Cleaning Solvent for Brass Movement
Finite Guy
movement in? Seems like it would not leave a residue and would
dissolve the old oil and grit etc.
Are there good solvents available in hardwars stores?
Robert
Stan Stocker
Hi Robert,
VM&P Naptha is a bit better for the cleaning. You can then do a soapy
water wash, clean water rinse, and dunk in denatured or isopropyl
alcohol (90% - the stuff for medical use, not rubbing alcohol which is
70% and included lubricants for the rubbing.) I've heard that some
denatured alcohols leave a residue, although I haven't seen this.
This won't brighten up the brass like a commercial or home made ammonia
based cleaner, but will clean off debris and old oil. You still need to
peg out the pivot holes.
If you want to make a homebrew ammoniated cleaner, here's a mix:
4 ounces Murphys Oil Soap
16 ounces UNSCENTED PLAIN BORING household ammonia
4 ounces acetone
Add water to make one gallon.
There are many variations on this basic brew, some with more or less of
each ingredient. The Murphys oil soap is a substitute for olaeic(sp?) acid.
Do not use this on old clocks with cast brass plates, the ammonia causes
embrittlement. Some folks feel that ammonia should not be used on any
brass for this reason. This isn't a cleaner I would recommend for high
value clocks, French clocks, or watch work, but works fine for ho-hum
flea market or pawn shop finds. Follow up with a warm water rinse,
shake off excess water, dunk in alcohol, then dry.
Commercial cleaner concentrate is not too expensive, the stuff you
dilute with water makes around 8 gallons of cleaner for about $30, so
there are some alternatives.
To clean a movement properly does require the movement be completely
disassembled, the odds of leaving a bit of grit in the pivots are just
too high to recommend simply sloshing an assembled movement in a
cleaning solution. It may work for a while, but the stuff that causes
the wear will still be left behind.
Cheers,
Stan
The Baron
petroleum solvent. You may find that paint thinner (mineral
sprits/Stoddard solvent)might be cheaper and might do just as good a job.
Kerosene/paraffin, the ''mothers milk'' of clockmaking, will work about as
well but is oily. The soap/water cleaning will remove your solvent.
"Finite Guy" <finitegu...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:3f5dce84....@news.genuity.net...
Finite Guy
to rust? I would think that any water would present a problem, but as
I'm typing this, I think that any pertolium based solvent would then
cause the clock oil that you use after cleaning to break down.
I'm a little puzzled here. Also, this is one of those old Revere
Telechron motored movements (motor will obviosuly be removed before
cleaning) that plays Westminister. Not particularly valuable clock,
but I like it and it belonged to my wife's father years ago.
Robert
On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 18:35:58 GMT, "The Baron" <theb...@flash.net>
wrote:
Stan Stocker
The alcohol final rinse is the trick. Alcohol just sucks up water, but
will evaporate cleanly. If steel parts are simply set out to dry when
wet with water they will indeed rust. Alcohol also gets into all the
little nooks and crannies and gets out water from spots you can't see.
Just don't use compressed air to blow off the alcohol, particularly on a
humid day. The fast evaporation of the alcohol will chill the metal to
below the dew point, and the parts end up wet from condensation :-(
Cheers,
Stan