Jump to content

Pre-Cleaning A Watch

fuse63

By fuse63
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

fuse63 Watch Enthusiast

fuse63

Posted
Posted

Hello Everyone,

Can anyone tell me exactly what goes into pre-cleaning a watch? I took a webinar with AWCI and they talked about precleaning the watch before checking the escapement. I usually just clean a watch so I would just want someone to explain to me what goes into it.

 

Thanks

watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

Posted
Posted

Hi not a function I have come across, If you are going to clean it just do that,  One normaly checks the watch out before doing anything anyway,  why pre clean somthing you are goung to service unless its in a bit of  a state (gummed up or dirty)

fuse63 Watch Enthusiast

fuse63

Posted
  • Author
Posted

watchweasol, I couldn't agree with you more, but when i took this class on escapement they said the best way to be able to check the escapement is for a pre-cleaning and then to do your checks thats why i ask. I am assuming that this pre-clean is probably to take some rodico to remove any dirt on the escapement, pallet fork etc.

JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

Posted
Posted

in modern watch repair shops is where you're going to find pre-cleaning.  the pre-cleaning procedure is to remove the watch from the case remove the dial and calendar parts for the most part. I know someone who does Rolex repair and claims at least one Rolex watch you can leave the calendar parts on because they're not affected but to be safe everything with paint the dial etc. has to come off.

then the entire watch is run through the pre-clean cleaning machine. Yes they usually are separate cleaning machines. It's usually set to a shorter cycle than you normally would run all the pieces through. The reason for doing this is it gives you a nice clean watch allows you to evaluate everything.

then out of curiosity how was your escapement class?

then you want to be careful with your rodico is really amazing for cleaning but it can leave a residue behind that interferes with things.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
clockboy Distinguished Member

clockboy

Posted
Posted

I sometimes pre-clean if a watch/clock is particularly dirty. Rodico,peg wood and sometimes cotton buds are my tools. I do this to aid a closer inspection & analysis and also with watches it gives my cleaning solutions a longer life.

fuse63 Watch Enthusiast

fuse63

Posted
  • Author
Posted

JohnR725, thanks for the information, so basically you are saying after you remove the dial etc, you just put the whole movement in the pre-cleaning machine without disassembling it? The escapement class was through the AWCI and it was very informative. 

rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
Posted (edited)

"Pre-cleaning" is the term I use for cleaning absolutely filthy watches. They go in a jar of naphtha. Keeps the large volume of dirt separate from my normal cleaning fluids.

Edited by rodabod
JohnR725 Distinguished Member

JohnR725

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, fuse63 said:

whole movement in the pre-cleaning machine

yes that is pre-cleaning whole movement nothing is disassembled.

10 hours ago, fuse63 said:

The escapement class was through the AWCI and it was very informative. 

I hadn't realized but AWCI has a YouTube channel looks like they have two separate videos on the escapement including one that covers lubrication.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI5yh2536IS62ehsNONDHiA/videos

 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • tonydagee
      Calendar work certina 25-651

      By tonydagee · Posted

      Hello all, just disassembling to service, but I can’t figure out the working of the calendar work…it’s not operational the jumper and spring are ok, but the operation of the driving wheel has me at a loss. I can’t see a cam to drive anything. Is something damaged or missing? Help please!
    • tIB
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By tIB · Posted

      Believe the relume (not a fan) was done a long time after the damage. 
    • Malocchio
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By Malocchio · Posted

      I can only think of some chemical reaction to reluming
    • nickelsilver
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By nickelsilver · Posted

      I have a little milling attachment for my WW lathe, but very rarely use it and not for wheel and pinion cutting. For that I use a small Sixis 101 milling machine. I normally do direct dividing, but sometimes have to do an odd count and use the universal index which also fits on the Sixis.   Back in the day when I didn't have a mill, I would cut gearing on my Schaublin 102. It has a universal dividing attachment which fits the back of the spindle. Both it and the one for the Sixis are 60:1 ratio, and with the set of 4  index plates I can do almost any division. When I've had to do a strange high count prime number, I print a disc with the needed division and just place the plunger on the dot. Any position error is reduced by a factor of 60 so still plenty accurate.   The machines are a mess in the pics as I'm in the process of making a batch of barrels for a wristwatch 🙃.   This is the Sixis. The head can also be placed vertically, as can the dividing spindle.   Dividing plates. The smaller ones fit another dividing spindle.   Universal divider for the Sixis. I put it together with parts from an odd Sixis spindle that takes w20 collets, like the Schaublin 102, and a dividing attachment from a Schaublin mill.     The dividing attachment for the 102. The gear fits in place of the handwheel at the back of the headstock.   And the little milling attachment for the WW lathe. I just set it on the slide rest to illustrate the size, you can see from the dust on it it really doesn't get used much. I think only when I change bearing in the head, to kiss the collet head seat (grinding wheel still in the milling attachment).
    • SidKop
      Opinions on Seiko's 4R and 6R movement quality from those more able to judge

      By SidKop · Posted

      I read a lot about the quality (or lack thereof) of Seiko's 4R, 6R, 8L  movements...or more specifically the lack of regulation from the factory. Especially when compared to similar priced manufactures using SW200's or ETA's. I thought I'd ask those more in the know, do the 4R's and 6R's deserve their bad reputation, is it fairly easy for someone with minimal skills (or better yet a trained watch mechanic) to dial in these movements to a more acceptable performance.    For background I spent more on a 1861 Speedy years ago, expecting that the advertised 0-15s/d  would probably perform more like 5-7s/d. In reality it's been closed to 2-4s/d. 
×
×
  • Create New...