I've been working on Walthams size 0 and size 6 for several years now. It seems that after a thorough cleaning the canon pinion is loose and the hands don't move properly. I've tried different ways of tightening them but, they usually crack of loosen up again. I've been using a lock tight that works well but don't know for how long it will hold. I would appreciate any other ideas from members that have solved this problem. Thanks Bill

Lindell,

Please clarify the correct spelling of 'canon pinion' again.

Sorry, I didn't get it the first time.

That's why I have premature balding.

Using one's 19th Century imagination, it looks like a cannon barrel, hence, "CANNON" pinion. William, there are "stand-alone, and staking set cannon pinion tightening tools that work with about 60%-80% success excepting Hampden, Hamilton, and early Walthams all of which are a real bugger. The hair trick that Lin refers to will do the job often because the hair is actually squishy enough to "fill the gap" and keep some traction necessary to move the hour hand, intermediate and minute hand wheels.

this was discussed in more detail in an IHC185 post at;

https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/f...011082233#2011082233

Thanks for all the replies. I guess when I said lock tight, it implied that is "locks" it. The one I use is by just a tiny drop into the cannon pinion install it on the center wheel pinion and then let "set" for awhile. Then when I set the hands it loosens it and works real well. The piece of hair sounds good, too, but I don't have enough to spare I am referring to the 1891 and 1890 models. Sometimes I have to go through a bunch of them just to find one that fits tighter. Using any method of "staking" them has been a disaster for me. It seems that the center wheel pinions are all different diameters and I've wonder about staking it a tiny notch just to make the cannon pinion tighter. Bill

My Hamilton 982 wristwatch seems to be having this issue. It runs fine for a while and then the hands stop moving while the seconds hand is still going. The hands also flop very freely when the crown is pulled out for setting. Is this caused by a loose cannon pinion as well?

Don, That movement has all the right reasons to be made right and all the wrong reasons to do it any other way than send it to Chris Abell.

Abellwatchmakers@suddenlink.net

Hair, I would have never thought of that.

What about us old men, what ain't got no hair or no old lady to get one from?

Hi Patrick, no hair of your own, no old lady, maybe get yourself a dog.
Gary

I have seen the hair trick several times on watches i serviced and it does work..

They say it works best if you have black hair.

My hair is blond and it is too fine..

I though about trying a red head but am afaird to do so--- you know what they say about red heads i am afaird it would make my watch run too fast

I learned the hair technique from an old timer who had been repairing watches for 50 years. At first I thought he was just kidding me, but shortly figured out he was dead serious about it.

The canon pinion repair can be a pesky repair. Dave's great pictures show the staking set ways to restore friction to the CP. There are also a number of tools dedicated to crimping, dimpling and tightening it. I have one other way I sometimes use on pocketwatches which is to add 2 or 3 burrs to the bottom side of the CP around the hole to create that additional friction. To do this I use a bench block and drop the CP upside down into the smallest hole it will fit in then use a straight edge punch to create the burrs around the hole. Tap lightly as it doesn't take much. Then test on the watch for fit.

Rob

pocketwatchrepairs.net