Hi Folks,

I have a number of verge watches where the fusee has "tipped" due to wear in the pivot holes and locked on the centre wheel pinion. The holes do not seem to have elongated and, even under magnification, appear to have stayed virtually round.

So, I'm now faced with the task of rebushing and uprighting (something I've never done before) and would dearly like some advice before I start mangling what are otherwise perfectly good watches.

I've got a decent but very old lathe with a face plate, slide rest & tailstock drilling setup. I assume that I take the worst hole, ream it out, fit a solid plug and clean it up with the slide rest. Then, after pinning top & bottom plate together, fit it up on the face plate and, when I'm happy that the "good" hole is well centred, drill the plug to a diameter slightly smaller than the appropriate arbor pivot. Finally, I should ream out the oil sink, broach the hole to a good fit and ensure that there is a little end float.

Last of all, if the fusee still "locks", I suppose I have to repeat the process on the opposite hole.

Any advice on my method or any alternative method would be greatly appreciated. As I said, I've never done this before and need all the advice I can get!

Many thanks,

Dick

Hi Dick,It sounds like you have the right idea.Try a few pratice holes & bushings first on some scrap plates.If face plate runs true ? You should't have any problem,if not, use cement chuck. By pratice you should get the results you want.Try using hand graver & T rest,it lot faster
than slide rest.
Hub.

Thanks Hub,

I'll certainly give the graver a go on the scrap plates. The face plate runs perfectly true - not bad for a tool that must be at least a hundred years old by now. It's an old Lorch & Schmidt set up without an inch of plating left on it but still very accurate and useable.

Thanks again,

Dick

Hi Dick,Let me know how you make out.
Hub.