Tourbillon build

[RSG]

I thought it might be interesting to post a thread on a fishing reel build I have been working on for a few years now. Whats interesting about this project is a working Tourbillon I designed and am building that fits in the back of the reel. It's more of a collector reel than a reel you would fish with but it is functional.

This journey has taken me places I never thought interested me before and I am learning a ton of things like how a watch works, gear cutting and jewel bearing design to mention a few. There have been many hurdles I have overcome and many more I'm sure. If you care to follow along I'll post pics as I go. My goal is to have the rest of the project complete by late fall.


So far I have the backplate housing, spool and small assemblies complete with lots of mill work still required.



Lot of little items like power springs and hair springs



And Jewel bearings...these are perhaps a bit smaller then I need for this project so I am about to attempt to machine my own housings and head stone retainers to accommodate some larger jewels I found from a supplier. I'll save these for another project I am designing with three tourbillons inside.




Up next is some cycloidal gear cutters I have decided to machine since I cant find ones in the configuration I need for this build.

I'll keep posting as I go for those interested.

RSG

[pete]

Very interested for sure. I know you don't have cnc, so how are you doing the engraved lettering?

[RSG]

I know you don't have cnc, so how are you doing the engraved lettering?

With my fiber laser! I can deep engrave to .080 easily and could likely go deeper if I set up the correct profile.

[pete]

Faulty memory again, in a way you now have cnc, just not in a conventional metal cutting method. It still looks great though.

[Harold_V]

With my fiber laser! I can deep engrave to .080 easily and could likely go deeper if I set up the correct profile.

Wow! That's ultra cool!
H

[rmac]

I'll keep posting as I go for those interested.

You can count me as a member of that group.

[RSG]

I've been chipping away at this project and have a few more items made. I've made a tempering tray for bluing hand made screws, Honing bridge for the Cycloidal cutters, an arbour, a profile fixture and a depthing tool for the wheels/pinions. I've borrowed some of the tool designs from Clickspring, but have not bothered to put the time in to do the finishes he does. I have way too much to do so my tools are accurate and functional....I'll save the pretty finishes for the actual parts. I did some impressive grinding and lapping of HSS as well to get the radius's I need. There are two required - .0100" and .039" so I used my fiber laser to mark the surface so I could see it on the grinder and wore a X20 loupe. I hate having my eyes so close to the grinder wheels but in this case I had no choice. Yes I did wear safety glasses.

[Bill Shields]

i am so happy that God wired me to be a loco builder / blacksmith instead of a horologist...

[pete]

I've seen the watch making term loosely used while building 3.5" gauge loco's and smaller more than a few times Bill. As always Ron great work. Chris (Clickspring) makes the heat blueing of screws look effortless, I'll be interested in how easy you find it.

[RSG]

The completed gear cutters!



















Now to start cutting some wheels and pinions

[pete]

Well I'm more than impressed Ron. Some definite Clickspring influence in those. A great person to borrow from for what's already known to work and work well.

[RSG]

Some definite Clickspring influence in those. A great person to borrow from for what's already known to work and work well.

Thanks Pete, I appreciate your support.... yes he's been a great influence, especially about the heat treating part. I learned a lot using boric acid and D/N Alcohol during the heat treating process. It actually coats the parts with a crystalline substance that looks and feels like glass during the process which is what I assume is how it protects the parts form oxidation and carbon build up. The one thing I did differently though is to follow actual recommended temp settings of (1400F) and heating times, preheating the quenching oil to 300F and tempering in a proper oven at 300F for one hour, something that Clickspring doesn't seem to do. You can sure see a difference in the outcome of hardened steel when complete. It has a different feel and is almost slippery.