Oiler cleaning sponge--what is it made of?

[LittleWatchShop]

This is used to poke the oiler into it and clean it for the next application of oil.

What is it made of?  Is there a DIY solution from common materials?

[RichardHarris123]

No idea what it is made of but pith wood is far cheaper. 

[LittleWatchShop]

8 minutes ago, RichardHarris123 said:

No idea what it is made of but pith wood is far cheaper. 

I have read elsewhere that pith wood is used for this.

I have a bunch of old pith wood that came with a watch I purchased several years ago.  Pretty beat up.  But when I cut it with a razor blade, it is nice and pretty!! I will use that.

[HectorLooi]

I have always been a bit leery of using the cleaning sponge. There could be all sorts of oils soaked in it, from grease to 9010.

I prefer to use a piece of tissue paper to clean my oilers.

[mikepilk]

2 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

No idea what it is made of but pith wood is far cheaper. 

I too use a bit of pith wood, and change it regularly as it gets contaminated. This is another instance when you don't have to pay £££ because something has Bergeon written on it.

[Waggy]

Looks like one of those Mr Clean magic sponges - but I am sure the Mr clean ones have some chemicals in them, maybe the Bergeon one is the same sponge material but without the chemicals added, or maybe not. Also no idea of the size of the Bergeon one in the picture, maybe 1mm x 4mm ?? haha

Edited January 2, 2024 by Waggy
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[Waggy]

Maybe this is a better option to try?

 

AED 14.25 ~ £3.05/$3.88

Edited January 2, 2024 by Waggy

[HectorLooi]

This is what's known as melamine sponge. It's not very absorbent but is abrasive. It is abrasive enough to dull the edge of the knife used to cut it. It don't think it's a good option.

[oldhippy]

I used Pith 

[jannickz]

 

no idea about this

[Waggy]

I guess someone needs to buy one and compare, they aren't giving anything away on line.

[Malocchio]

If I used just one oiler with several oils, would it be enough to just use pith wood to clean the oiler? I also rinse in IPA but usually I have dedicated oilers for different oils.

About the sponges, I have speculated the same. I haven't really tested in practice but the Bergeon sponge is a lot harder than the kitchen variety.

[GuyMontag]

8 hours ago, Waggy said:

I guess someone needs to buy one and compare, they aren't giving anything away on line.

I use one. It seems to work well enough. I do occasionally notice a particle from the sponge on my oiler but the same was true when using pith wood.