oil filling a quartz.....

[deerworrier]

red neck style :D

so, proof of concept is the first order of business. now I have read a lot of folks methodologies on this and some boys get real techie! with their mechanical and chemical degrees and such. I on the other hand have taken the construction engineers approach and decided to go for the make do method.

I have 1ltr of this coming in tomorrow....

for those unfamiliar with the product, im sure you have seen pressure gauges at some point with the scale and needle. these are generally glycerol filled but in the oil and gas industry we are moving towards a silicon based filler as above, highly unreactive, viscosity of water, dialectical low and relatively cheap at $60 per half litre (im estimating on a fair bit of wastage as the watch will need to be submerged for my "no bubble" concept). most methods show a vacuum pump and an expansion system, normally a bit of non absorbent foam or high density something or other. if you look at the expansion % of this liquid I personally think I will not need to worry about it as the temperature range is so vast but we shall see.

so I have the oil on order and will be here tomorrow. the vacuum pump bothered me, $500 for a system just to fill a $400 watch! nah, I have a storage vacuum bag and a hoover a vacuum is a vacuum is a vacuum :thumbup:

basic principles are as below and I will update with pics and full narrative for anyone else who fancies a bit of stoopidity :thumbup:

1. strip watch to case and movement
2. remove movement
3. place case in bowl of liquid
4. place bowl in vacuum bag
5. vacuum to remove all air from case
6. open and install movement while still submerged in bowl
7. revacuum with movement in place
8. open bag and finger fit case back while submerged
9. remove and screw case back tight

after the above is done, ill test in the freezer for 24hrs and then in 50-60 deg water bath to ensure expansion factors are correct and no air or vacuum bubble is present (a common mistake for people with UX bubbles is they think its air, its actually the opposite, its a vacuum where the oil has contracted in the cold and left a vacuum bubble, hence why it disappears when it warms up)

all going well I wil have pics of the first attempt tomorrow :D watch this space.


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[harlansmart]

Yessiree I know this can be done at home, and expect you're success will be soon arrived & complete, we want pix!

[pedro44]

What model watch is being used for this experiment

[deerworrier]

What model watch is being used for this experiment

Attached files

[pedro44]

Freekin hell. I thought you was kidding ...
How do you get on when you want to unscrew crown for time adjustment. . Showing my ignorance here.

[deerworrier]

the oil inside the watch will not actually be at pressure so no reason for any to come out the crown or seals or indeed pop the crystal!. the watch is water tight so the seals work in the way and will act the same on an outwards pressure. when I fill it (at 30deg temp or just above) I will submerge it in 60deg water for a while (good scientific time frame!) and ensure the seals don't fail due to thermal expansion of the oil but I see no reason for it as the expansion coefficient is so low for the silicon selected and it is actually quite compressible(for an oil) at lower temp. Im currently pulling my kitchen apart looking for a suitable donor bowl or container to act as the bell jar and if the hoover/vacuum option fails to yield the results I have an old $10 plug in tyre inflator that can be quickly turned into a vacuum pump instead, these can pull just fine if needed.

ill post full pics and all (if any) failures :D

[anzac1957]

So how does the lume survive or do you need special lume?

[deerworrier]

So how does the lume survive or do you need special lume?

magical Seiko powers I believe who knows mate? im guessing its no worse than standard UV as the UX is immersed for 7yrs at a time, the lume on the Seiko is pretty well shot anyway and this is a trail so im sure there will be many answers to questions I never knew before too long :D

just been out and bought everything required plus extra duct tape (you can never have too much duct tape) 1ltr of oil arrives tomorrow and I expect to be giving the full nutty professor by early afternoon.

im thinking I may just try and pull a vacuum with the movement in from the off and if it doesn't work then ill do the long route but may as well see if it is actually required or not.

[anzac1957]

So with all that oil in there, will the second hand glide smoothly rather than tick.. just wondering..

[Stevo_iwc]

John bear with me please I am about as practical as a chocolate crescent. So you put the watch in the jar of hootch, I get that. Then what does the vacuum cleaner do? Do you put the jar in a plastic bag and suck out the air with the vacuum cleaner? But won't that suck up the oily hootch as well? Or does it ensure that any tiny air bubbles in the movement are forced out?
Fascinating project mate, I'm sure if I keep thinking about it it will dawn on me why the hell you are doing this

[deerworrier]

Do you put the jar in a plastic bag and suck out the air with the vacuum cleaner? But won't that suck up the oily hootch as well? Or does it ensure that any tiny air bubbles in the movement are forced out?

the hoover just creates a negative pressure in the bag really, it will never be a true vacuum as such but it should be enough to draw any air pockets in the watch out (high travels to low and all that). the solution will stay where it is as the nozzle will not be in the solution but well above it, so the air will be sucked out of the bag and in turn the bag will form a seal around the "bell jar" and funnel (all will be clear in the pictures, honest) then any trapped air in the watch case or movement will be attracted to the negative pressure as nature abhors a vacuum!if I cant get enough negative pressure with the hoover then ill cut up my old emergency air compressor and turn the air inlet into a hose fitting and use it instead, effectively an air pump just draws air in through a hole and pumps it out through a hose to your tyre, all ill be doing is fitting a hose to the inlet and the bell jar so the pump draws air from the jar instead of the atmosphere, this will create a true vacuum but will need a bit more "engineering" to ensure the integrity of the bell jar.

it will dawn on me why the hell you are doing this

all I said was im doing it, I never said I was smart

[Stevo_iwc]

all I said was im doing it, I never said I was smart

Mate, the story of my life

Thanks for the explanation, I get it :thumbup:

[22henry]

Can't wait for photos!

[kiwipip]

If you need a Vacuum pump..... Just saying.....

[deerworrier]

ok, lets do this....


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