how to handle small watchparts - Tips and Tricks

Some tips on handling small watchparts and not spend your days on your knees trying to look for them. ;o)
When starting out as a (hobby) watchmaker, what are the main pitfalls and easy mistakes to make.
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[@falsedragon33]

If I can give a tip... Now, I don't work on watches, but I live under a microscope with circuit boards that make these things look huge in comparison. Always use magnification. Dont develope blurred perception. Spend a lot of time doing it. The shakiness in your hands is mostly due to bad feedback to the brain. If the brain confuses the eye information, you will simply see it blurry. Or you could see the wrong thing crystal clear. (Blurred perception is fascinating). The signals to the hands will be chaotic due to the visual misunderstanding. After some time under magnification, the brain will change, and your hand will become calm again now that the brain knows how to correlate the new vision to your hand movement. Of course this isn't happening in the conscious part of the brain, so practice, practice, practice, as muscle memory requires a lot of time.

[@SianaGearz]

Also an electronics person here. Yeah. But it also reminds me of when i was learning to draw with a Wacom tablet 20 years ago, the manual was very helpful. One of things you describe they called hand eye coordination. We're used to things being in particular way; once you start viewing the work indirectly to your touch, you need to develop this coordination anew for this context. In the tablet manual, they described some exercises one could do, like have a grid and then circle every intersection point on the grid. I suppose that's the same thing most people do when they solder simple, regular practice boards that you can get any number of. I wonder what the equivalent is for watchmaking.

[@roadshowautosports]

Wow! Excellent tip! Super interesting explanation on how the brain evaluated such information, and how to improve it!!! Thank you very much! ❤❤❤❤

[@danielowens4789]

That flashlight trick really works, I like to use a bright LED light and I place my head close to the ground to see silhouettes.

[@machinistmikethetinkerer4827]

Hello from Minnesota 🇺🇸 just a retired millwright machinist who picked up watch repair a few years ago. Still learn something new everyday. Thanks 😊

[@RocketSailing]

Oh, gonna watch that one! I’m a huge donor to the Swiss space program. I’m sure they like it more than me. So this video may cause them to have big budget cuts! Hopefully they only can afford fireworks 🎇 after this video! 😁😂

[@Tiocacike]

In the deep space of my room must be one forgotten zone plenty of default releases... Good bless those braves.

[@reedneedles7051]

Hi folks. I really appreciate the insight and humour. One of my small parts handling tricks is a package of thin (like 1mm) wood “pages” available from Japanese woodworking suppliers. These are very thin pieces of hardwood veneer sold as writing pads!! I cut one into thin strips and use each strip in an Exacto blade holder. They are flexible, strong and clean. You can drill a small hole in the end to use as a screw holder , or shape the end to hold a spring in place. A slotted one will allow you to transfer a balance wheel or hairspring without damage or dirt. Very inexpensive since one package will provide hundreds of strips. Maybe someone will find this useful. Thank you for excellent advice and generosity in sharing your wealth of experience. Cheers. Reed from Canada👏👏

[@cecilbrock7977]

Not what I looking for. I need a metal watch pin so I can attach my watch band to the watch

[@roadshowautosports]

Wow! Excellent tip! Where exactly you find those? Thank you very much! ❤❤❤❤

[@jackmaher4466]

I use good quality brass tweezers to handle parts. Number 3 size. Keep it in good shape and treat the inside with sand paper often. Insert the sandpaper inside the tweezer and pull out as you squeeze gently to leave fine ridges. Reverse the paper and repeat. Every top watchmaker I know does this.

[@jasonbean5052]

I wish I’d known about that plastic bag trick several lost yoke springs ago.

[@RandomRestore]

Good one Kalle and Chronoglide Team! So its not just me using Swiss Space Program 😂❤️

[@ernestbileux2796]

Hello, I collect watches. Apart from 2 or 3, they are vintage but not specially of great value. Over time, some stopped working, others had very damaged crystals. A few weeks ago, I said to myself that I could perhaps repair some of them, change the chrystals... The first interventions were... catastrophic ! And my god that I spent time on all fours on the ground !!!!... But I discovered a fascinating and exciting world. So I persevered again and again. Today, I no longer spend my time on all fours on the ground and I am able to successfully disassemble/repair and completely reassemble quartz movements, including movements with some complications. The first ones, I was shaking like a leaf. And then my gestures quickly became safer, I gained self-confidence, small parts no longer cross the living room !... I recently managed to disassemble and reassemble an automatic movement successfully AND with pride. I wouldn't go and service my few expensive watches just yet, but sooner or later I'd feel confident enough to do so. In the meantime, I only live for that... Thank you for all your videos. I devour them !

[@josephsoboleski4635]

Great vid. I like to use my clay it’s nice to pick up small tiny until you get them to where you feel confident enough to remove.

[@Donnybrook10]

Tommy F'ing Shelby...nice touch.

[@mikesmusicden]

This video was very timely for me. I just spent the last 3 days looking for a yoke spring screw for a Seiko NH35 movement that catapulted from my tweezers into the living room carpet. I was trying to watch television and working on a watch movement in the living room and I gripped the tweezers too hard (like you said not to do, haha) and "ping" the yoke spring flew across the room. I literally spent hours each of the last three nights looking for it. I did find it, by the way... Love your videos; thanks for taking the time to make them!👍

[@maikgurgel3751]

Ja ,das habe ich mir angeeignet im laufe meines Hobbybastelns :) Genau weis ich aber noch immer nicht wo so manche Feder oder Sicherung abgeblieben ist :)

[@Kevins-Philippine-Retirement]

You are not only concisely informative but also exhibits that witty dry Dutch humour. I worked with Philips for a couple of decades and mingled a lot with Dutch guys. Great experience 😊

[@markchancellor-maddison5528]

Thank you, your advice is always very helpful. I liked the plastic bag idea. Please keep them coming as every little bit of advice is very welcome and appreciated. Regards Mark Maddison, South Africa

[@miguelbazaes1409]

As always very good advice to move on learning and improve techniques

[@timstoffel4799]

Thanks for this video. I have yet to see any other online watchmaker address these topics!

[@Chrisamic]

I always learn something from this channel, one of the most prolific watchmaker channels on KZbin. On the matter of handling small parts, Kalle has been doing this for so long I think he's forgotten the traumatic experience that is the Swiss Space Programme for the beginner. I can add here the mistakes I made on my first couple of movements. Springs. Oh boy. The first time you remove a spring and have it in your tweezers you may be tempted to investigate it by touching it. Don't. Any compression on the spring will cause it to spin out of the grip of the tweezers. You will go from the self congratulation of removing your first yoke spring, instantly to the despair of thinking you will never find it. The plastic bag trick is one that I will try, but the easiest and best way to do is the way Kalle does it - hold the spring down with a tool. I have one end of my pegwood sharpened to a flat chisel for this reason. Something that has also been helpful is to put a small blob of Rodico on the spring first. Even if it tries to ping away it can't go far attached to the putty. These two methods can be combined. For very small springs and straight springs, consider hand cleaning them rather than putting them in the mesh basket for cleaning - they are quite capable of slipping through the finest mesh. Really small screws. These are some of my biggest failings. I'm talking about the *really* tiny ones such as those that hold the stud in the balance cock. These things are about the size of a thick hair, and once they are gone there's a very good chance you will not find them. They are also impossible to place by hand or handle in the normal way. I've seen people place them first in a very small pin vise, and then use that to position the screw and get it started. Better not to remove it at all, but if it's an old movement or has been mucked about with, make sure the previous watchmaker has not left it loose - that's what happened to me and it was only by chance that I found it at the bottom of the cleaning container. These are also small enough to go through the mesh basket if they come loose. Cap jewels and other small parts. Try to use Rodico to pick them up and manipulate them. It's far safer than using tweezers, at least when you are learning. Definitely go and look at Kalle's video on maintaining tweezers. Especially helpful was the tip on slightly abrading the inside of the gripping surfaces. I use 400 grit paper to lightly rough up the surfaces and it's amazing how much easier it is to manipulate small parts.

[@benbirtle1286]

I will try and think of ways to make scales fun.

[@bfx8185]

Also using rodico to hold spring helps a lot to prevent participating Swiss space program;)

[@ajmmaia]

Usefull video. Unfortunetly I did all the mistakes you were talking about and lose some screws and springs also... LOL

[@johnhannon]

The worst for me are the Incobloc clips and click springs. I appreciate your tips!

[@quaarjet]

I'd like to see a video about pallet fork stone setting.

[@CrownAndMainspring]

Thank you for the content. I have made videos for KZbin before, this was a simple video, but i know it still demands a good amount of effort and time, so thanks so much for sharing!

[@lobdsk]

Watch cleaning saved my marriage. Whenever I really get mad I work on a watch. I tell you you can’t stay mad otherwise you will do something stupid it forces you to chill out. Also for dial retaining clips and springs I put clear thin plastic over the parts.

[@megalongbow959]

Great video!

[@horomechanic921]

Thanks for another great video. A little trick from here, around very small things on the floor. I put a piece of nylon sock between the upper and lower pipes of the vacuum cleaner and pick up the part that way!

[@roadshowautosports]

Now we’re talking of a patent here!!!! Awesome tip!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@Neil.intrude.allowed]

Simple, but an absolute golden nugget of ideas and advice for the beginner Excellent

[@racylaserjet]

I really appreciate you showing multiple methods even if it's not for you.

[@derekgray3019]

The yolk spring, more commonly known as ‘the born to fly spring’ I’ve seen a watchmaker use Rodeco to hold the spring, similar to your technique.

[@zagaberoo]

Between this channel and Huygens Optics I'm loving the Dutch magic YT has been showing me these days.

[@ChronoglideWatchmaking]

Nice to hear Micael, thnx!

[@sunnyburst8140]

hihii... i remember taking a successful and time consuming trip into space twice on my wooden parquet floor with a flashlight and a neodymium magnet! my experience is to plan work steps and breaks before start working, because the two screws flew into swiss space, with the thought of completing „one last“ workstep. it's zen and i love it., and it’s what makes you feel controlled and centered when screwing For the sticks i went to a plastic dealer buying a 2m acrylic rod, cut ist in pencil-dimensions and polished it to form. costs 1.90chf for about 13 sticks…

[@stefman5713]

A little Rodico helps keep those springs from taking flight.

[@runelisether6256]

Thanks Kalle. For me now after a year or so learning how to hold parts and springs, the most important is "state of mind". When I calm down to almost a meditation state, calm movement, breading with my stomach and relax its very seldom something goes wrong :)

[@paulwilson3434]

Rest v important

[@robertjackson301]

I’ve just started my journey in watch repairs. I spent the first week on my knees. Slowly getting better. Thanks for your great videos . They are must appreciated by people like me. 👍

[@walther9161]

All great advice. I’m a newbie and have lost parts into the black hole of watch parts, very distressing especially if you give up looking and can’t find a replacement.

[@gregcapella5941]

THANKS

[@tiberiuvincze8288]

Violin it's the queen of instruments! on piano have the limits set up ( for the musical notes) and cannot make mistakes only if you are not for music! Try a violin to handle ! Is a better comparison for watchmaking ! Because every watch is another musical piece that you play and I think never saw same repairing on two identical watches! Nice video!

[@emislive]

Using the bag is a neat idea I haven't heard before. Do you ever use Rodico for manipulating small parts?

[@2Cubs2Cases]

These are great videos. Why not recess the work surface so it drops down slightly, the front is slightly higher and it flattens out. This would keep parts from falling off on the floor.

[@ChronoglideWatchmaking]

Some benches have that indeed.

[@mariomartin6437]

I enjoyed it. Simple but helful

[@briandenis5232]

Great video. When you removed the spring you used a clear tool to hold the spring in place. Is that just clear plastic or is it coated with something like silicone to give it some grip like Bergeon cleaning sticks? Is it a common watch making tool or is it something your school uses to help show what your doing for demonstrations? It is something available off the shelf or is it a tool you have to make for yourself? Definitely a tool I'll have to make and add to the bench. Thank you for sharing.

[@ruperthartop7202]

Great content, thank you

[@petemapindan4413]

Thank you bro it helps a lot

[@kevinsaddington2604]

Thanks - Really useful video. The hardest thing for me is fishing out the endstones from the one dip jar after cleaning. Thicker tweezers work a bit better but its still really hard to grab them! How about a quick video on pro tips for good desk lighting? I sometimes get annoying shadows from my hands etc. Be good to hear what works best for you.

[@HenriqueSantos-pe4nk]

I would just add a couple of topics to this video: the use of pegwood and shape it to help holding small parts, use of rodico and sharpening/maintain (dressing) twezzers in good shape. I would like those topics to be addressed in a future video :).

[@drkujavec]

I would like to contribute a simple trick from my humble position: an ultraviolet flashlight makes the watch's jewels glow in a very visible bright shade of purple.

[@repeatdefender6032]

Oh I love that song that slipped in, Nick Cave! So good!

[@fredcrook8228]

I wish I had watched this video before tackling a battery change on my wife's Peugeot watch. What a disaster! Terrible design! The case back is held on by 8 screws, which were no problem, but the band had to be removed, too because the band pins went through the case back. Worse, the band links at the mounting point are not fixed to the band, so they came apart, too. 😅 It was all pretty frustrating but I eventually got it. Thank you for your videos, they are very helpful. Cheers from Chicago suburbs, USA! 😃

[@paulwilson3434]

Thank you my friend. So generous of you to help train others. I been doing 2 years after retire GP. Age 70 now but healthy.

[@mikeschneider4819]

I think the plastic bag is a little on the crude side. But easy to do. Putting some membrane on your work also works when taking off watch hands. Use your dirty mind to come up with a readily available rubber membrane 😁

[@karstenkrongaard9816]

Good evening from Denmark

[@dplanetta]

This is a great video Calle. Reassuring and encouraging. It can be easy to get discouraged. Thanks.

[@petercampbell3828]

Thank you Kalle. Always helpful.

[@SQueme]

9:30 where did it go ? statistics: 20% visible on your clothes 20% visible on the floor (but after being stoped by something) 10% still on the desk ... but quite well hidden 50% "paradise" or "janna" or ... for small pieces : please complete 🙂

[@BillyBasford]

Great tips, I’m waiting for a replacement date roller after launching it into low earth orbit yesterday. Thanks Kalle. 👍🏼

[@karlgaines3422]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I am going through all of your videos and they are amazing. It is rare to find this level of detail and knowledge. Thank you

[@raypedia]

The audio is much better on this one. I can hear you very well. Your jokes sound better. too. ;-)

[@tawkinright3961]

I'm a beginner to servicing mechanical watches (favorite being vintage mechanicals of course), and many of the tricks you spoke of here I've discovered by doing. The flashlight trick works great as I've dropped several small parts on the wooden floor; the carpet was the first thing to go! Such great advise you have and I purchased the book "The Theory of Horology" on the recommendation of Adriaan Trampe, CEO and co-owner of the Eza Watch Company. I've been working on quartz watches about 3 years now and manipulation of the tweezer is still a challenge.

[@nunyabusiness9056]

Who came here after they lost a part haha. Doing my first attempts to fix watches, 2 seiko 5's. Took out the diashock over the balance wheel and it rocketed off, had no idea that happened, by some miracle i found it about 3 feet away on my desk, grabbed it with my tweezers after a sigh of release, brought it to my parts tray and dropped it in but didn't hear anything go in. I look in the parts tray, not there. Look on the desk, not there. I clear EVERYTHING off the desk, not there. I saw it in my damn tweezers. It's like it phased out of existence lol.

[@roadshowautosports]

Haven’t we all gone through these out of body experiences? 😂😂😂😂

[@kswaminathan5439]

Absolutely helpful. I am simply amazed at your knowledge and skills.

[@johnlegros1586]

excellent tips , from a watchmaker , but I am an amateur in watchmaking used to very small components as an old experienced electronics engineer , and so know a bit of handling small parts , even under hot blowing soldering airflow , my very precise question is not simple , so here it is , I love since many years two twizers , very thin antimagnetic and from facom , not made anymore , and light in the movement , I mean by that , they are easy to pinch with a good sense of the pinch force , so you don't drop or pinch too much, just by feeling you know ...could you explain why it is so important good twisers when you feel the grab...thank you

[@siegfriedwolschke2711]

Hi, i love your lessons and tips ! I also heard you talk about a membership but i can not find the link. Ik kan het ook perfect in het nederland want ben een buur uit België 🇧🇪 Groetjes en doe zo verder 👍🏻

[@DavidvanNiekerk]

Practical suggestions. Thank you

[@the-chillian]

If I were one of your students, you'd hear "I dropped something!" at least twice a day. At least it would be an opportunity to get some coffee.

[@rbruce63]

To me the question is where to find the #1496 spindle of a worn micro rotor for my CAL 218-2 Universal Polerouter Geneve!

[@user-rk2ek5jm4k]

Thank you! (Again) for this informative video. Now I see your videos like a drug addict. Now I am wondering where I could set up my home watch repair studio.

[@charleskwan2005]

Hi Kalle, I understand the spacing and security while working further into the center of the table. Yet our eye loupes have certain field of view. Eg.: 2.5x power loupes usually have 4 inches of distance from the object lense to the focus point. For 4x power loupes, the distance would dramatically drop down to 2.5 inches. If we work so further in, we might not even see clearly. That's probably why students put the movement s so close to the edge.

[@ChronoglideWatchmaking]

If you lean more over to work on your bench, than you close off the gap between your body and the bench. Nothing will drop off that way.

[@roadshowautosports]

@@ChronoglideWatchmaking so it’s pretty much the height of the bench w you’ve mentioned on your ergonomics video! Thank you! ❤❤❤❤

[@SarcastSempervirens]

Anyone who's repairing stuff - buy a simple phone tripod, put it next to your work and let it record in something like 720p resolution, so you can get a lot of video on the phone, but still have resolution for small parts.. and create your own video guides for the future, when you need to reference it, put it back together etc.

[@boydsargeant7496]

Many thanks Kalle, some good tips, always helpful and thankful for sharing your experience. What issues can happen of not fitting a dial washer? Maybe a video on cannon pinion (removal, refitting, adjusting the fit, how to pinch/dent it, tools for taking off, putting on and adjusting. Which cheaper tools you have experience that work just as well as expensive tools. Blueing. Shallecking on pallet fork stones and balance jewel. Black polish. Removing scratches from movements or reducing them, from where other watch makers have made them. Hope these ideas help your future videos. See you soon on the next stream. Enjoy your holiday. Oh, and congrats on the new workshop! Have you stopped burping yet?

[@roadshowautosports]

What a list!!!!! Great suggestions for videos from this wonderful educator, Mr. Kalle!!! Hope he takes you up on your challenging but useful topics!!!!❤❤❤❤

[@jimmy2boats]

I always have a pegwood that I shape like a flat screw driver, I use it like Kalle did to hold a yoke type spring in place, I have also used the plastic bag method until I got better with my grip

[@karstenkrongaard9816]

Will we see Swiss space programme tonight ?

[@roadshowautosports]

What do you mean nobody is born a watchmaker? Talk for yourself!!! I AM!!!! I come here just to see how you mortals make mistakes that I only heard of! I never made one myself so your channel is very interesting! 😂😂😂😂

[@DanieleCasali]

I'm sure that sometimes the little parts that I lost went in a parallel universe.... unfindable... of a different dimension

[@valdachef]

Genius

[@cecilbrock7977]

Hi I"m looking to find 2 sets of watch pins to attached to my watch through the band help thank you

[@ChronoglideWatchmaking]

A local jeweller or watchmaker must be able to help you with that one Cecil. Nice to hear from you.

[@roadshowautosports]

Haven’t we all gone through these out of body experiences? 😂😂😂😂

[@Grinder-one]

I wish I'd known about that plastic bag trick 10 minutes ago 😥

[@topojuan6899]

👏🏻👏🏻

[@quaarjet]

Launching parts into orbit!

[@rasheedpm1063]

👍❤️

[@drumfromhell]

Are you giving training (student watchmaker) online ?

[@ChronoglideWatchmaking]

Not really online except for the live streams. We teach on location because so much of watchmaking is physical, bit more this / bit less that.......

[@roadshowautosports]

@@ChronoglideWatchmaking completely true! One can learn a lot by watching videos but the presence of an experienced professional not only gives you confidence, but it’s essential to point out little details that will take several videos to get it right! Take as an example the lift angle you explained so well, I’ve seen a few videos before yours to be able to really understand the order of the steps to do it! Most makes it seem like you set up the amplitude on the timegrapher first when, in reality, you calibrate the timegrapher to the watch! You’re always so technical but simple spoken, with every step explained til it hurts before going into the next one! Love it!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@metallusmelandril7380]

Swiss space program hahaha

[@sjp8969]

The Swiss space program rofl