Off Hours

Off Hours

By Chris Manning & Jon EdwardsBusinessTechnologyArtsCareersDesign
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Off Hours episodes

  • Smoking Bellows

    Chris has just returned from a conference on ornamental turning. He and Jon discuss the difference between ornamental turning and engine turning, along with some of the other things Chris got up to while out on the West Coast.

    • OTI Symposium Chris just got back from the 2018 Ornamental Turners International Symposium in Seattle, Washington
    • Guilloché on Off Hours We touched on guilloché work & engine turning quite a bit right off the bat, in Episode 1 of Off Hours
    • History of Ornamental Turning

      • Examples of some ornamentally turned boxes Chris has acquired over the years
      • Guilloché & Bank Notes An addendum to Wired Magazine’s ‘Future of Money’
      • Excentro A Mac app for designing guilloché patterns
      • Ornamental Mill</
        • 0 min
      • No Longer Mangling Watches

        Chris is back from the British Horological Institute, where he spent a week working on watch movements. He and Jon chat about his time in the UK, the unique things he saw, and the incredible people he met along the way.

        • BHI Short Courses Short watch & clock making courses offered by the British Horological Institute
        • John Murphy Official website of John Murphy (FBHI, Cert. Ed., WOSTEP) who trained Chris at the British Horological Institute
        • ETA 6497
        • ETA 2824
        • Incabloc A cross-section of Incabloc’s anti-shock system, designed to protect delicate pivots in mechanical watches

          • A cap jewel being drawn up into an Incabloc chaton via capillary action

          • Hamilton 992
          • Upton Village The small, English village that Chris called home for much of the time between this episode & last
          • Upton Hall Headquarters of the British Horological Institute
          • Museum of Timekeeping The BHI museum at Upton Hall
          • Santa Fe Symposium An annual conference for professionals in jewellery & related industries
          • Museum of the jewellery quarter A perfectly preserved workshop in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
          • Birmingham, UK
          • Frank Cooper Senior lecturer at Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery
          • David Fletcher A brief introduction to 3D printing in precious metal, from David Fletcher of Cooksongold
          • Cooksongold A pioneer in additive manufacturing & one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the jewellery trade
          • Rio Grande Akin to Cooksongold, Rio Grande is of the USA’s leading suppliers to the jewellery trade
          • 3D Printed Watch Case Michiel Holthinrichs’ watch cases for the Ornament 1 are 3D printed by Cooksongold

            • Struthers London Struthers London began making timepieces from antique, English made calibers, before branching off into creating their in-house Project 248 caliber
            • Deakin & Francis Located in the same building as the Struthers, this high end cufflink maker is England’s oldest family jeweller
            • Yard-O-Led One of the Struthers’ newest neighbors is high end penmaker, Yard-O-Led, who we spoke about back in Episode 1 of Off Hours
            • British Museum
            • Bonhams Clock Exhibit A historic clock exhibit, entitled Innovation & Collaboration, hosted by Bonhams in London

              • The oldest running clock that Chris has ever seen, from the ‘Innovation & Collaboration’ exhibit at Bonhams in 2018

              • Innovation & Collaboration Book Direct link to the catalogue of the Bonhams exhibit
              • @thewatchnerd Mat, the #watchnerd, on Twitter
              • The #watchnerd Blog
              • Chris Mann Chris Mann, founder of Time 4A Pint, on Twitter
              • Time 4A Pint Official website for Time 4A Pint
              • A Mechanician Seth Kennedy, on Twitter
              • Seth Kennedy Talented restorer of fine timepieces & professional, antiquarian horologist, based in London
              • The Joy of Tangents Episode 19 of Time 4A Pint, with Mat a.k.a. The Watchnerd
              • English Pocket Watches Episode 41 of Time 4A Pint, with Seth Kennedy
              • Refounding Fears Watches Episode 44 of Time 4A Pint, with Fears Watch founder, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

                • —

                • Omega 2211 An Omega caliber based on the ETA 6498, with alternative bridge layout
                • Sea-Gull ST36 An Asian take on the ETA 6498, with yet another variation on the bridge layout
                  • 0 min
                • No Longer Mangling Watches

                  Chris is back from the British Horological Institute, where he spent a week working on watch movements. He and Jon chat about his time in the UK, the unique things he saw, and the incredible people he met along the way.

                  • BHI Short Courses Short watch & clock making courses offered by the British Horological Institute
                  • John Murphy Official website of John Murphy (FBHI, Cert. Ed., WOSTEP) who trained Chris at the British Horological Institute
                  • ETA 6497
                  • ETA 2824
                  • Incabloc A cross-section of Incabloc’s anti-shock system, designed to protect delicate pivots in mechanical watches
                    • A cap jewel being drawn up into an Incabloc chaton via capillary action
                    • Hamilton 992
                    • Upton Village The small, English village that Chris called home for much of the time between this episode & last
                    • Upton Hall Headquarters of the British Horological Institute
                    • Museum of Timekeeping The BHI museum at Upton Hall
                    • Santa Fe Symposium An annual conference for professionals in jewellery & related industries
                    • Museum of the jewellery quarter A perfectly preserved workshop in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
                    • Birmingham, UK
                    • Frank Cooper Senior lecturer at Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery
                    • David Fletcher A brief introduction to 3D printing in precious metal, from David Fletcher of Cooksongold
                    • Cooksongold A pioneer in additive manufacturing & one of the UK’s leading suppliers to the jewellery trade
                    • Rio Grande Akin to Cooksongold, Rio Grande is of the USA’s leading suppliers to the jewellery trade
                    • 3D Printed Watch Case Michiel Holthinrichs’ watch cases for the Ornament 1 are 3D printed by Cooksongold

                      • 0 min
                    • A Box of Bandaids

                      Chris’ first watch is taking shape. He and Jon chat through some of the process so far and where things may go from here.

                      • Mia Sable A saddlery maker who has branched out into making watch straps in recent years
                      • Shell Cordovan Leather A durable leather made from horse hides
                      • Moose Leather
                      • Horween An American firm with a strong reputation for making quality leather
                      • Apple Watch Link Bracelet
                      • Crabyon Antibacterial fabric made from crab shells
                      • Mycoworks Mushroom leather
                      • Royal Doak An example of one of Alex Doak’s hand drawn watches
                      • Gerald Genta The designer behind Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak
                      • Nylon Gaskets Chris ordered the crystal gaskets for his first watch from Cousins, in the UK
                      • Coin Edge Case An example of a classically styled Breguet case with a coin edge

                        • Voutilainen 217QRS THG A limited edition, gold dialed version of Kari Voutilainen’s 217QRS Retrograde Date, for the Hour Glass in Singapore
                        • Peter Gilroy A jeweller specializing in the use of niobium, titanium, & gold, whose work is inspired by the great outdoors
                        • Spot Anodizing How to spot anodize niobium & titanium
                        • Zirconium Decay ⁹⁵Niobium is the decay product of ⁹⁵Zirconium
                        • Spontaneous Combustion Zirconium is considered a pyrophoric metal, making it susceptible to spontaneous combustion
                          • 0 min
                        • A Box of Bandaids

                          Chris’ first watch is taking shape. He and Jon chat through some of the process so far and where things may go from here.

                          • Mia Sable A saddlery maker who has branched out into making watch straps in recent years
                          • Shell Cordovan Leather A durable leather made from horse hides
                          • Moose Leather
                          • Horween An American firm with a strong reputation for making quality leather
                          • Apple Watch Link Bracelet
                          • Crabyon Antibacterial fabric made from crab shells
                          • Mycoworks Mushroom leather
                          • Royal Doak An example of one of Alex Doak’s hand drawn watches
                          • Gerald Genta The designer behind Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak
                          • Nylon Gaskets Chris ordered the crystal gaskets for his first watch from Cousins, in the UK
                          • Coin Edge Case An example of a classically styled Breguet case with a coin edge

                            • Voutilainen 217QRS THG A limited edition, gold dialed version of Kari Voutilainen’s 217QRS Retrograde Date, for the Hour Glass in Singapore
                            • Peter Gilroy A jeweller specializing in the use of niobium, titanium, & gold, whose work is inspired by the great outdoors
                            • Spot Anodizing How to spot anodize niobium & titanium
                            • Zirconium Decay ⁹⁵Niobium is the decay product of ⁹⁵Zirconium
                            • Spontaneous Combustion Zirconium is considered a pyrophoric metal, making it susceptible to spontaneous combustion
                              • 0 min
                            • Renaissance Version of a Twitter Troll

                              Jon and Chris discuss follow up books to read, tricks for beating the Vatican hoards, letter press documentaries, and canes that aren’t quite what they appear to be.

                              • The Perfectionists A new book by Simon Winchester we discussed last episode, which traces the impact that ever increasing levels of accuracy have had on our world

                              • Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling A book by Ross King

                              • Brunelleschi’s Dome

                              Another book by Ross King about a literal Renaissance Man who reinvented architecture

                              • Sistine Chapel

                              • Taj Mahal

                              • Michelangelo’s David The original David, sculpted by Michelangelo, located in the Accademia Gallery of Florence

                              • The Uffizi Gallery

                              • Pressing On Film A documentary about letterpress printing in the modern age

                              • Linotype Film A more thorough & informative film on the subject of letterpress

                              • Making Faces Film A documentary about fellow Canadian Jim Rimmer’s quest to release a new type design both digitally & in the metal at the same time

                              • Walbaum Font Family A typeface first created by Justus Walbaum, circa 1800, remastered for the digital age and released in 2018 by Charles Nix, Carl Crossgrove, Juan Villanueva, and Lynne Yun,

                              • Canes A selection of unusual & rare antique canes

                              • Faberge Cigarette Case An example of a Faberge cigarette case, from the British Royal Collection

                              • Watchmaker’s Swiss Army Knife A video demonstration of the (now discontinued) Minathor 50 Swiss Army Knife for watchmakers

                              • Rams Documentary A soon to be released documentary about the legendary industrial designer, Dieter Rams

                              • Rams Interview The panel discussion with Dieter Rams that Jon referred to

                              • Rams’ Cane A photo of Dieter Rams with his cane

                              • Watch Cane French jewelled gold watch cane

                              • Patek Desk Clock An example of a ornamental desk clock produced by Patek Philippe

                              • Ornamental Turning An introduction to ornamental turning from the Society of Ornamental Turners

                              • Medici Ivories

                              36 min
                            • Renaissance Version of a Twitter Troll

                              Jon and Chris discuss follow up books to read, tricks for beating the Vatican hoards, letter press documentaries, and canes that aren’t quite what they appear to be.

                              • The Perfectionists A new book by Simon Winchester we discussed last episode, which traces the impact that ever increasing levels of accuracy have had on our world

                              • Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling A book by Ross King

                              • Brunelleschi’s Dome
                              Another book by Ross King about a literal Renaissance Man who reinvented architecture

                              • Sistine Chapel

                              • Taj Mahal

                              • Michelangelo’s David The original David, sculpted by Michelangelo, located in the Accademia Gallery of Florence

                              • The Uffizi Gallery

                              • Pressing On Film A documentary about letterpress printing in the modern age

                              • Linotype Film A more thorough & informative film on the subject of letterpress

                              • Making Faces Film A documentary about fellow Canadian Jim Rimmer’s quest to release a new type design both digitally & in the metal at the same time


                              • Walbaum Font Family A typeface first created by Justus Walbaum, circa 1800, remastered for the digital age and released in 2018 by Charles Nix, Carl Crossgrove, Juan Villanueva, and Lynne Yun,

                              • Canes A selection of unusual & rare antique canes

                              • Faberge Cigarette Case An example of a Faberge cigarette case, from the British Royal Collection

                              • Watchmaker’s Swiss Army Knife A video demonstration of the (now discontinued) Minathor 50 Swiss Army Knife for watchmakers

                              • Rams Documentary A soon to be released documentary about the legendary industrial designer, Dieter Rams

                              • Rams Interview The panel discussion with Dieter Rams that Jon referred to

                              • Rams’ Cane A photo of Dieter Rams with his cane


                              •

                              36 min
                            • The Lord Chancellor

                              Precision, accuracy, and a smattering of etymology. Chris and Jon discuss Simon Winchester’s latest book, The Perfectionists.

                              • The Perfectionists A new book that traces the impact that ever increasing levels of accuracy have had on our world, from the industrial revolution, through to the digital age

                              • Ned Ludd An English weaver, from whom the term “luddite” was derived

                              • Bokeh The blur that occurs when an object within a photograph does not fall inside the bounds of the lens’s depth of field

                              • Leica The camera division of Germany’s Leica Microsystems

                              • The Essentials of Precision Timekeeping A talk delivered by Jack Forster at the Horological Society of New York in early 2018

                              • Bullseye Diagram A visual depiction of the distinction between accuracy & precision, from Winchester’s The Perfectionists, where A is accurate, B is precise, C is neither, & D
                              is moderately precise & accurate

                              • History of the Steam Engine A brief history of steam power during the Industrial Revolution

                              • Watt Engine Friend of the show, Rich Loen, standing in front of a Watt Steam Engine

                              • John Wilkinson An industrialist who helped James Watt refine the Watt Steam Engine

                              • Henry Maudslay An incredibly talented machinist, whose work helped usher in the age of industrialization

                              • Joseph Bramah A renowned locksmith & inventor

                              • Off Hours Episode 21 The episode on multi lead threading, where we first mentioned Bramah & Maudslay

                              • The Lord Chancellor A micrometer that was one of, if not the most, precise measuring instrument of Maudslay’s era, crafted by Maudslay himself

                              • Cromwell Lathe A style of lathe that Chris has in his shop, which was favoured by Rolls-Royce in the mid 20th century

                              • Rolls-Royce Casting A look at how lost wax casting continues to be used today in the manufacturing of Rolls-Royce turbine engines

                              • Off Hours Episode 3 An early episode in which we delved into the subject of lost wax casting

                              • Additive Manufacturing TheWatches TV takes a look at the potential promise additive manufacturing holds, while not shying away from the ways it still falls short of the accuracy needed for crafting timepieces

                              • Rolls-Royce Swarm Bots Rolls-Royce is investing in tiny, collaborative swarm robots to help provide quality assurance & routine maintenance of its jet turbines, without needing to take them completely apart

                              • Qantas Flight 32 An airline crash, detailed in The Perfectionists that was found to be due to error in how accurately a particular hole had been drilled

                              • Grand Seiko Official website of the Shizuku-Ishi studio in Japan, where Grand Seiko timepieces are assembled

                              42 min
                            • The Lord Chancellor

                              Precision, accuracy, and a smattering of etymology. Chris and Jon discuss Simon Winchester’s latest book, The Perfectionists.

                              • The Perfectionists A new book that traces the impact that ever increasing levels of accuracy have had on our world, from the industrial revolution, through to the digital age

                              • Ned Ludd An English weaver, from whom the term “luddite” was derived

                              • Bokeh The blur that occurs when an object within a photograph does not fall inside the bounds of the lens’s depth of field

                              • Leica The camera division of Germany’s Leica Microsystems

                              • The Essentials of Precision Timekeeping A talk delivered by Jack Forster at the Horological Society of New York in early 2018

                              • Bullseye Diagram A visual depiction of the distinction between accuracy & precision, from Winchester’s The Perfectionists, where A is accurate, B is precise, C is neither, & D
                              is moderately precise & accurate


                              • History of the Steam Engine A brief history of steam power during the Industrial Revolution

                              • Watt Engine Friend of the show, Rich Loen, standing in front of a Watt Steam Engine



                              • John Wilkinson An industrialist who helped James Watt refine the Watt Steam Engine

                              • Henry Maudslay An incredibly talented machinist, whose work helped usher in the age of industrialization

                              • Joseph Bramah A renowned locksmith & inventor

                              • Off Hours Episode 21 The episode on multi lead threading, where we first mentioned Bramah & Maudslay

                              •

                              42 min
                            • The Memory Thief

                              Jon and Chris talk about buying art, stone carving, and managing notifications without a wearable.

                              • Adam Young – A Canadian artist that Jon & his wife recently acquired a painting from

                              • Steven Strang – Local artist & friend of the show whose work Chris has been a longstanding patron of

                              • ‘The Memory Thief’ – Chris’ most recent acquisition from Steven Strang

                              • Printrbot Ceases Operations – We spoke a little about Printrbot back in Episode 15, they recently & suddenly shut down

                              • Monoprice Select Mini – The 3D printer Jon picked up to replace his Printrbot Play

                              • Dufour’s Watch Cases – Philippe Dufour fits the movements for the cases of his timepieces to within 0.01mm of precision

                              • Canadian Stone Carving Festival – An annual festival held on Sparks Street in Canada’s Capital

                              • Phil White – The Dominion Sculptor of Canada

                              • Stone Carving Course – A stone carving course offered by Smith & Barber in Ottawa

                              • Cortex – Myke recently switched out his Apple Watch for a Nomos

                              • Metro Date Power Reserve – The Nomos that Myke picked up

                              • BBC Panorama – BBC’s Hilary Andersson investigates the ‘dark side’ of smartphones—including the physiological effects that notification alerts have on us

                              • Custom Vibration Alerts – How to create & customize vibration alerts on your iPhone

                              49 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.