Suggestions for next steps

[Bill2024]

So far the only movement I have worked on is an st3620. I have disassembled/reassembled it maybe 20 times and have so far managed not to break or loose any parts - although there have been some near misses!

I have practised taking the kif shock springs and balance jewells out and replacing them which I did find pretty challenging, and I have also tried oiling the movement.

I haven’t done any parts cleaning yet so I was wondering if that should be the next step. I would like to get a basic cleaning system set up but not really sure where to start with that, maybe an ultrasonic? Alternatively I could focus on trying out working on other movements to improve my skills.

Or is there something else I should be doing to try and progress?

Thanks, Bill

 

[Mercurial]

Learning how to lubricate a watch takes considerable practice. Once a watch has been lubricated, you must clean it to remove all traces of the oils and greases if you wish to lubricate it again. 

Similarly, if you want to try servicing used watch movements, you need a way to remove the old lubricants and any other dirt from the parts.

For this reason, I suggest that acquiring the means to clean watch parts would be a good choice. 

Some people choose to clean parts by hand, but ultrasonic cleaners are quite affordable and work very well and will save you a lot of time. 

I suggest you look into buying an ultrasonic tank, jars for cleaning solution and rinses, parts baskets, pegwood, pithwood, a cleaning solution and a rinse. 

If you can afford a gallon of professional watch cleaning fluid and a gallon of rinse, they tend to work better than most home brew cleaning supplies.

When you’re learning, it helps to remove unnecessary variables where you can, and using commercial watch cleaning products takes out some guesswork if you need to troubleshoot your cleaning process. 

Depending upon the cleaning fluids you choose, and the humidity where you live, you may need some form of heater to dry your parts whilst preventing condensation forming and causing rust. A hair dryer on low heat will suffice. 

For more information about watch cleaning products and using ultrasonic cleaners, this video is an excellent resource : 

I hope that helps,

Mark

[Bill2024]

@Mercurial - thanks for the advice. Yes I think you’re right; parts and case cleaning is definitely something I’m going to need so probably best to get that worked out sooner rather than later. 

I have bought a couple of cheap Rotary watches from eBay which I want to have a go at servicing but I should probably get the whole process of disassembly/inspection/cleaning/lubricating and assembly down before diving in.

The nice thing is that these old watches have Swiss movements so I’m looking forward to working on those instead of the trusty st3620 I’ve worked on to date.