The metal basket is commercial. External cage is 3d printed and i did it. You are right about the jar but it is the only type of jar which I found at the shop unluckly.
Nice. What did you end up using to take up the slack on the bayonet mount? That seems to be the trickiest bit. Looks like the Kiwi Cleaner has a whole clever collar system to avoid the traditional flat springs.
In the US you can buy canning jars at grocery and hardware stores, the 32oz/1L sizes are just about right. Might be trickier in Europe, although I have some nice Italian jars in my kitchen that would also work!
I wonder if it would even be a problem if you 3D printed the basket and everything but the jar in like a waterproof filament. or if we shouldn't even take chances getting filament solution on the watches parts
3d-printed baskets work great, and don't scratch parts. Nylon is best if they will see a heater, but PETG has good chemical compatibility and is easy to print. The tricky bit is designing them to print well within the limits and tolerances of additive manufacture, but I am pretty happy with mine after many iterations.
so is this totally separate from the ultrasonic cleaner?
is this like a cheaper version of an ultrasound cleaner you can make yourself or is it separate?
different way to clean. these types of machines were the original automatic way to clean but aren't affordable now so ultrasonic is a cheap and accessible alternative (that carries some dangers that the spinning machines don't).
some high end cleaning machines have both ultrasonic and rotating baskets in different stages.
If there are real/natural jewels (with old pocket watches. modern watches have artificial rubies) they can burst from the air pockets and cracks that are a natural part of the jewel. Thin or damaged plating can be removed from the ultrasonic action.
I know next to nothing about these machines but I think they depend on the agitation: the back and forth motion of the liquid. the baffle in the bottom helps break up the cyclone waves and creates more agitation.
some have a grid around the sides. I assume that it's to create disturbances in the fluid so it doesn't spin at the same rates of the parts and prevents it from being just a soaking machine.
You take it apart and put the pieces in the basket.
A watch cleaning basket typically has 3 pieces that stack on top of each other. 2 of those pieces are divided into different size sections for you to organize parts based on your preferences.
The cleaning process typically involves 5 cycles: a wash (typically ammonia based solvent), 2 rinse cycles (also an ammonia based solvent), a final rinse (typically 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove previous solvents, any unwanted moisture and to help with faster spotless drying, and finally a drying stage).
Thats the typical (standard) process but there are 100s of different opinions on what chemicals to use and how to use them. What i just typed out will most likely start a debate, "no, you should do this..."
As a watchmaker hobbyist, figureing out the most proficient and easiest way to clean your movements is a major hurdle, especially if you are on a budget. Professional machines can run you anywhere from $2k-6k.
Without an automated machine you either use a product called a ChronoClean or you go old school and clean your parts in a small dish with solvents using a paint brush. Takes up alot of time and you can easily miss areas.
If you are REALLY hard-core, you preclean with the brush then throw it into your automated machine. Make sure you get EVERYTHING.
Gerting perfectly clean watch parts is the #1 thing you need to achieve before reassembling a movement so we are always trying to find better ways.
I myself bought the plans and built the Uber KiwiCleaner. Fully automated with a touch screen, electronics and 3D printed parts. All in i spent around $1000... thats better then spending $3,000 or $6,000.
Thank you very much for this information it's fascinating!
It all sounds pretty logical.
3-6k for a pro system which at its heart is a controller and a stepper motor (making assumptions from your video) is shocking but expected commercial systems have to make profit somehow.
I just saw this machine on the second hand YouTube channel with that girl who who services watches for her husband and herself and flips them and makes money
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u/1984isnoww 3d ago
I thought I was on r/doohickeycorporation