Dear friends,
I have a couple of Elgin 18s which I need to replace the endstones. I have not done this before and was wondering if the size is pretty much universal as I have some cap jewels from other watches of the similar era. Also, wondering if the cap jewels of the Waltham and Elgin in this era are interchangable or is this unacceptable?

Kenneth,
Anything is possible, but it would be simpler to try to find a parts watch with the proper jewel, being of the same model.
18 size Elgins are pretty common, you should be able to find cap jewels for it, or a parts watch cheap.

Thanks Scott,
I think I am just nervous about proceeding, and also in the back of my mind I am trying to keep the watch as "pure" as possible- I purchased a nice lot of watches from an estate a while ago-and since going through them- I've noticed a few with parts which do not really belong. Perhaps if I keep the parts close to the approximate time of production.