A couple years ago I posted my bright little idea about using rodico to secure the pallet fork to the top plate for reassembly of full plate movements. This does (at least for me) greatly reduce the risk of broken pivots while "tickling in" the various wheels to their home port jewels INCLUDING the rather tricky pallet fork.

WEELLLL . . . one of ur members offered a better solution and I can honestly say I forget who, but I do think it is one of our very thoughtful budding watch repairers who improved on my "trick" in a way that is far superior, and as I see it the ONLY way to go!

First You make a small lump of rodico and put the top plate so that the topside is facing "up"

Next, MUSH the rodico into the Balance wheel bottom pivot hole in the center of the top plate so you can see that it is filling the hole to the bottom pivot jewel platform . . .

Then place the Pallet fork in it's correct position with the pallet fork pivot in its Jewel while sticking the fork end into the rodico which holds it securely for the next crucial step . . . ASSEMBLY!

Now assemble the cleaned and spin tested train wheels TO the dial plate side in their respective Jewels . . . .

Then Gently bring the top plate down over the wheel train so you can carefully tweezer in the wheels and pallet fork to their pivot jewels . . .

Remove the rodico and you are ready to finish the final assembly of the watch . . . With a little practice you will wonder how it was ever done any other way!

Just ran across this post! Wish I'd seen it about 3 months ago. Thought it might need to be resurrected for some of the other new guys here.
Good stuff! Thanks Dave.

Thank you Dave for sharing this method and Dave for bumping it up!!!

I have been working on quite a few 18s movements and getting the pallet fork in place is the most frustrating part of reassembly. I have broken 2 pivots in the last month, lucky I had a few partial parts movements with them. This will cut down on breakage a lot.

I like the idea and will give it a try...I usually hold the pallet upright with a small strip of tape...The tape will usually hold until I can get things lined up then I remove the tape with a pair of twizzers..Not perfect but it works for me...The rodico way sounds like it might be easier...Thanks for sharing.

Thank you David for sharing this method.Jon Hart had told me about this method but I get a clearer understanding with the pictures. Now for the $10,000 question. Doesn't this leave a tacky finish on the parts the Rodico came in contact with?

Harry, beat me to the same question. I'd be worried about that little bit of rodico that didnt make it out..

There will be no Rodico left over if it is fairly fresh stuff. That said if you see any little green Rodico around the end of the pallet fork, make a "pencil tip" of Rodico and with a little careful poking the debris will come out very easily. NOTE, use less Rodico the next time and ths will not likely repeat itself.

David, I have been using your old method with good results. But I am going to try this newer way the next time I assemble an 18s movement.

Dave, a neat idea that I am going to try. Here is another method for holding the pallet fork demonstrated by the instructor in a pocket watch class I took. The retaining clip is made from a piece of an old mainspring.

I really enjoyed this post ! I recently had a really hard time with a Hampden that I was working on. I had never heard of Rodico ?
But will give it a try going forward.

Thanks again to Dave for a Great post !!!!!

I'm learning more & more all the time .....

I have a book that suggested a bobbi pin. I tried it and it works really well. I just wonder why they didn't use a yoke set up like the 16s use?

Just found this post. Maybe I can try the "McClelland method".

I've used this method for the first time twice in the last week and it works like a dream - especially for a novice like myself.

Regards

Peter

Yep, it sure does. I just used a plain old paper clip!

I appreciate the constructive comments that this post has raised. Very specifrically, I resisted the "Clip" idea out of respect for the fragile condition of the pallet pivots which are often <0.003" (0,07 mm) diamater and glass hard steel. Sliding a spring or paper clip across the arm of the Pallet fork can easily snag an edge and "SHAZAM" you have a 1-pivot fork arbor.

I hear you Dave,
But I "adjusted" the clip so as not to apply any excess pressure and just barely caught the edge of the fork and avoided the jewel as much as possible. And I used a rubber coated clip. It worked fine this time but I can see what you're talking about.

A metal clip of any kind can also scratch gilded and polished plates. For me, Rodico is the only way to go, It works great and will not harm anything.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Steve

Steven,
I think the original question here is how do you do this job with a cap jewel on the pivot? Or at least that was my question. I did use a rubber coated clip. But still wondering how others tackle this kind of movement with the cap jewel plugging the pivot hole.

Dave,
The Rodico holds the fork of the pallet not the arbor like the clip does. The cap jewel is on no matter how it's done.See David Abbe's pictures above.

Hope this helps!

Steve

Thanks guys! I finally got this through my thick little pea brain!!
I re-read this post and paid particular attention to Dave's step by step pictures. I have been using the rodico in the pivot jewel instead of the fork end of the pallet. Duh!
No more paper clips.

I read Dave's original post and have been successful using it. I will definatley try this new method. As for the member who mentioned tape, the tape will leave a residue which will attract dirt & dust and is hard to remove. I am also going to play with the clip method, just so I can say I tried it too.
HOW DID THEY DO IT AT THE FACTORY ???

Good question Patrick, I was wondering that too!

As these movements were made by a multitude of manufacturers, "the factory method" could be as abstruse as the factory who did it.

The common method followed by the "old timers" (when some of us were 'newcomers') involved piling all the wheels AND the pallet fork in the top plate and then plunking the dial plate on top of them and (magically) flipping the whole mess over without anything falling out.

The whole problem revolved around the escape wheel and Pallet fork sharing long extensions of their staffs in opposite directions so that there is no safe "up" side . . . hence gently holding the pallet fork in place to the top plate (whatever way) allows much safer positioning of the train wheels to the dial plate before attempting the final assembly of the movement.

Those higher Jeweled movements with cap jewels on the Pallet fork and escape wheel pivots must (in all ways) be handled even more carefully as they are assembled as the fork and escape wheels rarely "stand up" when in their jewels.

David, I wonder if they had some kind of a jig that they placed to plate and the bridge in?

Old Webb C. Ball is probably looking down at this post ,and saying "see,I told you guys those old 18 size movements were too hard to work on!".

Theodore, I am sure he is and especially when we do the 23+ Jewel 18s Movements!

Dave, I wanted to ask,are the 18s full-plate '92 model Walthams harder, or easier to put together?I know they have no pillars between the plates.Would that make less room to reach in and line up the train wheels?Personally, I think they were the finest full-plate watch ever made, bar none.Elgin kind of one-upped them with the Veritas models, but then that's a whole different design.Thanks again, Ted.

Theodore, in my experience the superior precision and finish of the Waltham model 1892 makes it easier to assemble the wheel train and Pallet Fork. As you observe the Elgin was another story as the Pallet Fork was on it's own bridge.