Used L&Road cleaner for first time

[thessler]

It was an interesting time at that.

I filled the jars up to the raised lettering as per manual, and when the basket dipped in the cleaner over flowed all over the place.

I think the basket went in too fast I will try to adjust that speed.

I'm guessing your not supposed to put in all the small screws, I put them all in but not all came back out. A few disappeared. 

And I'm guessing I'll need to arrange the parts more carefully,  the pallet fork came out in the middle of the hair spring.

Two quick questions, Do the small screws normally go in the machine or just leave them in a safe place and reuse as is ?

This is an L&Road variomatic with a whole big separate ultrasonic unit underneath.  Is it worth trying to use the ultrasonic part or just stick with the basic cleaning machine ? Not sure if the ultrasonic part works or if it's worth bothering with.

Thanks for any advice, Tom

[RyMoeller]

Ooh you've got an L&R with the ultrasonic clean- I must admit some envy!

I've got an old L&R that's simply the three bottles, forward/reverse, and a heater/dryer.  Here's my input-

I have a separate ultrasonic cleaner so what I usually do is put all of the parts in the basket and do an ultrasonic clean before setting the basket up in the L&R cleaner.

The balance I'll usually leave attached to the cock and the cock screwed to the bottom plate.  This secures the balance during its wash in the ultrasonic cleaner and generally prevents damage to the balance or hairspring.  Often, if I'm working on an older piece that doesn't have shock protection I'll remove the balance completely and clean it in One-Dip instead of running it through the cleaner.

Small screws are usually stowed away in a separate basket although the large basket has small compartments that could accommodate them.  I just feel safer when they are in their own basket container.  The pallet fork and cap jewels I'll also secure in their own basket container.  I'm just a little cautious when it comes to really small or delicate parts.

I also try and separate the steel parts from the brass ones so that they won't rub on one another during the clean.  The basket is steel so it probably doesn't make much of a difference but I always think they come out with more scratches than they went in with!

This is the method that works best for me.  I have discovered that screws can sometimes go missing but typically they are just hidden in the basket and appear under the loupe.

[bobm12]

Hi Tom,

I think, by what you describe, that your arrangement of parts in the baskets is not the best or the baskets are faulty...or the machine is not well regulated? I don't know much about it since I don't use them but by the videos and the feed back from others that use it...it is different!

Also, the main plate and the balance assembly are supposed to be assembled and together all by themselves...otherwise you'll ruin the hairspring....

Again, this is just my take on it....

Cheers,

Bob

[SteveFitzwater]

I have two of these old classis, when dealing with smaller screws, if you do not have the baskets with the small containers in them, then pick up a small "thimble sized" container, and place your small screws in it, since your missing a few I would check the bottom of the jars, more then likely they dropped out in them.

I normally have to fill the jars just above the raised letters on the jars to get the ultrasonic head submerged, it is a fine line to walk, and as you found out, better to start out under filled and then add a small amount each time until you get the level right, then mark the jar so your not "guessing" when it is time to top them off again.

Ultrasonic, if it is working you should see some cavitation of the liquid when it is on, there are so many things that can go wrong with these older ones, I have sent both of my ultra sonic units in and had them converted to solid state, work much better and less issues. Should you use it? absolutely, while the cleaning fluids will remove the loose dirt and oil, the ultrasonic will clean that dried up oil in the jewels. Once you get these units running smooth they are a dream to work with, but I must admit, that is a rather large "Once" you have to get worked out.

[thessler]

Thanks guys

As I'm said I am new to this whole process, so I do expect a learning curve.

The screws are gone they are not in the jars I suspect they may have flown out in the drying cycle.

I have seen those small baskets with caps on them I guess I'll get a few just for screws.

Leaving the balance together to prevent damage is very logical the reason I didn't is to ensure the jewl holes and the pivots would see some cleaner.

If they are left together would they still get cleaned or would that need a separate process afterwards? 

One last question  this machine has a high or low switch or fast and slow. For wrist watches does it get high or low ?

Thanks for the info, Tom

[SteveFitzwater]

I run mine on low

 

[bobm12]

Yes, Tom they will get cleaned and much better if you first remove the cap jewels. If incabloc, make sure you, after taking out the jewels, close the spring back in place. As for the other questions, that's more machine related...

You can always try to clean the jewels in One-Dip or Ronsonol (or similar). As an alternative, One-Dip works great for hairsprings too. But that would be by hand.

One important step, even before you start your cleaning, is to "peg" all the jewel holes with pegwood. It will get the job done better and help both the Ultrasonic feature and the regular cleaning.

As far as the baskets, the small basket you want is a quality one. I've used those US$5 from many other places including ebay and was not too satisfied so I bit the bullet and bought the Bergeon ones...and never looked back.

Cheers,

Bob