Bergeon Cleaning Rodico - whom uses it?

[eli griggs]

I'm curious as to whom uses this product - gum or putty for camera cleaning and repairs, and how.

I see there is two different types, the original green material and a newer, product, both of which are used by watch makers, including to remove oil from the clockworks, hold tiny parts, pick up parts, etc, and I wonder if it will also safely remove tarnish from chrome or OEM paint jobs?

Please, if you do use this, I'd be grateful for further insights into it's uses.

Cheers,
Eli

 

[BobUK]

An old post, but worth an answer.

I have used Rodico since the eighties on clocks and watches.
Available from watch repair materials dealers.
It lifts bits of grit and dust, also congealed oil in difficult to get at places.

It was recommended for cleaning watch balance staff pivots. Just plunge the pivot into the putty and all of the old oil and dust is removed, fingerprints as well.

I stopped using it for balance pivots after reading an article in a magazine revealing the findings of a professional watch repairer.
He reckoned that the Rodico cleaner he had bought was leaving microscopic deposits on the balance pivots. Timing with the machine was showing erratic readings. A look through the microscope revealed microscopic putty residue on the pivots. The traditional cleaner for watch pivots is elder pith.
By returning to the tried and trusted pith, the pivots came out microscopically clean, and then testing with the timing machine he achieved the good results he was looking for.

I think a wrist watch balance staff is a lot finer and delicate than anything found in a cameras mechanics so I am happy to use it on camera gear trains, shutter blades, diaphragms etc..

I regularly use a rice grain sized piece on the end of a watchmakers screwdriver to hold fine screws onto the end of the screwdriver. Beats the scenario when the screw or small part pings out of the tweezers across the room initiating a big search for the lost item.
It is also handy as a third hand to hold blades in place whilst assembling an aperture iris or shutter blades.

A small bar lasts a long time if kept for delicate tasks such as cameras and watches. It used to be very expensive in the eighties, but the price has dropped to acceptable levels these days.

Well worth adding to your set of fine tools.

 

[eli griggs]

Cheers, I appreciate your post and description of your best practices.

Eli

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

I used Rodico for watch repairs but would caution that it retains what it lifts and therefore gets dirty. Along with pith (elder pith from Sambucus niger: I collect my own locally), I used to find pegwood the handiest cleaning aid, apart from the obvious solvents. I'd have been frightened to plunge a balance staff into Rodico!

It won't remove tarnish: its action is not chemical.

 

[BobUK]

................I'd have been frightened to plunge a balance staff into Rodico!................

When warm it is quite soft. At cold temperatures it is a bit scary for use on balance staffs.
Stick to the pith, much safer for balances.

 

[eli griggs]

When warm it is quite soft. At cold temperatures it is a bit scary for use on balance staffs.
Stick to the pith, much safer for balances.

Good tip!