Thanks for another great video, Mike! It's really important to avoid any proximity of watch parts or tools to magnets. It's really funny, since I considered two options when buying a flashlight for the same purpose as you. And when I saw that there was a magnet inside, I just chose the one without it. One interesting point to share: I purchased a cheap watch that was running. When I put it on the timegrapher, it turned out to be running too fast (+85 to + 112 sec/day). I don't hesitate to demagnetize fully assembled watches (before or after servicing), though it seems reasonable to unwind the mainspring first. So, after demagnetizing ... it stopped running. The balance wheel pivots are intact. I wonder what the problem is. I haven't disassembled it yet but I suppose that the problem lies in the finest vibrations caused by the demagnetizer inside The gunk might have come loose and prevented the wheels from moving. It will be an interesting issue to shed light on and make a video about.
Really interesting what you are dealing with after demagnetizing. One thought why a watch could stop after demagnetizing is that something moved inside, like a metal chip getting in a gear tooth. Things definitely jump around if the demagnetizer is strong enough. (My audio/videotape demagnetizer is insanely overpowered for wristwatch work!) I'm curious what the reason is to let down the mainspring before demagnetizing?
@@WatchWithMike I haven't seen any special guidelines concerning letting down the mainspring, maybe I am too cautious :) I was doing it once with a removed case lid, holding the watch with the dial down and saw how the balance spring was vibrating. I need to say that my demagnetizer is meant specially for watches and smaller items, though it can also demagnetize smaller pliers or scissors quite effectively. In some Russian watches the balance spring is fixed with special glue in the collet, and it seems possible to me that this congealed substance may be affected by the vibration. Just caution, nothing more. My friend, who is a professional watchmaker (he has more than a forty-year experience), says that he has never demagnetized an assembled watch, only single parts.
@@kirillslov Kirill, interesting that Russian watches hold the hairspring with a 'congealed substance'! (A type of shellac, perhaps?) I have mostly demagnetized disassembled parts, but I've also experimented on a few assembled mechanical watches that were not running well, to see if I could see a difference on the timegrapher, which I did not. That might be a fun topic for a video, though!
@@WatchWithMikeI would call it "glue" or even "epoxy resin" for example, in Slava watches, which I am a great fan of. I am going to make a video today, using my microscope, on gluing the hairspring back into the stud. It is possible to use nail varnish or thermal glue in this case. I opted for the nail varnish. I will share the link here later.
Thanks Mike. I bought the light on your recommendation and its great. I will now modify it on your recommendation. Is there anything else you'd like me to do? LOL!
Had to demagnetize my WISE Adamascus AD8 lately. It went fourty seconds too fast. No clue what magnetized it. Now it’s running three seconds plus again. So it can be said that a demagnetizer is pretty useful. 🕐⚙️🍸
All it takes is a drop or a knock to magnetize something. I used to purposely magnetize my big screwdrivers to hold on to screws for hard-to-reach areas, by hitting the shaft a few times with a hammer. That's all that's needed! So for a watch that's being worn, it could be anything. 😁
I can't tell you how many times I've picked up that light lately. I really need to get a smaller demagnetizer - the one in the video is ridiculously strong! But there's nothing like having demagnetized tools & parts! 😁
Hi Al, I figured you'd get a kick out of this video since it's the first one I've done with screws that are closer in size to Mustang head gasket bolts! Well, OK, not quite that big but very large compared to the screws in watches. 😂
