Oil Question

[david pierce]

Bob,
Does anybody know why synthetic oil would be better for clocks and watches. It works out better in automobiles because it is made from rapeseed oil (cooking oil) and will not burn and breakdown under engine heat. I do not know how this would apply to clock and watch movements.
david

[randy]

David,
From Moebius’. and Otto Frei:

Nature watch oil is a mixture of neatsfoot and mineral oil. Nature oil has and is still quite satisfactory except that after a period of time in contact of metal, they change chemically and form a gummy substance. This was great for watch makers since they would get to make money cleaning and oiling the watch every 18 months or so. After WWII in the 1950s the first Synthetic Oils came on the market. Most watchmakers did not rush to use these oils since they were bad for business now that the watch serviced with Synthetic oil would not come back to him for service for another 5-7 years he would lose a lot of income. Synthetic oils have the same lubricating properties as natural oils, however they will not change over time, and will not gum up, cause corrosion and become acidic it left in a watch for many years without a cleaning of the movement.

I’ve cleaned many watches that were serviced w/ natural oils, and they can cause more challenges when it comes to cleaning. Some where almost like a coating of varnish in the jewel cups

Hope this helps

Randy

[david pierce]

Randy,
Yes it does, thank you. Exactly which oils have given you the best results for which watch parts. The various oils and grease compounds have numbers.
david

[randy]

David,
Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been out of town.

I’ve seen many different preferences on this subject, but I’ve had good overall performance from the following oils/ lubricants.

Moebius:
9010 Small trains ( ladies watches, and on pallet jewels
9020 Larger train wheels, IE: pocket watches , center wheels
8141 Winding barrel arbors, lube for mainsprings

I haven’t bought a bottle of 941 yet ( for pallet jewels and quarts movements ) but I’m thinking about it.

Western:
KT-22, winding parts, stems, threads on watch backs, etc.

I try to keep it simple….

From Otto Frei ( again )..they have a page for Moebius lubes, oiling charts, recommendations, etc

For high-quality wrist watches Moebius recommends the synthetic oil 9010 (SYNT-A-LUBE) for the pallet jewels, escapement wheel and the balance staff. Depending on the size of the caliber Moebius 9020 (SYNTA-VISCO-LUBE) or MICROGLISS D-5 is being used for the center wheel, the gear train and the barrel arbor.

For high-quality clocks such as alarm clocks, pendulum clocks and tower clocks Moebius recommends the synthetic oil 9020 (SYNTA-VISCO-LUBE) for the bearing of the escapement wheel, the teeth of the escapement wheel, the first wheel after the fly, the first and second wheel after the fly. (For the latter D-5 is also possible). For all other lubricating points in clock movements Moebius recommends D-5.

There are many specialized lubricants, so you’ll have to see the application, and make your personal choices.

Best regards,

Randy

[david pierce]

Randy,
I think I will start with the 9010, thanks.
david

[Bob Tascione]

Hey David,
I forgot to post Mark Headrick’s links up here for you that we talked about the other day.
Sorry, here they are. As always he explains things very well.
Hope you enjoy them if you haven’t seen them already.

http://www.abbeyclock.com/oil.html
http://www.abbeyclock.com/aoiltwo.html

Enjoy,
Bob

[Author]

Posts