Reply With QuoteThat's brilliant, think of the amount of dirt it's taken off over the years.
I guess they don't make things like they used to.
I bought this machine back in 1972 and it was second hand even then. It came with a set of watch baskets and a user manual with circuit diagram. I have used it almost daily since then and it has only let me down once in all that time. It has a couple of thermionic valves which power the ultrasonic jar and one of the valves failed back in 2003.I took it to a pal of mine who restores old valve radios and works for EMI in Wells, Somerset. He quickly ordered a replacement valve, installed it, and had the machine back with me within the longest week of my life ! At the time I was doing repairs for Breitling and London watch dealers and felt totally helpless without my cleaning machine.
When I worked in Switzerland the machine of choice at the factories was the Elma. Benzene was used in all the cleaning jars there, but it is hard to buy that fluid in the UK because of its negative environmental properties.
My Fuji cleans more thoroughly than either the Elma or Greiner cleaning machines I guess because it was designed when watches were rarely water or dust proof and needed the dirt literally shaken off the components. Watches come out of my Fuji spotlessly clean, with even the most ground in greases and oils removed, leaving the components sparkling and sterile.
I use L+R Ultrasonic watch cleaning fluids which clean and rinse all the components, then the final jar dries the movement parts ready for reassembly.
Ultrasonic cleaning machines start nowadays at around 10k so I'm hoping that the Fuji will continue to be incredibly reliable for the next few years.
It gronkles a bit !
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Last edited by Webwatchmaker; 18th November 2018 at 20:31.
That's brilliant, think of the amount of dirt it's taken off over the years.
I guess they don't make things like they used to.
Outstanding post, thank you. : )
Interesting to read about this vital piece of your kit Brendan.
Hopefully it’ll last a few more years yet!
Thanks for posting, a good few years ago before going to uni I worked in a Jewellers for about 18 months, I often did jewellery repairs using something like this,,to clean necklets bracelets etc, the watchmaker who had a workshop downstairs had a similar set up.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I do hope so mainspring !
The fluid in the ultrasonic jar gets much dirtier than the first cleaning jar showing just how efficient it is.
When I worked at Blancpain the bayonet holding the watch baskets became detached from their very expensive cleaning machine. (I wont say what brand, but a well known one). The safety door prevented access to the machine to stop the damage and the watch parts were thrown everywhere inside. I couldn't believe it. We all stood there eyes popping out, powerless to do anything until one genius pulled the plug out !!
A Portescap cleaning machine which held the watches on nylon pegs, caught fire during the drying cycle whilst I watched it at Basle Fair. That was funny, the reps didn't know what to do. It quickly drew a disbelieving crowd ! Smoke everywhere !
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Would a cycle in a dishwasher hurt a watch ..?
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Water based detergents, turbulent cleaning cycles, slow, warm drying. I should think serious damage !Originally Posted by Kitz
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I've never seen a Fuji cleaner Brendan, it looks like a very capable bit of kit with 5 jars. Are they all ultrasonic or just a certain one? One thing about machines from that era is with careful use they seem to go on forever (touch wood!), they are very well built.
Like you I use the L&R cleaning and rinse fluids in my machines. My main cleaner is an L&R Vari-Matic with ultrasonic generator, an very popular machine from the 50's to the late 70's. I bought it from an retired watchmaker who used to look after Spitfires during WW2 and trained as a watchie with his demob package, he had just had it serviced and it still had all the manuals and paperwork present, bought from Gleaves in 1974! These L&R's use a thermionic valve as part of the ultrasonic generator but this one's had the ultrasonic circuitry converted to solid state.
My backup machine is a Vibrasonic A800, these were the forerunner to the Greiner ACS900, in fact Greiner Vibrograf bought the Vibrasonic company and carried on developing the machine. It does a great job but I don't use it daily as I prefer an ultrasonic machine which this model isn't, it's also a bit too large for my cramped workshop.
I have another L&R Vari-Matic with Ultrasonic just like my main machine, I've assembled it over the past few years by buying parts as I spot them for sale. This one does still have the original thermionic valve ultrasonic generating circuitry and at the moment the whole machine is in Devon having a full strip down and service carried out. Once it's back I'll run both L&R's side by side and alternate each cleaning cycle back and forth between the two. The Vibrasonic can then be sold!
My Fuji only has one ultrasonic jar. All it needs. I have to change the cleaning fluid in that jar more frequently than the others because it is so thorough.
I love the L+R machine. It looks like something you would find on the Tardis!
I bought one from a retiring Rolex guy but sold it on.
What would we do without them ?
We certainly cannot hand clean modern wrist watches.
I use this ultrasonic machine below for cleaning cases and bracelets.
Last edited by Webwatchmaker; 20th November 2018 at 10:07.
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