Horia Jewelling Tool Cleanup

[jyard]

Hi All,

I recently picked up an old Horia jewelling tool, mechanically it seems to be functioning well. But, it does need a bit of a cleanup.

I have stripped it down already, question is, does anybody have an idea on what is best to lubricate the micrometer screw? It's clear that it has been greased at some point.

Final question, it has that beautiful "Crinkle" paint effect on the body, unfortunately its been hit with some patches of rust. Anybody have some suggested products/methods for getting it back to its former glory?

Thanks in advance.

[nickelsilver]

You can use any thin oil for the micrometer threads and the spindle to bore contact, from sewing machine oil to 3in1 to machine spindle oil (like ISO 10 or 22 viscosity). There's actual micrometer oil like Starrett M1, which I think is really just a general high quality thin mineral oil. Yes, grease is wrong, haha.

 

For the crinkle paint, there are commercial ones available (google crinkle paint). I haven't tried them, and doubt they come out as nice as the old finishes. I have used Hammerite paint for the mottled effect you see on a lot of later Horia and other tools, and it works pretty well. Like most modern enamel paints it takes quite a while to fully dry. Dry to the touch in a few hours, but fully dry (hard) can take a month.

[jyard]

Thanks Nickelsilver, I will pop a bit of 3in1 on as that's what I have to hand.

Hammerite was going to be my back option, as it always seems to give a nice finish. I will give the crinkle paint a go to test. Hadn't realised its an actual product and you don't have to do anything other than spray it on. Thought it would be a complicated method to get the right look.

[SpringMangler]

Water White Oil, which is typically used on sewing machines, is a great lubricant for threads and the like. I started using it in the tone generators of Hammond organs instead of the very expensive Hammond oil as it's dirt cheap and works a treat. Costs around £7 a litre.

[canthus]

Just as a matter of interest.

'White Oils' are generally normal mineral oils that have been further processed to move many of the undesirable components, giving a water clear mineral oil.   They are commonly know as 'liquid paraffin' and are sometimes available at chemists etc but are often scented and called 'baby oil'.  White oils have two types, medicinal for making ointments etc, and technical for use in food-making machinery.  They come in various thicknesses (viscosities), but are often just called  'light, medium heavy etc'.

[ifibrin]

On 10/13/2022 at 7:19 PM, jyard said:

I have stripped it down already, question is, does anybody have an idea on what is best to lubricate the micrometer screw? It's clear that it has been greased at some point.

Which Horia jeweling tool do you have? Depending on whether it’s the lever type, or the “pure-micrometer” type, there may be a difference in type of lubrication…
 

On 10/13/2022 at 7:19 PM, jyard said:

Final question, it has that beautiful "Crinkle" paint effect on the body, unfortunately its been hit with some patches of rust. Anybody have some suggested products/methods for getting it back to its former glory?

How bad is the rust, and where is it located? If it’s just a small spot, I would apply a small amount of phosphoric-acid containing rust remover, which will remove the rust, and also cause a thin layer of protective iron phosphate to grow on the surface. Do note that if the rust remover you use does not contain iron phosphate, the rust will be removed, but the bare steel surface will rust again quite readily…

 

23 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

You can use any thin oil for the micrometer threads and the spindle to bore contact, from sewing machine oil to 3in1 to machine spindle oil (like ISO 10 or 22 viscosity).

I’m curious if you can use moebius hp1300 to lubricate the micrometer; I always have quite some amount of hp1300 left over in my oil pots at the end of the week, which you are supposed to dispose of.

[nickelsilver]

7 minutes ago, ifibrin said:

I’m curious if you can use moebius hp1300 to lubricate the micrometer; I always have quite some amount of hp1300 left over in my oil pots at the end of the week, which you are supposed to dispose of.

Honestly you can use whatever you like. I think 1300 would be a bit thick for an actual micrometer, but on the Horia I can't see it being an issue, perhaps it's even better on something like the Horia where the "micrometer" is actually a pressing tool (you'd get slapped if you clamped a measuring micrometer on something in a workshop!).