On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:38:01 -0500, "dan@home"
wrote:

I'm working on a project to restore a few small watch parts that need
be polished for further treatments.

However, I don't have the composition of the bath (for a simple home
setup) and other process parameters.

Go ask a horology newsgroup. We're hairy-arsed engineers round here and
our processes are crude and unsuitable for polite company.

For anodic cleaning and electropolishing dirty brass I've used the
following. I _think_ it's based on Canning's Anodax cleaner formulation,
but I've no idea how accurately.

1 part caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), 7 parts washing soda (sodium
carbonate). Mix to a strength of 8oz / gallon. Use near-boiling hot
(90°C) at a current around 30A/sq ft. and agitate it by bubbling air or
CO2 through the bath. Max duration about 30 seconds.
For electropolishing you probably want to tone it down a bit and do it
for longer.

Wash afterwards, swill in hydrochloric acid pickle, then wash again.


I don't recommend this process on smallparts without experimentation.
But it's cheap to make up, easy to work with, and might give you a
starting point.