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Tarnished :(

2K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  jnash 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi Guys, was tinkering round with a Elgin Pocket watch this weekend and i ran some of the parts when disassembled through the ultrasonic, the bridges were fine but the rachet wheels have all tarnished and look awful now.

Whats the reason behind this so i know not to do it again.

Thanks

Jonathan
 
#3 ·
Will do when i get back home, this also happened to the click spring an the other springs for the movements, this happened once before with the pivots for the wheels <- they all went

Currently i run them a few times in the ultrasonic machine with the water diluted with the maplin solution and then dunk them in alcahol so they dont rust.....

im guessing this is not correct?

shame as they were really nice......
 
#9 ·
Brasso would do OK, probably. Autosol and/or Goddards silver polish would also be good. Just as long as you do it 'off the watch', and put it through the ultrasonic afterwards.

BTW Is your's a James 7000 Ultrasonic cleaner, by any chance? The timer thing is bit of a bind, isn't it?
 
#10 ·
Ultrasonics after .......... Surely that's the culprit in the first place and yes I think it's a James (maplin jobbie)

Is the problem with what fluid I'm using , this has happened a few times however I only really noticed it on the bigger pocketwatch.

Thanks for your help
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
i'd say the problem is with the fluid , if you are going to polish the wheels with any cutting compount (brasso /autosol etc) , be aware it will probably remove the spiral finish on them or part bugger it up.

*what cleaning fluid are you using? , it should be non corrosive (something like rubisol )
 
#12 ·
im talking about the fluid used in the ultrasonics water and the sea salt stuff i mentioned earlier.... right now i do this to most of the parts but that seems to be making them black, if i clean it up with brasso, wouldn't putting it back in the ultrasonic just make it black again?
 
#16 ·
its called sea clean concentrate

  • Ideal for use with or without an ultrasonic cleaner to return items to a shiny condition
  • Assists in the removal of tarnish, carbon, rust and dirt from most metals to return items to a shiny condition
  • Non-toxic, non flammable and bio-degradable
  • Should only take a few minutes to clean when used with an ultrasonic cleaner
  • Made from natural products; mixing seaweed, coconut oils and other fruit extracts to create a powerful cleaning solution

What would you advise to put in the ultrasonics with the water? - or will just water suffice?

thanks

Jonathan
 
#19 ·
Jnash, have a quick Google for cousinsuk (links aren't allowed on this forum) and then look at their watch cleaning solutions. I just has a quick look myself and it states, certainly on the ones I looked at, if they are suitable for an ultrasonic cleaner.
 
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