HEWLIO Posted October 17, 2009 Report Posted October 17, 2009 How hard would it be to make a rolex case from scratch? I think i have all the tools i would need. I have a milling machine, a lathe and drill presses. and i think i have metal thats big enough.
jmb Posted October 17, 2009 Report Posted October 17, 2009 That's all you need, and a print! Oh, you'll probably need to do some filing and griding as well. Take plenty of pics and write a tutorial so I can make one too!! One of these days I'm gonna build me a miniature CNC mill...
TeeJay Posted October 17, 2009 Report Posted October 17, 2009 You've got everything you would need, so if you can get the measurements and specs, go for it
freddy333 Posted October 17, 2009 Report Posted October 17, 2009 All you need is a hunk of the correct steel & gen case for the exact dimensions.
FxrAndy Posted October 17, 2009 Report Posted October 17, 2009 I would say that the small finishing touches would be the hard work, i am sure that a good CNC mill could cut the 3D case spot on but you try to finish it to the same standard by hand with out the experience of doing it day in day out!
HEWLIO Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Posted October 18, 2009 i could try to copy my dads gen case but theres no way im gonna take it apart. but he only has a gen sub i kinda wanna make a vintage daytona. i wouldn't mind trying it but i have no idea how to use those machines.
Logan Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 Lathes and Mills are a lot harder to operate than they look. Especially for complex 3d curved shapes like watch cases. No offense... but it sounds like you're miles out of your depth if you don't even know how to use the machines.
Bike Mike Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 I don’t know your skill, but I can speak for myself, being a metal model maker for 8+ years. You would never be able to cut the case contour on a vertical mill as there is too much complex shape to it requiring your to drive multiple axis’s at once. To even get the rough shape would require a rotary table, vertical offset rotary fixture, internal/external groove cutter with boring bar attachment. A couple of sine bars or plates would be needed as well along with a ton of manual trig work for setup. For a lathe, you would need one capable of cutting threads (case threads) and has a powered cross slide. Throw the drill press out, you have a mill so all you would need is a wiggler to dial in your hole locations. Watch cases are forged, then CNC machines out. For CNC you would require a CAD model (easy enough to get, white light scan a gen, create a point cloud and surface), CAM paths and post processing. I nice high speed CNC with 45K rpm head speed and 30-35K mm/min feed rate would reduce cutter marks however, you still would require a lot of hand benching. A plunge cut EDM would work wonders too! Wonder if any Gen manufactures use them.
Pugwash Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 i could try to copy my dads gen case but theres no way im gonna take it apart. You're not going to get a copy without taking it apart and measuring it precisely.
Demsey Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 You're not going to get a copy without taking it apart and measuring it precisely. And when and if you do, please do not boast 1:1. We've all heard that before.
Pugwash Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 And when and if you do, please do not boast 1:1. We've all heard that before.
HEWLIO Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Posted October 18, 2009 And when and if you do, please do not boast 1:1. We've all heard that before. Why would i do that? i know its not ganna be perfect and its probably not even ganna happen. Any of these "project" ideas i get never get any further than the drawing board.
jfreeman420 Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 You could pawn the tools and buy a gen..
Demsey Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 Was actually thinking last night; why don't you just mill an 'homage' watch? There are 7750 chrono <'kits'> on Ofrei and similar. The asymmetrical pusher arrangement of the vintage Rolex chronographs would present a lot of problems in both the milling and adaptation to the 7750 . You could go the route of say 'Tudor' get a nice piece in the endeavor and probably go down in RWG history. There are a lot of 'Frankens' floating around here, but I don't think anyone has yet built a watch from stock. Hey, I know, produce a run of say 100pcs., get a contact in Guangzhou to run you off "RWG" dials and you could offer them to the membership and.................ummmmm, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Good luck!
Bike Mike Posted October 18, 2009 Report Posted October 18, 2009 You have a drawing board? Whoa. What is wrong with having a drawing board? I still use mine as my compasses keep scratching my computer screen!
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