omni Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 So just picked up my Airman 7 from my jeweler tonight. He said he could not mechanically tool the broken stem out of the crown that I broke off, so he just dissolved the steel stem in the crown with common alum off of the spice rack! He first tested it on the crown which had no effect as he said it must be made out of some kind of chrome white metal, so leaving the crown in a solution of alum for a day, it completely dissolved the steel stem piece that was stuck in the crown. I'd never heard of this trick so I thought I'd pass this tidbit on to the modders out their. To expand on this story, my auto-watchwinder had hard plastic holders that would barely hold this 53mm cased watch, and while putting it in one of the holders, I snapped the crown off the main movement. Needless to say the winder is now in the garbage since it was a cheapie anyway and I was pissed-off. Ordered a stem from Ofrei and hoped I didn't have to order a new crown from Glycine and wait forever. Happily this all worked out well and he had it back to me in 2 days. Have any of you ever heard of this before? Alls well that ends well and I didn't have to hassle ordering and waiting a month for a new Glycine marked crown. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Alum huh? You learn something new every day... That Glycine is a beauty albiet a large beauty! Enjoy it now that it's fixed!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Wow....cool trick....I gotta try this one. Any specifics on how to make the solution of Alum? I have seen this come normally as a whitish stone. Another popular use of the Alum stone is to wet it and rub it on your face after shaving. Works better than any after shave and the face feels baby smooth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey7 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I knew "Sporty, Posh and Ginger", but I never heard of "Alum". She must have been the manager, or maybe a back-up singer or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 I knew "Sporty, Posh and Ginger", but I never heard of "Alum". She must have been the manager, or maybe a back-up singer or something Fluffer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey7 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Fluffer... Nah, 'cause then she wouldn't be disolving steel, she'd be creating it from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HaloArchive Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Here is what it is: Alum: A double sulfate of ammonium. It is used as an astringent, as an emetic and in the manufacture of baking powders, dyes and paper; the commonest form is potash alum (potassium aluminum sulfate). In the kitchen, it is used in pickle making Cheers, H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Not gonna lie...I'm only interested in two things: That martini...awesome Omni, you using that shaker That watch...awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketeer Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Have to give that a try. Sounds much safer than the usual chemical method, a 10% solution of sulphuric acid (Bergeon call it 'Vissin' and charge a fortune for a little bottle) for loosening broken screws etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Household vinegar does exactly the same trick. I had to sell my genuine Airman 7, much much too big for my wrists... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 My thought exactly The Zigmeister. Nice watch, far too big for this little black duck. Col. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike S. Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Greetings The Zigmeister: I'm using white vinegar now to disolve a broken stem in a crown. I've had it in the vinegar solution for 4 days with barely no results. Am I doing something wrong? Regards, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Greetings Ziggy: I'm using white vinegar now to disolve a broken stem in a crown. I've had it in the vinegar solution for 4 days with barely no results. Am I doing something wrong? Regards, Mike Not that I am aware of, it should work after a week or two...needs to be pure white vinegar to work... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronology1066 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 @Shundi - Hope not, Martini should always be stirred, only Fleming was that pretentious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Search and ye shall find! I remembered a discussion on removing stems from crowns. In the last week I have run into 2 of them. A Gerald Genta, running a 7750, and a Rotary Revelation, (Reverso) with a Ronda 785 movement. The Genta has a most unusual (some may say "bling") crown. I tried to source another, but couldn't get any answers. So decided to try this vinegar job, to remove the sheared stems. Bingo....5 days in white vinegar, and the stems are basically gone. I will let them sit another couple, before cleaning up the crown threads. Now...if anyone can tell me where I can source a split stem for a Ronda 785, ( even the outer end will do) both jobs can be finished. This place is just a wealth of information. Offshore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shundi Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 @Shundi - Hope not, Martini should always be stirred, only Fleming was that pretentious Very true...I don't really know too much about vodka martini's but I would never shake gin...ever! Regardless, if someone likes them shaken- good for them! If you've never seen Omni's martini shaker...you're in for a treat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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