offshore

Hey PJ- Long time - no speak! Good to see you back in these parts. Spotted that last nite myself- wouldn't even waste the time reporting it! One would get more response, by finding VC's GAF equivalents, and handballing it to them. Cos ebay, will not react, until they get heavied- cynical me says... it just costs em too many $$ to do anything. Would actually love to see GAF take em to task, as Tiffany did- that may make the $$ driven p***ks stand up and take notice. With ebay and paypal... what a lovely little ( BIG) money spinner for the mega rich--they need to come down a peg or 2... or 10! Just rambling............ Punk Jnr. Where you been. What new can you show us? Offshore

These are some cut & pastes from the old RWG with regard to plating, and the process. Some irrelevant posts are deleted. Hello, As promised earlier, here is the receipe to build a pen plating kit from off the shelf radio shack parts. You'll get the same results as the pro ones but will pay a lot less. Background: I ordered a plug N plate kit from Casswell canada and started experimenting with the kit. However, I noticed that my end results were dark. After a call to Casswell, I learmed that this was oxidation caused by too much voltage. They made a mistake and shipped a 4.5 volts in the gold plating kit instead of the 1.5 V as it should be. They offered to ship a new one if I send back the old one. Thinking about it, I decided to make my own which would be more versatile than the one offered by Casswell, A kind of embrace and expand project Here is the kit I received it from Casswell: I only keep the plating wand from the kit, you can order it stand alone for 5,50$ USD (ref: look at the end of this page): Then I bought from radio shack: 1- a power supply AC/DC with variable voltage cost: 29.95$ CAD 2- a pack of aligator grip connectors and a pack of gold plated banana connectors. Cost repectively 4,29$ CAD and 5$ CAD and I have a lot of spares to build other kits or to incorporate into other projects. total cost: I let you do the addition, just to see if you follow I cut the end connector, the piece you see in the next picture on top of the box. So that the wires (both the positive and the negative) are now ready to accept the connectors. Then, I welded the aligator grip on the negative wire and the banana connector on the positive wire as illustrated below. The banana grip fits perfectly well with a Casswell stainsless steel wand used to do gold plating. I will check if it also fits well with pen from Ofrei when I'll get them. That's it! the kit is ready to plate small pieces like watches with a 1.5V and also do bath plating with higher voltages since the power supply has now a variable voltage instead of a fixed one like the Casswell kit. Now for the gold solutions: I found that for yellow gold plating the Casswell Fast plate is the best. Fast to plate, no cynanide and therefore not harmful to your health. Moreover, the gold is made of flat palettes having a gorgeous reflective index. I highly recommend that solution. For other kinds of gold I ordered a 1oz solution from Ofrei, I will try a white gold solution and a pink gold solution. White gold could be used to correct the bugged Royal Oak screws (yellow gold instead of white) and the pink gold employed to correct the buggy clasp on presidential bands. These are my next projects... stay tune.... Feel free to PM me if you need help to build your own plating kit and need advices on plating. Cheers Terrific stuff camaieu- Inspires me to get started- Keep up this wonderful info! offshore @camaieu: Thank you for sharing your wonderful concept of an economical solution to gold plating. This is the kind of information I cherish and many other board members with me. It is simple, efficient and cost effective and you wrote it in very understandable terms. BTW. Is it possible to do some yellow gold plating on already pink gold plated watches? And if so, would the result be acceptable? Thanks camaieu and I hope to read more of these kind of postings. Cheers. Neo That's great ...I was researching the same thing ...Trying to make a rectifier, but i was stumped on varying the voltage output ....Thats great ! Thank you for the post ! Brilliant I have never plated before ...So, i hope this is not to stupid ..... can you tank plate with that set up ? ..... If so do you pour plating in a beaker ...... connect the positive to a conducter and insert in the beaker ...and connect the negative to the item you are plating and drop into the beaker full of plating ...... or will this short everything..thank you....also seems like you could use a battery... Thank you camaieu! I was just reading up on the suject for some of my old watch bands. How did it turn out? If you spot plate vs. complete plating, can you see the edges? Did you then get the polish kit they offer? Thanks! Michael camaiue, Whilst staggering around on the Caswell site tonite I found this- "Make Your Own Brush Plating Wands Brush plating wands are used to apply electroplating by "brushing" a metal part with a wand, saturated in plating solution. The wand is attached to a power source. The electrical circuit created forces the metal from the solution and deposits it on the part. Some other plating companies charge up to $50.00 for these so called "high-tech" devices. We are going to show you how to make them yourself in 60 seconds and for pennies. We sell these wands pre-made for $5.00. Materials Required for each wand 12" - 24" of copper electrical wire. 3" length of 1/4" diameter stainless steel, copper or brass pipe. (Copper pipe is required for copper plating, brass for brass plating, stainless for all others) Electrical Tape Small piece of cloth, such as an old t-shirt. 1" x 6" will suffice. Elastic band Making up the wand With some wire strippers, strip about 1" from the end of the electrical wire. Insert the wire, stripped end first into the pipe, until the end of the exposed wire reaches the end of the pipe. With a hammer, flatten the last 1" of the pipe, so that it forms a flat surface and traps the exposed wire inside. Wrap some electrical tape around the other end of the pipe and wire, so that the end of the pipe is sealed. LOOSELY wrap the cloth around the flattened end of the pipe and secure it with the elastic band. That's it. You have a low cost, easy to use brush plating wand. Using The Wand Attach the end of the wire to the positive side of your power supply. Attach an alligator clip to one end of another piece of wire, and attach the non-clip end to the negative side of your power supply. Clip the alligator clip to the part you want to plate. Dip the cloth end of your wand into the brush plating solution. Ensure that the wand is saturated all the way through the cloth. Making sure the cloth is LOOSELY wrapped will usually suffice. Stroke the wet cloth onto the part you want to plate. When the wet cloth touches the part, an electrical circuit is formed. The current forces the metal out of the solution in the cloth and onto your part forming an electroplated layer. " Not that you would want to try and build these when they are only $5- but there is the complete solution!! I have a problem as we have 240v here in Oz, so I am ( hopefully) getting the wand/ solution for Chrissy- and I will use your excellent build instructions for the rest. Thanks a million- I really appreciate this sort of input- we can't all surf everywhere- so this combined disclosure of info is - I beleive- what truly makes this forum great. Offshore PS Have you experience yet with the Ofrei gear?? camaiue, Once again, thanks for the great info. You are making these topics very tempting because of the way you present the stuff. Most of us would never venture into the realm of plating, except for the chemistry buffs, maybe that's where you got your talent? Keep it up, as offshore says, it's great to have someone who can save us stumbling thru the net and falling into traps, actually that's just what this forum does 24/7. @ Neo Yes you can plate yellow gold on pink gold and vise versa. However I would say that you'll need to apply a thicker layer because the red in the rose gold may change a bit the color. But with only 2 micron on top of it and presto, the color is changed. As soon as I get the rose gold from Ofrei I will plate in rose gold a president clasp I got from Paul. I received it in yello gold and will plate it with rose gold as it should be. I will post some picture of the before and after project. I hope I will have the disciplie to take picture of the whole process, but usually I get so absorbe by it that I forget to take picture of the different steps. Perhaps it would be better if I video it and later on edit the video and publish it on the web. @offshore I am refining the technique right now. I ordered the battery operated pen plating system from Ofrei to do fine touch plating and will continue to use the wand for larger surfaces (like for bands). I will try pretty soon their rose gold solution. I will also try their cleaner based on phosphoric acid. I discovered that the cleaner the surface is the best it is for gold adherence. Up to now, I made experiments with 24K gold. Too soft, can be easily eroded. 18K nice color like the genuine rolex (the fast gold solution from casswell) and resist more to abrasion. The fun part about being able to plate your watches is that it is no longer a problem to possess gold plated ones. The hardest part is to find the same gold tone. Up to now, I found a perfect match between Eddie's taiwan watches and the fast gold solution from Casswell. The same solution doesn't match well with Paul's watches (at least the day-date and datejust series).Probably due to the fact that is is either 10 or 14K gold and a different allow. I am trying to find a way test the allow and the gold tone. Cheers

Hey fitch- great find- I didn't know that! And thanks for being proactive, and your contribution. If you don't mind- I would like to put this into the Knowledge base- after everyone has a chance to absorb it Offshore

PM sent Offshore

2005sub. Thanks, a great resource. I have some brush plating gear, but have struggled with it- very mixed results. This may improve my ability. @Ken- I have all the GP articles stored- will put them in to KB today Offshore

jordi Go here- http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showforum=19 In the Trading zone- open each dealers listings, and voila, instant info. offshore

We sort of have it with Richard Browns- Replica Watch Report http://www.replicawatchreport.com/articles...ruary-2006.html Richard does a fabulous job keeping us all up to date ( as much as is humanly possible), but with the idiosyncracies of the rep assemblers, and the fact that one assembler may source parts from different suppliers- the final product can be just about anything. Trying to then place a value on it would be nye on impossible. A wonderful sentiment- and thought- not feasible however! Offshore

Hey Adam- great to see you here. Good to see some of the "old" faces finding their way here. Folks, this gent is an extremely knowledgeable rep nut. We look forward to his contributions. Offshore

Well this thread sparked my interest, so i just spent 15 mins wandering thru the 1st few pages of the Paneristi forum. gotta say i'm not a Pam fan ( To each his own), but if what I just read, is indicitive of the mentality of "real" Pam owners, I can thank my instincts as correct. What a bunch of self serving wankers!! It really encourages one to go and post a whole bunch of reps - to stir the s##t out of them. ( Not that I would waste my time- nor upset the "purists") Have seen other posts where they have got their tits in a tangle over reps, and thought it was probably just a few " troublemakers" ( just like we have here ) but NO, its a large % of the breed. Finepics- you are so right- it is a pity they get so anal about it- however one of these days a huge bolt of lightning will strike- fizz their collective brains- and they will see thats its not a $$$$, nor ego ( Mines bigger/better than yours) thing, but an appreciation of design, aesthetics, and quality.... but more so - that appreciation must firstly reside with the owner/ wearer, what everyone else thinks-doesn't count for two knobs of rocking horse ****. As an example- I have an Omega fantasy- I bought from TWG ( mainly for a project I had in mind- which didn't eventuate) This thing is not like anything else around- but I have grown to LIKE it, and wear it regularly. ( maybe I should stick it on Chronocentric, and see how hard the fish are biting ) Anyway heres a shot of my Omega- I like it- and don't care what others think- it feels good to me. offshore

Funny you should say that Narikaa, Whenever I go thru customs- I always have a pair of dirty/muddy sole, sneakers in my case- tick the box-"I have visited a farm lately" and head straight for the "Quarantine" lane. They spend some time checking your shoes-totally failing to see the 20 watches, 10 bottles of liquor and 6 cartons of cigarettes. I even got a complete stereo system thru ( A trolley load)- when I declared a firearm in my cases. It was a (licensed) powerhead- ( Shark pacifier ) Goes to prove- move the goal posts a bit, and government officials can't see the woods for the trees. Interestingly- this little ruse - more often than not- has you thru customs ahead of all those with " nothing to declare" offshore

Have bought a couple of watches from him- perfect transactions. Can't speak for his dials though. offshore

He may not spell too well- you may have been offered.. p e n i s .... Oh my god.. did I just say that? Sorry.

Hey Punk jr, Completely off topic- but is that the same PJ from the early days of RWG1?- and Oz to boot? If so- Hi again. offshore

I have stayed away from this discussion, as I have strong feelings about it, and wanted to hear everyones point. With a positive intent, I welcome Gran to the board. I have never held him at all responsible for the watch fiasco, and always accepted that he had the right to his point of view at our old home, as he does here- even though one may not necessarily always agree. But that’s how things are. I was however upset and annoyed at the BS which went on when we moved, especially at RWG1- a post of mine , which ran 4 or so pages was wiped- it was a farewell, which I wanted to keep it for posterity. I also spent quite a few frantic hours- trying to sort out what was going down, and communicate with the others here- it wasn’t much fun, and I’m here for fun- the same as everyone. So as Ken said- welcome- no games-no subterfuge-no multiple identities- just be upfront- and I’m sure then that the past is now just that- past- it will be the actions of the future which will show how you are seen. As to the watch thing- we have been able- with the help of a lot of good people- to make this right- so lets not belabour it any more- its done -finished. Just leave it there. Offshore

Yeh F*****g nice too!

Yeh but blame JTB for the interior decorating Good to see you again Atif. offshore

Gee EL, Nice looking watches you've got coming. Almost got me reaching for my cheque book, although I'm more a gen guy now. We will look forward to seeing them in Offers, real soon. Best offshore

Well I have a WG Masterpiece, which has had a bit of wearing, ( maybe on 50 occasions) and it looks as good as new. Certainly no tarnishing or wear evident. Hope he enjoys it. offshore

A warm welcome, glad you found us before making the error that has bought so many others here. And your 1st dealer choice a is a good one, lets hope your watch research is the same, and you get what you want. Cos if you read my siggy, you'll see that I have had to pay for that experience

OK, I may as well jump in to this discussion. I now own almost 50 gens, along with about 30 reps ( In my collection) This is aside from approx 1000 other "stuff" under repair or for immediate sale ( mainly quartz] I will slowly sell off most of my reps,to finace my genuine acquistions. The interest for me is that I don't own 1 genuine that has cost me over $100. Yet I have Omega, Maurice LaCroix Favre Lueba, Pagol,Rado, Mido, Rolex, Le Coutre, etc etc. some of the gens have been purchased and repaired, ( so you could argue that I have "spent" time) The enjoyment for me is the hunt, chasing down those "bargains' and the inevitable repair/ refurb that follows. So there are many aspects to watch collecting, here is another. I thank my initial interest @ TRC and later RWG1, for my current direction. offshore

In over 100 transactions- new or used, rep or gen, I have never had contact by customs. That said, I use different mailing addresses, and with reps, always make sure the seller only ever refers to it as "watch", (not brand name), or watch for/from repair. I wouldn't be too concerned. offshore

Ken, I spotted that as well.. be a little wary... the Steinhaussens come out of the Aeromatic stable... I have a couple of Aeromatics ( which are wonderful watches for the money) however- here is the caution- It appears that Asian interests are buying up recognised Swiss names ( been going on for years) and using the 50% parts & ASSEMBLY ruling from the Swiss watch Assoc, to market their product. Remember that " Swiss made" can still appear on the face/promo. Now I think we all have a pretty good understanding of the actual cost of a watch out of China ( For example- if I buy 1000+ of the Gianni Georgio quartz that infest Ebay- I can get them for about A$1.10c each- landed in Australia- plus duty & GST) Yes these are quartz (crap), however, if I push this deal on their mechanicals I KNOW I will be able to buy under A$2.50 a watch. So these Asian watches CAN be put together at VERY low cost. If you expand on this theme, you will start to question the actual cost of some of the known "Swiss" brands, Camy- Titoni- of course Aeromatic ( German??) all come to mind- and I'm sure there are a bunch I can't think about right now. So we all need to keep in the back of our mind the REAL cost of mass watch production. As an aside from this- I was sitting at work the other day- adjusting a bracelet for a guy on a Gianni Georgio. - and Ive got to tell you it is pure crap, you should see how they build the bracelets, nothing is "machined"- all just hand assembled to fit that one bracelet. anyway, I contemplated the 20 minutes I spent altering it for him ( and my tools and " expertise") Here in Australia- it is not uncommon for a tradesman to charge out @$65-$100/hr, so I thought lets halve the lower end- ie $32.50, and charge 20 mins of 1 hour ( 1/3)- Shit- still almost $11 to adjust this bracelet, which only cost a few cents to manufacture. ( I ended up charging him $5) Just reread this rant, i'm really just putting random thoughts down- but i hope some get my drift. Its NOT costing many $$ to build a watch in China. Of course style, quality, more importantly quantity, will all affect the final manufactured cost- but it does show that the real $$ are in the middleman area- and the consumer pays in the end. I'm not for one moment contemplating doing any of this ( buying to resell) its just that my purchasing background that keeps on querying the 1st price- if one starts there- you can see the $$ available for marketing/promo and of course PROFIT. So lets just take with a grain of salt the price our reps cost- draw your own conclusions. I realise I have raised more questions, than given answers here, and some may sit back and scoff at these figures, but beleive me they are factual. So lets just keep on questioning the COST, especially of "Swiss" watches, ( rep or gen) we may get some surprises! offshore Edited to add- Sorry for rambling of topic here- Apologies Robert.

Yeh Like this bloke- I'm from "Oz trail ya" as well, and yeh my family tree goes back to England, and Germany. We actually descend from a family "Illingworth" in England- they had a family member who once captained England at cricket, much to my disgust. offshore

Hi nodnarb, Firstly- Hi to the forum - and welcome. Secondly- don't mind slay- he is our unofficial scare off the newbs welcomer, one day he will learn some manners. Well your intro to reps wasn't "Ideal" was it? Be assured however that a bit of time spent here will get you up to speed with reality, but be careful ... this place has a serious impact on some members bank balances @slay- One day, young man you will learn some manners, but it may not be from this forum, as you will likely be banned before that happens. You've been told before... now grow up.. or it will become about sex and travel! offshore