I am still building my inventory of watch repair tools and was wondering if all the guys in the club own staking sets? It seems that a lot of the common operations that an expensive staking set can do can also be done with cheaper tools dedicated to a specific function. For instance, is a Seitz jeweling set just as good as a staking set? Is a roller remover tool as good as, or better than, the roller remover tools in a staking set? I would really like to find out who is using what.

Bruce

I can only speak of my limited experience but I have a K&D 18R, which I understand to be the top staking set, a Seitz jeweling set & seperate roller removers but I by far use the staking set more than the others. The K&D was the 1st set I bought after other peoples recommendations.

I do use the jeweling set too but to replace balance staffs I believe you need the staking set.

I am sure members with a lot more know how will chime in soon.

Tom

I agree with Tom on the staking set. I have the K&D inverto. You seem to find more and more ways to use a staking set once you have one. Pretty much an indispensable tool.

Roger and Tom,
Thanks for your comments. I have had a tough time trying to buy a staking set and was starting to wonder if I even needed one. My first purchase was for a K & D Inverto set and I asked the seller before bidding if they would be packing the set so the tools would all stay in their appropriate places in the box. The guy assured me that their shipping department was very professional and there wouldn't be a problem. He almost sounded insulted that I would even ask such a question. I even paid for express shipping so the set wouldn't be in the mail as long as ground. I figured there would be less chance of damage that way. Well, I won the bid and eagerly awaited delivery of my set. When it arrived, I opened the box and found a jumbled tangle of metal....they didn't put a single piece of packing inside the box. It was so bad that some of the larger pieces had actually destroyed some of the smaller tools. There was a dispute filed with eBay and after much aggravation I finally got a refund. Okay, my second attempt at buying a set didn't turn out much better (but at least the seller was apologetic for what had occurred). The set looked like it was almost in mint condition. I was the high bidder and took delivery about a week later. The man did an excellent job of packing the tools and everything arrived safely. The only problem was, as I started putting the tools back in their respective places in the box, I started coming up with dupes. By the time I was done, I had 30 stakes that were duplicates. The seller graciously accepted the return and paid for the shipping in both directions. He was so embarrassed he even sent me a gift for all my trouble (he sent me one of those magnifying glasses with the little tweezer arms to hold small parts as you are working on them). He turned out to be a really nice guy and didn't actually know the set contained duplicates.
So, as you can see, I have been through the wringer trying to buy a K & D Inverto #18 set. It looks like I should continue looking and maybe I'll luck out and find a premo set at a fair price. Thanks again for steering me in the right direction — your comments were greatly appreciated. Bruce

Bruce

I know what you mean, the 1st set I bought came with no packing material & was a total mess, what I have ended up doing is buying several sets & replacing missing parts each time. I have been lucky as far as price & have picked up several sets for under $50.00

Tom

Bruce...Sorry to hear about your troubles getting a good staking set. I was lucky. I made a trade for mine with a friend. The set is pristine and even has the key for the lock. One thing you should note when buying a staking set. These were not necessarily sold with all the holes filled. If you find a nice set with pieces "missing" it may just be that the set was purchased that way. You can fill in what you need. Also, if you get a set with a press lever you really don't need a jeweling set as the lever will do the job for you.

Good Luck,

Roger

I thought I would add my two cents...
If you are going to do friction jewelling, get the Seitz set. It has much more flexibility than trying to use your staking set with a jewelling attachment.
For roller removing, I use my staking set but for small watches I use a Rex. Again, I find this much easier.
For cannon pinion tightening, I like the staking set, but I have three other tools to use if it seems like it would be easier.

Staffing, peening, tightening roller tables and many other jobs are great for the staking set.

So, get a good staking set when starting out, and then pick up extra tools as you advance.

Bruce, I shared your experience on the first set I got, and after that I asked the sellers to wrap around the tool set with Saran wrap at least 5 or 6 times to keep all the stakes and the main fixture in their place. Then all the little bits I asked them to roll up in a paper towel and pack them carefully in a separate place outside the tool box. That was successful for the other 4 sets (1 jeweling and 3 staking) that I got.

Also, you can wait awhile for the jeweling set until you have a supply of Jewels and understand what to do with the set and the jewels. I am still figuring that out very slowly.

You might look up a copy of "The Watchmaker's Staking Tool" George G. Lucchina ISBN# 0-9618218-0-9

That looks like a great book and one I would like to have in my library. Checked Amazon.com and found one for $200!!! Too rich for my blood.

Roger

Dave, Thanks for the tip on the book. I definitely want to add that title to my library. So far I have a 1940's copy of "Watches, Adjustment & Repair" by F.J. Camm, "The Watch Repairer's Manual" by Fried, and "Practical Watch Repairing" by Donald DeCarle. The first two I have read cover to cover, and the last one I am about 1/3 of the way through. I find myself going back to each of these books often, especially when I start getting into an area I am not real sure about. Concerning the shipping of staking sets, my second purchase that I commented on (the one with 30 dupes) was well-prepared for shipping by the seller. As described by you, this guy used Saran-wrap to wrap various groups of tools from the set and everything arrived safely. It was a really clean set, and the seller actually offered me a discount to make up for the dupes. Looking back, I probably should have taken him up on the offer — I could have filled in the blanks later. Oh well, these things show up all the time on eBay, so I don't think I'll have to look too long.

Dave, Today I bought my Watchmakers' Staking Tool book on eBay. It has some water damage on the cover, but the title is so hard to find that I just decided to go for it. I haven't taken delivery yet, but the seller said the inner pages were free of damage. Thanks for the tip on this great little book. Now all I need is a great K & D staking set

quote:

"The Watch Repairer's Manual" by Fried

Anyone have this book for sale, or know where I can get it?

I am new to the IHC, but not new to watches. I am really enjoying what you have to offer here!

quote:

"The Watchmaker's Staking Tool" George G. Lucchina ISBN# 0-9618218-0-9

This book can be found at arlingtonbooks.com for 12.95

"The Watch Repairer's Manual" By Fried can be found at this link

http://www.watch-clock-makers....books.php?cat=5&pg=3