Low Amplitude from Ultrasonic cleaning?

[Neverenoughwatches]

On 2/26/2024 at 8:09 PM, eccentric59 said:

or perhaps a practical joker swapped your 9010 for maple syrup. 

Haha, that might be one anxious bride that is not receiving the same amount of attention as the watches

14 hours ago, Jon said:

 Watchmaking is witling down what it can't be and you're left with the possibilities, then probabilities. 

eliminate the impossible and whatever remain however improbable is still possible dear Holmes. 

[Jon]

7 hours ago, VWatchie said:

@Jon I didn't realize that end shake was that critical. Very, very interesting reading. Thanks!

Now the question I have is; how do you adjust the end shake of a balance? It's not covered much at all or I think I would have noticed over the years. For increasing the end shake, all I've seen is carving up a bump under the main plate under the balance cock or using shims. When servicing a Citizen 8200A I used aluminium foil but it doesn't feel like a best practice. I have no idea about how one decreases the balance end-shake. I would expect this topic to be rather complex but if you could describe the overall idea it would be super interesting.

Also, how do you measure end shake? I think I'm able to assess the end shake of train wheels reasonably well by mounting one wheel at a time looking at it through my microscope and comparing it to the gap I see in my micrometre, but when it comes to balance end-shake I can only try to assess the end shake by feel and it certainly is a far cry from being able to tell what it actually is

I've just posted this on the forum to help understand the theory in conjunction with the practical aspects of end-shake.

 

Unfortunately the videos won't play because of the conversion to PDF.

Enjoy!

[Senyamnesi]

If you're getting low amplitude from your ultrasonic cleaner, it could be a couple of things. First, check if the transducers are working properly – sometimes, they can get weak or worn out over time. Also, the frequency of the ultrasonic waves could be mismatched for the type of material you're cleaning, which affects the power and efficiency.

[Neverenoughwatches]

19 minutes ago, Senyamnesi said:

If you're getting low amplitude from your ultrasonic cleaner, it could be a couple of things. First, check if the transducers are working properly – sometimes, they can get weak or worn out over time. Also, the frequency of the ultrasonic waves could be mismatched for the type of material you're cleaning, which affects the power and efficiency.

Maybe a little misunderstanding here about the title, I think Ross ( who worryingly hasn't visited the forum for quite some time considering he throughly enjoyed his watch repair, such a lovely gentle natured guy ) was asking if cleaning in an ultrasonic has a detrimental effect on watchparts. A fair amount of the movements he was working on at the time were suffering from low amplitude, and we were trying to get to the bottom of why it was happening regularly. 

[VWatchie]

6 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I think Ross ( who worryingly hasn't visited the forum for quite some time considering he throughly enjoyed his watch repair, such a lovely gentle natured guy )

Yes, it is undeniably sad when members we almost perceive as friends suddenly stop showing up, and we have no idea what happened. I truly hope everything is fine with Ross and that perhaps he’s just taking a break.

I really had hoped that more of us would have joined our email list so we could simply reach out to each other and check in.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, VWatchie said:

I really had hoped that more of us would have joined our email list so we could simply reach out to each other and check in.

I know H , I just did not understand why it didn't resonate with a lot more of us. I do hope Ross is ok, he was such a nice bloke, no malice in him whatsoever. 

[tomh207]

Last I heard from Ross was that he was taking an extended break due to some of the frustration he was having. I believe he intends to get back into it in the new year. I really hope he comes back, such a nice chap.

 

Tom

[Senyamnesi]

23 hours ago, Senyamnesi said:

If you're getting low amplitude from your ultrasonic cleaner, it could be a couple of things. First, check if the transducers are working properly – sometimes, they can get weak or worn out over time. Also, the frequency of the ultrasonic waves could be mismatched for the type of material you're cleaning, which affects the power and efficiency.

If you're using industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment, maybe give the power settings a tweak. I know from experience that a cleaning solution can make a big difference too – it needs to be the right one for the job. Lastly, ensure the tank isn’t too crowded; the sound waves need room to work their magic.

[Neverenoughwatches]

Ok I have a question/idea that will change the power output, reduction of a USM and wonder how it will effect the sonic vibrations produced. What about using an AC voltage regulator ?

Anyone got an old one that they're not bothered about trying it with ?