Does anyone out there know what type and gauge of wire is required to repair the hinges on 1920s-early 1930s cases? Any advice on doing the repair?
Thanks!
I once used a long sewing needle, did a half decent job of fixing the hinge.
I've asked a number of jewelers about fixing these in past but they all say the same thing....unless its a solid gold case (ie not gold filled) they cannot attach any new gold or silver to the existing base metal.
I've only ever heard or one success story but I do not know what was used to rebuild the hinge.
It's a good question to ask as this is a very common problem with the early 20s and 30s Bulova's.
In reply to I once used a long sewing by mybulova_admin
I think that your jewelers are correct – if the "female" part of the hinge (i.e., the tube that is attached to the two halves of the case) is damaged, the repair would be really difficult. On the other hand, I have a number of watches where the tube seems to be fine, but the "male" part of the hinge (the wire that threads through the tube) has broken. All that would seem to be necessary to restore these cases would be to remove the broken wire ends and insert a new wire...I just don't know what size (diameter) the wire needs to be. Maybe I will just try to remove one of the broken pieces and measure it.
One option that I have been considering is the wire that orthodontists use in adjusting braces...this seems to be very stiff in relation to its diameter.
In reply to I think that your jewelers by BobT
In the jewelry trade the hinge wire is known as rivet wire or just rivet. It comes in various different metals and sizes. I once got an assortment of Swiss stainless steel wire in a lot I bought and it has really come in handy.
Jay
I've encountered the same issues. Damaged hinge tubes cannot be repaired. Jewellers just won't touch them. If the tubes are good and you can extract the rivot wire, replacing them is pretty easy, if you have the right size wire. I have used various wire and pins to make the repair. Extracting the old pins is not always easy or successful so proceed cautiously.
if you don't have the skills to do that..there is a few companies out there that will fix broken hinges...at a cost though...http://www.watchrepair.cc/wristwatches.html here is one and i know there is another out there..they can actually make new bezels and new case backs also you can look in to this site.. http://www.angelfire.com/retro/watchcaserepair/index.html it might help but like i said at a cost
Thanks for all of the info...especially the correct terminology (now I don't have to sound like such a dufus when I talk to parts suppliers!)
Progress report...I did manage to extract a small piece of the rivet wire. It measures 0.015 inches (0.4 mm) in diameter, or about 26 gauge.
In reply to Thanks for all of the by BobT