Workshop Hints and Tips

Index of hints and tips available

The following pages include details of practical hints and tips are the largest practical reference section on the Internet. The tips have either come from the BHI's Horological Journal or from some of the many postings on the Internet. Where possible various ways of achieving a repair are given so that YOU can decide which suits you best. The hints and views given are not necessarily those endorsed by the BHI, but we have tried to weed out any which we would condemn out of hand.. Also included is an index of the practical articles published in the Horological Journal. BHI members can request copies of these articles directly from the BHI for a small fee, please quote the issue date as well as the starting page number.
Items from the Horological Journal generally will not be published on this web site until about a year later. If you want up to date help, join the BHI Now.

Please Note: Some pages use JavaScript and these pages will have (JS) in the title. To use these pages your viewer must use JavaScript.

Know your terminology

Clocks (Timepiece) (4 December 1997)
Lever Escapements (26 April 1998)
Wrist watches (7 August 1997)

Dating Watches and Clocks

Bulle Clocks By John Hubby (2 August 1998)
Chelsea Clocks by Mike Murray and Bob Setnik (9 August 1998)
Clock Dating Reference Books etc. (4 October 1998)
French Clocks by Kerry Rasmussen (9 August 1998)
Hermle & FHS clocks (1 September 1998)
Ingraham Clocks by Murray R. Falk (29 August 1998)
Lenzkrich Clocks (29 November 1998)

General Tips

BA Threads Chart (9 June 1996) Bluing hints Different techniques discussed (14 July 1996)
British Hallmarking London, Birmingham and Chester (9 March 1997)
British Hallmarking Sheffield, Glasgow and Edinburgh (9 March 1997)
Chimes & Carillons (13 December 1996)
Clock Trademarks - most common ones found in the workshop (13 August 1998)
Gold Plating in the Workshop (14 July 1996)
Historical Notes on enamelling dials (26 May 1996)
Horological Journal Index of practical articles 1994-today
Horological parts, materials, tools and books suppliers (10 January 1999)
Lathe Tips (21 June 1996)
Microscopes in Horology, by Ron Morris (18 March 1997)
Modern Adhesives used in horology (15 April1996)
Poisons in Horology (3 March 1996)
Refinishing and/or Restoring Metal Statuary or Ornamentation by Ben Fulbright 18 October 1998
Removing broken screws (16 May 1999)
Rust Removal FAQ by Ted Kinsey (30 November 1997)
Rust Removal - Using Tea, By Alan Timmins FBHI (26 July 1998)
Ships clocks striking sequence (8 February 1998)
Silvering Dials (24 May 1998)
Soldering hints (1 June 1996)
Standardised Repair marks (3 July 1996)
Swirled finish, or, spotting (7 July 1996)
Why Use IIII and not IV on dials? (6 May 1996)
Why is clockwise Clockwise? by Donn Lathrop (26 October 1997)
Workshop Layout (20 July 1996)

Calculation pages (All use JavaScript)

Beats per Hour (3 and 4 wheel trains) (JS)(1 March 1998)
Alternative style sheet by David Gregory (JS) (1 March 1998)
Checking Mainspring Lengths (JS)(11 July 1996)
Shortening Mainsprings (JS)(14 May 1996)

Electrical Clocks

Hipp Toggle (and the Postoffice clock No. 36) (1 September 1996)
The Following notes on electrical clock repair are by Mike Frost

Mike Frost's "Current Notes" (7 July 1996)
CN#1 Replacing Motors (7 July 1996)
CN#2 Kienzle movements (7 July 1996)
CN#3 Jefferson Golden Minute clocks (18 July 1996)
CN#4 Coil & Motor Winding 25 August 1996)
CN#5 Car clocks (22 October 1996)
CN#6 Collecting Electrics (29 December 1996)
CN #7, Repair/Restoration Classifications for Synchronous Electric Clocks (8 July 1997)
CN #8, Guidelines for Production Line Quality Restorations (8 July 1997)
CN #9, Guidelines for Collectors Quality Restorations (8 July 1997)
CN #10, Guidelines for Working Quality Restorations (8 July 1997)
CN#11, Repairing the GE Electric Strike Clock (16 November 1997)
CN#12, Repairing Mastercrafters Swingers (21 December 1997)
CN#13: Repairing A Sessions Motor (24 May 1998)
CN#14: Comments On Telechron Rotor Repair (22 August 1998)

Quartz Anniversary Clocks (14 July 1996)

Mechanical Clocks

400 day clocks (20 July 1996)
Adjusting Clock Hammers(8 April1996)
Adjusting Minute Hand collets (7 April1996)
Ageing Paper Dials (22 March 1998)
Brocot pallet replacement (2 August 1996)
Bulle clock hints (7 April1996)
Bulle Suspensions - repairing (8 November 1998)
Bushing hints and tips (1 June 1996)
Burnishing pivots (29 January 1996)
Cannon Pinions, removing safely (15 November 1998)
Case Cleaning (2 August 1996)
Case Fumigation (2 August 1996)
Cuckoo clock hints (2 August 1996)
Deadbeat pallets - Grinding (26 April 1998)
Dead centre turning (replacing worn arbor end) by S Callihan FBHI (1 June 1996)
Drilling sheet metal (7 April1996)
Excessive Gear Noise On Strike Train (14 July 1996)
Finding Proper Driving Weight (14 July 1996)
French Clock hints (24 May 1996)
Fusee Clock hints (17 May 1996)
Longcase Clock Hints (20 July 1996)
Mainspring hints (16 February 1997) Marking holes in a dial (7 April1996)
Pivot - Replacing (1 March1998)
Polishing slate clock cases (5 April1996)
Porcelain Dials Repair and cleaning hints (26 May 1996)
Punching holes in suspensions (9 June 1996)
Replacing Gold Lacquer (6 May 1996)
Replacing plaster in bezels (4 December 1995)
Replacing missing chime rods and tubes by Alan Emmerson (22 November 1998)
Smoky clock cases, removing the smell (7 July 1996)
Sources of steel for suspension springs, clicks & soft iron wire etc. (3 November 1996)
Splicing 30 hour a clock rope (2 June 1997)
Transporting Longcase Clocks (7 October 1996)
Trouble shooting tips (9 June 1996)
Wheel cutting hints (20 July 1996)

Tools

Adjusting Bearings on a watchmaker's lathe (7 July 1996)
Broach handles (25 January 1998)
Care of tweezers by W R Smith (10 January 1999)
Commercial Clock Mainspring Winders (25 January 1998)
Examining pins for fast assembly and disassembly of clock plates (3 March1996)
Inserting hand pins in arbors (6 May 1996)
Lathe Supports (18 February 1996)
Making a screw head Polisher (21 April1996)
Mainspring length gauge (20 April1996)
Mainspring length gauge with no moving parts by Michael J Helfrich (6 September 1998)
Sharpening gear cutters (14 July 1996)
Simple Work holding jigs (21 April1996)
Universal Letdown Key By Mike McCreery (4 January 1998)

Watches

Automatic Mainsprings By A Burtoft. MBHI(10 January 1999)
Catching Small Parts by A Burtoft MBHI (24 May 1998)
Checking a jewelled lever escapement by A Burtoft MBHI (14 June 1998)
Fitting watch backs (19 April 1996)
Lubricating Quartz Watches by A Burtoft MBHI (11 October 1998)
Polishing watch crystals (21 June 1996)
Releasing Stuck Push Buttons on Watches By Manuel Jean Y. (6 December 1998)
Time keeping - Positional Error by A Burtoft MBHI (5 July 1998)
Watch servicing check sheet (25 December 1995)
Watch Sizes - Quick reference chart, by M Smallman (18 May 1997)

Other Technical Horological Information on the Internet

The following pages are on other sites. They represent the views of their site owners NOT necessarily the BHI. These sites are listed here so that you, the user, can view them and decide if they can be of any help to you.

If you find any of these tips are no longer available, or new tips not listed, please advise me at webmaster@bhi.co.uk.

General Tips

Atmos Dating techniques
Atmos owners guide
Evaluating clocks
FAQ: Roman IIII vs. IV on Clock Dials
FAQ: The Origin of Hours and Minutes
Mike Murray's repair pages , most NOT in html format
Suggested Reading

Barometers

How to Move and Handle a Barometer
How to Read a Mercury Barometer
Replacing a Barometer Tube

Electrical Clocks

Mechanical Clocks

Atmos bellows repair
Longcase Clocks that Don't Work. Solutions to Common Problems

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The British Horological Institute Limited

Our Corporate Members

Workshop Hints and Tips

Index of hints and tips available

Know your terminology

Dating Watches and Clocks

General Tips

Calculation pages (All use JavaScript)

Electrical Clocks

Mechanical Clocks

Tools

Watches

Other Technical Horological Information on the Internet

General Tips

Barometers

Electrical Clocks

Mechanical Clocks

Watches