I went to the hardware store today to look for a solvent to clean watch parts and jewels but found at least five different products, none of which was benzene. Are ordinary hardware store cleaners acceptable? If so which one? If not, what is your favorite?

Jim do you like the benzene better than the l&r cleaning solution..

Samie, Being a rank newbie, I'm afraid I don't know about l&r. Please elaborate and illucidate.

I used benzene back in my Navy days cleaning teletype machines, (early 60's) and despite horror stories about its carcinogenic nature, lived to tell about it.

Thanks for the reply, Jim

I'm struggling with this also- I've got an ultra sonic cleaning tank.

Most watch and clock cleaning formulas have amonnia or amino acids which cause metalurgical damage to Brass. The wide spread use might be cheap, leaves things much shinnier so the customer can easily see it was cleaned.

The old timers I know which use the older cleaning machines use Naptha which is available at hardware stores.

Stay away from strong carcinogens.

Michael

The L&R is a brand of horological cleaning solutions. There several different products in their line. I clean the movements in an ultrasonic machine and use an L&R product now but used to use a mixture of 25% (by volume) "Goo-Gone" & 75% naptha (Both available at any hardware or paint store). I would follow this with 2 rinses of pure naptha. This actually worked very well as they mix well and the Goo-Gone is better at removing caked on "stuff"...but then I read a post where someone suggested that if you can't afford $1 of proper cleaning solution for the movement, then the movement isn't worth cleaning. I decided they had a point...although I often wonder if I should mix my creation up and sell it on ebay as "The Best Darn Watch Parts Cleaner Ever"....by the way, that recipe is proprietary

James and Michael

I have been using L&r# 111 cleaning solution it,s a Ammmoniated cleaner but have started to use the l&r non -ammoniated cleaner i forget the part Number i will get a catlog out and see i belive the # is 566 both do a good job although you may have to run a bit more time in the ultarsonic with the non-ammoniated cleaner.

I use 2 l&r # 3 rinses. both the cleaning solution and rinse cost about 28.00-30.00 a gallon plus shipping from the supply houses.

I have heard that the products James talked about do a good job but have never tried them myself..

Maybe some more folks will post what they use there is other company,s and produts that work good.

Do you really mean Benzene? Benzene is very toxic to the liver and causes cancer. As a chemistry professor, I will not touch it.

Or did you mean Benzine? This is the British term for petroleum distillates like paint thinner. The commercial rinse for watch cleaning is 75% Stoddards Solvent and 25% VM&P Naptha. I mix my own rinse solution, but it took several purchases before I found brands that were pure enough. I tested them by letting some evaporate on clean glass and then examining for residue. I ended up with the KleneStrip brands.

You cannot make watch cleaning solution for anything near the price of the commercial cleaner. You can forgo the cleaner and just use the rinse solution, but you will end up doing more hand cleaing afterwards or cleaning longer.

Don

I use Ronson or similar Lighter Fluid -- which is petroleum distillate UN1268. It dries without apparent residue.

DM

Donald, Unfortunately I really do mean benzene. In those Navy days we used it by the 5 gallon pail. Later in my career I used it as a blanket cleaner when I was in the printing industry. Again, we bought it in 5 gallon pails. That was in the 70's. That was before EPA and OSHA outlawed it's use in industry. I agree, I wouldn't touch it today, even if it was available. My nostalgic wish was meant in jest.

Based on the several mentions here, I got some naptha today and washed my watch parts. They look pretty clean even in the depths of the pinions. I don't yet have an ultrasonic.

This is my first watch and I am pleased to say that I already have the leaver, escape and fourth wheels in place. I may take the lever back out so I can test the turning of the wheels more easily.

Tonight perhaps the 3rd aand 2nd wheels. Pray for me.

Regards, Jim

Yea I hear you on the proper solution!

But maybe the Naptha/Goo Gone could be a better solution. I'm not being cheap as I purchased my L&R machine new.

I'd get a copy of the MSDS and research if any of the compounds with the L&R products are known to produce stress corrosion cracking in brass.

It's one of those laboratory things that probably will not become a problem in our lifetimes.

He the cynide which predated benzene use was suppose to leave the nickel plating very very bright.

Michael

'Tis a pity there are no first hand accounts of how well the cyanide worked

Uuhhhmmmm ......... actually, as a brightener, it's deadly good ......... !

Just don't bite yer nails accidentally or eat sandwiches during use

Keep a cylinder of Oxygen to hand too ..........

John

Yes, cyanide did a great job. I have a friend who worked at Hamilton from 1948 to 1992. In the early days they used cyanide. Cyanide attaches itself to metal ions. It thus attacks metal oxides and removes them, leaving the clean metal behind. Unfortunately you have metal ions in your body that do things like carry oxygen in your blood. Cyanide will attach itself to the iron in your hemoglobin, leaving no room to cary oxygen.

The difference between the various petroleum distillates is the boiling point or volatility. The more volatile the solvent, the lower the flash point, the greater the fire danger. Those like lighter fluid evaporate quickly, but have the most fire danger. Those solvents that evaporate slowly like Stoddard's Solvent have the least fire danger. The commercial rinse compromises by using the mixture of 3 parts Stoddards and 1 part more volatile naptha. It evaporates in a commercial heater, with an acceptable flash point.

No matter what you do, have good venting to the outside.

Don