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How to open the back of a stuck pocket watch case

Have you ever went to open the back of a pocket watch case only to have it be stuck? The easiest way to do this is by using a hot glue gun, a jar lid (smaller than your watch), and a little elbow grease. Don’t worry, the hot glue will peel right off after we are finished. Scott from Tamarack Shack Antiques shows us how to do it in this short video.

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Basic Pocket Watch Terminology with Pictures

This is my first guide. It is intended for those of you that may not know what the basic parts of a pocket watch are named. I have not included items that are included in the movement (such as the balance, mainspring, etc) because this is a beginning guide. In any case, I hope that you can use this! Thanks! Scott Hueckman owner, Tamarack Shack Antiques 145 N. Lake Ave. Phillips, WI 54555 715.339.2556!

Bezel—The bezel is the screw-off or flip-off piece on the metal case that holds the crystal.

Bow—The piece that is connected to both sides of the pendant. The bow loops over the crown and swings. It is typically used as the place for connecting a watch chain to the watch, and as the place used for gripping the watch.

Case back—The case back is the piece that either screws on the midsection or fits over the back of the movement.

Case—The case is the metal “shell” protecting the entire movement. The case typically consists of three or four main parts: the case back, the bezel, the midsection, and the pendant. Nearly all American cases were stamped or etched with matching serial numbers.

Crown—The “winder” of the watch that is connected to the stem. The watch can be wound in thenormal position or winding position, unless the watch is a key wind type of watch .  Typically, the crown can be pulled out to set the watch in a position called the setting position, unless the watch is a key set or a lever set.

Crystal—aka “glass.” The glass or plastic part that fits into the bezeland protects the dial is called the crystal.

Dial—aka “the face.” The dial is the part with numbers on it. Dials are typically made of porcelain or painted metal.
Hunter’s Case—Acronym HC—A type of case with a hinged case-front that closes, like a door, to protect the crystal. On nearly all hunters’ cases, the front of the case can be opened and closed by depressing the crown when it is in winding position.

Key Set—Acronym KS—This type of pocket watch requires a key to set the hands. The hands can be set in two ways: by using the key in the center of the hour and minute hands, or by using the key in the center of the back of the movement.

Key Wind—Acronym KW—A type of pocket watch that requires a key (other than the stem) to wind the watch. Most key wind pocket watches are wound on the back of the movement.

Lever Set—A watch movement that sets by pulling a lever located under the bezel next to the dial. The lever must be pulled out and the crown must be turned to set the hands.

Midsection—The middle part of the case on which both a bezel and a back will connect. If the case is a two-piece case, then there is no midsection.

Movement—Known in laymen’s terms as the “works” of the watch. It is the entire part of the watch, not including the case.

Open Face Case—Acronym OF—A watch with an exposed face. The dial and crystal combo is not covered and the time can be viewed at a glance, without having to open anything. Here are a few sub-types: the standard open face, the butterfly case, the swing out case, and more.

Pendant—The pendant is the housing: the part found protruding from the case. It holds the stem and is crested by the crown.

Setting Position—The position in which a crown and stem are pulled out on a pocket watch. With stem set watches, the hour and minute hands can be set in the setting position.

Stem Set—Type of watch that can be set when the crown is pulled out into the setting position.

Stem Wind—Type of watch that can be wound when the crown is in thewinding position.

Stem—The stem is a metal piece which attaches the crown to the watch movement. The stem is controlled by the actions of the crown. In a hunter’s case watch, the stem also opens the front cover.

Winding Position—The “normal” position of the crown and stem on a pocket watch. In this position, the watch can be wound.

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How To Restore Cast Iron Pans

I love cooking on cast iron pans. In fact, they are my favorite pans to cook on and so easy to care for once you have learned how. One thing I love to do is restore cast iron pans. I joy the feeling I get in seeing a cast iron piece restored and usable once again. Most of the cast iron cookware I have, I rescued from being thrown out because they were badly rusted.

Most people have learned how to care for their cast iron pans from their parents or grandparents. Everyone has their own method for cleaning and caring for cast iron pans. Sometimes your cast iron pan gets rusty for some reason. This could happen from improper cleaning or because it was in storage and somehow got wet. Regardless of how it happened, most of the time, the pan is still salvageable.

There are multiple ways to restore a cast iron pan. Choose the one that suits your needs depending on the amount of rust on the pan.

Let’s start with the easiest method.

This one is a good one to use if your pan just has a small amount of rust on it.

  1. If your pan only has light rust on it, you can use fine steel wool to remove the rust. Scour the pan until the area returns to raw cast iron.
  2. Next, wash the pan with warm water and a mild soap. Feel free to use a bristle brush or a mesh sponge it needed.
  3. Be sure to immediately dry the pan with a clean dishtowel or a paper towel.
  4. Then cover the pan completely with vegetable oil. Remember to cover the bottom and the handle!
  5. Place the cast iron upside down on the top rack of your oven. It is recommended that you place a sheet of aluminum foil or a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any oil drips. Heat the cast iron for one hour at 350 degrees.
  6. Remove the cast iron pan and let it cool. Your pan is ready to be used now!

For more severe cases of damaged cast iron try the following:

First Way:

  1. Place pan in a wood stove while it is burning hot for a few hours.
  2. Use a wire brush and scrape off any rust or crud that has loosened on it.
  3. Soak the pan in a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water for 1 to 6 hours depending on how bad the rust is.
  4. Use fine steel wool to remove anything that is still remaining.
  5. Next, wash the pan with warm water and a mild soap. Feel free to use a bristle brush or a mesh sponge if needed.
  6. Be sure to immediately dry the pan with a clean dishtowel or a paper towel.
  7. Then cover the pan completely with vegetable oil. Remember to cover the bottom and the handle!
  8. Place the cast iron upside down on the top rack of your oven. It is recommended that you place a sheet of aluminum foil or a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any oil drips. Heat the cast iron for one hour at 350 degrees.
  9. Remove the cast iron pan and let it cool. Your pan is ready to be used now!

Second Way:

  1. Place the pan in the oven and run it through a self-clean cycle. This will burn anything, not metal off of it and may loosen any rust. (Please be aware that the pan may crack at this stage, if it does, then it is trash. If it cracked here, it was bound to crack some other time, and you should consider yourself lucky that it didn’t do it while you were cooking.)
  2. Next, a quick bath in phosphoric acid will deal with your rust problem. Not sure what phosphoric acid is? Coca Cola has sufficient phosphoric acid in it to get the job done. Phosphoric acid reacts with Iron Oxide (rust) to create Ferric Phosphate, which isn’t dangerous at all and will wipe off the surface with gentle cleaning.
  3. If there is anything remaining, a light scouring with steel wool should get you resolved.
  4. If your surface is uneven, you may have to use something a bit coarser to get things mostly even. You don’t need perfection. The seasoning will fix some of the problems.
  5. Gentle cleaning with soap and water and you’re nearly ready to season. (Dry the pan well before the next step. I like a few minutes on a burner to heat the pan dry and then let it cool down until you can handle it)
  6. By the time you are done with this, you’ll have a clean piece of cast iron that is badly in need of seasoning. Season the pan well, you may want to do it a second time to be on the safe side

Last way:

  1. Take the piece to a machine shop to have it sandblasted and restored to raw cast iron.
  2. Then season it immediately.

As you can see, there are many ways to restore a cast iron pan. Some are easier than others.