Carbon Steel Tweezers

[redge]

I'm considering the purchase of Dumont carbon steel tweezers, specifically styles 2 and 2A. I'm aware of the drawbacks. Carbon steel requires maintenance against rust and use of a demagnetiser.

I have a question about maintenance. How does one apply protective oil to the hinge point where the two parts of the tweezer meet? A brush? Dipping the rear part of the tweezer in oil and wiping away  the excess?

I'd also appreciate comments from people who use carbon steel tweezers on why they use them rather than a rust-free, anti-magnetic alloy.

Interestingly, carbon is really only less expensive than Dumostar. These are Dumont's U.S. prices for styles 2 and 2A:

Nickel: $32 (not available for 2A)

Dumoxel: $33 for both

Carbon: $35 for #2 and $37 for #2A

Stainless: $36 for both

Dumostar: $50 for both

 

Thanks

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by redge

[redge]

Tonight I narrowed my choice to Carbon Steel and Dumostar. The style 2 and 2A would cost US$72 in carbon steel and $100 in Dumostar. The difference in price of $28 is not an issue for me. I've had good experience with carbon steel knives and I've had no experience with Dumostar.

I'd appreciate comments on the carbon steel maintenance issue that I raised in my first post and comments on the pros and cons of the two materials apart from maintenance and magnetism.

Thanks

 

[Marc]

Most of my tweezers are vintage (1950's to 1970's) carbon steel, mostly Dumont but also some other makes. I use them because I got them in a couple of old watchmaker estate clearance sales and I got them cheap. They all needed a considerable amount of dressing, I got the impression that back in the day they were cheap enough to be considered consumables so nobody bothered much with maintenance, not like today. Also some of them had spent 20 years or so stored in a damp garage and had suffered some surface rusting which had to be cleaned up.

I have never applied any oil to them what so ever. I've had them now for well over 10 years and there are no signs of any rust. I would say that unless you live in a very humid environment it probably shouldn't be necessary.

They do need regular demagnetising though, and for that I just use a pass through type bench top demagnetiser.

I generally use brass tweezers for handling plates, bridges, etc. I have a pair of plastic tipped tweezers that I use for dials and hands. The steel tweezers are used for screws, wheels, and springs. I do have a couple of stainless steel tweezers but they don't get a lot of use simply because I prefer the feel, the weight, and the light action of the vintage carbon steel tools.

[nickelsilver]

I like carbon steel, especially for fine hairspring work, but otherwise I think it's worth the extra money for Dumostar when going stainless. They are as hard as carbon, and more resistant to breaking than carbon and more resistant to deforming than the other stainless alloys. Like Marc I also use brass/nickel tweezers for lots of work, they are "grippier" than steel, so fewer dropped or pinged parts, in addition to being kinder to the parts being handled. They need frequent dressing but it's quickly done with a file.

[Jon]

Modern carbon steel tweezers from Dumont are nowhere near as good as the vintage ones from Dumont. I don't know if they have changed the composition of them, but the newer ones aren't as hard wearing. All tweezers made from steel, including stainless steel is 'carbon steel', but not all have a high carbon content. I like my vintage carbon steel tweezers because they are hard as nails, so when removing and replacing springs, as well as cannon pinions, I reach for them. Stainless steel is too soft in my experience. I started off using stainless tweezers, but hardly ever use them now. Primarily, I use 2AM and 3AM Dumont brass tweezers 90% of the time, because they have the right feel and are soft enough not to damage a part, the rest of the time it is the high carbon steel tweezers. I prefer a No.2. I've never used oil on tweezers, just a brush to sweep them out daily, after a bit of wet and dry if they have got tarnished or rusty. A piece of 1200 grit wet and dry folded over and close the tweezers around it and draw it through a few times, which puts a slight grain on the inside of the tweezers which will help grip screws so much easier! Trust me, it works a treat.

[redge]

Thanks Jon, Marc and Nickelsilver. Very helpful, but you've got me wanting to try both I think that I'm going to order one of the sets in carbon and the other in Dumostar and see how each goes.

Much appreciated.

[Jon]

Both? You clearly haven't fallen down the tool rabbit hole yet!  I must own about 40 tweezers. I have at least six or seven on my bench at a time. When one dulls or needs honing I reach for a fresh one, so not to lose any time. The beginning of the next day, I hone them all again. I do the same with several sets of screwdrivers I have on my bench. Different profiles for the screw slots, so they fit exactly, rather than close, as this is when screwdrivers slip and chew up the screw.

[Marc]

19 minutes ago, Jon said:

I must own about 40 tweezers

Is that all ??

I think the last time I counted I had over 70 pairs of one style or another. As I said earlier I picked up the tail ends of a couple of watchmaker estate clearances that had been put up on eBay as job lots. I took a punt on both and won both for quite reasonable prices but they were the tail ends that nobody else could be bothered with and included all the stuff that the former owners had used to death, replaced, but never got around to throwing away (typical watchmaker trait). This is why I think that tweezers must have been cheap enough to be considered consumables because probably 95% of my tweezers came from those two lots, and they all needed a lot of dressing and tuning up.

[Jon]

4 hours ago, Marc said:

Is that all ??

I think the last time I counted I had over 70 pairs of one style or another. As I said earlier I picked up the tail ends of a couple of watchmaker estate clearances that had been put up on eBay as job lots. I took a punt on both and won both for quite reasonable prices but they were the tail ends that nobody else could be bothered with and included all the stuff that the former owners had used to death, replaced, but never got around to throwing away (typical watchmaker trait). This is why I think that tweezers must have been cheap enough to be considered consumables because probably 95% of my tweezers came from those two lots, and they all needed a lot of dressing and tuning up.

Brilliant!... Most of my tweezers have also come from joblots, mainly post Brexit, so buying them from Switzerland and Germany wasn't so expensive and such a hassle. I do find vintage carbon steel tweezers are so much better than new carbon steel Dumont tweezers. I don't know if the composition is different or its just me. And yes, some do need a bit of dressing, but the result is so worth it. Watchmaker estates are a bit few and far between these days, so I'm always on the hunt. I just picked up a German made Flott precision bench press drill this week on eBay for £200. Right place, right time. I do love an eBay listing that ends in the middle of the afternoon,

[redge]

I made an order with a U.S. Dumont vendor for the style 2 in carbon steel and the 2A in Dumostar. Total was US$85 plus 9% sales tax and shipping.

I dropped eBay as a purchase option after a couple of weeks of watching listings. I didn't see what I wanted, frequently several items are sold as a lot, and it was often hard to judge condition from photos. Lacking experience, I wasn't confident that I knew what I was getting into.

That said, I came across a Rubis style F on eBay that I purchased. I have some questions about this tweezer and I'm starting a separate thread about it.

Thanks very much for the helpful advice.