Tag: Articles

Watchmaker Staking Tool Sets Punches and Stumps Reference Vintage watch collectors see Kendrick and Davis (K&D) tools as the height of value. because the company revolutionized the repair and service industry with innovations. For example, they invented the Inverto staking frame, canon pinion removers and balance tools. Today, watchmakers like me can use tools K&D…

I lost track of the number of times I needed help with repairs on old Hamilton wristwatches. For ten years, I searched for service manuals and had no luck. I expected a handbook and now I know that the company never printed one. Instead, Hamilton issued service bulletins, known as Technical Bulletin. In 2011, I moved to Paris,…

I can count the number of times I needed a punch to stake a balance staff and didn’t have the exact size I needed in my K&D set. I had dozens of  punches made by other manufacturers. I had to eye-ball them until I saw one that came close. I could have saved hours of…

  Why is this book so scarce?  Collectors have bought them up, people have not returned them to libraries, they deteriorated in watchmaker shops or people threw them away. If you don’t recall, K&D printed this book as a catalog. They added the “how to” as a bonus to bring in orders for their products.…

Do you ever venture over to the section known as watch tools on eBay? If you have, you’ll notice it’s a busy market. You can find it by navigating from All categories to Jewelry and Watches, then select work your way through all the sponsored headings and hopefully, you will find a listing of vintage…

The Model 18B staking frame is the sturdiest frame made by K&D. It’s the successor to the Model 17.  The Company manufactured these for  watchmakers wanting a large die plate and a strong anvil. This frame shipped without jeweling tools, however, K&D made a jeweling attachment if a watchmaker wanted that functionality. Before K&D added…

When we hear stories about the origins of  Kendrick and Davis – the watchmakers’ tool manufacturer – most of what we learn has publicist written all over it. The K&D Key Co. disappeared on May 10, 1887. A fire swept through Lebanon NH and destroyed 80 buildings including K&D. At the time, Frank Kendrick did…

You will probably discover difficulty in finding staking tool manuals. The original 1910 K&D book – Staking Tools and How to Use Them is hard to come by.  You will find numerous titles under that name and even reprints. The reprints are either catalogs from the 1950’s or the latter 108 of the original 163 pages.…

Publication number US923495 A Publication type Grant Publication date Jun 1, 1909 Filing date Aug 21, 1908 Priority date Aug 21, 1908 Inventors Frank R Cunningham* Original Assignee Kendrick & Davis Classifications (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet DESCRIPTION  F. CUNNINGHAM. STAKING TOOL. APPLICATION FILED Aug 21 1908. Patented June 1, 1909. WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.…

Publication number US923495 A Publication type Grant Publication date Jun 1, 1909 Filing date Aug 21, 1908 Priority date Aug 21, 1908 Inventors Frank R Cunningham* Original Assignee Kendrick & Davis Classifications (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet DESCRIPTION  F. CUNNINGHAM. STAKING TOOL. APPLICATION FILED Aug 21 1908. Patented June 1, 1909. WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.…