Main Spring barrel Question

[TadasJ]

Hello, 

I've gathered information about automatic main spring barrel walls and i know what lube is needed for them (8217, 9500) braking grease however I currently only have these: Moebius 9415, 9010, D5 and Molykote Dx paste the basic oils and grease for beginner now is it really necessary to have the other braking grease at the moment as i dont know if i can sell another kidney for more grease  is it maybe viable to use any of the ones i currently have ?

Thanks !

[watchweasol]

Hi  Kluber P125 and Molykote DX are essentially the same thing .  both used for breaking the mainspring.  Although Rolex and brietling stopped using it because it dirtied the cleaning fluid not because of any other reasons so I guess its safe to use.

[Kalanag]

Are you sure? Kluber is graphite filled and a dedicated breaking grease. DX is PTFE filled and not adverticed as breaking grease.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Kalanag

[gbyleveldt]

8217 is probably the cheapest option for braking grease. All the other lubricants you have does exactly the opposite.

[watchweasol]

Unfortunatly the OP has financial constraints and is/was looking to make use of what he has not shelling out for another expensive product.       Kulber P125 was discussed on the nawcc site, and Henry B Freid used graphite / oil paste , so there are vairied alteratives on the market.

[JohnR725]

15 hours ago, Kalanag said:

Are you sure? Kluber is graphite filled and a dedicated breaking grease. DX is PTFE filled and not adverticed as breaking grease.

I am also confused here. the Kluber is a black really sticky substance that if you use too much it has too much breaking and is very bad.The DX is actually rated as a lubricant for very high pressure applications and I wouldn't consider it a breaking grease at all. So I'm a bit confused for the same reason.

20 hours ago, TadasJ said:

grease for beginner now is it really necessary to have the other braking grease at the moment as i dont know if i can sell another kidney for more grease 

I really wish it was this simple we would all be happy to have one bottle of oil for everything it would make things so much nicer unfortunately it doesn't work that way I have a interesting video for you

the problem with the video is it conflicts with the theme of this discussion, The wrong lubricant will lead to the barrel destruction. The wrong lubricant if the mainspring doesn't slip leads to timing issues which probably be acceptable on a cost basis in other words does the watch have to really keep time versus how many kidneys you have to donate. You know in some countries you wouldn't have to use your kidney just steal one from somebody else I've heard that's a thing.

the bad of the video is it explains consequences of the wrong lubricant. If your mainspring doesn't slip as you can see in the video you will have timing issues. If you go the other direction something that's too slippery the mainspring may not have enough power at all to run the watch. probably if you keep it on your wrist you'll be okay just depends on how easily it slips

Then at about three minutes we get the interesting aspect. not only do you have to have the right lubricant but how it's applied is important. For instance in the video if this was Kluber and you apply as much as he's doing I don't think the mainspring would slip at all well it was slept but it be really really hard.
 

16 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Although Rolex and brietling stopped using it because it dirtied the cleaning fluid

the Rolex lubricant is called TEPA the reference I'm looking at indicates it's not of the same color as the DX which makes me suspect it's not the same thing. but breaking grease does have to have a grease characteristic to keep the barrel wall from disintegrating. Which makes me suspect that probably uses Teflon so it is a breaking grease with a Teflon lubricant.

https://youtu.be/7KNTrHVD088

20 hours ago, TadasJ said:

Moebius 9415, 9010, D5 and Molykote Dx paste

learning watch repair can be interesting thing that requires a lot of practice. But maybe it also requires some experimentation and this is a multiple-choice question so I'm will vote for the DX as the others are totally unsuitable as they would have zero breaking effect at all. So let's try the DX and see what happens.

 

[Mark]

16 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Kluber P125 and Molykote DX are essentially the same thing

16 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Although Rolex and brietling stopped using it because it dirtied the cleaning fluid not because of any other reasons so I guess its safe to use

I have never considered Moly to be a braking grease, nor can I remember ever having seen it being recommended for this application on any sheet including Rolex - or at least I have most of the Rolex service sheets and can't remember seeing it. Kluber 125 is my go-to now but sparingly applied, I've seen it really being piled on in certain Instagram posts in the past .

To the OP - my two cents: I recommend grabbing some Kluber or 8217 if you're going to be working on any number of automatic movements - it will definitely improve performance and give you peace of mind that you have done a good job.

[TadasJ]

Thanks to everyone who replied I’ll take your guys’ advice and buy some 8217 when I can

Thanks !