure "F" shows how the square shoulder of the stem again meets the square
end of the sleeve, and is again unlikely to pull out.
The repair shown in the sketch above really applies more to the problem of
the stem pulling entirely out of the sleeve when attempting to set the time, but
it is closely related (and significantly improves) the problem of the stem
jumping into the setting position by accident when trying to wind the watch.
The specific repair for a stem that jumps out of the winding mode and into
the setting mode too easily, is to file out the spaces between the sleeve
fingers so that they can close together more tightly.
Remember that when the small section of a stem passes through a new sleeve,
the sleeve fingers shouldn't grip the stem at all (in other words, the sleeve
fingers are closed together as tightly as possible). Consider now the same
sleeve with significant wear; the fingers won't be able to close together any
more tightly than they did when the sleeve was new, and the result will be that
the "hole" through the center of them will be significantly larger.
By filing the notches between the sleeve fingers, the sleeve is allowed to
close more tightly, thereby reducing the diameter of the "hole," and allowing
the sleeve to grip the stem much more tightly.
To create a "fine-edged" file, take an ordinary file and grind away one edge
at a 45 degree angle. For that purpose, I use a belt sander, but any grinder
or similar implement will suffice. When the section of the file at the very
edge wears out, simply grind away a little more from the opposite side, and a
new section of the file surface can be brought into use.
The problems of the stem jumping out of the winding mode and into the setting
mode too easily, and that of the stem pulling entirely out when attempting to
adjust the time, are very closely related. The repairs for both problems are
also closely related, and in most cases, they should be accomplished as a
part of one repair.
Well, I've spent a couple of hours now working on this note and sketch, and I
really have to get on with my day's work!
So-long for now, and as always, I hope this helps!
John D. Duvall
IHC Happy Camper 192
IHC 185 Watch Repair Moderator
July 26, 2003, 17:33
Jerry TreimanHere is a nifty tool for putting a stem into a sleeve without risk. This one is patented Apr.30,'07. It has posts marked 18, 16, 6, 0 and J. The "J" leads me to think it may be from Waltham, referring to Waltham's "J" or jewel series watches. However, the posts may be used as they best fit and not strictly for the size case indicated.
Photo 1 is an over-all view of the tool. Photo 2 shows the sleeve pushed down over the appropriate hollow steel post (thus slightly spreading the fingers) and the threaded end of the stem inserted into the hollow tube. You can see that the thickness of the tube will allow the sleeve to slide right past this section of the stem and into place, as shown in photo 3. Photo 4 shows the assembled stem and sleeve.
