This arrived in the mail yesterday, a 145.026 flightmaster that has been flooded, apparently with salt water (although I think it was fresh water)...ouch. Had a bit of spare time today so thought what the hey, I'll have a go at rescuing some of it. I got it for the case of course which has come up perfectly clean with no corrosion. Lots of pics..... thought it was interesting just how much of it actually came apart. Two screws broke and two won't come out, 95% of what was inside is still scrap though of course. I was particularly happy with the dial, it looks almost ghostly.
Ah so it was you who won that one I was looking at it too but seemed a bit too extreme. Its come up quite 'clean' and that dial does now have character
Looks like it could have arrived in a box still attached to its former owner's former wrist. Can't believe how much of it you've salvaged already, guessing the steel levers have probably had their day though.
Ha dsio, you could be right! If only that case could talk... Some of the finer levers and springs broke and they appear to have been the first to corrode.The screws are also a bit worse for wear as they are made of the same steel (mild). If those parts were stainless steel, virtually everything would have been salvageable.
Oh, it was a mixture of phosphoric acid and WD40. Plus lots of elbow grease! My wife is a chemist so she brought home some stuff from work.
Reminds me of this http://forums.watchuseek.com/f25/can-saved-heuer-luftforsvaret-973997.html Can the main plate on your 911 be used or is it ruined?
Ha, that's not rusty . The main plate will be save able once the broken screws have been dissolved. It would still need a lot of work though as the eccentrics are in bad shape. The dowels might survive though. I managed to save some of the hands tonight....
Fascinating. You know, in 2009 I found the wreckage of a British bomber lost on the Western Alps - LN466, a Vickers Wellington Mk X from 142 Sqn, crashed on November 24, 1943. Its remainings are all scattered on a 2925 meters-high peak, Mount Voghel. This topic badly reminds me the hours I spent up there looking under rocks, trying not to kill me or my mates with these same rocks on the steep slope, and collecting small rusty parts.
The tapped feet and studs can be replaced on the main bridge. The eccentrics screws can also be replaced. They are press fitted into the bridge. Cheers, Al