I picked up a really nice 1168 circle eleven with 637 end links bracelet today attached to a cal 601 Geneve.

Problem is the previous owner must have been a barber because the center links are absolutely caked with hair and dirt.

I steamed the bracelet and washed it with my usual solution of dish soap, alcohol and ammonia but it was still dirty between the links.

I soaked the bracelet in boiling water with the same solution and still the dirt is there.

A friend suggested soaking in Windex but I'm wondering if an ultrasonic is the only other option. But is my $40 Amazon US strong enough to do the job?

I've never had a bracelet this dirty before.

 

pictures or it didn't happen!

 

Easy way to find out...

 

If it is stainless steel then you can do a incineration to burn out some hair & residue.

 

Just get a cheap ultrasonic - it won't do any harm, but it might take a few runs through to get the crud out. If it's packed in, you might need to try to rod as much of it out as you can - shove a pin into a cork (pointed end out, so you can hold the cork and poke into the gaps... maybe even worth trying some dental floss), and with a loupe, you might be able to successfully manoeuvre it into the gaps in the links to hoik out as much as you can... and the ultrasonic will make an improvement...

 

An old toothbrush is an excellent tool for getting in between the links. Use the soak to loosen the crud and then have at it with the toothbrush.

 

Wooden toothpicks are also helpful for small areas

 

engine cleaner... I use it on everything, even engines.

did the kitchen cupboards with it last year, Der frau wasn't happy with the two day stink fest but had to admit they were damn clean.

 

I use a bit IPA with water.

 

Well, I've been cleaning this bracelet since I started this thread and the damn thing still isn't completely clean.

I used the ultrasonic for an hour straight with very little results. I soaked it in Windex for thirty minutes and cleaned it with dish soap and tried the US machine again and some of the debris has come out but a lot of it is still sitting between the links.

I've never had a bracelet this stubbornly dirty before

 

Go to your dentist and ask if you can borrow some of his enzymatic cleaner. Something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...4bc-53e9-9012-6cb2f32a83bf&pf_rd_i=7656073011

 

Use this when you're cleaning your spanners etc.

Best done when "somebody" is at the hairdressers or bingo.

 

This is wha'cha need, right here.



Another collecting hobby of mine is vintage Gillette (and a few other brands) razors. I've picked up a few uncommon models in antique shops in years past, some with nastiness of the worst kind caked on, and in them. Scrubbing bubbles handles it all with no ill effects to the surfaces of the nickel-plated (or gold-plated) brass razor. Rinses readily away too. I shave with vintage razors and maintain them after each week's use by cleaning with Scrubbing Bubbles and a soft toothbrush. Surfaces have never degraded from regular use of Scrubbing Bubbles and the toothbrush.

If I acquired a grungy stainless steel bracelet I'd go for the Scrubbing Bubbles and a toothbrush.

The bottom razor is the favorite and has seen use every other week for the past six years with no deterioration.


http://www.scrubbingbubbles.com/Products/Pages/foaming-bathroom-cleaner.aspx

 

Hey Bill;

It's a U. S pre-World War II Aristocrat.

I'd love to have a Gillette Bulldog, but am picky and want one without a crack in its handle.

 

I clean mine with dish soap and a soft tooth brush but I don't have anything caked on mine. Have you considered letting it soak in Goo B Gone and then use a toothbrushon it?