tonio_fr Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 First, before starting I must admit that I have no particular skill (and neither tools), just a basic kit to start this kind of project, but as I have a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Rest assured- If your next attempt will be with an old school MBW, it should hopefully go a little better than this one. The construction on the old MBW 5513 case is similar to gen in that the crystal is secured to the case with a retention ring. So unlike the case you have now, there will be no worries of glued bezels and crystals with an MBW. At any rate- For this particular case, you might be able to get a T-127 to fit. However, given the basis for the project, you are better off saving a gen T-127 for an MBW project if you do go that route. I might have an old MBW rep crystal in one of my bins. That might be a better choice for this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Thanks for the tip about Cillit Bang, I'll remember that for when I work on my next insert I think combining that technique, with a very quick bleaching, could produce some fantastic results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$tingray Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hello Im no expert but I remeber when I was in your situation. Maybe you can find some tips or inspiration in my old threads. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted August 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Rest assured- If your next attempt will be with an old school MBW, it should hopefully go a little better than this one. The construction on the old MBW 5513 case is similar to gen in that the crystal is secured to the case with a retention ring. So unlike the case you have now, there will be no worries of glued bezels and crystals with an MBW. At any rate- For this particular case, you might be able to get a T-127 to fit. However, given the basis for the project, you are better off saving a gen T-127 for an MBW project if you do go that route. I might have an old MBW rep crystal in one of my bins. That might be a better choice for this project. thanks ubi for the info about the ring and you can pm me for your crystal. I might go gen one day but not for thid kind of case !! Is there an alternative with clark Crystal ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$tingray Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hmmm... I did some speedreading here and didn't noticed the crystal question/issue, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted August 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hmmm... I did some speedreading here and didn't noticed the crystal question/issue, sorry. You and your advices are welcome ! If you have any tips or reference for the Crystal do not hesitate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlaletom Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 If the case can fit a crystal with gen spec your safe. You can use ubi's or find an aftermarket one: clarck, wholesaleoutlet990, cousins ... if the case cristal was not 1:1 then it's going to be more painfull you will have to get a micro milimetter (pied a coulisse). And you may find somthing that match it exactly from www.cousinsuk.com they have almost any crystal size, and it's very convinient to order from them from EU. Your best bet is probably in the XS series from Sternkreuz * Home * Watch Parts * Watch Glasses * Acrylic Watch Glasses * Acrylic Round Domed Watch Glasses * XS Series, Round Special Form Sternkreuz Top Glass Ref : http://www.cousinsuk.com/PDF/categories/307_Sternkreuz%20XS%20Series%20Glasses.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I will try to find a "pied Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Thanks for the tip about Cillit Bang, I'll remember that for when I work on my next insert I think combining that technique, with a very quick bleaching, could produce some fantastic results I confirm this is a good step before a quick bleaching. I bought bleach yesterday and it gives a good result IMO. I'll post pictures later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 The result of the insert May be a little too much, but I like it like that (never the same when you do things on your own ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Just positionned on the case to have an idea of the final look. Still need to age the case but I do not know really the method. Any suggestion ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I confirm this is a good step before a quick bleaching. I bought bleach yesterday and it gives a good result IMO. I'll post pictures later The result of the insert May be a little too much, but I like it like that (never the same when you do things on your own ) I wouldn't say that was too much at all, if anything, it's a very controlled bleaching, how long did you submerge the insert in the bleach for? Just positionned on the case to have an idea of the final look. Still need to age the case but I do not know really the method. Any suggestion ? Many will advocate putting the watch in a pocket with keys and cash for a few days, and that will get some small marks into the case. If you want to put a few 'more serious' impacts into some key positions, you could try scraping the case/bracelet against rough housebricks, ceramic tiles, or even holding a pair of sharp scissors open, and then using the cutting edge of one blade to 'scratch' a mark into the case. I have found that if you put the marks into the case, they can still 'look fresh', so I would suggest going over any marks with a green scotchbrite pad, just to help 'blend them in' a bit. If you have an acrylic crystal, I have found a good way of scratching the crystal, and getting it nicely 'crazed', is to use a pocket knife to put a few scratches in place, then using the 4-surface nail file in circular motions all over the crystal, starting with the most coarse, working up to the finiest grit, then buff over the crystal using toothpaste as a rubbing compound on tissue paper, then repeat the entire process with the 4-surface nail file and toothpaste a few times, to ultimately achieve a result like these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonio_fr Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I wouldn't say that was too much at all, if anything, it's a very controlled bleaching, how long did you submerge the insert in the bleach for? Many will advocate putting the watch in a pocket with keys and cash for a few days, and that will get some small marks into the case. If you want to put a few 'more serious' impacts into some key positions, you could try scraping the case/bracelet against rough housebricks, ceramic tiles, or even holding a pair of sharp scissors open, and then using the cutting edge of one blade to 'scratch' a mark into the case. I have found that if you put the marks into the case, they can still 'look fresh', so I would suggest going over any marks with a green scotchbrite pad, just to help 'blend them in' a bit. If you have an acrylic crystal, I have found a good way of scratching the crystal, and getting it nicely 'crazed', is to use a pocket knife to put a few scratches in place, then buff over the crystal using toothpaste as a rubbing compound on tissue paper, then using the 4-surface nail file in circular motions all over the crystal, starting with the most coarse, working up to the finiest grit, to ultimately achieve a result like these Thanks a lot for all this tips. I think I will try more or less everything while waiting to solve the crystal issue. It's real fun to start this kind of project. Regarding the insert: - First step: Bath of "cillit" bang for 45 min to remove the gloss finish. - Second step: bath of 50%water 50% bleach during 10 min - Third step: Bath od pure bleach until I saw black paint in the beach (around 5 min I think) . Beware that the result is seen only after drying the insert, so stay close ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Thanks a lot for all this tips. I think I will try more or less everything while waiting to solve the crystal issue. It's real fun to start this kind of project. Regarding the insert: - First step: Bath of "cillit" bang for 45 min to remove the gloss finish. - Second step: bath of 50%water 50% bleach during 10 min - Third step: Bath od pure bleach until I saw black paint in the beach (around 5 min I think) . Beware that the result is seen only after drying the insert, so stay close ! No problem at all, I'm always glad to help out where I can The crystal method would only work on an acrylic crystal, a sapphire crystal would be un-affected by the abrasives Ahh, that's a much less aggressive bleaching process than I used on mine... The substance I used was labeled as an oven cleaner (which I think contained bleach) and about it did not take long (maybe less than 2 minutes) to completely strip one bezel, and the second one, although I am happy with the bleaching on most of the insert, the extra bleach I applied at 12 and 1 was a mistake, and I was surprised that it stripped the paint as quickly as it did... The one thing I would point out, is that I have found that if you put some scratches across the insert before the bleaching, the bleaching process makes them appear quite 'mild' and well blended, where any scratches done after the bleaching process, appear much more stark [Edit to add] I just realized that I put the toothpaste and nailfile steps in the wrong order, so I amended my original post to correct that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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