The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 14

That's all for now. There will be more of the dial to follow and then some final pictures of the finished watch. Next step will be designing a new case. Exciting stuff!

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 13

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 12

A pair of photos showing the snailing decoration on the Ratchet Wheel in greater detail.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 11

Here are a couple of pictures of the Balance cock in detail. Hope you like the Hare motif that has managed to crop up on this piece!

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 10

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 9

Another shot of the movement. I will put some pictures of a dial I am making for the watch online soon. I've decided to have a go at turning a dial out of wood. Goodness knows how it will turn out. I will likely leave it quite plain and make some steel batons or hour dots that I can blue in the oven. Watch this space!

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 8

Bond watch.

Romeo

People Help the People

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you should try and treat people well, because people make people. Anyone who says anything to different to anyone else is ignorant of their audience. Sure, you might make your own luck; you might work hard; you might sacrifice everything to get where you want to be, but you won’t get anywhere unless people think what you’re doing is worthwhile. People need people to listen to what they have to say. So even if you have no friends; no one opening doors for you; no congenital fortune, don’t ever say you made it on your own, because that’s just an insult to the people who care that you are a person and have given you the platform from which you are being an arrogant arsehole.

Barricade Pool League

Check out this soon-to-launch sports league The Barricade Pool League. Web address is www.wix.com/rjaynudds/barricade

Sports Desk: AFC North Free Agency

Sports Desk: AFC East Free Agency

Sports Desk: AFC South Free Agency

Sports Desk: St Louis Rams Free Agency

Sports Desk: Seattle Seahawks Free Agency

Sports Desk: San Francisco 49ers Free Agency

Sports Desk: Arizona Cardinals Free Agency

Forgive the hair...

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 7

A nicely lit shot.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 6

Another close-up. I hope I get to work on more watches like this because I'd love another crack at decorating such expansive plates. I think the 3/4 bridge was a good choice for stability and appearance, but it is difficult to service because the watch has to be assembled balance first! A millimetre more clearance around the balance cock would probably sort the issue, but I like the tightness of it as it is. Just awkward.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 5

Nice close-up of the movement. You can see slight spots coming through the gilding where the brass below is reacting with the air. I think the coating could have been thicker and the piece plated sooner in the process than it was. I was forced to leae it sitting around for months which certainly didn't help.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 4

The ratchet wheel through a 1.5 loupe. I used a Schaublin lathe to add the snailing effect, by tilting the milling attachment up and to the right by 1 degree and using Knorrostol polishing paste as a lubricant. I then blued it in the kiln at 290 for just under a minute (nervy bluing, I can tell you - any mistake is irreversible).

The Manline Watch in Focus: Picture 3

Close-up of the balance cock. Regulator needs a bit of a clean, but am in the process of trying to time the watch up. At the point at which this photo was taken it was within Manufacturer's specifications of +/- 40s/d but I have it down to 17 now. Hopefully drop that a bit, but anything under 20 is fine with me.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 2

This picture is weird. I used my loupe (magnifying eyepiece) to zoom in on the Ratchet wheel (the biggest wheel) and for some reason the image looks bent. Like it.

The Manlin Watch in Focus: Picture 1

For the next few weeks I'm going to be uploading a few pictures of my School watch as it heads towards completion. I know it probably looks pretty finished, but I'm going to redo the straw coloured screws (going to spin them instead of polishing to keep them matte) and refinish the click in a similar fashion because it looks rubbish.