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Restoring an Angelus Cal 240, new longer cannon/hour/sec posts


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A short pictorial of the work required when servicing/restoring a vintage Angelus cal 240 8 day movement.

First up some pictures of the condition as received

1a.jpg

1b.jpg

1c.jpg

1d.jpg

Hairspring coils are so dirty they are stuck to each other

1e.jpg

Somewhat dirty and gummed up

1f.jpg

Very dirty and someone installed the wrong screws holding the jewel setting in place, the correct screws should be flush, not sticking out of the setting

1i.jpg

Keyless very dirty with many particles of crap

1g.jpg

After a good cleaning we end up with the following results

BEFORE

1f.jpg

AFTER

1h.jpg

BEFORE

1d.jpg

AFTER

1j.jpg

BEFORE

1e.jpg

AFTER

1l.jpg

BEFORE

1c.jpg

AFTER

1m.jpg

BEFORE

1i.jpg

AFTER Note not only the cleanliness of the c0ck but the new correct length screws I installed

1k.jpg

BEFORE

1b.jpg

AFTER

1s.jpg

Fabrication of longer CANNON PINION, HOUR WHEEL, and PINION for running seconds hand.

In addition to the above restoration work, this project also included the fabrication of longer cannon pinion, hour wheel, and running seconds post to allow the hands to clear the new thicker dial

Here’s an overall view of the new parts

1n.jpg

Here is a close-up of the new hour wheel pipe

1p.jpg

Here is the view from the bottom, the new pipe was riveted to the gear

1q.jpg

Here is the new longer cannon pin, note the dimensions of the parts

1o.jpg

Overall view of the new parts in place.

The seconds post dimensions are a drilled hole at 0.25mm to fit over the 4th wheel pivot, and the post measures 0.25mm also to accept the new seconds hand.

1r.jpg

Thanks for reading

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:bangin:

Not only the work is great but after all these years I still wonder how you shoot those pics.

It's been a long time since we have a new "how to shot macro pictures"... :partytime:

Maybe you could tell us how you do this :g:

I used to be proud of some pictures of mine ...but each time I see yours I feel like a dummy !

Thanks for sharing one more interresting restore work Zig :clap2:

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Amazing work! I noticed the bridge engravings are actually gold in the After shot. Were they just gummed up to make them appear black in the Before shot?

Love this stuff. Keep them coming whenever you can....please :)

As you can see, everything was really gummed up and black, the before pictures are as it arrived on the bench.

Incredible work!

How long did that all take?

Servicing ran about 3 or so hours, custom fabricating by hand the new cannon, hour, and seconds post took the better part of a day. When your tolerance is 0.01mm and you are turning freehand in the lathe a part that finishes up at 0.25mm, after having to drill a 0.25mm hole, it requires a delicate touch and a lot of patience.

Wow! Fabrication of those parts require some massive skills. Well done!

Why do you think the balance [censored] has a different colour opposed to the rest of the bridges?

The balance c0ck looked completely out of place as compared to the rest of the movement, my only guess is that it either wasn't original, or that it was in a location that was open to cigarette smoke and dirt. It was gross...

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The man can truly work some magic! The before and after shots are pretty amazing.

No short cuts here either; the job is done the correct and proper way. It's nice to know that there are still folks out there like the Zigmeister who take the time to do things the right way for sake of knowing that it's correct.

I wish more people would take this kind of pride in their work (not limited to just watch stuff either).

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100% agree across the board. A shame that it is disappearing.

It is a shame. Sadly I see the botched results of many unskilled watchsmiths all too often.

It seems as if the overall interest in these technical posts is also disappearing, the forum member demographics and interest is not what it used to be, that's for sure. Either that, or most don't appreciate or understand the skills needed to make these type of parts....at one time all techincal posts generated a lot of discussion and interest with the membership, not any more... :(

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Incredible stuff! You will have a long line of vintage builders needing sf240 overhauls from all forums :1a:

Looking at the before pics the owner is lucky nothing was truly broken and in need of replacement.

Thanks.

Whenever I receive a watch or movement, especially one in this condition, I never wind or "test" it, a general overall look will tell you it's in poor condition, winding it may cause irreversable damage.

Interestingly on this one, when I assembled the train and tested all the end and side shakes, the 4th wheel had no end shake and no clearance, in fact with the bridge in place, the 4th wheel was jammed solid. I ended up having to move the top 4th wheel jewel into the bridge by 0.04mm to give it the required end shake and running clearance, and allow the train to spin freely.

What I can't figure out is this:

How did this happen? with no end shake and a jammed 4th wheel the movement would not run, but it had to be running at some point, so what happend to the end shake? Who or where did the clearance go and when?

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That's pretty cool, every vintage movement has a story to tell, I'm sure, but without the whole watch it could be difficult to figure out how things like this happen. Maybe the travel clock that housed this movement fell from a desk in one of the the cabins of some glamorous 60's cruise ship one too many times :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the journey through the service. Nice to know that even a movement in this state can be saved. :)

In the first picture, I thought "This does not seem too bad"..But in the close up pictures, one can really see that it has been a while since last service.

What kind of watch was this movement cased in?

There are fewer technical posts these today. Seems like even mechanical watches have become affected by "service by replacement". :/

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