{"id":1452,"date":"2022-06-01T15:47:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T14:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/?p=1452"},"modified":"2022-06-01T15:49:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T14:49:52","slug":"traditional-hand-finishing-skills-bevelling-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/2022\/06\/01\/traditional-hand-finishing-skills-bevelling-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Traditional Hand Finishing Skills – Bevelling (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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This is the fifth in a series of six articles, by Maximin Chapuis, a \nFrench watchmaker, which takes a look at traditional finishing skills \nthat are all carried out by hand.<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the last TP, we saw different bevelling processes, so now I want to look at the most noble technique \u2013 handmade bevelling. Today approaches to this type of bevelling vary greatly depending on each individual workshop and of course, the final cost of production of the time piece. Here, I will try to present to you the most complete processes, highlighting which tools are required and offer recommendations on how to sharpen and care for them. I hope that each person who would like to start trying bevelling will be able to find their own functional process with their own personalised tools. Of course, an infinity of tools and processes remain to be discovered.<\/p>

1<\/b>. Preparing tailor-made bevelling files First of all, angles are formed thanks to a set of files, that have been previously\u00a0sharpened. Needle files with different\u00a0shapes are required to ensure that we can\u00a0bevel each edge around a complex design\u00a0of bridge or component with external,\u00a0inner or rounded angles. The most useful\u00a0are the square file, the 3-square or triangle\u00a0file, the oval crossing file and the small\u00a0crossing file with two smooth surfaces on\u00a0its top. Then, the top of each file has to be\u00a0cut out to reduce the length of the working\u00a0surface with teeth. With the index finger\u00a0at the back of this working surface, the\u00a0craftsman can feel everything under his\u00a0finger and be much more precise.<\/p>

The side of each file needs to be ground\u00a0to have very sharp edges. This is essential to make inner angles. You can grind the\u00a0file with stones and polish the edges to\u00a0make them harder. Files are very personal\u00a0and they cannot suit anyone else\u00a0but the owner. It takes a significant time\u00a0to make these tools and the quality of the\u00a0work must be irreproachable.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I really recommend having a set of\u00a0common and useful needle-files sharpened\u00a0and functional for all adjustments when\u00a0making components, and one set of bevelling files exclusively reserved for each\u00a0material to bevel, ie one set for brass, one\u00a0for steel and a last one for titanium which is becoming more and more common in\u00a0modern mechanical constructions.\u00a0<\/p>

All these files must be maintained with\u00a0the utmost care according to the requirements of the profession, they must never\u00a0touch each other and must be preserved\u00a0from corrosion. When the material is too\u00a0hard, like a titanium bridge, we can also\u00a0use the little known cabron files. The word\u00a0cabron (French) translates to \u2018carbon buff\u00a0sticks\u2019 or \u2018Emery buff\u2019 in English, which\u00a0are extremely smooth diamond files. They\u00a0are very useful, Figure 1, especially for\u00a0tiny components cut by wire cutting\u00a0electrical discharge machining (or wire\u00a0EDM, or spark erosion) leaving a hard,\u00a0tempered surface. These files can also be\u00a0used to replace degusit stones.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Carbon diamond files with ground tips.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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2<\/b>. Rising edges, the first steps It is important not to create any twisting and all the bevels around a component must be the same size when we inspect the component from the top and each side. Filing is done with a constant pressure and a straight movement with criss cross motions to clearly see where the file is working. We can start forming bevels with Vallorbe files N\u00b06 if the bevel is of signifi\u0002cant size and then use smaller ones, or\u00a0start directly with files N\u00b08.\u00a0<\/p>

Perpendicular marks left by the file\u2019s\u00a0teeth are eliminated by using a smooth file\u00a0with straight movements in the direction\u00a0of the bevel, working from side to side\u00a0without moving it forward (\u2018draw-filling\u2019),\u00a0starting from inner angles so as not to\u00a0damage them. Then, taking care to keep a\u00a0flat bevel (on a classic 45\u00b0 chamfering),\u00a0smoothed using degusit stones, Figure 2,\u00a0and then using cabron buff sticks covered\u00a0with fine diamond abrasive paper, Figure\u00a03. Increasingly, we use smoother and\u00a0smoother ones until the bevel starts\u00a0shining. Each cabron buff stick is held between the thumb and the index finger at the top of the tool like bevelling files.
As my teachers in Paris said, it\u2019s like using\u00a0a file \u2018it is important to criss-cross the\u00a0motions so as to clearly see the work of\u00a0the buff stick\u2019. Using that technique, you\u00a0are sure of the homogeneity of the bevel,\u00a0and the quality during all the steps remains irreproachable.<\/p>

Some bevellers don\u2019t like to use cabron\u00a0with abrasive paper and use pegwood with\u00a0fine abrasive (see boxwood and pegwood
on Figure 3). Each has to be smoother\u00a0than the previous, eg, using 12 microns\u00a0paper then a 9 micron one, etc. We change\u00a0the abrasiveness when the surface of the\u00a0bevel is perfectly homogeneous.<\/p>

Before adding a new abrasive on the\u00a0top of the pegwood, this one must be cut\u00a0and shaped again to eliminate all the\u00a0previously used paste with bigger grains.\u00a0If only one grain remains and is mixed\u00a0into a finer paste, the task will become\u00a0impossible to achieve. Between each paste,\u00a0all bevels must be cleaned with elder pith\u00a0and isopropyl alcohol, once again to eliminate all the previous paste. Shoemaker\u00a0sharp blades are the best tools to cut\u00a0bevelling woods.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Set of degusit stones.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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3. Handmade bevelling tools.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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3<\/b>. Polishing
After all this work has been done with care, we must then burnish the surface of the\u00a0bevel to allow us to be able to polish it\u00a0afterwards. For this step, we use a\u00a0burnisher (see Figure 3), a tool in tempered steel and polished with diamond\u00a0paste to remove marks. We can make a\u00a0high quality burnisher by entirely grinding\u00a0the teeth off an oval-crossing needle file\u00a0by hand, using stones to avoid drawing\u00a0the temper, keeping it very hard, and then\u00a0polishing it. We then apply very fine diamond paste on the newly made chamfer,\u00a0generally 1 or 2 microns to start and finer\u00a0grades to finish burnishing it. This step of\u00a0cold-working the material makes it much\u00a0harder on its surface in addition to making\u00a0the polishing easier.\u00a0<\/p>

Sometimes, unexpected tools can be\u00a0involved in the smoothing or polishing\u00a0procedure. Using a Plexiglas rod sharpened\u00a0like a screwdriver, Figure 4, with diamond\u00a0paste allows the grains to grab the Plexiglas\u00a0and because it is stronger than some\u00a0woods, the 45\u00b0 chamfer\u2019s flatness is easily\u00a0conserved. Testing with an old piece of\u00a0ivory or cow horn has a very similar\u00a0feeling. This material was used a century\u00a0ago to do circular graining (or perlage in\u00a0French) on traditional Swiss mainplates.\u00a0Its hardness keeps the mainplate flat\u00a0instead of removing too much material with new synthetic abrasive sticks. The\u00a0most important thing is to find a way that\u00a0suits you personally to make the\u00a0rough bevel smoother and smoother until\u00a0final polishing.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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4<\/b>. Suggested procedures
Tools in order for the first procedure could be the following:
– File N\u00b06 or 8 depending the strength and the size or the component\u00a0<\/p>

– Straight graining with file N\u00b08 or 10\u00a0<\/p>

– Surface is smoothed with a degusit stone\u00a0according to the shape of the component,\u00a0Figure 5 and 6.\u00a0<\/p>

– Boxwood and fine abrasives (buffs)\u00a0<\/p>

– Burnishers and fine diamond paste\u00a0(burnishing)\u00a0<\/p>

– Pegwood (smoother than boxwood)\u00a0and extra fine diamond paste (0.5-1\u00b5m)\u00a0<\/p>

Second suggested of procedure:\u00a0<\/p>

– File N\u00b06 or 8<\/p>

– Cabron file (extra smooth diamond\u00a0files)\u00a0<\/p>

– Cabron buff 9\u00b5m (start with 12\u00b5m if\u00a0needed)\u00a0<\/p>

– Plexiglas rod with 6\u00b5m diamond paste\u00a0<\/p>

– Plexiglas rod with 3\u00b5m diamond paste\u00a0<\/p>

– Pegwood and extra fine diamond paste\u00a0(0.5-1\u00b5m)\u00a0<\/p>

5<\/b>. A secret technique from the Jura\u00a0Mountains\u00a0Finally, the ultimate radiance is achieved\u00a0by rubbing bevels with very fine diamond\u00a0paste using a piece of wood (pegwood,\u00a0boxwood or even ebony wood, for\u00a0example for titanium components,\u00a0depending on the strength of the material\u00a0to be polished).\u00a0<\/p>

Another deep shine step was applied\u00a0to bevelling in the Vall\u00e9e de Joux. A long\u00a0time ago gentian wood stems, which had\u00a0been dried for a few years, were used.\u00a0Thanks to the marrow inside the stems,\u00a0the extra fine polishing paste can be ap\u0002plied with a very gentle support. A tube of\u00a0gentian stem is cut into two or three parts\u00a0along its length, see Figures 3 and 7.\u00a0<\/p>

The last steps of the hand-finishing\u00a0process can easily damage the previous handmade work so be careful! Only the\u00a0gentian\u2019s pith must touch the newly\u0002polished chamfer, the gentian stem bark\u00a0must not come into contact with it or all\u00a0the work will be damaged. This plant is\u00a0protected, we must respect it and can only\u00a0cut stems which have naturally dried in\u00a0the fields \u2013 the rest of the plant mustn\u2019t be touched. The old folks used to say \u2018the higher the gentian stems the more snow will fall the coming winter\u2019. And that, of course, would give longer days of work and hand finishing for watchmakers\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Plexiglas and ivory rods.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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5. Sharpened degusit stone like a tripan.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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6. Different shapes of degusit stones.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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7. The Jura mountain yellow gentian plant and dried stems<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This is the fifth in a series of six articles, by Maximin Chapuis, a French watchmaker, which takes a look at traditional finishing skills that are all carried out by hand. In the last TP, we saw different bevelling processes, so now I want to look at the most noble technique \u2013 handmade bevelling. Today […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1452"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1452"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1467,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1452\/revisions\/1467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bwcmg.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}