Vigniaux Practical Watchmaking Translated By Richard Watkins Vigniaux Practical Watchmaking © Copyright 2011, Richard Watkins, Kingston, Tasmania 2 Vigniaux Practical Watchmaking Contents Translator’s Foreword .......................................................................................................................... 11 Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... 15 Part One. ................................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter One: The Watchmaker’s Workshop. .................................................................................. 17 Chapter II: Tools Necessary for a Watchmaker. ............................................................................. 17 Chapter III: Steel.................................................................................................................................. 20 Annealing Steel............................................................................................................................. 20 Hardening Steel. ........................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter IV: Brass. ............................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter V: The File and the Turns................................................................................................... 21 Chapter VI: Tools for the Turns......................................................................................................... 22 Bows............................................................................................................................................... 22 Gravers. ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Square Gravers to Make Recesses............................................................................................. 23 Chapter VII: The Turns. Pl. 6, Fig.1. ............................................................................................... 23 To Make a Ferrule. ...................................................................................................................... 24 To Make Turning Arbors and Stems......................................................................................... 24 To Turn the Points of Turning Arbors....................................................................................... 25 To Preserve the Points of Arbors. .............................................................................................. 25 To Finish Arbors. ......................................................................................................................... 25 To Fix a Part on an Arbor........................................................................................................... 26 To Smooth a Part with Four or Eight Sides on the Turns..................................................... 26 Putty............................................................................................................................................... 26 To Polish Arbors on the Turns. .................................................................................................. 26 Chapter VIII: Drills.............................................................................................................................. 27 To Form the Tips of Drills Properly. ......................................................................................... 27 Pivot Broaches. ............................................................................................................................. 28 Method of Boring Various Parts of Brass and Steel, such as Canons & Canon Pinions ................................................................................................................................... 29 Method of Correcting a Part with a Sharp Hammer............................................................... 29 To Correct a Part with a Round Pean Hammer...................................................................... 29 Chapter IX: Various Methods of Soldering, and Various Types of Solder Used in Watchmaking................................................................................................................................ 30 Silver Solder................................................................................................................................... 30 How to Make Third and Quarter Silver Solder........................................................................ 31 Tin Solder. ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Tin Solder with Sulphate of Ammonia...................................................................................... 31 Tin Solder with Oil and Sulphate of Ammonia. ...................................................................... 31 Solder with Tin, Water and Sulphate of Ammonia................................................................. 31 To Make Tin Solder...................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter X: Smoothing and Polishing Steel. ..................................................................................... 32 Polishing Steel. ............................................................................................................................. 32 Chapter XI: Choice of Compounds to Smooth and Polish Brass................................................... 32 Rotten-Stone and its Preparation.............................................................................................. 32 Charcoal to Polish Brass............................................................................................................. 33 To Smooth Brass. ......................................................................................................................... 33 To Polish Brass. ........................................................................................................................... 33 Burnishing Steel and Brass........................................................................................................ 33 3 Vigniaux Practical Watchmaking Chapter XII: Screw Plates. ................................................................................................................. 34 Taps. .............................................................................................................................................. 34 To Recess the Heads of Screws. ................................................................................................. 35 Chapter XIII: Square Punch Tools and Riveting Punches............................................................. 36 Files and how to Fix Handles. ................................................................................................... 36 Chapter XIV: Pins................................................................................................................................ 37 Part Two.................................................................................................................................................... 39 Chapter One: The Rough Movement. ................................................................................................ 39 Chapter II: Calibres............................................................................................................................. 40 How to Draw a Calibre Based on a Piece Already Made....................................................... 40 Chapter III: To Mount a Frame......................................................................................................... 40 Method of Making the Plates. .................................................................................................... 40 To Make the Recess for the Center Wheel................................................................................ 41 The Barrette.................................................................................................................................. 41 To Round the Ends of Pillars ..................................................................................................... 42 The Pillars..................................................................................................................................... 42 The Top Plate. .............................................................................................................................. 42 To Rivet the Pillars...................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter IV: The Wheels...................................................................................................................... 43 The First Wheel............................................................................................................................ 43 The Center and Third Wheels.................................................................................................... 43 The Contrate Wheel....................................................................................................................