Hi Peter, thank for showing us the whole procedure. Please don't be concerned about time, I enjoy seeing the whole progress. I also look forward to the reward of repairing a watch like that. Regards.
I can’t thank you enough for this! I bought this online with just a few pictures and few details. It’s amazing how you were able to transform this beautiful piece of history back to its former glory. Thank you again, and great video!
@@watchesandjewelry Hello Peter, fun fact I live 5 minutes from Elgin. Getting myself into refurbishing pocket watches and I have to say its very difficult to find helpful videos such as yours with such great information, video and sound quality.. I do have mechanical watches book and hearing you word for word is just like my book in video audio form.. I am grateful I found you just in time as I begin my restorations. I always share what I have learned in life with people around me, because we only keep what we have by giving it away. Thank you for helping us all to keep American history alive by sharing what you have learned also and I will pass on what I have learned as well.
Hello Peter, fun fact I live 5 minutes from Elgin. Getting myself into refurbishing pocket watches and I have to say its very difficult to find helpful videos such as yours with such great information, video and sound quality.. I do have mechanical watches book and hearing you word for word is just like my book in video audio form.. I am grateful I found you just in time as I begin my restorations. I always share what I have learned in life with people around me, because we only keep what we have by giving it away. Thank you for helping us all to keep American history alive by sharing what you have learned also and I will pass on what I have learned as well. All your videos are wonderful, is there a way for us to mail you a watch to be restored and may we request a video of the work even if there is additional cost.
At last....a video that I can honestly validate as a true Restoration video. Thank you for an informative, respectful and thorough treatment of this project. Color me Subscribed.
I’m doing my first pocket watch. Technically it’s my first watch overall. Only been looking into watches for the past few days. Waiting for all my Amazon watchmaker goodies to arrive. I’ve never changed a battery let alone this lol. Will be interesting
You know, i'm only half way through this and it's one of the best instructional videos i've seen, first time i've seen anyone actually show using a roller jewel setting tool.
WOW! Normally I don't watch videos this long because they get boring. But I had to make an exception here. Peter's work is extraordinary, and I had to see everything. I didn't think he would be able to clean the parts enough to put it back together, but look at that beautiful watch! I loved it!
Thanks Pete for the great video. I'm a novice horologist (and that is saying it generously) focused on South Bend pocket watches with a few Elgin Nationals. Several need new balance shafts and one for sure needs a new roller jewel. So this presentation was right on target to help. I noticed you use a microfiber cloth and pad to work on. Any preference to use in disassemble or reassembly?
I actually use a rubber foam mat. It’s like a big mouse pad that keeps things from bouncing. You can get one from esslinger.com. They’re wonderful to work on. I’m uploading an Elgin repair as I text you this. Check it out. I cover balance jewels in it. It may not be up until tomorrow. Thanks for watching.
Great video. My Elgin is from 1873, size 18 Class 4, Grade 63 and was my Great, Great Grandfather's. I know I'll need a new setting lever and I don't have the #3 key that I need to wind it but it seems pretty much all there. How do you source single pieces like a dial washer? EBay doesn't seem to be much help unless I'm looking in the wrong place.
Just a little nerd remark, at 43.48 when tightening the case screw, the movement Got twisted a little, and it altered the centering of the hands otherwise a beautyful restoration Thanks
Good eye. I ended up adjusting the dial feet to center it. I had to laser weld two because they were cracked a bit. What you saw was the test fit before I tore it down again. It must have taken quite a drop.
Thanks Peter. This is Just what I needed, best tutorial yet. Liked and subscribed. I've gotten into restoration in the last few years: 1800's door locks, a fifty year old oil pot stove, rusty old tools and '50s vintage HO scale model rolling stock and locomotives. Now I'm going to get brave and take a deep dive into servicing my heirloom pocket watches. Even though these are not high end watches, I still want to restore these gorgeous ancient mechanical wonders to as "like new" condition as I possible can. Although on a limited budget, I'm slowly gathering some specialty tools and lubricants for these restorations as well as soaking up any information I can find on the subject. My two pocket watches were handed down through the family over two or possibly three generations. They are an Elgin, SN 5668346 7J Manufactured in 1894 and a Ball American Standard Pocket Watch, SN 11853074 16J manufactured In 1904. The latter contains an Elgin private brand movement. The Elgin runs great with only a couple of minor issues, the stem pulls out of the case and there is some play when setting the time. It needs servicing but I don't believe it needs to have any broken parts replaced. The Ball didn't run. The stem was frozen and the balance wheel didn't move freely as well. I got brave and removed the bridge closest to the stem and found that the mainspring barrel was slightly out of place and jamming a wheel, probably due to a loose bridge screw. After aligning the barrel, the watch now runs well. But the interior is quite grimy. The crystal seems to be an early plastic replacement part and also appears to be slightly too small. It needs to be replaced. The major problem though is that the watch winds very hard. It's in obviously in need of a complete servicing. I fear breaking something in the gear train while winding the thing so it will not be in daily service. I also have an envelope with several vintage wrist watches that don't run. As a kid I took a couple of these partially apart, put them back together but they, of course, didn't run. Repairing these may be a bridge too far though and I also have several projects that are of higher priority to either begin or finish I have several of my train restoration videos up on my my UA-cam site with about ten more waiting to be edited! For this week, I'm working on getting a teaser video for the watch projects edited and posted, hopefully by Sunday. -dave
dgwachtel did you make any video's of the HO locomotives or rolling stock. I would love to see this done. I have a steam loco and want to fix it up. Thank you Sir. My brain started working and looked you up. I'm going to watch those vid's thank you.
@@tudrow6087 Thanks for checking out my vids. There is more to come but right now there is a pause in production as "Real Life" has interfered. I have lots of footage waiting to be edited and uploaded and there is more work to be done on some of the projects that have been uploaded. - dave
Hey Peter. Great video. Im just getting started with buying some old pocket watches off ebay and many of them do not have winding stems or crowns. I need to release the main spring o was wondering what that winding too was that you were using. I think i need one of those.
U use a soft plastic pick to remove tough debris. Hairline cracks can be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner. Before you put it in the cleaner, make sure there are no chips. Otherwise a soft brush and warm soapy water. This does not work for metal dials however. The ultrasonic cleaner should only be used for a minute or two to clear the dirt from small cracks. If the back has rust on the metal, use a fiberglass brush to get it off.
I've got a similar watch,(the first watch I've attempted) that has a screw rusted in that holds the face on. I've spent my life working on farm equipment so you can imagine I'm a little heavy handed. I'm trying to be careful. If it was a chisel plow I'd just soak it down with PB Blaster and hit it with with a hammer but I'm at kind of a loss as to how to proceed here.
Just found your channel and subscribed. Excellent vid. for me as a newbie to watch-craft. Also, just bought a non-running Federal 'Hunter' pocket watch, likely 1930s, with no main spring. Can you advise, please, as to a replacement spring that would fit a 3mm deep barrel that is approx 18mm diam? The centre arbour is almost, if not, identical to your Elgin.
EL-JIN (capitalized for readability). I’m local to the (now demolished) factory and town. There are also entries on Wikipedia for the town and company (e.g., Elgin, IL) if you’d like more info.
I have a flat rate for service of 120.00. If however there are broken parts those are extra. I.e. balance staff or crystals. Could drive the price up to 180.00 or less.
@@watchesandjewelry and I'm in charlotte North Carolina and admire you and your work, because you always been positive, and at the same time I'm starting to learn about the trade and I told my coworkers, if they have any watches or pocket watches, if they don't want them or they are going to donate them, or trash them, just gave them to me, so I may Able to learn about it and to fix them.
Not really. You can use some rust removal solution, but not a lot and test first before attempting any chemical as it can damage the parts. Best way to remove rust is with a fiberglass brush. Then clean really well.
Go to my website. On the right side of the page is a link to fill out a form for a quote. It gets emailed and I will get in touch with you. Thank you for asking
This restoration took 12 hours. What was restoration cost to the customer? What is the current value of the watch? When is a restoration as good investment?
Sir. I have found a 5 Oz silver watch prospecting in the outback of western Australia. I am trying to find someone who would like to try and rebuild it. If possible. It has been 3/4 buried in the sand . And drowned. Would you like to see if you could use it for your channel. Thank you. Stuart.
Hi Peter, thank for showing us the whole procedure. Please don't be concerned about time, I enjoy seeing the whole progress. I also look forward to the reward of repairing a watch like that. Regards.
First time I ever saw a safety pinion removed on a video before. Very informative. Thank you!
I can’t thank you enough for this! I bought this online with just a few pictures and few details. It’s amazing how you were able to transform this beautiful piece of history back to its former glory. Thank you again, and great video!
Thanks Nick. It was a fun project. Five full days running very good. It is just about ready to come home.
@@watchesandjewelry Hello Peter, fun fact I live 5 minutes from Elgin. Getting myself into refurbishing pocket watches and I have to say its very difficult to find helpful videos such as yours with such great information, video and sound quality.. I do have mechanical watches book and hearing you word for word is just like my book in video audio form.. I am grateful I found you just in time as I begin my restorations. I always share what I have learned in life with people around me, because we only keep what we have by giving it away. Thank you for helping us all to keep American history alive by sharing what you have learned also and I will pass on what I have learned as well.
Hello Peter, fun fact I live 5 minutes from Elgin. Getting myself into refurbishing pocket watches and I have to say its very difficult to find helpful videos such as yours with such great information, video and sound quality.. I do have mechanical watches book and hearing you word for word is just like my book in video audio form.. I am grateful I found you just in time as I begin my restorations. I always share what I have learned in life with people around me, because we only keep what we have by giving it away. Thank you for helping us all to keep American history alive by sharing what you have learned also and I will pass on what I have learned as well.
All your videos are wonderful, is there a way for us to mail you a watch to be restored and may we request a video of the work even if there is additional cost.
unbelievable...Peter you are a true master....Great Work
At last....a video that I can honestly validate as a true Restoration video. Thank you for an informative, respectful and thorough treatment of this project. Color me Subscribed.
I’m doing my first pocket watch. Technically it’s my first watch overall. Only been looking into watches for the past few days. Waiting for all my Amazon watchmaker goodies to arrive. I’ve never changed a battery let alone this lol. Will be interesting
Good luck. Feel free to ask questions. And be sure to take your time. Patience is everything.
@@watchesandjewelry I will do. Thanks 🙏🏽
You know, i'm only half way through this and it's one of the best instructional videos i've seen, first time i've seen anyone actually show using a roller jewel setting tool.
This is very convenient for me. I just acquired an almost identical watch in almost identical condition. Wish me luck.
Another fine job! Gotta feel good bringing a piece of neglected junk back to life and beauty!
This is the most complete walkthrough! I appreciate this so much! How did you polish your parts? Id love to see that too.
WOW! Normally I don't watch videos this long because they get boring. But I had to make an exception here. Peter's work is extraordinary, and I had to see everything. I didn't think he would be able to clean the parts enough to put it back together, but look at that beautiful watch! I loved it!
Thanks Pete for the great video. I'm a novice horologist (and that is saying it generously) focused on South Bend pocket watches with a few Elgin Nationals. Several need new balance shafts and one for sure needs a new roller jewel. So this presentation was right on target to help. I noticed you use a microfiber cloth and pad to work on. Any preference to use in disassemble or reassembly?
I actually use a rubber foam mat. It’s like a big mouse pad that keeps things from bouncing. You can get one from esslinger.com. They’re wonderful to work on. I’m uploading an Elgin repair as I text you this. Check it out. I cover balance jewels in it. It may not be up until tomorrow. Thanks for watching.
Great video. My Elgin is from 1873, size 18 Class 4, Grade 63 and was my Great, Great Grandfather's. I know I'll need a new setting lever and I don't have the #3 key that I need to wind it but it seems pretty much all there. How do you source single pieces like a dial washer? EBay doesn't seem to be much help unless I'm looking in the wrong place.
Bravo! Excellent work. Thanks for posting.
I had rather have a good watch from a store.
Just a little nerd remark, at 43.48 when tightening the case screw, the movement Got twisted a little, and it altered the centering of the hands otherwise a beautyful restoration Thanks
Very good video very straightforward and informative and very professional
Thanks for showing the restafing and roller jewel fitting. Is the dial slightly off centre? I noticed the seconds hand pinion isn't in the middle.
Good eye. I ended up adjusting the dial feet to center it. I had to laser weld two because they were cracked a bit. What you saw was the test fit before I tore it down again. It must have taken quite a drop.
I like Your way of lining up the hairspring . Finding parts is getting hard for some watches.
What a great work ! THANKS
Really nice restore
Thankyou, great video, very educational.❤🎉
Thanks Peter. This is Just what I needed, best tutorial yet. Liked and subscribed.
I've gotten into restoration in the last few years: 1800's door locks, a fifty year old oil pot stove, rusty old tools and '50s vintage HO scale model rolling stock and locomotives.
Now I'm going to get brave and take a deep dive into servicing my heirloom pocket watches. Even though these are not high end watches, I still want to restore these gorgeous ancient mechanical wonders to as "like new" condition as I possible can. Although on a limited budget, I'm slowly gathering some specialty tools and lubricants for these restorations as well as soaking up any information I can find on the subject.
My two pocket watches were handed down through the family over two or possibly three generations. They are an Elgin, SN 5668346 7J Manufactured in 1894 and a Ball American Standard Pocket Watch, SN 11853074 16J manufactured In 1904. The latter contains an Elgin private brand movement.
The Elgin runs great with only a couple of minor issues, the stem pulls out of the case and there is some play when setting the time. It needs servicing but I don't believe it needs to have any broken parts replaced.
The Ball didn't run. The stem was frozen and the balance wheel didn't move freely as well. I got brave and removed the bridge closest to the stem and found that the mainspring barrel was slightly out of place and jamming a wheel, probably due to a loose bridge screw. After aligning the barrel, the watch now runs well. But the interior is quite grimy. The crystal seems to be an early plastic replacement part and also appears to be slightly too small. It needs to be replaced. The major problem though is that the watch winds very hard. It's in obviously in need of a complete servicing. I fear breaking something in the gear train while winding the thing so it will not be in daily service.
I also have an envelope with several vintage wrist watches that don't run. As a kid I took a couple of these partially apart, put them back together but they, of course, didn't run. Repairing these may be a bridge too far though and I also have several projects that are of higher priority to either begin or finish
I have several of my train restoration videos up on my my UA-cam site with about ten more waiting to be edited! For this week, I'm working on getting a teaser video for the watch projects edited and posted, hopefully by Sunday.
-dave
dgwachtel did you make any video's of the HO locomotives or rolling stock.
I would love to see this done. I have a steam loco and want to fix it up.
Thank you Sir.
My brain started working and looked you up. I'm going to watch those vid's thank you.
@@tudrow6087 Thanks for checking out my vids. There is more to come but right now there is a pause in production as "Real Life" has interfered. I have lots of footage waiting to be edited and uploaded and there is more work to be done on some of the projects that have been uploaded. - dave
@@dgwachtel Isn't funny how that real life bits your butt. Thank you Sir for your videos and the work you do.
Ya, i'd love to know how you polished the gears also.
Nice work and very educational, Thanks
Hey Peter. Great video. Im just getting started with buying some old pocket watches off ebay and many of them do not have winding stems or crowns. I need to release the main spring o was wondering what that winding too was that you were using. I think i need one of those.
Thanks Peter, great job. I have so many questions always, but just one for now. What did you clean the dial with?
U use a soft plastic pick to remove tough debris. Hairline cracks can be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner. Before you put it in the cleaner, make sure there are no chips. Otherwise a soft brush and warm soapy water. This does not work for metal dials however. The ultrasonic cleaner should only be used for a minute or two to clear the dirt from small cracks. If the back has rust on the metal, use a fiberglass brush to get it off.
@@watchesandjewelry many thanks Peter for sharing your knowledge!
I've got a similar watch,(the first watch I've attempted) that has a screw rusted in that holds the face on. I've spent my life working on farm equipment so you can imagine I'm a little heavy handed. I'm trying to be careful. If it was a chisel plow I'd just soak it down with PB Blaster and hit it with with a hammer but I'm at kind of a loss as to how to proceed here.
Very nice job, congrats :D
looks like your roller jewel fell out onto that fiber-free towel. you can see it laying there
Peter you might already know of crocus cord. It comes in all kinds of diameters and coarseness.
Just found your channel and subscribed. Excellent vid. for me as a newbie to watch-craft. Also, just bought a non-running Federal 'Hunter' pocket watch, likely 1930s, with no main spring. Can you advise, please, as to a replacement spring that would fit a 3mm deep barrel that is approx 18mm diam? The centre arbour is almost, if not, identical to your Elgin.
I believe the word Elgin should be pronounced Elgin as in Begin. Fine restoration by the way.
EL-JIN (capitalized for readability). I’m local to the (now demolished) factory and town. There are also entries on Wikipedia for the town and company (e.g., Elgin, IL) if you’d like more info.
Elgen is a great watch but they did a lot of fill work.
I have this same watch. What is the release lever for?
What's a typical cost for a restoration of a non-running silver Elgin.?
I have a flat rate for service of 120.00. If however there are broken parts those are extra. I.e. balance staff or crystals. Could drive the price up to 180.00 or less.
Where are you based & how would a person normally get a watch to you.?
Please head over to myjewelrybench.com. On the right side is a request for quote form. Fill it out and I will get to you soon. Thank you
Where are you located? Because I love your work.
Fort Myers, Florida
@@watchesandjewelry and I'm in charlotte North Carolina and admire you and your work, because you always been positive, and at the same time I'm starting to learn about the trade and I told my coworkers, if they have any watches or pocket watches, if they don't want them or they are going to donate them, or trash them, just gave them to me, so I may Able to learn about it and to fix them.
In one way I was wondering if you would exchange numbers
Where can i get a set of screwdrivers like yours? I cant find a set with a small enough flathead to replace my clickspring
Check my Amazon store page. They are listed in the watch tools section
How can I share my watch. It seems to have a piece of glass over the face
Would the rust be removed by the ultrasonic cleaner ?
Not really. You can use some rust removal solution, but not a lot and test first before attempting any chemical as it can damage the parts. Best way to remove rust is with a fiberglass brush. Then clean really well.
@@watchesandjewelry thank you. Learning a lot from you and very fast...!!
Hello Peter, how much do you charge to service a pocket watch?
American pocket watches are 130.00. Includes a mainspring. Other parts extra
@@watchesandjewelry that sounds good to me, is there some other way I can contact you other than UA-cam?
Go to my website. On the right side of the page is a link to fill out a form for a quote. It gets emailed and I will get in touch with you. Thank you for asking
@@watchesandjewelry What is the website called?
Myjewelrybench.com
Could I send an old pocket watch to you for restoration? I am in U.K.
This restoration took 12 hours. What was restoration cost to the customer? What is the current value of the watch? When is a restoration as good investment?
Sir. I have found a 5 Oz silver watch prospecting in the outback of western Australia. I am trying to find someone who would like to try and rebuild it. If possible. It has been 3/4 buried in the sand . And drowned. Would you like to see if you could use it for your channel. Thank you. Stuart.
invest in a smal oil lamp it is wort its price
meths is cleaner
Alllll that werk and you didnt disassemble the cap jewels for the balance... glad i werk on my own...
🤣☮🇨🇦
I'm mainly cringing because you aren't wearing gloves to protect your fingers from the fiberglass brush.