Off Hours

Off Hours

By Chris Manning & Jon EdwardsBusinessTechnologyArtsCareersDesign
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Off Hours episodes

  • Mixed Metals

    Jon and Chris explore the world of mixed metals and the often wood-like grain patterns these materials exhibit.

    Vacuum Table
    The vacuum table Chris uses to remove air while preparing flasks
    riogrande.com

    Gang Tool CNC
    Video showing the setup of a gang tool Tormach lathe
    youtube.com

    Chris’ Gang Tool Setup
    A picture of Chris’ gang tool lathe setup
    offhours.show

    Cobalt Drill Bits
    Chris uses cobalt drill bits when working with nickel silver
    amazon.com

    Chris Ploof
    Jeweller who specializes in working with Damascus
    chrisploof.com

    0 min
  • Kicking Around Your Watchmaking Lair

    Chris and Jon sit down to talk about some of the tools, gadgets, and accessories they find particularly handy to have around the shop, then round things out with some entertaining reading recommendations for the holidays.

    Overcast
    An excellent podcast player for iOS, by Marco Arment
    overcast.fm

    Forecast
    A powerful podcasting tool & blazing fast MP3 encoder, created by Marco Arment
    overcast.fm

    Bose QC35
    Chris’ favourite pair of wireless headphones
    amazon.com

    iMars Bluetooth Remote
    The Bluetooth remote Jon uses to control audio playback from his bench
    banggood.com

    Amazon Echo
    In addition to the iMars Bluetooth remote, Jon uses an Echo for hands-free audio control, timers, & the odd bit of conversational computing around the watch lab
    amazon.com

    Magnum Boots
    The boots Chris trusts to keep his feet safe around the shop
    amazon.com

    Nickel Tweezers
    Jon’s favoured tweezers for finer work
    amazon.com

    Bronze Tweezers
    Jon’s go to tweezers for a lot of watch assembly tasks
    schurch-asco.com

    Starrett 6″ Scale
    Chris’ favourite ruler
    amazon.com

    Mitutoyo Digital Caliper
    High quality, digital calipers are a must have around the shop
    amazon.com

    Mitutoyo Digital Micrometer
    For taking really fine measurements, with a digital readout
    amazon.com

    ZF2000 Mainspring Extractor
    An excellent tool to help keep the energy stored in a wound mainspring from injuring you, the barrel, or the mainspring itself when removing it from the barrel drum of a watch
    offhours.show

    Canned Air
    Jon uses a can of compressed air to pop the cover off of closed watch barrels, to keep them from deforming
    amazon.com

    Barrel Closer
    A handy aid for closing watch barrels
    youtube.com

    Knew Concepts Mk IV Saw
    One of the best coping saws money can buy
    amazon.com

    Lee Marshall
    The creator of the Knew Concepts saw
    knewconcepts.com

    Laser Gold Saw Blades
    The saw blades Chris uses with his Knew Concept saw
    riogrande.com

    Ruby Files
    A set of ruby files Jon uses for fine work
    amazon.com

    Artifex Wheels
    Artifex wheels are superb for surface preparation, prior to final polishing
    bocks.ch

    Surgeon’s Brush
    These soft, sensory brushes make quick work of cleaning fine dirt & debris from your hands
    amazon.com

    Nitrile Gloves
    A staple item in any workshop
    amazon.com

    Nitrile Finger Cots
    A staple item for assembling high grade watches
    amazon.com

    Nitecore P12 Flashlight
    Chris’ go to flashlight
    amazon.com

    Suprabeam Q1 Penlight
    The flashlight Jon carries in his backpack, useful for finding small parts now & then
    amazon.com

    Benchmade Knife
    Chris’ pocket knife of choice
    amazon.com

    Victorinox Caseback Knife
    Jon has a number of these Victorinox pocket knives, from different watch brands, useful for opening snap backs on watch cases
    amazon.com

    Blackwing Pencil
    Chris’ favourite pencil
    amazon.com

    Stalogy Notebook
    Chris’ favourite notebook
    wonderpens.ca

    KOR One Water Bottle
    The water bottle Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Tony Stark, uses around his shop in the film Iron Man
    amazon.com

    VOSS Water Bottle
    Jon’s water bottle of choice when he’s at the bench
    amazon.com

    Artemis
    Chris’ recommendation for an audiobook to take in over the holidays
    amazon.com

    Ready Player One
    Jon’s recommendation for an audiobook to take in over the holidays
    amazon.com

    Watchmaking
    The definitive book on making watches, written by George Daniels
    amazon.com

    0 min
  • Kicking Around Your Watchmaking Lair

    Chris and Jon sit down to talk about some of the tools, gadgets, and accessories they find particularly handy to have around the shop, then round things out with some entertaining reading recommendations for the holidays.

    Overcast
    An excellent podcast player for iOS, by Marco Arment
    overcast.fm

    Forecast
    A powerful podcasting tool & blazing fast MP3 encoder, created by Marco Arment
    overcast.fm

    Bose QC35
    Chris’ favourite pair of wireless headphones
    amazon.com

    iMars Bluetooth Remote
    The Bluetooth remote Jon uses to control audio playback from his bench
    banggood.com

    Amazon Echo
    In addition to the iMars Bluetooth remote, Jon uses an Echo for hands-free audio control, timers, & the odd bit of conversational computing around the watch lab
    amazon.com

    0 min
  • Beyond Top Notch

    First impressions of the iPhone X. Chris flies an ultralight over New Mexico and shares some tales from his travels. He and Jon discuss the iPhone X they each acquired and the potential future the device hints at.

    Bonny Doon
    Bonny Doon hydraulic presses and tooling
    bonnydoonengineering.com

    Rio Grande
    Official website of jewellery supplier & manufacturer, Rio Grande
    riogrande.com

    Santa Fe Symposium
    An annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico
    santafesymposium.org

    Phil Poirier
    Video of Chris working in Phil’s shop, using one of his straight line engines
    instagram.com

    Deep Drawing
    Video demonstration of deep drawing metal, from Rio Grande
    youtube.com

    Fred Armbruster
    Video of Fred giving a talk in his workshop
    vimeo.com

    Lienhard Rose Engine
    A photo of Phil’s Lienhard rose engine, with an Armbruster ornamental lathe in the background
    offhours.show

    Peter Gilroy
    Mountain inspired jeweller, Peter Gilroy
    peterwgilroy.com

    Rock Climbing in Taos
    mountainproject.com

    Michael Walker
    Some examples of knifemaker, Michael Walker’s work
    artifexgallery.com

    Julie Lake
    The work of welder, designer, structural fabricator, jeweller, & artist, Julie Lake
    lakeobject.com

    Chris Dahl-Bredine
    Shots From Above, the Instagram account of ultralight flyer and aerial photographer, Chris Dahl-Bredine
    instagram.com

    Rich Littlestone
    The work of independent pen maker, Rich Littlestone
    argentblue.com

    Die Sink EDM
    An overview of die sink electrical discharge machining
    wikipedia.org

    Paul Burberry
    The Instagram feed of pen restorer, and friend of the show, Paul Burberry
    instagram.com

    John Saunders
    John Saunders’ CNC NYC channel
    youtube.com

    Wireless Charging Pad
    The Qi wireless charging pad Chris uses with his iPhone X
    amazon.com

    Bluetooth Earbud
    The Bluetooth earbuds Jon has been using for the last few years
    amazon.com

    Focos
    iOS app for editing depth mapped photos taken with Apple’s dual lens cameras
    itunes.apple.com

    Hiding the Home Indicator on iPhone X
    Official Apple documentation on how to programatically request that the Home Indicator on the iPhone X be hidden
    developer.apple.com

    Alternate Control Center Concept
    Jon’s recollection of Guilherme Rambo’s alternative concept for accessing Control Center on an iPhone X was incorrect, here’s the original Tweet
    twitter.com

    Inside Microsoft’s Edison Lab
    Prototype of an early stereographic, glasses-free, 3D display
    youtube.com

    BiDi Screens
    Research into bidirectional screens at MiT
    alumni.media.mit.edu

    Proof of concept BiDi OLED Screen
    Demonstration of a small BiDi OLED screen from Fraunhofer FEP
    youtube.com

    Cochlear Implants
    A new generation of iOS compatible cochlear implants
    techcrunch.com

    Bose QuietComfort 35
    The wireless, noise cancelling headphones Chris uses around the shop
    amazon.com

    0 min
  • Beyond Top Notch

    First impressions of the iPhone X. Chris flies an ultralight over New Mexico and shares some tales from his travels. He and Jon discuss the iPhone X they each acquired and the potential future the device hints at.

    Bonny Doon
    Bonny Doon hydraulic presses and tooling
    bonnydoonengineering.com

    Rio Grande
    Official website of jewellery supplier & manufacturer, Rio Grande
    riogrande.com

    Santa Fe Symposium
    An annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico
    santafesymposium.org

    Phil Poirier
    Video of Chris working in Phil’s shop, using one of his straight line engines
    instagram.com

    Deep Drawing
    Video demonstration of deep drawing metal, from Rio Grande
    youtube.com

    Fred Armbruster
    Video of Fred giving a talk in his workshop
    vimeo.com

    0 min
  • Watchmaking Schools

    What exactly is a watchmaker? Chris poisons himself and Jon ponders a career as a whitesmith, before the two dive into a discussion about watchmaking schools. Oh, and they both encounter a dragon roaming the streets.

    Gold alloys
    Optimizing gold alloys for casting
    ganoksin.com

    Metallurgy of Precious Metals
    A primer on the metallurgy of precious metals
    santafesymposium.org

    Watchmaker
    Definition of a watchmaker
    merriam-webster.com

    Watchmaking
    George Daniels literally wrote the book on watchmaking
    amazon.com

    Roger W. Smith
    A detailed look at a one-of-a-kind tourbillon crafted by Roger W. Smith
    watchesbysjx.com

    Whitesmith
    Some early watchmakers identified as whitesmiths, because of the high degree of post-processing they performed on blacksmithed parts, which rendered the metal shiny and white
    merriam-webster.com

    Black Polish
    A demonstration of black polishing a spring for a watch, by RGM Watch Co.
    youtube.com

    Aluminum Value
    Aluminum was at one point more valuable than gold
    slate.com

    Bauxite
    The most common source of aluminum on our planet
    wikipedia.org

    Aluminum Smelting
    How bauxite is processed to create aluminum
    youtube.com

    La Machine
    Creators of the massive mechanical dragon and spider puppets Jon & Chris saw in the streets of Ottawa
    lamachine.fr

    Canada 150
    La Machine was in town as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebration
    canada.pch.gc.ca

    École Nationale de l’Horlogerie
    Canada’s National Watchmaking School
    ecolehorlogerie.com

    WOSTEP
    The Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program
    wostep.ch

    BHI
    The British Horological Institute’s distance learning course
    bhi.co.uk

    NAWCC
    National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors training and education courses
    nawcc.org

    AWCI
    The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute
    awci.com

    HSNY
    The Horological Society of New York
    hs-ny.org

    SAWTA
    The Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance
    sawtacertification.org

    Lititz Watch Technicum
    A watchmaking school established by Rolex in Lititz, Pennsylvania
    lititzwatchtechnicum.org

    Patek Philippe Horology Programme
    The Patek Philippe Horology Programme in New York City
    abc7ny.com

    Finnish School of Watchmaking
    The Finnish School of Watchmaking, located in Espoo, Finland
    kelloseppakoulu.fi

    Kari Voutilainen
    The work of master watchmaker, Kari Voutilainen
    voutilainen.ch

    Stepan Sarpaneva
    The work Finnish watchmaker, Stepan Sarpaneva
    sarpanevawatches.com

    Mika Rissanen
    A video interview with Mika Rissanen (in French)
    youtube.com

    Torsti Laine
    The work Finnish watchmaker, Torsti Laine
    lainewatches.com

    Antti Rönkkö
    The work Finnish watchmaker, Antti Rönkkö
    ronkkowatches.fi

    Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking
    Watchmaking school in the German town of Glashütte
    glashuette-original.com

    KHWCC
    The K&H Watchmaking Competence Centre
    khwcc.ch

    Birmingham City University
    Birmingham City University offers a bachelors program in horology
    bcu.ac.uk

    Hiko Mizuno
    Watchmaking program at Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Japan
    hikohiko.jp

    ETA
    Switzerland’s largest producer of watch movements
    eta.ch

    Eterna Caliber 39
    A series of watch calibers Chris has been looking at using
    eterna-movement.com

    0 min
  • Watchmaking Schools

    What exactly is a watchmaker? Chris poisons himself and Jon ponders a career as a whitesmith, before the two dive into a discussion about watchmaking schools. Oh, and they both encounter a dragon roaming the streets.

    Gold alloys
    Optimizing gold alloys for casting
    ganoksin.com

    Metallurgy of Precious Metals
    A primer on the metallurgy of precious metals
    santafesymposium.org

    Watchmaker
    Definition of a watchmaker
    merriam-webster.com

    Watchmaking
    George Daniels literally wrote the book on watchmaking
    amazon.com

    Roger W. Smith
    A detailed look at a one-of-a-kind tourbillon crafted by Roger W. Smith
    watchesbysjx.com

    Whitesmith

    0 min
  • Any Sufficiently Ancient Technology

    Silversmith, Chris Manning, and watchmaker, Jon Edwards, discuss the ancient art of lost wax casting and its application in Chris’ work making pens today.


    “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”
    – Arthur C. Clarke

    Lost Wax Casting
    wikipedia.org

    Jeweller’s Wax
    Chris uses Matt Wax for the waxes he casts
    dumatt.com

    Carbide Cutters
    Bits and Bits carbide cutters Chris uses for milling wax
    bitsbits.com

    Rhino 3D
    3D modelling software that Chris uses
    rhino3d.com

    Rubber Molds
    Sheets of rubber for replicating waxes for casting
    amazon.com

    Investment Plaster
    Chris used SatinCast 2000 until it was discontinued, UltraVest is an excellent replacement
    riogrande.com

    Sling Casting
    Old school sling casting, with some modern twists
    youtube.com

    Centrifugal Caster
    A Neycraft centrifugal casting machine
    amazon.com

    Vacuum Caster
    An example of a vacuum casting machine
    amazon.com

    Vacuum Casting at Scale
    An overview of the processes Rio Grande employs to manufacture the tools and components they sell
    youtube.com

    Graphite Crucible
    A complete gold melting setup, with graphite crucible
    amazon.com

    Selective Laser Sintering
    3D printing directly in metal
    youtube.com

    Specific Gravity
    khanacademy.org

    Gate & Sprue
    An overview of designing sprue systems for casting
    ganoksin.com

    Sterling Silver
    wikipedia.org

    Argentium
    wikipedia.org

    Beginner’s Mind
    A book about seeing & experiencing things with fresh perspective
    amazon.com

    Gothic Architecture
    The inspiration for many of Chris’ pens comes from architecture
    wikipedia.org

    British Houses of Parliament
    wikipedia.org

    Parliament of Canada
    parl.ca

    Jaipur
    wikipedia.org

    Jaipur Pen
    One of the pens Chris crafted, inspired by his time in Jaipur
    silverhandstudios.com

    Taj Mahal
    wikipedia.org

    Taj Mahal Pen
    One of the pens Chris crafted, inspired by his visit to the Taj Mahal
    silverhandstudios.com

    0 min
  • Any Sufficiently Ancient Technology

    Silversmith, Chris Manning, and watchmaker, Jon Edwards, discuss the ancient art of lost wax casting and its application in Chris’ work making pens today.


    “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”
    – Arthur C. Clarke

    Lost Wax Casting
    wikipedia.org

    Jeweller’s Wax
    Chris uses Matt Wax for the waxes he casts
    dumatt.com

    Carbide Cutters
    Bits and Bits carbide cutters Chris uses for milling wax
    bitsbits.com

    Rhino 3D
    3D modelling software that Chris uses
    rhino3d.com

    Rubber Molds
    Sheets of rubber for replicating waxes for casting
    amazon.com

    0 min
  • Prototyping a Career

    Silversmith, Chris Manning, and watchmaker, Jon Edwards, delve into Jon’s backstory, his path to becoming a watchmaker and how he came to develop apps for iOS.

     

    Joseph-Armand Bombardier

    The founder of Bombardier enjoyed repurposing pocket watches in his childhood
    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Star Caliber 2000

    A pocket watch, crafted by Patek Philippe, that stoked Jon’s interest in watchmaking
    youtube.com

     

     

    Glen Keane

    A Disney animator whose work Jon admires
    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Rescuers Down Under

    The eagle scene animated by Glen Keane
    youtube.com

     

     

    Glen Keane Anatomy Studies

    youtube.com

     

     

    Sheridan College

    The animation program at Sheridan College
    sheridancollege.ca

     

     

    WETA

    Visual FX studio in New Zealand
    wetafx.co.nz

     

     

    How Will You Measure Your Life

    A book by Clayton M. Christensen, author of the Innovator’s Dilemma
    amazon.com

     

     

    Designing Your Life

    A book by Stanford professors, Bill Burnett & Dave Evans, who’ve both worked for Apple
    amazon.com

     

     

    George Daniels

    George Daniels in his own words, interviewed by Roger W. Smith
    webofstories.com

     

     

    Roger W. Smith

    Trailer for The Watchmaker’s Apprentice
    youtube.com

     

     

    The Watchmaker’s Apprentice

    A documentary detailing Roger W. Smith’s apprenticeship under world renowned watchmaker, George Daniels
    amazon.com

     

     

    Herstmonceux

    Jon’s alma mater, as well as the observatory where George Daniels’ chronometers were graded
    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Greenwich Observatory

    rmg.co.uk

     

     

    Worshipful Company of Clockmakers Guild

    clockmakers.org

     

     

    What is an Escapement

    An overview of watch & clock escapements
    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Watch Jewels

    An overview of different jewels used in watchmaking
    alliancehorlogere.com

     

     

    Asprey

    asprey.com

     

     

    Peter Speake-Marin

    An early interview with independent watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin
    timezone.com

     

     

    École Nationale d’Horlogerie

    The watchmaking school Jon attended
    ecolehorlogerie.com

     

     

    Shortage of Watchmakers

    Supply of watchmakers predicted to be as high as 50,000 shy of demand by 2025
    europastar.com

     

     

    Batch Files

    microsoft.com

     

     

    XT Computer

    Jon’s first computer
    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Steve Jobs’ Letter on Flash

    apple.com

     

     

    CS193P

    An early iPhone OS course taught by iPhone Engineers Evan Doll & Alan Cannistraro
    stanford.edu

     

     

    Nokia 7650

    wikipedia.org

     

     

    Kello

    An iOS app Jon created to evaluate the rate of a watch using the microphone
    coldflower.com

     

     

    Twixt Time

    Another iOS app Jon developed that uses a combination of NTP servers & the camera to evaluate the accuracy of clocks & watches
    coldflower.com

     

     

    Dynamic poising

    A long & comprehensive overview of dynamic poising the balance wheel of a watch
    youtube.com

     

     

    NTP

    Network Time Protocol
    wikipedia.org

     


    0 min

About Off Hours

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Off Hours is a conversational podcast that delves into technology, working with our hands, and other curiosities.