I need some help figuring out two of them this week:

217921802181 - Aerator or plant starter?21822183 - sample holder2184 - Aviation flight path gauge

I thought it looked small compared to this one that I found on the web: I guess size isn't really an issue since most watch parts would fit into the one on my site.Rob

What is it? Set 378

Mar 03, 2011 23 Replies

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Steve 15 years ago

I just heard back from the owner of it and they said that "the dark surface is just aged brass patina".

I'm not convinced that it's a bluing pan, though I think that someone made it for heating something. It's probably a one off, and if that's the case then it's almost impossible to guess the exact purpose that the person had in mind.

Rob

You don't use blueing solutions in a blueing pan. You fill the cavity with brass filings, and heat blue the part over an alcohol lamp. The brass filings make even contact with the steel part (like a watch hand) being blued. Am I the only one here that has done it?

Steve R.

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Rob H. 15 years ago

I thought it looked small compared to this one that I found on the web:

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I guess size isn't really an issue since most watch parts would fit into the one on my site.

Rob

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DoN. Nichols 15 years ago

For watchmakers' workpieces -- things like hands (hour, minute, second hands), which is what is normally blued -- and perhaps screws.

Should not be. More likely the color from repeated heating.

Bluing of watch and clock hands is not chemical-based. The metal is polished (probably spring steel), then heated *evenly* to get just the right thickness of oxidizing (sort of like when tempering hardened spring or tool steel, and judging the hardness by the color.

Normal for a watchmaker. I don't think that I have ever seen a timepiece with Phillips screws. (Nor Allen, nor hex head FTM.)

Enjoy, DoN.

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DoN. Nichols 15 years ago

That one looks a reasonable size for mantle clock hands. Not quite big enough to handle tall clock (grandfather clock) hands, but sufficient for most mantle clocks, I believe.

Enjoy, DoN.

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