Batteri sitting for many years

[Khan]

Hi 

Can I save this watch? If so, how can I carefully clean it? 

[nickelsilver]

It will really need to come apart and have a full service to be sure there's no debris in the works, plus is certainly has dried oil everywhere (these movements will continue to run even with gummed up oil). These are particularly delicate, not for novices. Parts are becoming very scarce so a mistake can be very costly. Just to take the movement out of the case you must remove the tuning fork module first as any bump to the hands with that in place can cause major damage.

 

But these are super movements and well worth saving!

[watchweasol]

I think the question is , unless you try you wont know. And if nothing else you will have gained a bit of knowledge. It all depends on the degree of corrosion and how far its penetrated.     Heed the advice given by Nicklesilver

26 minutes ago, nickelsilver said:

ust to take the movement out of the case you must remove the tuning fork module first as any bump to the hands with that in place can cause major damage.

Attached the general service manual for your information.     cheers

Bulova_SMQ Service Manual (2).pdf

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, Khan said:

Hi 

Can I save this watch? If so, how can I carefully clean it? 

Quite a bit of battery leakage. If you are lucky this wont have spread and affected the circuitry. Just depends how early you have caught it. My first course of action would be to clean up as much of the leakage as possible. I use tiny pieces of a chamois leather to mop it up. Be careful with this corrosive compound its pretty nasty stuff.  But that may depend on the battery used. Old mercury batteries i imagine could be more hazardous.

[Khan]

4 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Quite a bit of battery leakage. If you are lucky this wont have spread and affected the circuitry. Just depends how early you have caught it. My first course of action would be to clean up as much of the leakage as possible. I use tiny pieces of a chamois leather to mop it up. Be careful with this corrosive compound its pretty nasty stuff.  But that may depend on the battery used. Old mercury batteries i imagine could be more hazardous.

Hi 

How hazardous can it be? Should I wear some kind of protection? I removed the worse part of the corrosion with pegwood. 

By the way, I have ordered a battery so hoping the best. 

 

 

[watchweasol]

Hi  Its hazardous in as much don't touch it or breath it in , not knowing the previous battery's composition you don't take chances. Use finger cots or gloves when cleaning it up, If its an alkali a cotton bud with a dab of vinegar (acid) will remove the bulk of it but the watch will require dismantling to determine its ingression.  I get this quite often on quartz clock terminals and are usually successfully cleaned if its not gone too far and eaten the metal which its quite cape able of doing . The bottom line is be careful and take proper precautions and apply common sense. It probably will not cause any problems but why take the chance.

[Neverenoughwatches]

15 minutes ago, Khan said:

Hi 

How hazardous can it be? Should I wear some kind of protection? I removed the worse part of the corrosion with pegwood. 

By the way, I have ordered a battery so hoping the best. 

 

 

Its not something you want on your bare skin. Ie. Fingers , hands to then touch elsewhere. Just wear finger cots and dispose of them responsibly. A small piece of sponge on the tip of the pegwood or between tweezers being careful not to scratch the circuits to help mop up and residue 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Neverenoughwatches

[JohnR725]

5 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Be careful with this corrosive compound its pretty nasty stuff.

silver oxide batteries typically have sodium or potassium hydroxide in them. If you're not familiar with the compound sodium hydroxide is typically drain cleaner. So you don't necessarily need a full hazmat suit or breathing apparatus but try not to ingest it or get it in your eyes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver-oxide_battery