Greetings All, A good friend is restoring an antique repeater pocketwatch that has two broken chime rods. He asked if I could solder them, but I declined because I felt the heat would "kill" the tone of the chime. Is this a job that can be done with a laser welder? If it can, are there any suggestions as to who might be able to do this for me in the San Francisco (east) bay area? Thanks! Larry
Larry, I won’t address the issue of Laser welding but I will address
the issue of your repeater pocket watch. If you have broken chimes
they need to be remade. That is, cut from the proper steel plate (I’m
going to assume they are flat). I would need more info on the watch
to be able to inform you as to how to proceed. A repeater is complex
mechanism and it needs to be addressed by a competent watchmaker. I
will attempt to locate one for you in the San Francisco area but am
on a tight schedule today. I’ll e-mail you off list. I could repair
it myself if a watchmaker cannot be found in the San Francisco area.
Terry Parresol
Parresol Jewelers
Lakeland, FL.
parresol@tampabay.rr.com