hi everybody, Todd the beginner here.
i'm starting to worry that i may be a pain in the rear to all the masters with all my questions, but here is another one.
i cleaned and reassembled a 1929 elgin size 10.
it is running but, slow, even with the regulator at max. doing due diligence before bothering all of you i have read that perhaps i should not have oiled the pallet fork jewels as this can cause lag and as a result, a slow running watch. is this correct?
thank you to all
Todd

Todd there are so many things that could cause your current issue. You can pull the balance and check the snap of the pallet back and forth to the banking pins to see if power is making it down the train. The pallet should snap from pin to pin with a small nudge.If power seems to be there check hairspring and make sure it is in between the regulator pins. Hairspring level? How is the rotation of the balance wheel?

Rob
www.pocketwatchrepairs.net

hi Rob,
thank you for your response.
the pallet snaps back and forth nice and clean.
my impulse jewel is in beat (hard job)
balance wheel rotation seems ok, about 180.
i don't understand what you mean by hairspring level. (clean & flat?) keep in mind i am a total beginner.
thanks again
Todd

Todd,

As far as the hairspring it should be flat or level and make sure that the coils are not touching the arms of the balance nor rubbing the underside of balance cock. If it has an overcoil check to make sure the overcoil is not tapping into the center wheel as it breathes. Also check for oil on the hairspring which can cause timing issues. You need to demagnetize the movement as that can impact timing as well. These are a few things you can check, but there are many other reasons with jewels, pivots, old oil, loose roller jewel etc. which could be causing this issue.

Rob
www.pocketwatchrepairs.net

Hi Rob, i am starting to think i didn't clean the movement well enough. i have a copy of
Chris Abels' service checklist over my workbench and follow it to the best of my limited ability. I don't yet own a demagnetizer, will order one today.going to take the watch apart again and re-clean it. this time no oil in the pallet jewels. I'll let you know what happens.
Thanks Rob
Todd

Todd check your balance jewels, see that you have cleaned them good.

hi guys, Todd the beginner here.
so, i took the watch apart again and learned a couple of things.
1. i wasn't nearly thorough enough in my cleaning, especially the jewels.
2. i applied way too much oil, found it had run and was all over the place.

recleaned and re oiled put it back together and the problem seems to have been solved. i dont have a timing machine, i am using the wild spectra app on my phone and it seems pretty good. even self adjusts to the watches BPS.
thanks again for the assistance.
Todd

Todd I did use the wild spectra and found hard to read so Im using the ticoprint now no extra mics are needed as some suggest.
Glad you solve your watch problem, are you using oilers or other way to lube your watches?

Hi Peter, i may be new but i love good tools, i have purchased good oilers (old), good screwdrivers (old), bought on that auction site yesterday a poising table(old), and i have a beautiful staking set, (old again) unfortunately i must confess that my oil is also old but seems ok.
i'll send you a pic of the oil to give you and everyone else a laugh.

my oil, please don't yell at me,

Todd, I am FAR from a watchmaker, and have only been doing this for about five years now with the help of an old true master watchmaker.

Everyone here has given you a lot better advice that I ever could. The only thing I noticed was no answer to your original question about oiling the pallet jewels. On a watch the size of that one I would have to wonder. He has always told me NOT to oil the pallet jewels, and in fact on some of the smaller wrist watches if you do it may not run at all.

Regards,
Larry

hi Larry. after i dismantled and cleaned the watch for a second time i did not oil the pallet jewels or the jewels the pallet fork rides in. it made all the difference. i still have to adjust it but it is close.
thanks
Todd

I have same bottle of oil but I use new oil and left that one as decoration piece.
Good point Larry about the pallet jewels.

Excellent advice above

For pocket watches , I use thin oil on pallet arbor jewels , for the pallets I use my finest oiler to catch the tips of three individual escape wheel teeth at assembly. This seems to give me the most balance arc.

If oil is not used consistently , will the watch still run efficiently many years later ?. There is a very light load in this area, much action though/5 times per second. Dry moving parts wear if used. I'm hoping these timepieces are still appreciated 100 years from now.

Todd, easy way setting the beat. If you have a watch torn down, assemble the balance assy and cock on the pillar plate, while at rest observe if the roller jewel is line of sight centered between the banking pins, if not make it so. Then give it a light spin (using a small paintbrush), Then turn it to other positions and see if it continues, a good time to check hairspring for flatness and concentric expansion.

regards,Paul

i knew when i did it it was wrong to use that old oil, but these are just practice movements and i haven't yet purchased good oil. can someone suggest what i should buy and for what purpose?
thanks everyone
Todd

start here
http://watchmaking.weebly.com/...ocks_and_watches.pdf

thanks to all for the advice, i think i need to do a lot more research and reading. i want to do this right. great looking article peter i am going to study it thoroughly.
Todd

Todd,
Beware of the shelf life of the oil. Now days they date the bottles.
Also, would you like PDF's on staking sets, punches, and how to replace a staff? Just leave me a valid email address. Their are 10 of them.
Patrick