Ultrasonic Cleaning: To Disassemble or Not to Disassemble?

[lpoleshuck]

I'm a new amateur, having cleaned about a half-dozen pocket watches the old-fashioned manual way. I have a new L&R PC3, the cleaining solutions, the beakers, etc and am all set to experiment on a junker watch.

Can anyone advise me on cleaning without full disassembly? Is it a good idea? If so, what parts should I consider not disassembling and which are musts? (For example, I would assume that no matter what you do, you must remove the mainspring barrel).

Thanks in advice for your help.

--Larry

[lpoleshuck]

I'm a new amateur, having cleaned about a half-dozen pocket watches the old-fashioned manual way. I have a new L&R PC3, the cleaining solutions, the beakers, etc and am all set to experiment on a junker watch.

Can anyone advise me on cleaning without full disassembly? Is it a good idea? If so, what parts should I consider not disassembling and which are musts? (For example, I would assume that no matter what you do, you must remove the mainspring barrel).

Thanks in advice for your help.

--Larry

[mikeh]

Chuck,

Great thoughts! I like to leave the cap jewels in and clean them manually afterwards. I just don't like sorting them out when I'm finished.

Larry,

First, let me say that I am by no means a professional. I am probably much like you, just trying to learn all I can, and I'm sure you'll get some responses from some other folks more experienced than I.

Second, there are some older threads on this subject, but you'll probably have to try various keywords to find them all.

Finally, I'm for disassembly, and you are right about the barrel. Also, I have never heard of anyone that leaves the balance and hairspring in but you never know. Although it is true that the rinsing solutions are much lighter than the cleaners, which allows it to get into smaller areas during the rinse phase, I just fear leaving cleaner behind. Sometimes I wonder if leftover cleaner is the reason that some screws are so hard to get out, but I don't have anything other than suspicion to base that on. And to me, by the time you remove the barrel, balance, and all the loose stuff, you might as well remove the train and setting parts. Heck, I even remove the dial screws and make sure their threads are clean. I guess another factor to consider is how dirty the watch is. There is certainly a difference in a watch that was cleaned 2 years ago and one that's full of 75 year-old crud!

Now, all of that being said, I don't get paid to do it and I'm not in a hurry. I just love the work so it doesn't matter to me if it takes 3 hours or three days!

Regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by mikeh (edited 12-22-2001).]

[Larry Jones 98326]

Gents,

I've been told by older watchmakers, and I think I have also read this in an ultrasonic cleaner instruction manual, that leaving the wheels in during cleaning can actually help clean varnish and gum from the pivots and jewels. After ultrasound, the watch is dismantled and the pivots and jewels get a final touch up with pegwood and pithwood before oiling.
I also know of no one who leaves the balance assembly in during ultrasound.

Good luck, and sticking to the low end watches is a great idea for practice.

[This message has been edited by Larry Jones 98326 (edited 12-22-2001).]

[lpoleshuck]

Thanks for your responses. I'm going with Chuck's advice. He's right -- the thing I enjoy about cleaning a watch is the opportunity to work with all of the tiny components of the machine, and to be able to successfully put it back together and see it working again!

--Larry

[Wayne C. Anderson]

After ultrasound, the watch is dismantled and the pivots and jewels get a final touch up with pegwood and pithwood before oiling. Could anyone explain how you would give the pivots and jewels a final touch up with petwood? Do you just use the pegwood to polish the jewels, and the pithwood to clean to wheels with? I'm a newbee at pocket watch cleaning.


[This message has been edited by waynea38 (edited 12-24-2001).]

[Larry Jones 98326]

Chucks comments about particles of pithwood or pegwood being left behind when cleaning raise a question I've wondered about for a while. Sawdust. Many of the older books suggest "drying" parts in sawdust after cleaning. I've seen this sawdust, and although not as dusty as "plain old" sawdust, I would still think that some small wood particles were left on the parts using this method (I've never tried it).

Does anyone out there still use sawdust for drying, as (apparently) generations of watchmakers did? Any problems with traces of the sawdust?

Larry (Jones, there's two of us in this post..)

[Dave Berghold]

In regards to cleaning, I agree with taking most if not all of the watch apart, particularly
the gear train and balance assembly and cap jewels too. At times, I've had to put the
watch through the cleaner more than once in addition to pegging out the holes. In regards
to the saw dust, I've found it a perfect method for the balance wheel/hairspring. As soon
as the watch comes out of the final rinse, I place it in a small container of saw dust and
shake it for a moment. This imparts a bright polish to the balance wheel and most
importantly, it lightly removes any residue from the hairspring. On some modern wrist
watches, the hairsprings are so light that unless all of the cleaner/rinse is removed, there
is the chance that the hairspring will stick to itself and cause erratic timekeeping. I've
found the occasional piece of "dust" caught between the roller table and balance arms,
but for the most part, I've been a die-hard advocate of the sawdust technique. If anyone
happens to find a bag of the stuff kicking around that they would like to dispose of, let
me know. I'll put it to good use!

[Larry Jones 98326]

Dave,

I had no idea you still did things the "old-fashioned" way :biggrin:. I'll send you a box of sawdust, late Xmas prez. We both liked the card, by the way.

When I have hairpring stick problems I end up using the commercial dip or pure alcohol.

Larry

[Dave Berghold]

Larry,
glad you liked the card and I'd love to receive your surplus dust. As for the commercial
dip, I've never tried it. A clean jar of rinse ought to do the same for a few less bucks. But
the alcohol I'd be careful with as it may loosen the shellac holding the roller jewel in.
Certainly denatured will dissolve the shellac. Keep a little of the saw dust for yourself
and give it a try. You'll be surprised. Happy New Year!

[Larry Jones 98326]

Dave,

I don't know how long it would actually take for the shellac to dissolve, but the rinse and drying take under a minute and in that time span I've never had any problem.

For whatever reason, I sometime just don't get a good rinse in the standard rinse, and have found the commercial cleaner a real help. Maybe I'll bring you a small jar next trip up there...


Larry