Recommended oils Help

[Arigato]

Howdy ! 

I had a question regarding oils. I am finishing Mark Lovics courses and love it!   I tend sometimes to extrapolate so pardon my lenghty message. 

There is some recommended oils ( I believe ) in the course, then also watching Marshall/ wristwatch revival, Alex's channel and it seems like everyone has its preferences. I also understand that depending on the Movement, complications more oils would be required along the way  for " optimal" performance and longevity. 

My mentor, back in California, where the passion for this started also had recommendations. Hes a 35+ years watchmaker certified for diff brand, Rolex, Omega , worked for Patek ( not bragging here but you will get my point). So his recommended list for tools and oils was gonna make me have to sell my limbs haha. As a watchmaker he uses the best tools possible for everything, wouldn't be surprises if his toilet paper is Bergeon LOLL but his work is delicate, pristine and darn that guy works well. His oils recommendation was

Moebius 9010

hp1300 ( 1200/1000)

9415

molykote

9501/9504

p125

bergeon 5846/5.

moebius 8981

 

Now this might be great since he is a watchmaker and not a hobbyist like me this list ended up being quite pricey. I have gotten quality tools so far and don't want to cheap out on oils but want to make sure I don't buy what would be overkill in my case. I just mved to Europe and as much as Cousins is great, VAT delivery and Customs to Germany ends up costing much more than Esslinger or Otto Frei back home. 

 

I started with st3600, did some pocket watches and other larger movements. Working on a Miyota atm and eventually I have a beautiful flea market find Vulcain Black Dial ETA 2452, Landeron 48 and a few more in the drawer.

I currently have 9010-9415-hp 1300 molykote DX and moebius 8200... can't remember how I ended up buying that one, maybe I thought would be a cheaper alternative? when oiling  I see most people useing moebius 9504 and I end up using 8200 instead since I don't have it, unless chat gpt says HP 1300 ;/

My question is: Would it be better getting 9504 or 9501 grease since i ll eventually be working on ETA's and hopefully Landeron several months. Are both highly recommended?  what are your thoughts ? 

I probably have 30 mechanical watch mostly all working in a bin that I could practice servicing for the next year

 

Thank you for your time ! 

[mbwatch]

Hobbyist to hobbyist - your 9010/1300/9415/8200/DX set is just fine for everything you will do and need. One often registered complaint about Molykote DX is that it is hard to clean away, and can get missed in the cleaning machine by some solvents. But as a hobbyist without a speed- and machine-dependent workflow where you will spend more time pre-cleaning parts or only do manual cleaning, the issue of getting the DX off is eliminated.

I have 9501 and it suits all my needs fine, but there is no reason not to continue using the Molykote pretty much anywhere a service sheet calls for 9501 or 9504.

The 8200 is best used as a mainspring lubricant. And I really advise against asking chatgpt for movement servicing advice. This thread  should demonstrate why, especially the images near the end.

[Arigato]

Thank you for your message. I usually not rely on chat gpt and will make sure to avoid it for watchmaking. Will go ahead and look at the thread that you linked. 

I do pre cleaning as much as possible and use the 3 jar method with a basket in the US  that I rotate here and there to help. I use L&R cleaner and rinse to hopefully make the cleaning process more efficient once the pre cleaning is done. I bought the amoniated version of LR so the cleaning by hand becomes quite toxic with that smell, especially since i didnt have a bigger basket and the jars mouth were too small , I  had to take each individual little mesh screw basket and swap from jar to jar. 

 

I use horosolv for pre cleaning plates and parts if they are really dirty atm . Would you recommend rinsing in IPA before dropping in the cleaner?  

[mbwatch]

53 minutes ago, Arigato said:

I use horosolv for pre cleaning plates and parts if they are really dirty atm . Would you recommend rinsing in IPA before dropping in the cleaner?  

I am not sure how well horosolv evaporates, or if it leaves any residue that would negatively affect your later cleaning stages. It certainly would not hurt to quickly dip in IPA after that stage.