Clean And Oil Plastic Main Plate And Wheels

[ContiDave]

I have my Seiko 5T52A completely stripped down to the main plate and I'm ready to clean and oil.  I have 6 plastic wheels and the main plate is plastic as well.  Question, will it hurt these plastic parts to submerge them in lighter fluid or should I use air to clean them?  Second question, none of the plastic wheel axle holes call for oil, should I oil them anyway?  Can it hurt them?  I think not but I thought I would check with you guys.

[clockboy]

Please find attached PDF which includes stripping procedure + lube chart. 

I am not sure of the equivalents for the oils but I think S6 is D5. Others might have these

 

Seiko 5T52A.pdf

Edited February 15, 2015 by clockboy

[Mark]

I have my Seiko 5T52A completely stripped down to the main plate and I'm ready to clean and oil.  I have 6 plastic wheels and the main plate is plastic as well.  Question, will it hurt these plastic parts to submerge them in lighter fluid or should I use air to clean them?  Second question, none of the plastic wheel axle holes call for oil, should I oil them anyway?  Can it hurt them?  I think not but I thought I would check with you guys.

 

 

I never oil the pivots of quartz watches, for the same reason I don't oil the pallet pivots on mechanical watches. Never had a problem with this over the years. However, you cannot use any kind of harsh chemical on the plastic plates - you will find that the surface may go soft and in some cases may even melt.

 

 

This is where a cheap ultrasonic machine will come in handy. Highly diluted soapy warm (not hot) water and about 15 minutes should do the trick and I should point out to dry immediately with tissue and make sure it is completely dry before re-assembly. If the wheels are plastic then cleaning them with Rodico is the safest way in my opinion.

 

The above tricks are my own method and would possibly be frowned upon by purists. :)

[ContiDave]

That sounds like good advice. Thanks.

[bobm12]

Noted and filed!