Grime on barrel

JimInOz

Forgot to mention, do not clean pallet forks or balance wheels in alcohol (denatured/IPA) as you risk softening the shellac that holds the pallet jewels and roller jewel. Many watches now do not use shellac, but unless you know what it is, assume shellac.

Use naphtha or benzine, or preferably, watch cleaning/rinse solution.

As to the cost of setting up a "hobby" workshop, you could probably do it for under USD$1000, depending on what level of "professional" tools and equipment you select.

This is what I use for basic cleaning, red arrows point to manual cleaning, green to US cleaning.

When the rinse in jar 3 looks dirty, it becomes rinse 2. The original rinse 2 is disposed of and the jar cleaned and filled with clean rinse and is nice and clean rinse 3 again.
As you can see, my cleaning jar is looking a bit dark, so it's time to dispose of the fluid and get fresh stuff.
I do the same cycle as the rinse. A clean jar for the fresh cleaner and the old cleaner is used for very dirty jobs until it too gets replaced.

It's not only buying these fluids you have to consider. There's also the issue of what to do with them when they are no longer suitable.

All of my used cleaning/rinse fluids are stored in original used containers and when full, my mate takes them to his depot where they have an oil/petrochemical disposal system.

Managing your little chemical farm is another task you get to manage 😁.

JimInOz

Before I had an ultrasonic and a watch cleaning machine I used brushes of different stiffness and readily available fluids for cleaning.

A small artists paint brush with the bristles cut to about 5mm is good for scrubbing without damaging. For mainspring barrels I used kerosine or WD40 as a cleaner and allowed the parts to soak overnight and then used brushes and toothpicks to remove the gunk.

The cleaning fluids must be rinsed off with denatured alcohol and then rinsed again in isopropyl alcohol.

I've found that even a professional US cleaner can't remove some of the dried grease in barrels, e.g.: the black stuff Seiko use needs to be mechanically removed.

Here is what I use when I get stubborn gunk.

And here's what I use for "normal" cleaning, however, you can still do a good job without ultrasonics and cleaning machines.

JimInOz

Before I had an ultrasonic and a watch cleaning machine I used brushes of different stiffness and readily available fluids for cleaning.

A small artists paint brush with the bristles cut to about 5mm is good for scrubbing without damaging. For mainspring barrels I used kerosine or WD40 as a cleaner and allowed the parts to soak overnight and then used brushes and toothpicks to remove the gunk.

The cleaning fluids must be rinsed off with denatured alcohol and then rinsed again in isopropyl alcohol.

I've found that even a professional US cleaner can't remove some of the dried grease in barrels, e.g.: the black stuff Seiko use needs to be mechanically removed.

Here is what I use when I get stubborn gunk.

And here's what I use for "normal" cleaning, however, you can still do a good job without ultrasonics and cleaning machines.

JimInOz

Before I had an ultrasonic and a watch cleaning machine I used brushes of different stiffness and readily available fluids for cleaning.

A small artists paint brush with the bristles cut to about 5mm is good for scrubbing without damaging. For mainspring barrels I used kerosine or WD40 as a cleaner and allowed the parts to soak overnight and then used brushes and toothpicks to remove the gunk.

The cleaning fluids must be rinsed off with denatured alcohol and then rinsed again in isopropyl alcohol.

I've found that even a professional US cleaner can't remove some of the dried grease in barrels, e.g.: the black stuff Seiko use needs to be mechanically removed.

Here is what I use when I get stubborn gunk.

And here's what I use for "normal" cleaning, however, you can still do a good job without ultrasonics and cleaning machines.

ATracyWatches

You can get into cheaply enough. I would compare it to getting into a sport. It takes a bit to purchase everything, but if it’s a hobby then it can be worth it.
Look on EBay or find you your local NAWCC/AWCI/BHI chapter (I don’t know where you are located) and find some good quality, used tools.

A lot of the Chinese made tools will be totally fine for hobby use. I would use good quality tweezers, though. The Chinese made movement cleaning machines can be had for a reasonable cost.

There are a lot of joke made solutions out there you can try. I know hobbyist on various sites don’t like spending the big bucks on L&R fluid so they have come up with recipes for rinses and cleaners. You can even use camp fuel as a rinsing agent.

For hundreds of years watchmakers have cleaned watch movements with whatever they had. Lighter fluid and sawdust to dry. Go back further and they used ear wax or whale blubber to lubricate them! My point is , watchmaking is a very old art/science. Yes, modern machinery, tooling, lubricants and fluids all help to get watches running, etc but it is, at its core, a very low tech job.

if you have the patience and hand skills you will pick it up. It’s not a mystical art. Get plenty of good books and read them. I could recommend Jendrtizski’s practical watch repairing. Fantastic book.

Now, the barrel. Do not use a fibre glass brush, that will scratch the barrel to buggery and it’s really bad practice. You need to give that a good clean out with sharpened peg wood and then put it in the solution to clean, and rinse. I would definitely suggest a small ultrasonic tank. You can put the cleaning solution in jars just like Jim has done.

JimInOz

Before I had an ultrasonic and a watch cleaning machine I used brushes of different stiffness and readily available fluids for cleaning.

A small artists paint brush with the bristles cut to about 5mm is good for scrubbing without damaging. For mainspring barrels I used kerosine or WD40 as a cleaner and allowed the parts to soak overnight and then used brushes and toothpicks to remove the gunk.

The cleaning fluids must be rinsed off with denatured alcohol and then rinsed again in isopropyl alcohol.

I've found that even a professional US cleaner can't remove some of the dried grease in barrels, e.g.: the black stuff Seiko use needs to be mechanically removed.

Here is what I use when I get stubborn gunk.

And here's what I use for "normal" cleaning, however, you can still do a good job without ultrasonics and cleaning machines.

Mr.Wolf

crystals

Mr.Wolf

Sorry I mean jewels 🙄

ATracyWatches

It’s best to clean jewels with sharpened peg wood.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s important to have the latest equipment and tooling as a professional, you need to stay up to date with latest cleaning solutions, lubricants, tools, etc. I just think there is a lot of high minded bollocks that goes on with watchmaking and hobbyists can absolutely get by with less. If you are a hobbyist who starts charging for services then it’s a different story as this is an unregulated industry.

Canuck

eap little ultrasonic machines often available from drug stores

Mr.Wolf

I just found out that my wife who's a chemist ha a US at work 😁 Should i run it in a jar with kerosine? As I don't have L&R by the moment. And is there any part you shouldn't run i US?

wsfarrell

Hey, ease up a little! You sound like you're talking to a 12-year-old who tried to open a pocket watch with a butter knife.

Canuck

In the true spirit of the season, observe the mistletoe on my coat tails!

Canuck

Has anyone ever become a competent watch repair technician by learning on a forum such as this? I doubt it.

AtomicGrog

Biggest concern would be around the balance spring assembly and pallet fork. Both have set gems that are typically set with shellac or some other kind of set material, if you wash that away you're gonna be in a world of pain.

AtomicGrog

Biggest concern would be around the balance spring assembly and pallet fork. Both have set gems that are typically set with shellac or some other kind of set material, if you wash that away you're gonna be in a world of pain.