Drying parts after cleaning - L&R #566 + #3

[Malocchio]

A little update. The shaft going straight through the lid was not very optimal construction so I glued a ball bearing to the lid. It gives stability and I also switched the shaft coupler to a flexible version. That way it doesn't really matter if the motor isn't perfectly aligned with the glass jar. Did some dry runs and now I can go really high rpm. I dared to go full rpm with the basket holder only. 2000 rpm that is allegedly. Maybe I'll next contemplate getting those square jars.

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

11 minutes ago, Malocchio said:

A little update. The shaft going straight through the lid was not very optimal construction so I glued a ball bearing to the lid. It gives stability and I also switched the shaft coupler to a flexible version. That way it doesn't really matter if the motor isn't perfectly aligned with the glass jar. Did some dry runs and now I can go really high rpm. I dared to go full rpm with the basket holder only. 2000 rpm that is allegedly. Maybe I'll next contemplate getting those square jars.

 

Hey matey, why dont you make a proper one

[RichardHarris123]

Adapt a router, I'm sure that 12 - 24, 000 rpm wouldn't cause any damage at all. 

[JohnR725]

1 hour ago, Malocchio said:

Did some dry runs and now I can go really high rpm. I dared to go full rpm with the basket holder only. 2000 rpm that is allegedly

Congratulations You beat out the wimpy Swiss Elma cleaning machines. Looking at the tech sheet for the machines the maximum speed is either 1200 or 1400 depending upon the machine.

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Adapt a router, I'm sure that 12 - 24, 000 rpm wouldn't cause any damage at all. 

Dont tempt me

[Malocchio]

14 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hey matey, why dont you make a proper one

Now that's crazy! Which is nice, of course.

13 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

Congratulations You beat out the wimpy Swiss Elma cleaning machines. Looking at the tech sheet for the machines the maximum speed is either 1200 or 1400 depending upon the machine.

Of course there's no need to go past 900-1200 rpm that the pro machines use/recommend. I wonder if the potentiometer of my stirrer is linear, I could at least roughly estimate the % of max. I think my spinning speed hasn't been high enough before.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, Malocchio said:

Now that's crazy! Which is nice, of course.

I couldn't resist finishing it off

https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/29874-homemade-diy-cleaner-dangerous-carboot-buy/#elControls_253493_menu

[JohnR725]

22 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Adapt a router, I'm sure that 12 - 24, 000 rpm wouldn't cause any damage at all. 

Just think how much speed would be saved by spinning at these faster rates especially when you need to understand where the speed is actually used. Probably not recommended for the cleaning because spinning that fast even with the outer wave breaker probably not one drop of fluid would touch the watch  centrifuge action would push the fluid out probably over the top of the jar and make a big mess so you may have to slow down there. But for drying your running 10 times faster is that mean we can shrink the time that you have to spin dry afterwords  this could be a considerable speed improvement to cleaning a watch.

7 hours ago, Malocchio said:

Of course there's no need to go past 900-1200 rpm that the pro machines use/recommend. I wonder if the potentiometer of my stirrer is linear, I could at least roughly estimate the % of max. I think my spinning speed hasn't been high enough before.

One of the amusements with the Swiss cleaning machines are  my understanding is only the extremely expensive vacuum assisted machine can you actually program the RPMs everything else is a knob and you don't actually know how fast it's going even though. Which is why the above chart becomes amusing because if most cleaning machines don't actually have an RPM how which set the RPMs anyway?

 

22 hours ago, Malocchio said:

Maybe I'll next contemplate getting those square jars.

Square versus round one of those endless debate items? But while you're at it what about changing direction? In other words your spinning in one direction to fluids at some point time probably even with the way breakers will spin with the watch and then you stop suddenly the fluids will crash into your watch parts  aggressively cleaning even better than you spin the other direction.  Don't remember where I saw YouTube video one of the machines is going back and forth that seem to me to be very aggressively going back and forth another experiment for you to try

[mikepilk]

Is there any danger of scratching/damaging parts by spinning them around at high speed?

For you average home tinkerer, cleaning the odd watch, is there really a need for a spinning machine? 

As I mention above,  blowing through with a puffer then about 30s with a hairdryer is enough to dry out all the parts, and you can watch them getting dry.

Simple, easy, effective. 

[Malocchio]

15 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

Square versus round one of those endless debate items? But while you're at it what about changing direction? In other words your spinning in one direction to fluids at some point time probably even with the way breakers will spin with the watch and then you stop suddenly the fluids will crash into your watch parts  aggressively cleaning even better than you spin the other direction.  Don't remember where I saw YouTube video one of the machines is going back and forth that seem to me to be very aggressively going back and forth another experiment for you to try

My current driver is one way only but some day in the future I'd like to build a new cleaner with a more rigid aluminum frame and programmable speed/direction, maybe Arduino based or something. Of course I could keep turning the knob back and forth to stop occasionally. I already do alternate the speed as I watch the basket spin. 

2 hours ago, mikepilk said:

Is there any danger of scratching/damaging parts by spinning them around at high speed?

For you average home tinkerer, cleaning the odd watch, is there really a need for a spinning machine? 

That's a good question about damaging the parts. I've been thinking about it and you defikitely don't want to put heavy parts in the same compartment with wheels and pallet fork etc. Spinning is good when you have different cleaning/rinsing fluids so you don't get them mixed. Of course it's easier and faster too. And having toys is nice.

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, mikepilk said:

Is there any danger of scratching/damaging parts by spinning them around at high speed?

For you average home tinkerer, cleaning the odd watch, is there really a need for a spinning machine? 

As I mention above,  blowing through with a puffer then about 30s with a hairdryer is enough to dry out all the parts, and you can watch them getting dry.

Simple, easy, effective. 

I often wonder when putting plates in the cleaning machine whether they can get scratched from the machine going back and forth when it's spinning? Which is why usually try to put the nice side up dial side down if I'm putting a plate but I've never seen damage? In other words bits and pieces aren't big and heavy enough pressing hard enough on the bottom screen in addition to their sort of floating in the fluid kind of. In any case the best of my knowledge I've never seen parts scratched up in the cleaning machine.

Then did need anything fancy not really? Somewhere in the discussion group laboratory posted pictures of how I used to do it at home. Tiny ultrasonic machine that actually came with a beaker to go in the machine. So in other words that pour the cleaning fluid into the beaker beaker into the ultrasonic water around it which a lot of time to frown on the beaker being a directly in the machine but it's the way the machine came. Then I managed to get a bunch of nice small baskets with lids there supposed to be for another cleaning machine but who cares. All little parts would go in the basket all the big parts of be strung on a wire and all of that would go into the beaker.

Then in between baths to adjust rest on a paper towel and that's wicking up the fluids off the parts no spinning required and no blowing of anything on it either it seemed to work just fine because at home I was not cleaning thousands of watches it just didn't Matter. Then when is all through I used a hairdryer to try everything it worked fine. No fancy cleaning machine required although I did rather like ultrasonic.

But in the evolution of cleaning machines spinning would be nice and separate jars maybe. Although I would really like to imitate the machine at work the vacuum assisted Elma machine. Running of the ultrasonic in the fluid at a vacuum definitely means the fluid literally goes everywhere it doesn't impressively good job of cleaning things. Now that would be a cleaning machine had loved the community someday.

3 hours ago, mikepilk said:

For you average home tinkerer

The problem is are there any average home tinkerers In this discussion group? Which explains why were having a discussion about DIY cleaning machines and spinning. Because the people on this group have the capability of making Or doing just about anything they want.

[oldhippy]

On 5/16/2023 at 8:07 PM, Canadianwatchmaker said:

Hello, I would dry over watchmaker paper, less chance of debris getting on the parts. Two things watchmakers fight the must, dust and magnetism. 

I can think of another. Old age I'm having big trouble with it.  It's something I just can't win.

[Malocchio]

There's been some discussion on parts drying in this thread. I just came up with these heating tables (aliX) meant for electronics repair. A machine that gets hot, made in China or something, a wonderful idea! It's somewhat compact, not too expensive, adjustable. Has anyone used something similar? I was thinking about putting cleaning baskets and case parts on it to dry.

 

[HectorLooi]

I used to use this. I set the temperature to 80°C and leave the basket on it for 15mins.

But now I just leave the whole basket on top of my air cleaner and leave it for 1-2 hours.

[Neverenoughwatches]

6 hours ago, Malocchio said:

There's been some discussion on parts drying in this thread. I just came up with these heating tables (aliX) meant for electronics repair. A machine that gets hot, made in China or something, a wonderful idea! It's somewhat compact, not too expensive, adjustable. Has anyone used something similar? I was thinking about putting cleaning baskets and case parts on it to dry.

 

Fan assisted ? 

[caseback]

You can use a hotplate like this for melting the shellac in pallet forks as well, so take care not to melt the shellac of the impulse jewel when drying parts.

[tomh207]

With the temperature range it has you should be able to consistently blue steel parts, hands, screws etc.

 

Tom

[Malocchio]

On 11/26/2024 at 9:20 PM, Neverenoughwatches said:

Fan assisted ? 

No fan included, just a hot plate. Nice tips about shellac and bluing.

Edited November 27, 2024 by Malocchio

[Neverenoughwatches]

44 minutes ago, Malocchio said:

No fan included, just a hot plate. Nice tips about shellac and bluing.

I've tried various hot plates for part drying but i have had better results with warm airflow.

[JohnR725]

5 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

warm airflow

it's amazing how much air moving past something that you would like to evaporate does such an outstanding job versus pure heat without the airflow.

then if you look at Ally express do a quick search for you'll find something like this just have to make sure you get the right voltage for the country you live in.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806608058975.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.baf4tt47tt47oU&algo_pvid=edd241ea-6ff5-4c5c-bd18-13d44a4d75a4&algo_exp_id=edd241ea-6ff5-4c5c-bd18-13d44a4d75a4-2&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!34.05!34.05!!!246.00!246.00!%402101eac917327396089252470e9d04!12000038325414224!sea!US!0!ABX&curPageLogUid=gRLOsbOihP82&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

On 11/26/2024 at 4:23 AM, Malocchio said:

I just came up with these heating tables (aliX) meant for electronics repair. A machine that gets hot, made in China or something, a wonderful idea! It's somewhat compact, not too expensive, adjustable. Has anyone used something similar? I was thinking about putting cleaning baskets and case parts on it to dry.

On 11/26/2024 at 11:41 AM, caseback said:

You can use a hotplate like this for melting the shellac in pallet forks as well, so take care not to melt the shellac of the impulse jewel when drying parts.

23 hours ago, tomh207 said:

With the temperature range it has you should be able to consistently blue steel parts, hands, screws etc.

they see everyone else beat me to the answer. I think without a source of air drying watch parts would be problematic. But they would definitely work good for melting shellac and bluing screws hands etc.

[RichardHarris123]

Forced convection, far more effective than unforced convection.  Consider putting your hand out of a car window, even on a hot day, your hand feels colder even though the air temperature is the same. 

[Malocchio]

15 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

it's amazing how much air moving past something that you would like to evaporate does such an outstanding job versus pure heat without the airflow.

then if you look at Ally express do a quick search for you'll find something like this just have to make sure you get the right voltage for the country you live in.

That's in fact what I was originally looking for. I wondered if anyone made something similar to this Elma but I have no idea why I didn't find it. I guess there's a fan inside?

 

[mikepilk]

After the final 30s rinse in IPA, I blow the mini baskets with a puffer, then about 1 minute with a hairdryer. Tip the parts on to tissue paper, and they are almost always dry. If not, a quick blow with the puffer and they are. When only doing the occasional single watch I personally have no need (or space) for a dryer. 

[Malocchio]

33 minutes ago, mikepilk said:

After the final 30s rinse in IPA, I blow the mini baskets with a puffer, then about 1 minute with a hairdryer. Tip the parts on to tissue paper, and they are almost always dry. If not, a quick blow with the puffer and they are. When only doing the occasional single watch I personally have no need (or space) for a dryer. 

I also do final rinse in IPA and spin dry. Only places I found residual IPA last time were some screw holes. Sometimes there's been some in jewel holes. The dryer would probably see more use in case drying. Or mushroom dehydrating.

[mikepilk]

1 hour ago, Malocchio said:

I also do final rinse in IPA and spin dry. Only places I found residual IPA last time were some screw holes. Sometimes there's been some in jewel holes. The dryer would probably see more use in case drying. Or mushroom dehydrating.

I try to blow the jewels holes clean with a puffer after cleaning and rinsing solutions to avoid deposits around the jewel holes.