Disassembly Memory Loss

[chris mabbott]

I’m going to agree 1000% with Arutha, except I just use my mobile phone camera and take step by step pics, usually about 8 will do, then I create a folder on the PC and put them in there for future use. That keeps your phone clean.

It certainly cuts down on many containers and the memory can relax …

Chris

[arutha]

Hi Chris,
your mobile phone is the perfect solution if you have a decent quality camera on it, mine is quite poor so wouldnt be an option for me, especially if I need to capture anything in detail. Digital cameras are so cheap now, you can pick up an old 6 megapixel Canon compact for peanuts on the auction site, the quality is amazing and they have a good macro function(depicted by a small flower symbol) so well worth keeping an eye out for.
Don’t worry about megapixels too much either, this does not give you a better quality picture once you get above 3 megapixels, it just means the more you have the bigger you can print out the picture.
Paul.

[chris mabbott]

You’re absolutely right Paul, there are some nice reconned cameras on the market, ebay especially. I have about 5 different cameras including a cannon model which takes me ages to set up and i’m a lazy sod 😆

A mobile camera is just convenient, quick and easy, but unlike my cameras, the phone is always in my pocket so available, and for memory purposes, it’s perfect for re-assembly where quality isn’t a huge concern but putting the right pieces back in the correct order is 😆

Chris

[steve fornelius]

I only do clocks so my technique is to put each train of gears into a separate baggie, same with the levers on the front, and the chime/time hammer assemblies. Then I put the bags into my ultrasonic. After the wash, I rinse the parts while their still in the bags. Drying depends on the part, but usually a blot with paper towels and then air dry. For the parts that get water inside them, I use a paint stripping heat gun and adjust the distance to the parts as necessary.

When the parts are clean and dry, they go back into fresh bags to keep them separated until its time to put in those specific pieces.

[gerene]

Steve,

I was wondering what kind of bag you use in your cleaner and also what kind of ultrasonic cleaner you have.

Thanks

Jan

[steve fornelius]

I just use cheap plastic sandwitch bags and leave the top open. The bags fill with solution and maybe some of the solution moves in and out, but I’m dubious of that because when I put something very dirty into the bag and then the bad into the ultrasonic, the solutino in the bag gets very dirty but the tank doesn’t get much dirtier. I have a 2 1/2 gallon Branson 5510 that was service about 2 years ago when the agitation pattern started getting weak. I use Heritage Ammoniated Clock Cleaner at about 3 cups per tank. Might not be real strong, but it works pretty well.

I’ve also been starting to do a preclean on the plates, arbors and gear teeth with something like carbon tetrachloride. Then it takes probably 1/4 as long to clean the parts.

[bamadadof3]

My digital camera finally bit the dust a while back so I tried using my iphone 5s camera to take both photos and video as I take apart my wristwatches. The standard camera software from apple wouldn’t let me get close enough to focus on the small detailed parts. I downloaded a new camera app called procamera ($3.99) and it works perfectly! You can hold the camera back a bit and then zoom in and get a very high quality zoom-able HD picture or video that will have plenty of detail. It also has lots of exposure features. It has saved me several times so far because like the OP I also have a bad memory and as a noob until I get some bench time under my belt I will continue to snap a picture or short video showing how that little spring goes back in place. The App has a HD video add on for $1.99 for HD video that I also bought. For $6 i have a HD camera and video recorder better than any I ever had as a standalone. The new smartphones from the iphone 6 to the new Androids have fantastic new camera technology so don’t overlook them when you aren’t happy with the zoom in capabilities check out the camera apps before investing in a new camera.

Cheers,,
Glenn

[bamadadof3]

If you buy really cheap wire parts baskets (like I do/did) be very careful to check up under the edges of lids when you take them off. They will hide jewels and little screws very well. I bought 4 of the very small thimble sized wire baskets that have a little top that snaps on and they do have a little cavity where the mesh wire meets the metal rim that can grab screws and jewels. I think I am going to have to rethink my containers for these tiny parts in the future especially jewels.

[willofiam]

@Bamadadof3 wrote:

very small thimble sized wire baskets that have a little top that snaps on

Get the kind that screws together, they work great, for me there has been no issues of loosing things when using these. I also engraved on them so I can keep track of upper / lower ect… jewels / screws ect…by the markings on the container. William

[gerene]

Even with the screwed together baskets one has to be verry carefull. Sometimes little wet screws stick to the inside of the basket and go unnoticed.

Jan

[bamadadof3]

@willofiam wrote:

@Bamadadof3 wrote:

very small thimble sized wire baskets that have a little top that snaps on

Get the kind that screws together, they work great, for me there has been no issues of loosing things when using these. I also engraved on them so I can keep track of upper / lower ect… jewels / screws ect…by the markings on the container. William

Yep I will buy the screw container next time they are the same price too….To top are hard to get off these cheap baskets too so I think the screw top type is the only way to go.

[dave booth]

When I was first starting out in the clock repair business, Bob Goodman, who was teaching me, told me to get a set of watch screwdrivers for those smaller French clock screws. I sent an order off to S LaRose (an admission of which, I suppose “dates” me) for their Bergeon screwdrivers, and when they arrived, proudly carted them into work with me the following Saturday. (The deal was I worked half days on Saturdays for Bob Goodman in his shop, and in exchange for that, he taught me clock repair). He looked at them and apologized profusely, for not telling me to avoid their brand, He said that Bergeon items were invariably nearly 50% higher in price than anyone else for the same item.

[dave booth]

Styrofoam egg cartons make handy separators for small to medium sized clocks. You can lay all the time associated parts in one row of egg holders, and all the strike related ones in the other row. If you leave the carton open, strike wires and assorted pieces like pendulum leaders and such can lay in the lid.
Here is a French (Vincenti) clock which is partially disassembled . Note that I placed the time parts in the upper row,a nd the strike parts in the lower. You can see a little bit of the pendulum rod ying in the open lid. (Also note that I kept each tapered pin with its associated part – that little trick can save you lots of frustration, comes time to reassemble it.)

Also, because Styrofoam is compressible, you can fold the carton closed and label it with a magic marker, if you are working on more than one clock at a time.

(Click on image to view full without scrolling)

[gerene]

Thanks for the tip, Dave.

[clockmanbill]

this may sound a bit dumb, but what I do for cleaning clock parts is run a thin wire threw each train and that keeps them safe. The small parts I use tea bubbles to hold them together. Just a thought.

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