What type of lubrication dried up to look like this?

[LittleWatchShop]

Here are some pivots from a 400-day clock I am servicing.  Any ideas about what kind of oil had been used resulting in this?

[watchweasol]

Hi LWS  I have seen similar deposits on clocks oiled with 3 in one a vegitable base lubricant.  May be some one used olive oil,  been done before.

[oldhippy]

God knows. 

[Tmuir]

I was going to say WD40, but WD40 doesn't leave such a pretty green residue, its more a mold green.

But what ever it was it wasn't a modern oil for clocks.

[AndyHull]

If it wasn't for the fact that the parts are presumably steel, I would guess those were nickel salts. I found some very interesting green crystals on the weight in a 1970s Timex automatic that were lead salts. Is there any nickel plating anywhere and evidence of water ingress or damp?

[LittleWatchShop]

25 minutes ago, AndyHull said:

Is there any nickel plating anywhere and evidence of water ingress or damp?

No and no.  The clock was otherwise in pristine condition.

[rodabod]

Natural oils turn acidic over time which will often develop verdigris or copper oxide if the main plate is brass. 

[LittleWatchShop]

27 minutes ago, rodabod said:

Natural oils turn acidic over time which will often develop verdigris or copper oxide if the main plate is brass. 

Excellent...this is what I was guessing...good to know.

[spectre6000]

Rodabod took my answer. The fatty acids break off the triglycerides (natural oils) , and then you have glycerine and free fatty acids floating around. The free fatty acids are acidic, and they leach copper ions out of whatever is handy. The result is green copper salts. Not saying that's for sure what it is, but that's certainly what it looks like within the context.

Edited March 15, 2022 by spectre6000

[VWatchie]

On 3/12/2022 at 10:45 PM, oldhippy said:

God knows. 

It's amazing what can be found in a watch movement. Had an ETA 2836-2 (found in an auction scrap box) with some black very sticky substance/goo on the impulse surfaces of the pallets (only). Otherwise the movement was in excellent condition. Getting rid of that black goo was almost impossible (like hard dried up chewing gum) but in the end I prevailed.

What it was? Well, God knows. Perhaps a wild experiment gone wrong that made it end up in that auction scrap box.

[rodabod]

8 hours ago, VWatchie said:

It's amazing what can be found in a watch movement. Had an ETA 2836-2 (found in an auction scrap box) with some black very sticky substance/goo on the impulse surfaces of the pallets (only). Otherwise the movement was in excellent condition. Getting rid of that black goo was almost impossible (like hard dried up chewing gum) but in the end I prevailed.

What it was? Well, God knows. Perhaps a wild experiment gone wrong that made it end up in that auction scrap box.

Oddly enough, I had the same with an ETA 28xx one time. I think it was a relatively high beat model. What came off the pallets and escape wheel was pitch black and I was inclined to believe it was actually worn steel from the escape wheel.