Watchmaker collets, Maintenance.

[maclerche]

How to clean best old watchmaker collets that have a little surface rust and dirt. How do you maintain them generally so they do not rust in the long run .. 

 

Thanks

Henry

[jdm]

Clean them with a brushing pad (on a rotary tool if there is stubborn dirt), then white petrol plus few drops of machine oil.

[jdrichard]

I have used the edge of a screwdriver very carefully on the threads, where there is lots of dirt and a fake metal cleaning pad does not work. Lots of oil though.


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[jdrichard]

You can also buy an 8mm die (tap and die) and run it along the threads to clean and straighten things out


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[jdm]

4 hours ago, jdrichard said:

I have used the edge of a screwdriver very carefully on the threads, where there is lots of dirt and a fake metal cleaning pad does not work.

It works beautiful on threads. Green kitchen pad (no sponge) at the supermarket. Cousins also sells them in big sizes.

[Tudor]

Bigger collets (5c) I spin the in the lathe and polish them with a red (medium) scotch-brite pad. Inside as well if I can get in there. Then I spray with aerosol Precision oil- sold for micrometers etc. it just sprays on and leaves a light film as it dries. Will not affect tolerances. 

If the back side taper is rusty, I polish that by hand with the red pad. It is as critical as the bore so be careful. Any burrs get knocked down with a stone. 

Threads are easily cleaned with a wire “tooth” brush. Stainless bristles are fine. But you can use brass. Spray threads with the oil too. 

Some of the 5c collets have an internal thread for a work stop. These I clean with a bottle brush. Smaller bottle brushes can be used to clean inside the collets too. Small bores can be cleaned with brushes for cleaning baby straws etc. but lab supply places have tons of sizes and materials. You can also cut a slot in a dowel and slide the piece of red pad in there to polish the id of collets. 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Tudor

[measuretwice]

The external surfaces of a collet are easily cleaned up, however the real issue (at least for watchmaker sized ones) is corrosion in the bore.  Obviously very difficult to get at mechanically.  You could use an appropriate sized bit of brass wire as a lap but then there's the potential to start changing the collet dimension or bell mouthing it.   Some of the rust removal solutions work really well, I would try a soak in them.  They should remove the rust and only and on the inside and out.

With the rust removed, the best idea is to take steps to prevent it.  Rust requires oxygen and water.   A great deal of the water that causes rust comes from condensate.   Getting a dehumidifier will make the biggest difference, and keep the room a constant temperature.  Most condensate falls of the the air when there is a temperature change  -i.e. dew.  The idea is to keep well away from the dew point. The other thing is keep all tools covered, in drawers etc.  It minimizes the amount of air around the tool and hence how much condensate there can be.  Keping things oiled can help.  Oil doesn't protect so much from direct water like condensate, but it does provide a temporary barrier from the air, air that contains both water and oxygen.

Last thought, the volume of iron oxide is many times that of steel, so if there is just a bit of rust on something, don't despair.  If the rust is light, you likely won't even be able to measure a dimension change

Edited August 9, 2018 by measuretwice

[Tmuir]

Just my 5 cents as a good oil to stop rust.

Many years ago I bought a bottle of Camellia Oil to stop my Japanese woodworking saws from rusting.

It is a very light oil that doesn't leave the item sticky.

The japanese used to use it for protecting their swords first and then when the swordsmiths turned to making woodworking tools it was used on these high quality tools.

I now use this oil on anything precision that I want to protect from rust.

This is the stuff

https://www.kriscutlery.com/other-weapons/camellia-oil-for-knves-swords-and-tools

Of course this only helps you after you have cleaned the items.