Does anyone have one of these ? A few videos I found,prior to me ordering, showed the Bergeon 5395-75 Soft Gel Case Cushion as being sticky to hold the watch in place? I bought this to help with strap changes but the watch slides around on top and does not stay in place like the video. It looks like the gel is wrapped in a plastic but there's no tear spot to remove the plastic other than using scissors to cut it, so I'm assuming it is to not be removed? I'll post some pics in the am, thought someone may have one of these gel cushions

 

I'd be interested to hear comment from real watchmakers.

As a watch tinkerer I'd prefer to use a thin silicone sheet for the task being demonstrated in the video.

 

Hi
I'm not a watchmaker either, but I think the casing cushion Bergeon sell for this purpose is the (more expensive) 5393. The 5395 shown is just a softish gel surface so as not to damage.
Stephen

 

Mine is leather on top, but it's an older Bergeon casing cushion. If the new style is sticky, I would be a bit concerned with it attracting grit over time that could scratch softer materials.

 

It feels like I'm missing out on something by not cutting that outer shell? Like it wants to be unwrapped, idk I don't want to ruin it but it seems odd that bergeon wouldn't have cleaned up the edges on the bottom ?

 

I wouldn't try to "unwrap" it, you'll have gel goo everywhere. I think it's just the sprue from where it was heat welded after filling with a gel.

 

Made in my home town, not hard to pick as a Victorian location though.

 

Thread drift alert.
I was thinking of using this kind of pad to remove dust from vinyl records. Nothing to do with watches of course but still wanted to share the idea.

 

Get one and test it.

Get a sheet of really clean glass and rub the pad on it as if you were trying to remove dust from a disc. Then look at the surface of the glass from different angles to see if it leaves any residue. If it does it's a no go.

Another thing with this pad is the trapped grains of dust can be dragged across grooves during the wiping motion.

I'd stay with the anti-static dust brush or similar product.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT6011-Anti-Static-Record-Brush/dp/B01GE1ZOPY

 

Thanks for the advice in regards to the residue.
I should have explained myself a bit more. I do use a brush such as @nightowl suggested. They are terrific to move dust along the groove but find much less effective to remove the dust. With the disk in motion, I place the brush radially to capture the dust. If I simply lift the brush there is a dense line of dust on the disk. It's much better if, instead of lifting, I "wipe" the brush towards the disk's edge but most of the time there is dust left. The sticky pad would serve to remove that remaining dust, in a blotting motion on the disk, not a wiping motion. Hope this makes more sense.

 

Sometimes my Dad would wash his LPs using fresh water and his shaving brush and the hang them up by the hole to dry in the shade.

At the time (1950/1960) I thought he was a bit nuts.

 

Vinyl records requires dedication, so perhaps nuttiness is good way to describe it...

 

Back in the day I used the Diskwasher system - made in the UK at the time but no idea where they make them now. It included brushes for the records, plus a separate brush for the needle, and an anti-static gun. You didn't use these dry or they would do exactly what you stated - leave a line of dust on the record. They came with solutions that were put on the brush that made the brush lift off the dust, not just move it around. You gave the brush a rotation just before lifting it and this system did a great job.

If you search you can still buy these products on-line:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/9189660?...03059017934&wl12=9189660_621495&wl14=&veh=sem

I gave my turntable to my nephew a number of years ago - my pre-amp doesn't even have a phono stage. I still use the anti-static gun from the kit though - it's great for eliminating the static charge that will sometimes build up on acrylic watch crystals that attract dust as you are casing the watch This saves some time cleaning the crystals when doing the final assembly.

https://www.turntableneedles.com/Zerostat-3-Antistatic-Gun_p_3822.html

Cheers, Al

 

Sure, I could wash it, but I clean mine before every time I set something on it...don't really have time to wash and air dry 15 times a day...

 

Scratch depth is a function of hardess of the two materials (grit versus watch material) as you pointed out (no pun intended ) and also applied pressure. I wonder if this silicone gel pad is so soft that grit on never has enough pressure to scratch. Just a thought...

 

I remember that kit very though I never used it myself.

Remember this?