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Stuck stem, is all hope lost

OmegaConstellation
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OmegaConstellation Member

OmegaConstellation

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Hi everyone,

I am trying to replace a broken stem but it seems to be jammed. I've tried every trick in the book trying to remove it  What makes it worse is that there isn't enough existing stem to work with. If you're wondering the movement is an Omega cal 505, constellation model. Any advise would gladly be appreciated.

Thanks

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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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Before throwing in the towel, there are more things you can try.

First, disassemble the movement, leaving only the stuck parts. Spray it with wd40 and leave it for a couple of days. Try gripping what's left of the stem with a presto watch hand remover and pulling on it.

If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, run it for 10 minutes and try again.

As a last resort, put something like a chisel in the setting lever groove and slant it at an angle and try tapping the stem out.

Worst case scenario is to cut it at the groove, remove the clutch wheel and sliding pinion, and tap out the stem with a pin punch.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

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OmegaConstellation Member

OmegaConstellation

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1 hour ago, HectorLooi said:

Before throwing in the towel, there are more things you can try.

First, disassemble the movement, leaving only the stuck parts. Spray it with wd40 and leave it for a couple of days. Try gripping what's left of the stem with a presto watch hand remover and pulling on it.

If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, run it for 10 minutes and try again.

As a last resort, put something like a chisel in the setting lever groove and slant it at an angle and try tapping the stem out.

Worst case scenario is to cut it at the groove, remove the clutch wheel and sliding pinion, and tap out the stem with a pin punch.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Thanks for the advise and happy new years!

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AndyHull Distinguished Member

AndyHull

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if the WD40 trick fails, you might still be able to free it up with a little heat.

If you have a small pencil type electric soldering iron, then you could try heating the clutch till it is good and hot.

The thermal expansion may help crush the rust slightly and also melt some of the tarry gunk that is holding everything stuck fast. That in turn might give you a little wiggle room to start things moving. 

A small gas torch might also work, but be very careful not to overdo the heat.

Edited by AndyHull
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OmegaConstellation Member

OmegaConstellation

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50 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

if the WD40 trick fails, you might still be able to free it up with a little heat.

If you have a small pencil type electric soldering iron, then you could try heating the clutch till it is good and hot.

The thermal expansion may help crush the rust slightly and also melt some of the tarry gunk that is holding everything stuck fast. That in turn might give you a little wiggle room to start things moving. 

A small gas torch might also work, but be very careful not to overdo the heat.

How long should I hold the soldering iron to the clutch for? Thanks for the advise and happy new years!

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AndyHull Distinguished Member

AndyHull

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4 hours ago, OmegaConstellation said:

How long should I hold the soldering iron to the clutch for?

Heat it till you start to worry that you might be holding it there too long 😋

The clutch is a pretty small part, so it should heat up pretty quickly.

Most soldering irons heat up to somewhere in the 200C to 400C range, and the clutch will hit that sort of temperature pretty quickly (maybe in 5 to 10 seconds). This is hot enough to melt solder, but no where near hot enough to melt brass or steel, so your watch parts are perfectly safe at this sort of temperature.

It will however give all the gunk in the clutch and on the stem a good grilling, and you may even see a small whiff of smoke.

If you hold the heat there too long, then the main plate will start to heat up and you risk grilling your fingertips if you are unwise enough to be holding the thing with your fingers while heating it (which is almost certainly the sort of daft thing I would do).

One other tip. Clean the hot soldering iron tip carefully with a piece of wet tissue paper or the tip sponge if your iron has one. This will avoid you transferring solder or other junk on to the work piece (the clutch, stem, crown etc).

BTW Hot WD40 makes an interesting smell. 🙃

Edited by AndyHull
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OmegaConstellation Member

OmegaConstellation

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27 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Heat it till you start to worry that you might be holding it there too long 😋

The clutch is a pretty small part, so it should heat up pretty quickly.

Most soldering irons heat up to somewhere in the 200C to 400C range, and the clutch will hit that sort of temperature pretty quickly (maybe in 5 to 10 seconds). This is hot enough to melt solder, but no where near hot enough to melt brass or steel, so your watch parts are perfectly safe at this sort of temperature.

It will however give all the gunk in the clutch and on the stem a good grilling, and you may even see a small whiff of smoke.

If you hold the heat there too long, then the main plate will start to heat up and you risk grilling your fingertips if you are unwise enough to be holding the thing with your fingers while heating it (which is almost certainly the sort of daft thing I would do).

One other tip. Clean the hot soldering iron tip carefully with a piece of wet tissue paper or the tip sponge if your iron has one. This will avoid you transferring solder or other junk on to the work piece (the clutch, stem, crown etc).

BTW Hot WD40 makes an interesting smell.

I like the way you think. High heat, WD40 and an expensive watch, what could go wrong? Thanks again mate!

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spectre6000 Distinguished Member

spectre6000

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Also, assuming it's rusted in, you might try Evaporust. Similar concept the to tea, but more suited to purpose. Convert the rust, and it physically takes up less space. May be enough to just come out like normal. Won't touch the other metals (excluding blued steel, but that's not in play). Very low impact solution.

Edited by spectre6000
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