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Obama Tool, What is it? (Jacot tool- easily mistaken for "OSAMA")

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adammil1

Titanium
Joined
Mar 12, 2001
Location
New Haven, CT
I came across this at a flea market today . no one who I speak to seems to have a clue what this thing can be used for, why it exists and why should someone have spent any my money on it?



Can some one tell me what the use of my recent find is?

obamatool2.jpg


ObamaTool.jpg



On a lighter note, the guy selling it told me that he got it from a guy who had a nice little jewelers lathe.

Thanks,

Adam
 
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Winterflake, I think the pictures do a great job showing what it is.
Can anyone help me out here?

Adam
 
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It appears to be a device used to firmly secure an object and force feed lubricant to it in an attempt to stimulate motion. I think it's an older injection type watch oiler. Better pictures would help.
 
Zapfenrollierstuhl = pivot polisher

" Special dead-center lathe, made to be driven with hand-bow, for quickly making slight alterations or finishing pivots, without removing staff or arbor from wheel. Used especially by watch adjusters. " Donald S. McNeil (ed.). Jewelers’ Dictionary . Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone, 3rd, 1976 Edit: Also known as a Jacot tool. More info about the use: http://www.horo-logical.co.uk/jacot.html


 
I was gonna say that looked like a Klett Zapfenrollierstuhl Uhrmacher with only 2 of the broschen there. The other broschen must have gotten lost.










:D


JAckal:cheers:
 
USMCPOP,

I think the name "Jacot" is the more common name for these things.

I found this neat little video on Youtube, YouTube - ‪Jacot Tool‬‏ I guess

When I searched it on eBay it seems like some of them sell for quite a bit of money, I am not quite sure if mine is in the same condition (plus being incomplete) as those selling for $300 .



Adam
 
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Dump request Greg - unless the OP can be induced to spell OSAMA correctly.

J.O.

John,

I am not sure what you are talking of last I knew OSAMA was a maker of nice large Japanese lathes? The picture may not be nicest composed but it definitely says OBAMA on it. Look, here's an Obama that was in a slightly nicer shape that sold on ebay for about $300. Obama precession Jacot Tool watchmakers lathe+wheel | eBay

I just came across the thing at the fleamarket and it looked neat
 
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Zapfenrollierstuhl = pivot polisher

" Special dead-center lathe, made to be driven with hand-bow, for quickly making slight alterations or finishing pivots, without removing staff or arbor from wheel. Used especially by watch adjusters. " Donald S. McNeil (ed.). Jewelers’ Dictionary . Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone, 3rd, 1976 Edit: Also known as a Jacot tool. More info about the use: Jacot Tools

Show off!:D
 
Adam,

I, for one, am pleased to see that you are attending flea markets. I'm also gratified to hear that you bought a tool without knowing what it is, which is the mark of a true addict. Looks like you are already well down the slippery slope.

(Note that I have posted "What Is It" several times. Further note that I would have bought the item in question in a heartbeat, simply because it has a fairly high "gizmocity factor")

Now, you need to contact the manufacturer about obtaining the missing parts, so that you may sell it as a complete tool.

Then again, with limited shop space, have you ever considered clock repairing as a hobby?

John Ruth
 
Please keep political opinions and jokes elsewhere. I'm inclined to agree w/ John and delete this thread if thats all that people are going to contribute.

I'm deleting and editing posts on this thread accordingly.

Greg
 
Gwilson,

Look carefully at the S .It says OSAMA.
I don't know what else will convince you but here's one more picture;
ObamaName2.jpg


Shy of this picture all that I can tell you is that things made by this company are extremely rare. To give you an idea a search of Google for "Obama Prazision" only turns up 145 which shrinks to 19 hits when it removes identical links. I can also tell you if you search "Osama Prazision" Google comes up with 0 hits.

The only other legitimate discussion on the history of this company I have found online that I can point you to, is this discussion of "Obama Prazision" at the National Organization of Watch and Clock Collectors Board "OBAMA PRAZISION" jacot lathe. - National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Message Board where everyone there too they talk of this as OBAMA not OSAMA. I really would like to know the history of this tool, I had assumed judging by the older ones I have seen that it would have been late 1800's but the discussion on NOWCC seems to say around 1960's.

The only one thing I wish I had done while buying it was had I known I would have done a better job searching the box it was located in to see if I could find the missing "broschen" that may have fallen out. It looks like I am missing 2 Broschen, the ones I have are as follows.

The First one is numbered (4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13) on one end and (14,15,16,17,18,19,20,22,24,26) on the other
The Second is (14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35)
Does anyone know what these numbers would represent?

Greg for the record can we now correct the thread title on this to remove OSAMA? Do we all agree this is OBAMA?

As for the jokes, I have spent years searching high and low for tools of all sort, learning how to use them, and the history behind them. At this point I have outfitted my toolbox with most of what I need for what I want to do and today I tend to be most interested in the unique, stuff or things I haven't seen before. When I found this one it just seemed to unique not to have a bit of fun with and I would be willing to bet that now because of my find several hundred people not only know what a Jacot lathe, is but also enjoyed a good laugh, hopefully regardless of political point of view. After all the printing of political jokes, cartoons etc.. at the expense of politicians in this country is a tradition that most certainly predates even the oldest tools in my collection!

None the less I do respect your opinion and appreciate all the work you and others have done moderating these forums over the years to keep them of outstanding quality. I have learned and continue to learn so much from everyone on this site especially in the Antiques section so I apologize if my sense of humor crossed the line on this one and will respect the decision to remove this from here.

Adam
 
Adam,

I have one of these. Yes, it is Obama! :)

As has been said this is a Jacot tool. Used to finish watch pivots, while bringing them to final size at the same time. The markings on the runners (English term) are metric, and indicate the final pivot size. 4 would be .04mm, and so on. I have yet to run across a watch with a pivot that size but have worked on watches with .05mm pivots :willy_nilly:.

In the complete set there are two additional runners and another reversible center for the pulley end of the tool. One of the additional runners is like the one in your tool, but goes to larger sizes. The other is a lantern runner, that allows the pivot to protrude so the end can be worked on. The short runner is for working on the 4th or 'seconds' wheel, which has a long pivot that is slightly tapered along the extended length so that a seconds hand can be fitted directly on it. The runner's grooves are made in such a way to generate that taper.

I've included a pic of the complete set, and a close up of the lantern.

These tools were made by a number of manufacturers; Obamas are quite rare but highly regarded. The other 'best' maker was Steiner in Switzerland. They are still in existence, made by the company Horia now. The big advantage in their use is that the pivot is fully supported during finishing, and the finishing process burnishes the pivots as it sizes it, creating a harder skin. Modern pivot finishing machines in production work on the same principle, with the hand held burnisher replaced by carbide wheels, often they do both sides of an arbor at the same time, have auto loading, etc. etc. But still a Jacot tool under all that.

obama.jpg


obamalantern.jpg
 
Screwmachine,

Thanks for posting that writeup. the one that has me confused is the one shown in your last picture with the number 20 showing is this the "lantern" tool you speak of. From the picture I am only seeing a round disk and can not see any grooves for the shaft to fit in. I assume it does have those, when viewed up close or otherwise how does it work?

In its present state with the missing attachments how usable is this tool? Or do you really find you need all the tooling that goes along with one? One would have to think that anyone using this thing would probably need to make some of his own tooling if needed.

By the way what era would you say a tool produced by Obama is? With German stuff you tend to start seeing "West Germany" post war and I can't think that this is less than 20yrs old. I am going to say turn of the century or older would you agree?

You wouldn't be able to point me to any websites showing how watches are repaired, and made would you? The thought of turning a 0.04mm or 0.00157" dia shaft to finished diameter seems a little challenging to say the least.

Thanks for the details,

Adam
 
The lantern runner has a series of holes of different sizes. The pivot extends through the hole so that the end of the pivot may be rounded and polished.

There are books on watch repair and probably some of them are on line at Google Books.

The Jacot tool is not the only way to finish a watch pivot. The whole job of making a balance staff may be done in a lathe. It is a tricky business, and the preferred way for most repairmen for a century or so was to buy genuine factory repair parts, which required almost no modification to fit. Original parts have become scarce, as have the workmen with skill enough to make a new part from steel bar stock.

Larry
 
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