The hands start as piece of steel rod.
Turning the initial thinner diameter of the minute hand.
Further turning.
Then a 'shoulder' is left where the pinion hole will be drilled and a hub formed. Here it is being parted off.
Hour and minute rough hands having parted off from the steel rod.
The minute hand is being drilled with a guid hole.
Initial hole being drilled, it will be re-drilled to measure.
Initial drilled hole.
Similar drilling of hour hand.
Placing the hour hand in the small lathe, the hubs are starting to be turned.
Other side of hub being turned.
These hubs allow to hold and shape the 'head' of the hand where it sits onto the pinions.
Another view.
Placed in the lathe to turn out the general profile.
Turning of initial profile of feuille hands.
Alternation with turing of hub takes place in order to reduce diameter of hands.
Working the hand with the hand file now.
Initial thinning of hands.
Profile of the hands nearing completion.
A non-usable end is left onto the hand, it will be removed so that the hand can be made to measure on the dial.
Similar process on the minute hand.
Turning of hubs.
One started.
Second hub turned, note that it is gripped by a chuck in the lathe, and not via dead centers as before.
Other hub finished.
Profile, the extra material around the circular hub will be removed with a file.
Hand placed in lathe to turn.
Arriving at a feuille shape.
Continous alternation to reduce/reshape and prolong hubs.
The back of the hand will be reduced to allow for closer cutting of hub.
Rough area turned out, enough to allow for the hub to start reaching the center of the hands.
Further turning of hand shape.
The hub of the hand is being turned.
The hour hand is placed in the lathe and reduced.
Further turning of hour hand hub.
Checking the fit and length of the hour hand.
Turning the hub on the minute hand. This bottom hub is important to keep the hour hand in place.
Further turning if hub.
The portion attached to the minute hand is parted off.
Checking the clearance of the two hands.
Drilling the hole for the minute hand.
Polishing the minute hand.
Turning the top hub of the minute hand.
Using a drill to give the conical shape of the interior portion of the hub.
Further adjustment of the bottom hub, reducing it to sit onto the hour hand.
The runner on the hands allow access to the bottom portion of the hand.
Using a broach to slightly enlarge the hole for the minute pinion.
Checking the hand height on the movement with dial.
Hands ready to be blued.
Turning the new feet for the dial.
Using the lathe as a drill to pierce the dial foot so that the traditional English brass splinter holds the dial down.
Further drilling.
Foot pierced by the drill.
Finished foot which will need to be adjusted so that the height matches that of the movement seating.
Dial feet on the movement previous to adjusting.
The hour hand is place on brass shavings. Here I use an old silver dial as a platform since it conducts heat very quickly.
The hour hand being blued over a low temperature alcohol flame.
The minute hand being blued.
Here is the result. I had to blue the hands (and thus repolish each time) three times to get the correct deep purble/blue hue.
The hour hand hub being cleaned of the bluing.
Hour hand ready to be cleaned and set.
The buckle will be made out of one solid piece, as this is more in line with an officer's watch. Here we start with a solid piece of billet.
I cut the major portions with a hand saw.
Arriving at the outer portions of the buckle.
A rectangle that will be cut out.
Making rough general marks to guide the rough cuts.
Working with the rectangle.
Starting to make a cut.
Rough cuts for the sides of the buckle.
Making holes in order to cut the horizontal portion of the buckle.
Rough buckle to be filed by hand to final shape.
Starting to give it a more definite shape.
The under side of the buckle that allows the strap to pass through without creating a large bulky strap.
A semi finished buckle.
The buckle tang rest is milled.
The place for the tang is milled out.
Further finishing the buckle.
The tang is being worked on.
The buckle tang is worked on further.
