Update. Watch part compartments the the diy rotary wash

[Neverenoughwatches]

A couple of finished items here for the diy old pillar drill rotary wash. Still honing things for the wash baskets, but this is what i've come up with so far. Parts list :-  3 small round sealable tubs £1.50p for the 3. 1 larger tub that holds 2 of the smaller tubs 79p. 3 bolts with nuts and washers inc. Mdf big washers made with holesaw, shed items. 1 pill box container 29p. 3 mini mesh baskets, had those already. 1 lid from tuperwear cup, kitchen cupboard. 1 mealworm tub from the mother in law . 1  2kg dumbell weight from my gym stock of around 2 1/2 tonne. This gives me 1 segmented single basket that will do 1 possibly 2 movements. The larger tub carries 2 lots of this so potentially 4 watch movements. The mealworm tub and weight is for hazard intervention protection. Sources. :- kitchen, shed, home gym, watchroom, the range,  poundland and home bargains, oh and the mother in law . Well under £4.04p for the wash baskets, maybe was eligible to have posted all this  there.

[Kalanag]

Well done!

Have you tested if the fluid agitation is comparable to that of a mesh basket?

[JGrainger]

How about using the lid and the top part from the base - but using a brass mesh dome?

I figured that brass mesh could be formed around a rounded wooden block, then snipped to size, maybe some strips cut out of the sides and solder joined in order to get the correct circumference, then epoxied to the remaining top part of the base.. possibly with a brass mesh divider soldered across it too.

 

Edited to add:

Cleaning machines basically make the fluid flow along/past/through the watch parts. Your basket will allow fluid in, but it doesn't look so likely to have much flow - possibly less than forcibly dunking and lifting the basket (based on the small holes in the basket).. so the fluid may stay somewhat stationary within each compartment once it reaches speed.

Edited June 9, 2022 by JonathanGrainger

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, Kalanag said:

Well done!

Have you tested if the fluid agitation is comparable to that of a mesh basket?

It works really well, but i have nothing to make a comparison with. The pillar drill can only revolve one way so i may need to find a way to create more turbulence inside the tub. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

12 hours ago, JonathanGrainger said:

How about using the lid and the top part from the base - but using a brass mesh dome?

I figured that brass mesh could be formed around a rounded wooden block, then snipped to size, maybe some strips cut out of the sides and solder joined in order to get the correct circumference, then epoxied to the remaining top part of the base.. possibly with a brass mesh divider soldered across it too.

 

Edited to add:

Cleaning machines basically make the fluid flow along/past/through the watch parts. Your basket will allow fluid in, but it doesn't look so likely to have much flow - possibly less than forcibly dunking and lifting the basket (based on the small holes in the basket).. so the fluid may stay somewhat stationary within each compartment once it reaches speed.

It seems to flow through fairly well, but likey will be better with larger and more holes  through each section. Ideally i want to create more turbulance as once the fluid reaches the same speed as the  basket that does reduce that effect as there is no backwards and forward motion. So i was thinking some extra material in there to agitate things up or and offset the spindle just enough to give a slight wobble of the basket without causing excessive wear on either the drill or the basket mount. Problem is the compartmentation wont allow the material to pass through each section and will probably block the holes also Thats why the basket insert with no sections, but didnt want the mesh baskets to bang around too much and also potentially damage bridges and cocks that wont fit in the mesh baskets. Agitation material ball bearings ? Possibly too heavy and may damage unprotected parts so soft airgun shot?. Again after a few mins all this and the fluid would reach the same speed. Enter MK II made from a cake mixer that spins on two seperate axis, one around the other which should agitate much better and also has a good range of variable speed. Figuring out how to mount the spindle will be a bit more difficult and may involve some welding though.

[JGrainger]

It's a tough one to know what's best, I can try to visualise how a concept may work but rather than try to analyse it, will give my own take on the basket topic..

Having two cleaning machines and only one small basket between them, I'm a bit torn between buying an Indian copy of the Elma basket - which may offer the ability to clean two small watches.. and to use a large mesh basket in order to be able to deal with large pocket watches.. it had crossed my mind that a large basket might be doable, possibly with some wire running back and forth to act as a divider/s - thinking that essentially, it ought to maximise flow and just keep some big parts from hitting each other/ make them spin rather than sitting stationary, with some mini baskets for small parts in there too.

 

I guess if you want the fluid to flow, you've got to image the path you want it to take and figure out how to direct it to do that. The old cleaners were single direction and feature a propeller and some bits to stop the liquid all spinning.. I wonder if solid basket sides with a mesh bottom and a propellor above would help (along with vanes inside the jar or which are fastened to the motor body and lower into the jar).. might be Grenier which use a simple shaped wire which goes around the circumference of the jar.. or there are the jar lining grilles which are like miniature mezzanine flooring material.

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, JonathanGrainger said:

 a propellor above would help

This reminds me of the old twin tub washing machine that my mum used 40 years ago. A side propeller, but that rotated first one way then the other to agitate the wash .  This method works best, but I do like the idea of the propeller then the fluid is passing over stationary parts as opposed to spinning them along with the fluid. I am curious as to how the cake mixer would work though. How about a whisk working inside a mesh cylinder inside a tub with the parts on the outside of the mesh cylinder. Or is this getting a bit crazy now, I can kind of see this working. Here is a very crude example. The whisk acts as a propeller, the mesh keeps the parts and propeller separate,  the train wheels keyless and screws would be in separate mini baskets and the larger bridges cocks and mainplate parts in fixed cheese holes compartments. No idea yet what I could use for a larger mesh cylinder, this is an infuser from a teapot

Just now, Neverenoughwatches said:

This reminds me of the old twin tub washing machine that my mum used 40 years ago. A side propeller, but that rotated first one way then the other to agitate the wash .  This method works best, but I do like the idea of the propeller then the fluid is passing over stationary parts as opposed to spinning them along with the fluid. I am curious as to how the cake mixer would work though. How about a whisk working inside a mesh cylinder inside a tub with the parts on the outside of the mesh cylinder. Or is this getting a bit crazy now, I can kind of see this working. Here is a very crude example. The whisk acts as a propeller, the mesh keeps the parts and propeller separate,  the train wheels keyless and screws would be in separate mini baskets and the larger bridges cocks and mainplate parts in fixed cheese holes compartments. No idea yet what I could use for a larger mesh cylinder, this is an infuser from a teapot

Don't tell me I know I'm crazy. But it's a good kind of crazy

2 hours ago, JonathanGrainger said:

It's a tough one to know what's best, I can try to visualise how a concept may work but rather than try to analyse it, will give my own take on the basket topic..

Having two cleaning machines and only one small basket between them, I'm a bit torn between buying an Indian copy of the Elma basket - which may offer the ability to clean two small watches.. and to use a large mesh basket in order to be able to deal with large pocket watches.. it had crossed my mind that a large basket might be doable, possibly with some wire running back and forth to act as a divider/s - thinking that essentially, it ought to maximise flow and just keep some big parts from hitting each other/ make them spin rather than sitting stationary, with some mini baskets for small parts in there too.

 

I guess if you want the fluid to flow, you've got to image the path you want it to take and figure out how to direct it to do that. The old cleaners were single direction and feature a propeller and some bits to stop the liquid all spinning.. I wonder if solid basket sides with a mesh bottom and a propellor above would help (along with vanes inside the jar or which are fastened to the motor body and lower into the jar).. might be Grenier which use a simple shaped wire which goes around the circumference of the jar.. or there are the jar lining grilles which are like miniature mezzanine flooring material.

 

Another one.  It doesn't have to be a mesh cylinder just  a tub inside a tub to keep the propeller seperate .The inserted tub drill with holes . Or tbh not even two tubs just one tub and a holed separator disk between the propeller and the watch parts ? Definitely getting a bit wacko now