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stook1

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My man!

I finally finished working on this Hampden Model 2 108 D in flag, got the positional adjustment mostly sorted for 4 positions:
OpXGbqc.jpg

Was a real pain because the center wheel (of all things) pivot was broken (yet somehow the hole jewel wasn’t!?!). So I had salvage a center wheel out of a similar Model 2 parts movement, but then do a lot of manual (very careful) re-machining of the pivot due to tolerance differences.

Now I’m trying to salvage this Elgin which someone pumped motor oil into:

GTPAZlu.jpg

The balance hairspring might as well have been dipped in crazy glue. All that stuff that looks like rust is globs of congealed, dried oil. Naphtha didn’t do crap (nor did the cleaner), so I’m probably going to look into my chest of “de-correcting the grain” solvents. Hopefully I don’t have to re-shellac the pallet and impulse jewels.

</watch nerdery>

I don't know jack about servicing watch movements, although it sounds like a hobby that would be hugely rewarding, hugely frustrating, and aggravating to my wife for (n) reasons. All the more motivation to take it up some day....

But anyway, my lawn equipment abuse & repair experience might come in handy for your issue. Consider trying this stuff for your parts. I'd be willing to bet it's safe for your small parts (carbs use brass, steel, and aluminum) and I have found it to be insanely effective at stripping nasties off of carb parts and related paraphernalia.

 

CWOyaji

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OK OK I'm going to get with the program and fess up that my HS graduation year was 1978. It's only fair, since I used a senior discount just now to get the price on this stone mint Kiton shirt in my size down to $11.50 at the Humane Society thrift shop. While wearing the AE shell Leeds from yesterday.
IMG_6006.JPG

Retail on these is pretty astonishing
Image 5-18-21 at 6.02 PM.jpg
 

wasmisterfu

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I don't know jack about servicing watch movements, although it sounds like a hobby that would be hugely rewarding, hugely frustrating, and aggravating to my wife for (n) reasons. All the more motivation to take it up some day....

But anyway, my lawn equipment abuse & repair experience might come in handy for your issue. Consider trying this stuff for your parts. I'd be willing to bet it's safe for your small parts (carbs use brass, steel, and aluminum) and I have found it to be insanely effective at stripping nasties off of carb parts and related paraphernalia.

Ya know what, I’m gonna try that stuff. Can’t make it any worse; if I can’t get this oil off, I’m afraid this 111 year old movement is junk (can’t even use the parts as everything is gunked with this stuff).

Thanks for the suggestion.
 

stook1

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Ya know what, I’m gonna try that stuff. Can’t make it any worse; if I can’t get this oil off, I’m afraid this 111 year old movement is junk (can’t even use the parts as everything is gunked with this stuff).

Thanks for the suggestion.

Cool, keep us posted. I mean... if it's really oil on there, I am pretty sure it's gonna work great for you. I've cleaned out jets from old, varnished to hell jets in carbs with good success (these days I am lazy and just buy new knock off Chinese carbs from amazon for like $15 and save the headache... but I digress).

Btw, that's like a gallons worth which is obviously WAY WAY more than you will need. That is unless you are servicing Flavor Flav's watches. Good luck!
 

wasmisterfu

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OK OK I'm going to get with the program and fess up that my HS graduation year was 1978. It's only fair, since I used a senior discount just now to get the price on this stone mint Kiton shirt in my size down to $11.50 at the Humane Society thrift shop. While wearing the AE shell Leeds from yesterday.
View attachment 1612000
Retail on these is pretty astonishing
That’s weird, I thought you were younger than me for some reason.

Wait, does that say 895 bucks?! WTFF?!?

I will spend big bucks on things like suits; I have bespoke English suites that cost a lot of money, that look like this:

dOthtc2.jpg


But I can’t fathom why you need a nine hundred dollar shirt (especially one that’s off the freakin rack).

That’s more than a nice pair of Shell Alden’s. That’s like 4 times what I pay for my top-line Brooks Brothers miUSA shirts.

What in the world makes any shirt (not woven with precious metals) worth nine hundred bucks????

Good on you for getting it for $11.50, as someone needs to offset such blatant thievery.
 

CWOyaji

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I look young for my age (ask @Oshare or @friendlygoz, whom I've met in person), which is lucky and led to some amusing situations, especially when I was single again for a while in my 40's. And even in my 50's, when I twice got carded buying a bottle of wine at Trader Joe's (not Two Buck Chuck) then arrived home to find mail from my new best friends at the AARP in my mailbox. A pox on them.
 
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wasmisterfu

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I look young for my age (ask @Oshare or @friendlygoz, whom I've met in person), which is lucky and has led to some amusing situations, especially when I was single again for a while in my 40's. And even in my 50's, when I twice got carded buying a bottle of wine at Trader Joe's (not Two Buck Chuck) then arrived home to find mail from my new best friends at the AARP in my mailbox. A pox on them.
Don’t feel too bad, I’m 46 and the AARP sent me some info kit thing last year. I thought about being insulted... but then I was like “hellz yeah, send me that AARP card so I can get those discounts”.
 

suitforcourt

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I look young for my age (ask @Oshare or @friendlygoz, whom I've met in person), which is lucky and has led to some amusing situations, especially when I was single again for a while in my 40's. And even in my 50's, when I twice got carded buying a bottle of wine at Trader Joe's (not Two Buck Chuck) then arrived home to find mail from my new best friends at the AARP in my mailbox. A pox on them.
Don’t feel too bad, I’m 46 and the AARP sent me some info kit thing last year. I thought about being insulted... but then I was like “hellz yeah, send me that AARP card so I can get those discounts”.

I've always looked old for my age. When I spent summers at the car factory with my dad, people thought I was his younger brother. We have a 35 year gap.

People thought I was my brother's father. We have a 3 year gap.

The most galling experience was when a client asked if my summer student was my child for "take your kid to work day."

My student was 25. I was an elderly 29. I guess I already looked like I was in my 40s+.

Sigh.
 

Nealjpage

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Ya know what, I’m gonna try that stuff. Can’t make it any worse; if I can’t get this oil off, I’m afraid this 111 year old movement is junk (can’t even use the parts as everything is gunked with this stuff).

Thanks for the suggestion.
Do you put your parts in a jar of solvent and run it through a sonic cleaner?
 

Nealjpage

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I bought a used shine box that included some old tins of Kiwi paste polish. I'm not sure what they used as a solvent back then but it smells like straight-up gasoline or kerosene. Wow. I think there's a pink elephant in the room with me.

20210518_214621.jpg
 

Sartoriamo

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Dropping in from the thrift thread to ask for your wisdom with regard to one of these pairs. Clockwise from top left: Hanover PTBs, unknown LWBs, C&J (first time I've seen them with the spellout on the heel), and some minty Florrie 75675 Stratford LWBs, though I think more recent.
EF133D72-0130-40A8-81F8-36035C2A5270.jpeg


C&J. Anyone know the vintage of these?
B19EB5DC-87FD-423E-8BAD-A9C8EAE18B55.jpeg
55EFD9D7-A916-4BE8-B074-AFEBC6653119_1_201_a.jpeg


Hanover
4CAD078D-2DFA-49D0-B8AC-8AC951E08329.jpeg


Florrie
AE8E315E-D666-4D32-807E-FA3C572E4851_1_201_a.jpeg


And I wonder whether any of you recognize the branding that's almost gone on the insole of the "unknown" ones. There are some faint numbers inside, but I'll need to put some work into deciphering them. Meanwhile, anyone make out the brand?
03F854E9-9F31-481C-AB80-E534AEC0546A.jpeg
 

JFWR

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Hi Guys:

Well, if we're doing this I guess I can get onboard too, although I'm going to feel like a dinosaur or maybe an elder statesman!

I was born in the late 40's and graduated HS in 1965 in the industrial North of England. First year of primary school we started with chalk and slate, no kidding! Second year, pencils and third year an inkwell, pen and ink, ballpoint pens weren't generally available. I am one of the first wave of the Boomers, but I was in the summer of love as a teenager when sex was invented! I don't think shoes had been invented yet!

kilowatts

With such a new invention on the scene, how ever did you figure out how to use it? Must've been a very harrowing time.
 

JFWR

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So, I graduated high school in 2004. By that time, I had eschewed sneakers since the 8th grade; however, I had frequent difficulties finding shoes. I often wore boat shoes earlier, then I had a nice suede pair of chukkas that may have been Clark's. I also had various boots.

My shoe collection is far nicer now than ever before.
 

Oshare

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I bought a used shine box that included some old tins of Kiwi paste polish. I'm not sure what they used as a solvent back then but it smells like straight-up gasoline or kerosene. Wow. I think there's a pink elephant in the room with me.

View attachment 1612094

Wasn’t turpentine the usual solvent in paste shoe wax?

Be careful of those pink hephalumps. They get voracious around vintage shoes.
 

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