Removing lume...

[dbane883]

I'm in a situation where I need to completely remove the lume from a set of hands.

On a set of test hands, I've tried acetone, which simply results in the lume just swelling up. It can be scraped off in gooey mass, but with the high vapor evaporation of acetone, one only has a few seconds.


I've also tried paint thinner, lacquer thinner and even paint stripper. The best I can get it results in some lume still being lodged in the corners:



I had reasoned that water based binders in the lume would dissolve in the acetone. On some rep hands, this works great. If the binder is oil based, the lacquer thinner ought to work too. I want to refrain from picking/scraping at it as that would still leave a tiny residue.

My guess is that the binder is a reactive one like polyurethane. In which case none of the solvents above will work as a dissolving agent.

My next step is to try toluene... That should dissolve it. Perhaps in the form of automotive carb cleaner.

Are there any other processes that might work better?

[GenTLe]

Looking here it seems that simple mechanical action plus fibreglass brush is enough.

 

 

 

 

Or with an ultrasonic machine:

 

 

Edited July 23, 2014 by GenTLe

[dbane883]

I had no idea one could polish hands with a dremel.. neat..

 

Given that I dont have a $2k commercial ultrasonic machine,  i think i will risk lung cancer and try toulene or xylene next, unless anyone else has a better idea.

[coffindodger]

what about paint thinners that seems to remove nearly anything

[omgiv]

I have always soaked the hands in acetone to remove the lume. This has always worked for me. Even the hands that have the white paint added to the back. It usually either dissolves or comes off in one sheet. I haven't seen it bubble up like your picture. Very curious.

[Rolexman]

All our rep hands are brass and are either gold or chrome plated. Polish them, use a glass fiber pen and the brass will shine through in no time!

Acetone, a small screwdriver a loupe and a steady hand is the only way to go.

PS: the second movie shows a sloppy lume job IMO.

[dbane883]

What do you mean by "glass fiber pen"?

[GenTLe]

What do you mean by "glass fiber pen"?

 

This: http://shop.homage-watches-guide.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=32

[Dlf]

A $50 ultrasonic cleaner I bought off eBay was one of the best investments ever!, you don't need a silly expensive one imo

Edited July 24, 2014 by Dlf

[helldiver]

Go ultrasonic. That the best way.

[montrealer08]

On a set of gen Rolex SL hands, I used an acetone bath and scraped the lume with a sharpened toothpick. Wood is soft and actually polishes the surfaces. Fiberglass pen is too harsh IMO. Then use a cheap consumer ultra sonic cleaner (+\- 30$) with acetone again. Gave me 100% score result.

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[Ephry73]

100% acetone works every time. You may have to heat the hands up prior to the bath. Then clean as needed. Works on both gen and aftermarket.