Good evening from Holland,

Recently I bought a pocket watch where the crystal was glued by the previous owner. When I tried to replace the crystal, it came loose but there was still some glue residu and small pieces of glass in the edges. I eventually tried to remove it with my small screwdrivers and it came loose, but scratched the case a little.

I was wondering what you guys use to remove glue from steel watch cases? I read online that aceton works, but can this damage the case in any way?

Jan

 

For glue/meted gaskets I use acetone/nail polish remover. Works well and never had an issue

 

And make sure that whatever you use is completely 100% rinsed off, you do not want any residual acetone (or indeed superglue or any other gunk) fumes floating around inside the case and finding the dial or hands.

 

Thanks for the advice. Acetone worked perfect!

 

Make sure there is nothing but metal anywhere near where you use acetone.

 

I use a sharpened brass rod. It does the same job as the screwdriver and it doesn't scratch the case. The only problem is that you have to sharpen it on a lathe or using a drill or even a file.