best way to use oil cups

[measuretwice]

Does oil last indefinitely in a watchmakers covered cup, or do you usually only put a small amount in the cup to use what you need right away?  i.e. fill it up for the day, the week, or just put some in and draw from it for months.   As an amateur I'm not using it that frequently.   Is there a good way to transfer to the cup, something will maybe a bit more control than pouring?  With the 4 cup arrangements, would use one or two for grease as well?

The simplest things are mysteries to a beginner - thanks for any help and ideas

[Chopin]

I just pour a drop from the bottle that I have as that provides me with more than I need, more or less, and then I wipe the cup with some tissue paper and that's it.

[rogart63]

I put a drop in the cup and then use it for a couple of movement. But change it frequently. Always a lot of debris and other stuff that gets into the oil. So i recommend that you change it at least once a week. Use a stick or a  larger oiler to transfer it from the bottle to the cup. A clean screwdriver is also good. For grease i use a toothpick. 

If you have a lot oil like 9010 in a cup it makes it harder to get the right amount of oil. At least that is something i have discovered. A drop is enough for 2 -3 movements . 

[ro63rto]

[Ishima]

I don't think it bears too much stressing out about as long as you take some precautions to avoid contamination, change it every ...handful? of months, unless you notice visible contamination, in which case change when you notice, I seem to remember my textbooks teaching to use a just-cleaned screwdriver, something like a 1mm or 1.2mm to transfer from the vial to cup. But I tend to pour out a drop whenever possible, even though it's a bit generous because I just don't like the idea of introducing anything, at risk of contamination to the bottle/vial. Once you've got it in the cup, If you're fairly sure it's not getting contaminated then it's not like there's much else to be concerned about as far as i can see. 

Another thing I tend to do and this might be slightly unique advice? it's kind of half my own idea, half someone else's. I'm in the habit of  taking a generous amount from the cup with my oiler, closing the cup and either place that oil on the top of the closed cup or on the watch near where I'm oiling (such as the top of the gear train bridge near the jewels as an example) and then just draw from that until I'm done and then clean off the mini pool. The original idea behind this was allowing more control over how much oil you draw, even making it convenient to oil a jewel in 2 or 3 draws from the mini pool, so you don't flood the jewels with more oil than is beneficial -- all of which could also be good advice for a beginner.

...I'm getting off track, basically, if you do that the cup is only exposed for a couple of seconds it takes for you to draw once from it, instead of a couple of minutes it might take you to lubricate a section of a watch. 

Edited November 5, 2017 by Ishima

[measuretwice]

thanks all, that's what I needed to know