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Cleaning pinion leaves on train gears. Disassemble?

mikepilk
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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

Posted
Posted

When cleaning pinion leaves, I have used pegwood with some abrasive paste (rouge). It's tricky on small wheels.

I have some with slight corrosion (new parts not easily available). Is it usual to disassemble the pinion from the wheel for cleaning ?

I remember seeing Alex on "Watch Repair Tutorials" doing this and using a Dremel to polish the leaves (but I can't find the video).

It would be an easy way to get a good finish, but I haven't taken wheels apart, and worry about how easy it is to damage the wheel?

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nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

Posted
Posted

Wheels are generally rivetted to the pinions, and disassembly would ruin them. Some are friction fit, but again, disassembly would likely lead to a weaker union after reassembly. Best to clean them assembled.

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Unless you need to cut a new wheel or pinon never take it apart.   Diamantine powder with a little oil is good for polishing steel.

Edited by oldhippy
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VWatchie Distinguished Member

VWatchie

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Unless you need to cut a new wheel or pinon never take it apart.   Diamantine powder with a little oil is good for polishing steel.

Do you mix oil and Diamantine or is there a ready-made mix? Do you then dip a piece of peg wood into the mix or do you have some other method?

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Do you mix oil and Diamantine or is there a ready-made mix? Do you then dip a piece of peg wood into the mix or do you have some other method?

Just add a drop of oil and mix, you can shape the peg wood to fit between the pinons. 

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VWatchie Distinguished Member

VWatchie

Posted
Posted

Likely nothing new to you but as it has been working so well for me I just thought I'd mention that I got a tip from @nickelsilver to pre-clean the pinions by pressing them into peg wood soaked with a degreaser. It has made a significant difference and has saved a lot of time.

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Waggy Distinguished Member

Waggy

Posted
Posted

It would be interesting to get a better understanding of what is causing the leaves to look this way and to what degree this impedes the running of the movement, ie if it is cosmetic or actually a mechanical issue. I realise this will be different for every movement, and maybe even every wheel (?!) and I suspect one could never know definitively the answer to this question so we must use our best judgement on a case-by-case basis?

Also, I think we need to weigh-up if the cure may be worse than the disease, will any restorative treatment actually make matters better or worse?

What I do (and more than open to the idea that I am wrong) is remove any obvious chunks from the leaves with peg wood or an old oiler, then if still a concern I leave in de-rusting solution for a while, checking every 20 mins. I then look under the microscope and if it looks mechanically sound then I'll call it a win even though it may not look pretty (de-ruster tends to blacken de-rusted steel), then into the cleaning machine with the rest of the parts. Otherwise, I'll seek a replacement.

I think, at my skill level, trying to remove and repair the pinion from the wheel would only serve to rapidly top up the swear jar with a poor outcome.

oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted

Diamond paste is used but water based and not oil, so you would need to make sure everything has been removed of the paste, I don't know if it come in different grades it is an abrasive. I don't see why you can't use it with a drop of oil it would be safer then water on steel.   

HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Waggy said:

It would be interesting to get a better understanding of what is causing the leaves to look this way

Most likely from the use of a water based cleaner and inadequate drying.

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