The movement before dissasembly.
The under dial mechanisms and layout.
The hour hand has lots of remnants of the original hands that were rusted.
The balance and balance bridge. The balance was nearly cemented into the balance bridge.
Balance pivots are actually OK. It appeared that one of them was broken as it wouldn't budge from the bridge.
Same with the escape lever, stuck in the jewel.
As you can see, this is because the oil has dried and cemented the pivot in place.
Balance removed.
Showing the state of movement before cleaning.
Mainspring ratchet wheel.
Underside of setting/winding mechanism. The four 'marks' placed on the wheel is to match the last digit of the serial number '4'.
Movement during disassembly.
Beautiful cross hatch finish on the mainspring barrel. The barrel is never 'gold frosted' but always left in the raw brass, and given a particular decoration. This is quite nice.
The mainplate which needs thorough cleaning.
Underside of top gear plate with recess for mainspring barrel.
Mainspring barrel opened, with mainspring in very good state.
The setting/winding gears again, in very good state, no rust.
Gears that have to be cleaned of tarnish.
The gold frosting on the plates is of particular high quality, very thick, even and has a nice 'grain'.
Further view of the 'texture' of the gold frosting, very beautiful.
The jewels are characteristic of Coventry: They are highly domed and angular.
More heavy tarnish onto the mainplate. The center wheel hour had heavy deposits of dried oil.
Here a closeup.
Mainplate tear side with more tarnish.
A scratched movement plate screw placed in a 6mm lathe collet.
The place where the plate screw goes (at the right edge of the top plate).
Polishing the screw with micron paper fixed to a hardwood pallet.
Polished screw ready to be further polished with polishing paste.
The center pinion washer has some surface rust that needs to be removed.
Placed on the zinc polishing bloc, and polished with diamond paste.
The washer was mirror polished.
The center minute pinion button is also mirror polished.
The brass hour hand is dirty with slight rust from the hands.
It is cleaned.
The screws on the balance bridge needs to be refinished, also the hairspring index arm.
Index on the polishing block.
After a good 45 minutes of finding may very small pit marks of rust, I have decided to leave the part as this in order not to compromise it.
Very quick surface cleaning of the mainspring arbor, it will be dismantled and cleaned along with the mainspring.
The balance bridge staff jewel screw scratched.
Polished, then it needs to be cleaned and blued.
The movement holding screws (used for pocket watches) are scratched.
Polished and ready for bluing.
They are soaked for a few hours in cleaning fluid.
The screws placed on a bluing pan, with brash shavings.
Blued over a low temperature to control the color, as these screws are a deep blue hue.
The case holding screw blued.
The movement parts are inspected for cleaning, here is the escapement.
These are the keyless setting and winding works.
The movement without the steel winding portions, has slight rust on surfaces that will clean off the gilded gold finish.
The movement top plate is soaked in cleaning fluid.
Here the balance staff end jewels cleaned.
The mainplate is clean, there is still some discoloration in the center wheel hole. This does not affect the running as the minute pinion does not press flush against the mainplate.
Mainspring being dismantled for cleaning.
The solid gold polished wheels are being cleaned from tarnish. This is the fourth wheel.
The fourth wheel cleaned.
The center wheel for cleaning.
The center pinion and the canon pinion need adjustment, as the center pinion becomes loose.
A small nick is made on the center pinion which creates enough friction to hold and carry the canon pinion.