Clean hands

[OLLOPLO]

Hi 

How do you clean your watch hands.

Someone used ultrasonic ?        

Alcohol ?

Tools ?

Kind regards

Oliver

[noirrac1j]

If they're a little tarnished, I wash them in hot water with ultrsonication liquid and spill them out onto a paper towel to dry, and sometimes  also dip them in naptha to get them  extra clean. If they look ok, I just rub them with Rodico while holding them down with  a brass tweezer. 

J

[StuartBaker104]

Depends what you are trying to clean off.

If it’s just a finger print then rodico is a good option

If worse, then Iso Propyl Alcohol can be useful

If rusted then I use metal polish on a flattened piece of pegwood. Beware doing this on plated hands as the plating is usually very thin. I have successfully replated gold plated hands with a pen plating kit, but I have a set of bright nickel on brass hands to refinish and I’m anxious about plating those as I’ve never seen suitable replacements if it goes horribly wrong.

I usually sit the hand on a piece of balsa wood or mdf while I’m working on it.

Always much harder to clean if they are lumed. In which case, unless you want to replace the lume, leave well alone

[OLLOPLO]

that is exactly the problem

I have a Omega GMT and the hands look a bit corroded and have some fat spots.

But the hand are highly lumed.

Can I use ultrasonic ?

How do you append the Propyl Alcohol on a ear tip or piece of cloth ? 

[nickelsilver]

I use 99% iso alcohol on a stick of pith. End of stick cut to a wedge shape, dip in alcohol, blot on paper, then swipe over the hand. I wouldn't do it on painted hands or hands with recessed lume, those it's dry clean pithwood and nothing more.

[StuartBaker104]

Ultrasonic is likely to trash the lume and do little of value. However, if the hands are modern then replacing the lume will not devalue them.

if there is corrosion and it’s a modern watch have you looked at replacing them?