I have a bunch of 2-tone movements and some need to be cleaned. Some say that you should not clean 2-tone because the gilding will dissovle. What the proper method of cleaning these movement.

I have asked this question before. Of all the answers I have received, the one that made the most sense to me came from a part time watchmaker, full time chemist.

He said to use fresh cleaners, rinses etc. The old oil from previous cleanings mixed with the cleaners and produced an acid, which gets stronger as you clean additional watches. This acid is what fades the gold.

Would like to hear more opinions on this topic, both the original question and my response above.

Charlie

Joseph i have cleaned 2 of these in the last month i used # 111 L&R cleaning solution and # 3 rinse..I cleaned the jewels with pith wood ..then 4 minutes in the ultarsonic cleaner then i ran 3 minutes on the frist rinse and 2 minutes in the second rinse..I run more time than that on most watches i clean but with the jewels clean it dont take much time to clean the plates..One guy told me the only way he would clean the plates on a nice 2 tone was with a very soft brush which would work okay..

I use a L&r veri-matic cleaning machine

here is one i cleaned

True! You have no idea what folks will use to lube a watch.

One of the biggest problems is graphite. It will lube ok but it will contaminate cleaning solvent very quickly. And WD-40 is another problem (although more likely to show up in clocks).

We used to use a basket that cleaned 4 watches at a time but have now gone back to a single watch cleaner. The reason was the cost of solvents and rinses and the disaster that occurred every time that much solvent got contaminated.

Although I've never cleaned a two-toned, I wouldn't use the ultrasonic-too easy to dull or"fry" them, but fresh cleaning and rinsing solotutions should be used with hand cleaning. I've also read that gilt plates should not be ultasounded either, just use powdered chalk to clean with a soft brushing action. This advise was from a well known antique watch repairer but I don't recall his name. He further stated that ultrasound WILL dull the gilt plates with each repeated treatment. Now I don't recall exactly what kind of chalk was employed, but I think it was common white chalk finely ground. The one time I did use the u/s on a gilt plate, there was a sleight dulling of the plate, so I won't do that again. When cleaning nichol damaskeened plates, I use u/s 3 minutes each for wash & rinse.If still dirty, I go 2 minutes more only, & will use a very soft artists brush thereafter. The first nichol watch I cleaned, I ran the u/s for 6-7 minutes each on wash and rinse and the plates seemed dull & not sharp looking afterward. I would like to hear others experiences with methods and times on various materials