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Home made watch cleaner L&R clone


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Here's a few pictures of my home made watch cleaning machine. It uses a bathroom vent fan motor, ceiling fan speed control, and a digital timer. I've since added a 12v cooling fan above the motor as running an induction motor at lower speeds (voltage) increases the heat produced by the coil. I turned a 10mm shaft extension to mount the L&R cleaning basket, and the "lid" has a groove that has high temp RTV silicone in it to create the seal. The square post indexes the basket and lid to each jar, and I'm using old school (read: DANGEROUS!) solutions, but they are quite effective. I raise the head after each cycle and spin off the extra solution before going to the next one. 

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9 minutes ago, measuretwice said:

A good manifestation of the DIY spirit - way to go.    It was one big advantage over my L&R cleaner, the bloody jars have screw on lids!

Exactly! I don't like the idea of flammable fumes roaming around my house unattended lol. And since these jars are square-ish they can't turn out of position when screwing and unscrewing the lids. Thanks for the compliment! 

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  • 3 years later...

A few stepper motors and a microcontroller, and you can really get that thing to chooch something serious... The baskets seem like the most difficult/expensive part to get a hold of... My mind grapes are squeezing... Any provision for heat or ultrasonic capability?

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  • 3 weeks later...

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