The basic method involves cleaning the parts, followed by two rinses and then thoroughly drying the parts. Whilst this method work for most of the parts, there are two components that should not be cleaned using this method, these are the pallet fork and the balance assembly. It is important to only attempt to clean a watch movement that has been fully disassembled. No matter which cleaning fluid you choose to use, the same basic cleaning procedure should be used. I have had great results using these fluids, although many prefer to use lighter fluid or specially formulated cleaning fluids. The first fluid is simply washing up liquid (detergent) diluted with distilled water (approximately 1 drop of washing up liquid to 100ml of distilled water), the other is 99.9% pure isopropyl alcohol. Personally, I use two different cleaning fluids to clean the parts. Most hobbyists will resort to cleaning the movement by hand using a selection of cleaning solvents. Whilst these methods yield exceptionally clean parts and consume little of the watchmakers time, for the hobbyist, investing in expensive cleaning equipment is not necessary. Many professional watchmakers will use a watch cleaning machine or an ultrasonic cleaning bath to clean the movement components. Often movements will contain parts that are made of brass and steel that can discolour if they are not correctly cleaned, or not cleaned at all. Lastly thoroughly cleaning the watch movement will prevent the movement from tarnishing discolouration. If these particles are not periodically removed, these grit-like particles can exponentially increase the rate at which the moving parts wear, reducing the lifespan of the watch. It is also important to thoroughly clean the movement to preserve the lifespan of the movement, over time the contact points between moving parts of the movement will wear down producing microscopic grit-like particles. A clean movement will also look more appealing particularly when showcased in a watch with a display case back. One of the most important steps when servicing a mechanical watch movement is to thoroughly clean all of the parts to remove all traces of debris, oil residue and other contaminants from the surface of the parts.Ĭleaning movement parts is necessary for many reasons, firstly a clean movement will keep time more reliably, one of the most common reasons for a watch to keep poor time is the hairspring becoming contaminated.
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