I purchased a really nice old Roskopf.. When I got it home, I tried to screw off the front and rear bezels to no avail. I looked at it with a loupe and noticed both had been glued into place... Does anyone have any ideas on how to remedy this problem??

Agree with Debbie on the acetone or as I suggested to someone a few weeks ago the 3M adhesive remover. just dont get it anywhere else!

You'd be surprised some of the excuses I've heard from this. One guy brought me a watch and said he had tried to waterproof it It was a 21j BS in great condition!

Also in Practical watch repairing by Donald de Carle he states that some watchmakers after servicing a watch would glue the case shut because it is very easy for dust to get into the case, there was an experiment done long time ago where a watch was placed in a bucket if flour with the case properly shut and when taken out of the flour and the watchmakers (or whoever was doing the experiment) opened the case it was discovered that the movement was covered if flour. This is because with the changes in temperature the case expands or contracts when it expands there is a vacuum formed inside and air is sucked in and the opposite with a cooling in temp. So I thing to some extent glue might have helped to seal the watch but I don't know what they expected to do when they got the watch back in 5 years for another service.

Francesco

Thanks for all of the responses. Looking more closely, it almost appears to be shellac or something... Thanks for the info.. Will try acetone

I've heard of putting a slight trace of watch oil or grease on the threads to try to keep dust out but I wouldn't do it. I think more air moves in and out of the case through the winding stem than through the threads, anyway.

The watchmaker I sat with years ago used heavy grease on the stem to help prevent foreign intrusion. I don't recall him putting anything on the threads of the case though.

I've heard of people puting bee's wax on the threads. Maybe a little heat from a hairdryer might do the trick?

Bruce, if acetone doesn't work, lacquer thinner will. It cuts just about everything, and it dries with no residue. You've just got to be careful to only get it on the thread areas. An eye dropper would be perfect. Brad