The primary unanswered "dum dum" question in my mind remains WHY do some people try to lube their watches with WD-40!!!!?????
But I have a new #2 question and it may not be Dum Dum. That is why are 9 out of 10 Jeweled Motor Barrels I work on fitted with at least 1 non-matching replacement screw?

They break off half of the head of the screw OR they strip the thread OR they lose one.

Frank, I have a few that are broken too. Lindell, I think that Godzilla must have been teaching some of the earlier Watch Repair classes and these "students" who went on to work on watches after they were taught on big tower clocks. Clearly these people did not understand the difference between a retainer screw and a structural bolt.

quote:

Posted March 11, 2008 23:52

In my reading on watch maintenance I see that a "cleaning" solution should be used to dip parts in , then rinse with benzene and dry in boxwood sawdust. They also refer to a thin oil for lubrication of parts. All of this is very generic , what is the cleaning solution , where do you get benzene and what is the lubricating oil, where do you get boswood sawdust ? will blowing with compressed air achieve the same result.Just some beginner questions.

Bob, Sorry, my internet messed up when I was going to reply on this as follows;

"In my reading on watch maintenance I see that a "cleaning" solution should be used to dip parts in , then rinse with benzene and dry in boxwood sawdust"

That is called "1 Dip" and the Benzene is deadly, you breath it you will soon grow extra lung tissue. It also is used almost exclusively for cleaning the Balance-Balance spring assembly. The boxwood sawdust is a must, no substitutes.

"They also refer to a thin oil for lubrication of parts."

Some good oils are abvailable, but you also need an oiler. Moebis oils are good and oilers are generall available from the same suppliers.

"All of this is very generic , what is the cleaning solution , where do you get benzene and what is the lubricating oil, where do you get boswood sawdust ?"

All the stuff you need including some good screwdrivers and a sharpener are available from;

Timesaver's (Phoenix AZ area)
www.timesavers.com

and;

Cas-Ker Co. (Cincinnatti, OH)
www.casker.com


"will blowing with compressed air achieve the same result."
NO, NEVER! There are small hand blowers you can get but they are usually superflous excepting if you are working on Tower clocks.

I use old toothbrushes, soft Brass bristle brushes, and occasionally a fiberglass tipped one.

"Just some beginner questions.

Bob Williams"

I had a great time and learned almost as much as I have from 185, when I attended a 4 day Pocket watch repair "Suitcase" class in Ventura, CA that is given (occasionally) by NAWCC

One other things you may consider is, that there are a lot of new collectors out there, and I have noticed that there are many ebay "repairers" that simply put anything together for the "newbie" that knows no better. It gets watches sold, so ergo the faulty parts.

Of course that's not the case all the time, but to post a watch that runs, does get more cash, and sometimes a small part, that doesn't match, can fit the bill for a seller. Some of them don't know enought about watches to work on them, but they do.

It's an insult to a professional, but it's one of those pitfalls of the trade.

Makes me crazy, and I don't know enough about what should be there to even know better, but sometimes they are so bad, I notice them, and that's really bad!

Bob, I must add there are some good cleaners and rinse solutions available from Casker or timesavers which you can use especially if you find a "spin cleaner" on eBay. Otherwise get an inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner with about a 1 quart capacity, and some of us can work with you on how to use it.

The "controls". This also includes a dryer which is the 4th station occupied by a humoungus hot resistor with an on-off switch.

You people are just an infinite fountain of information, I think I need to slow down a bit , I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Maybe I am getting to many carts before the horse.

Thanks for all the information.

Bob, We IHC 185er's are "Watchaholics Allonamous" group. We have joined together here to RESPECT and support each others maximum enjoyment of Horology. (As also a lot of us really like clocks too!) We all got started the same way. I can name more than a few who have a few hundred watches and are still working up the courage to unscrew a part on them.

Somewhere in this string it was recommended that I get some "good Jewelers" screwdrivers. I have some micro screw drivers but from what I infer from this comment I am not sure they will do.

Any suggestions on a site to obtain reasonably priced set of screwdrivers for the novice?

Also is there any way to get a listing of topics that you are involved in on this system to check for replies or continuation of old topics ?

Thanks again.....

Bob, For screwdrivers, cleaners, etc., etc., just go to the websites for the two companies I listed in my reply to your questions above with yours truly pictured in the watch class. Cas-Ker is very close to you, and they have pretty good prices too! Timesavers is sometimes less expensive and your advantage with them is no sales tax with about the same shipping charge.

Again many thanks , I'll let you rest for a while until I bother you again.
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