Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • Current Donation Goals

Reworking a destro crown guard to get it right?!...


hackR

Recommended Posts

I recently picked up a beauty of a PAM from watchlover1 via blackbard...the PAM 117 destro on a perfectly matched blackbard custom strap... :wub:

The crown guard lever closes down, tho, not up...finding a destro CG is really tough, as many know...especially in titanium...i have an inquiry into DSN about using a 177h CG - per a suggestion from stormtooper4...the DSN 177h CG has a lever that is more centered into the thick CG...the CG on my 117h is really nice and hugs the case great...so here's my question...

if i flip the current crown guard around, it will fit the case nicely...but the small end of the lever pin will be showing up...if i want to have the larger end of the lever pin showing up, do people drill out the pin hole to make it fit properly...i would have to figure out how to keep the pin in with two larger head size holes, too...has this been done...am i crazy to attempt this and possibly ruin the current CG?...

i realize that since the current CG came from a righty model (the usual 3 o'clock placement on a PAM) the lever is not centered - with the thinner part of the crown guard up and the thicker part down...so by flipping it 180, it won't be right, but geez no one will see it...going with a DSN 177h will lessen this difference since the lever is more easily centered...i can live with this...

but i really would like the pin head exposed right...larger head of the pin up and flush with the CG...

thoughts/comments/advice?...anyone done this?...or have other ideas...thinking i should leverage the nice fitting CG i have versus retro-fitting a DSN one that may or may not fit right...

thanks...R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a DSN one...never worked on it, as I ended up modding the one from your old 239. I still have work to do on the modding of the original 239 CG...but my intent was to give the DSN one a try flipped for the Destro. I'll have to take a look to see if it would fit or not.

Ti of course, is another issue. Oy!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey Toad...confused, i am...

i thought the 239 - which already has the lever closed at top - also had the large head of the pin exposed?!...in my case, flipping the CG would expose the small head of the pin...which i prefer not to do...so my thought was if i re-drilled/countered the small hole to the diameter of the large hole, then i could flip the pin...and probably use some type of cement to keep the pin in...

seems to make sense, but i don't want to screw up the titanium CG...

and i've heard that even if i buy/get a DSN titanium CG from his 177h, that i still might have to rework it to fit the case, the screw holes, etc?...

hmmmm....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i thought the 239 - which already has the lever closed at top - also had the large head of the pin exposed?!...in my case, flipping the CG would expose the small head of the pin...which i prefer not to do...so my thought was if i re-drilled/countered the small hole to the diameter of the large hole, then i could flip the pin...and probably use some type of cement to keep the pin in...

seems to make sense, but i don't want to screw up the titanium CG...

and i've heard that even if i buy/get a DSN titanium CG from his 177h, that i still might have to rework it to fit the case and the screw hole, etc?...

I think I'm the one that's confused. The 239 has the lever closed at the top (flicker at 10pm vs. 8pm)...but I think the CG pin is the same diameter top-side vs. bottom (wrist side). You can use a pin punch or a bracelet pin tool to push the pin up (which is what I have to do) and shape it how you want so it is more recessed on the underside...so if you did flip the CG (if it worked), centering on the crown may be an issue, but the CG pin shouldn't be because you can adjust this by pushing the pin up or down.

What I thought Zig does with the CG pin mod is fabricate a whole new pin...removing the old smaller diameter one, drilling a larger hole that fits the lever tighter as well...thereby tightening the lever by creating a tighter fit of the lever on the CG pin.

I don't think the CG pins are asymetrical.

Maybe I'm wrong on this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

S - i got ya...

on mine...the holes are different sizes...my CG pin is flushed now, but the head is bigger than the end...hence the hole differences...i was thinking of pushing out the pin, redrilling the smaller hole or countersinking it (i don't know what the hell the pin really looks like now) flipping the CG and reinserting the pin...done right i can get it flush...the key is to drill/countersink the smaller hole to the exact pin head size...and then figure out how to secure it...

the short answer to this problem might be a trip to Canada...but thinkin this has to have been done...just wondering if so, and whether or not i'm off-base with the approach...and/or whether i shouldn't monkey with it at all!...

R-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@DL --> thanks...was hoping you'd join the party... :drinks: Toad is still looking for a slide rule PAM!... :whistling:

D - this tobacco dial is really cool; especially in the ti casing...a chameleon how it changes shades of brown/gray/black with lighting... :good: question; why wouldn't the mod i described above work?...using the same CG pin...and afixing it on the underside to keep it in?!?!...why a new pin?

fyi - A new member - who is a regular at RG - has just offered a DSN destro ti CG...perfect in construction in all ways...before i posted this, i spent some time searching high and low...a couple years ago, DSN offered a PAM 056 with what looks to be a perfect destro CG...i emailed DSN but struck out on the 056 CG...i believe the CG the member has is this DSN one...tomorrow i get pix...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks guys...

but if i really don't care how it looks from the backside which is hidden by my wrist, i could drill out the smaller hole to the size of the pin head and reverse the pin and glue it in place...

or get a custom made pin/rod - as BB and DL mention above...

hmmmm...what fun?!...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with DL.. on the mod

sometimes, DSN's CG's won't fit properly on other cases.. sheesh they don't even fit properly on some of his.. and what I found is some of his CG's only fit the particular case it was made for.. it can get pretty crooked.. due to the holes..

but I'm sure if you ordered just the CG from him it would just need a little fitting on the case.. I use a chopstick and wrap it with sandpaper.. it has curiously the same curve that the CG needs to fit the case..if you sand it with a back and forth motion to the length of the CG.. :)

AC

Lani

just a thought..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok...i decided to try the flip/drill approach...now it looks reallly looks like a PAM 117 destro... :good:

we all know that a PAM CG has a smaller hole on the backside (pin end) and a large hole on the topside (pin head)...the pin is tapered...once flipped the small hole was facing up...i brought it to my local jeweler who has the tools needed to drill out the small hole to the same diameter as the larger hole...of concern was the titanium -- a hardass metal - and whether his drill would break...he decided the CG could be a titanium alloy and tried his drill...it worked fine...we reinserted the pin and made it flush...with a small needle, we put a small - very small - amount of loctite on the pin end to hold it in place...you can't see the loctite at all...took 5 minutes and he enjoyed the craziness...he doesn't get the replimaniac idiosyncrasies, but you do!... :whistling:

i then went home and used 1000 grit emory cloth sandpaper to smooth it all down...it looks pretty damn good, IMO... :clapping:

the most obvious tell is that the since the CG has a thinner and thicker edge on each side of the lever, the thicker edge is facing up and the thinner edge is facing down...which on the gen is the other way around...oh well...good enough for me!... :g:

all in all - a relatively easy mod that takes a couple hours at tops!... :yu:

someday i'll hunt/search for an E-Series movement to pimp it up nicely!... 8)

enjoy the pix...R

Before the mod - Frontside pix of the CG lever down (from the FS thread)

img2395v.jpg

Before the mod - Backside pix of the CG smaller pin hole (from the FS thread)

img2390j.jpg

After the Mod

img4355t.jpg

img4359.jpg

img4369.jpg

img4374.jpg

img4354b.jpg

The Genuine (from Paneristi)

pam117paneristi2.jpg

pam117paneristi1.jpg

pam117paneristi6.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up