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Clickspring doing amazing things
- Thread starter PeterT
- Start date
He's done it again, fantastic coverage of a challenging bit of work. As I understand it, hair spring making was a trade unto itself. I was thinking the first one might work for an indicator but was pretty oversized compared to a watch, but then later some quite delicate ones appeared.
These things are difficult enough to handle and install, let alone make!
These things are difficult enough to handle and install, let alone make!
Huh? Clickspring has completed a long list of challenging projects using what could be considered quite humble equipment.
Yup to the point where he'll make tools that are period correct for ancient Greece.
@PeterT, I remember a few years ago I think it was you that pointed out the Clickspring channel to me. I was all in. His stuff was amazing.
I watched all of his videos again and again. Even tried some of the things he suggested. Over time I started to question some of the stuff.
How long does it take to produce a 30 minute video to that quality? Just the audio side of it is a work of art, add the visuals, video and then throw in your own closed caption to your videos. (Not using the youtube CC.) This in itself is a task all by itself. To me this is a professional level product. This got me to questioning the channel. Don't get me wrong, anyone can do anything they want if they put their mind to it, but this just seemed like a lot of work for one guy.
Taking the video side of the channel out, then there is the actual projects. Amazing work and sometimes very challenging projects. How much time is he actually putting into the projects. This takes time. Large amounts of time. Just the methodical super slow single swipe file strokes on his videos is enough to make you think about the time side of the equation. Throw in some detailed CAD drawings added in to the project. (Not simple CAD simulations but CAD with visual content)
I really hope I am wrong, but there is more to this channel then meets the eye. More then once I caught myself thinking this is "content" being created for my viewing pleasure. Not an actual project page.
When questioned Chris once said " When I get stuck on something I track down an expert, and then grill them. Most people are very generous with their time, especially machinists and clockmakers. They know what you're going through."
(This is a link to an interview with Chris)
On those old cooking shows the lady of the show would cook up a great feast in less than an hour not counting the commercial breaks. Most of the prep work had already been completed. Add this bowl to that bowl and mix. Place into lower oven and remove final product from upper oven. lol. Finish with a great zoom in on an amazing meal.
In this video these are a few items that caught my eye.
00:23 CAD work
01:41 More impressive CAD high quality reflections.
01:56 CAD layed over video
12:58 Tempering - setup does not look like it would work as shown (note new brass chips- nice visual)
14:32 A lot of time has gone by as this process was carried out. Marks on nail area of thumb gone.
15:49 “production sound effects” I think the correct term is ASMR This one is a good example, but used thru out his videos.
16:31 Again new brass chips...the color never changes on these brass chips but the spring blued?
16:42 and 16:43 Spring color change?
17:20 The spring steel on this spring was not made by rolling it through two rollers.
17:55 more clean brass chips
18:00 To get a shinny blue finish like that you would need to polish the spring to a high polish before bluing. (I think the spring was installed onto the former after bluing to give a nice visual of the shinny brass and the blue for the former removal shot.
There is money in making content for Youtube. I would really like to think I am wrong as I still find these videos very good...but I'm skeptical.
Cheers, P
I watched all of his videos again and again. Even tried some of the things he suggested. Over time I started to question some of the stuff.
How long does it take to produce a 30 minute video to that quality? Just the audio side of it is a work of art, add the visuals, video and then throw in your own closed caption to your videos. (Not using the youtube CC.) This in itself is a task all by itself. To me this is a professional level product. This got me to questioning the channel. Don't get me wrong, anyone can do anything they want if they put their mind to it, but this just seemed like a lot of work for one guy.
Taking the video side of the channel out, then there is the actual projects. Amazing work and sometimes very challenging projects. How much time is he actually putting into the projects. This takes time. Large amounts of time. Just the methodical super slow single swipe file strokes on his videos is enough to make you think about the time side of the equation. Throw in some detailed CAD drawings added in to the project. (Not simple CAD simulations but CAD with visual content)
I really hope I am wrong, but there is more to this channel then meets the eye. More then once I caught myself thinking this is "content" being created for my viewing pleasure. Not an actual project page.
When questioned Chris once said " When I get stuck on something I track down an expert, and then grill them. Most people are very generous with their time, especially machinists and clockmakers. They know what you're going through."
(This is a link to an interview with Chris)
About
Reader Owen got in touch this week, wanting to know a bit more about me. After a bit of to and fro, he suggested a sort of informal interview for the blog site, that went as follows... Owen: Thanks...
www.clickspringprojects.com
On those old cooking shows the lady of the show would cook up a great feast in less than an hour not counting the commercial breaks. Most of the prep work had already been completed. Add this bowl to that bowl and mix. Place into lower oven and remove final product from upper oven. lol. Finish with a great zoom in on an amazing meal.
In this video these are a few items that caught my eye.
00:23 CAD work
01:41 More impressive CAD high quality reflections.
01:56 CAD layed over video
12:58 Tempering - setup does not look like it would work as shown (note new brass chips- nice visual)
14:32 A lot of time has gone by as this process was carried out. Marks on nail area of thumb gone.
15:49 “production sound effects” I think the correct term is ASMR This one is a good example, but used thru out his videos.
16:31 Again new brass chips...the color never changes on these brass chips but the spring blued?
16:42 and 16:43 Spring color change?
17:20 The spring steel on this spring was not made by rolling it through two rollers.
17:55 more clean brass chips
18:00 To get a shinny blue finish like that you would need to polish the spring to a high polish before bluing. (I think the spring was installed onto the former after bluing to give a nice visual of the shinny brass and the blue for the former removal shot.
There is money in making content for Youtube. I would really like to think I am wrong as I still find these videos very good...but I'm skeptical.
Cheers, P
I guess its like discussing a book or movie - you like it, you don't like, and everything in between. Each to their own. I've learned some things from his channel that were of interest to me. Basically if you don't make my ears bleed, or not a blatant poser or Patreon hustler, I have a pretty low bar of acceptance if its interesting & adds to the knowledge bin. I follow lots of YouTube channels. Unlike my crappy cable TV, at least the shows are free & un-commercial interrupted (for now). Some YouTubers started out great & fizzed. That's what the F-Fwd &/or Unsubcribe buttons are for. Your blue-ing setup looks great, show some more pics of your projects!
100% agree, but I think that is exactly the intent, what's wrong with that or why can't it be both? I also don't think there is any doubt he would like to monetize it, he selling stuff already. No issue from me given the effort it must take.
For example, If some difficult process takes hours and doesn't get a good shot or results, also no issue in staging scene with perfect lighting etc to fill in a 3 sec section (although not say thats what he does)
I also don't hold his production against him. Occasionally there is an amateur who through smarts, skills and dedication shines through and exceeds what most pros can do. Bill Huxhold for example with model engines. Astounding work, all done for the love of it as an amateur in his home shop.
As for the one hour cooking show, agreed, its 4 hours prep that kills ya on some big cooking endeavour. The big meal takes 45 minutes to cook, but food prep starts after lunch. But Chris isn't suggesting you can make this in 20 minutes, he's just compressing whatever long, likely tedious process, down to entertaining minutes. Like the polishing ...... he shows 1.5 seconds with some peg wood and diamantene and the spring gleams. In reality that might taken half a day of tendonitis inducing tedium....but he saves the viewer that and conveys the idea in 1.5 seconds
What I don't get is how he cut that orb shaped helix to make the spherical spring. Neat stuff.
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You are probably right about everything you say. I won't argue. I'll only present a different perspective.
We are all different. I personally don't want to be entertained at all. If it can be done at the same time as teaching me something, then it's alright. But I don't watch YouTube or tv or go to the movies to be entertained. I only do these things if I can learn something.
My personal favorite form of entertainment is learning something I didn't know.
It goes without saying that I am not the norm. Therefore, I don't resent anyone for being an entertainer or for wanting to be entertained. I just don't want to be entertained myself. Hence my dislike of youtube and preference for a good book or a good article or good advice from a member.
trlvn
Ultra Member
I wondered about that too. Nowadays, I would guess that you would mount the slices on an arbor, load it into a CNC machine and press the magic button. In the old days, some kind of tracing/following system?
Craig
I thought I recognized the name. Yes, fantastic stuff.
Wilhelm Huxhold - The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum
Masterful miniature steam engines, machine tools, and other model engineering projects. Winner of the Joe Martin Foundation Craftsman of the Year Award for 1999.
craftsmanshipmuseum.com
Having some background in playing with watch and clock repair, I gotta say that Clickspring's presentation, avoids the tedium and labor that actually went in to the clock and watch Trade, when it was actually a thing.
In this day and age, a guy that wants to make a clock or watch from stock, must know the skills of a dozen-plus fellows that did one or two at most, skills to make a living.
I'm kinda a nit-picky guy, but I have not seen much in his videos that makes me not believe he actually has a handle on the processes he demonstrates, if he skips the hard (and boring) parts for the sake of brevity.
In this day and age, a guy that wants to make a clock or watch from stock, must know the skills of a dozen-plus fellows that did one or two at most, skills to make a living.
I'm kinda a nit-picky guy, but I have not seen much in his videos that makes me not believe he actually has a handle on the processes he demonstrates, if he skips the hard (and boring) parts for the sake of brevity.
140mower
Don
'm kinda a nit-picky guy
gerritv
Gerrit
Me too re: picky, which is why I seldom spend the time to watch Clicksping's videos. They are lovely eye candy and click-bait but seldom actually teach you anything. For actual learning I watch people such as Tommy Jobson, who is a professional clock/watch builder/restorer. His videos are a side line to his business, not the business itself.
Clickspring's Discord is an uncontrolled mess so it doesn't help with learning. Long time since I paid on his Patreon so no idea what might be there.
gerrit
gerritv
Gerrit
Here is one way to make a fusee, which in essence is what Chris wound the spring on. Assemble 5 or so slices on an arbour and then contour. Finally cut a very course flat bottom thread. As I said above, he skips over stuff like that as if it doesn't matter.
This would be the CNC way:
gerrit
This would be the CNC way:
gerrit
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Somewhat unrelated, but do you happen to know - on Youtube, when you see 'other channels you should check out' at the bottom of their main screen (using Tommy's channel for example) are these the Channels own recommendations or YouTube algorithm recommendations?
And yet here he is, clearly, using using MANUAL methods to make a complicated part with NO CNC. Yet his title clearly says ON A CNC. What a CNC poser! Oh the shame! LOL
I'm just joking. Another good channel I wasn't aware of. Supports my own personal view that learning & knowledge can be obtained from a multitude of sources. Its just up to you as to how much filtering time you want to endure to get at the good stuff, whatever the good stuff means to each individual. I suppose we are fortunate (if you want to use that word) that we have channels to choose from. I've said this before, the internet is both a blessing & a curse.