Drulee Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Sorry aboput the pics - they are from the Special Editions brochure, but I only scanned them at 300dpi, which results in the cross hatching. I've seen Tantalum jewelry which has been oxidized and contrast polished (nearly bought a Tantalum wedding ring), and the oxide is dark gray rather than blue grey, however the polished Tantalum certainly has a bluish tinge to it under certain lighting conditions- much more so than Titanium You're correct about the machining. Titanium is an absolute sod to machine, and Tantalum is about 10 times worse, so putting a fine thread on Tantalum is asking a bit much. Just thinking......even if you get the color correct.......what about the weight?????? Titanium has a density of 4.5 g/cc. Tantalum has a density of 16.4 g/cc ... 4 times heavier. Just for comparison, Gold is 19.3, Iron is 7.9, Lead is 11.3, Nickel is 8.9, Palladium is 12.0, Platinum is 21.5 and Tungsten is 19.3. Stainless steel is between Iron and Nickel. I suppose you could use a 'look but no touch' policy, or put a really heavy bracelet on it..... Have fun... Cheers, DR A while back, I joking made a comment about sticking lead fishing weights into the case. But I've been putting some thought to it since, and have been thinking about melting down some of those weights, drilling some holes into the corners of the inner case, and pouring in some lead into the newly created cavities - well, maybe not, who knows .... For the 192, you could always add weight to the case back as well. Just thinking out loud here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted March 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 holy crap...this is an interesting thread...not sure i understand it all - well i am sure i don't, but i also have an ego... but i do have a 172 that is awaiting this all... well done, Raph and Mike!... R- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 well done, Raph and Mike!... Well done indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prdubis Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Just a question: is the GEN crown supposed to be Ti, Tantalum or polished SS?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 A couple of day light pictures Not quite blue but i like the contrast PS polishing Ti is not easy, you would be better off fitting a polished steel bezel and CG from a 111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRaph Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 According to the Panerai Special Editions book the bezels on both 172 and 192 are polished Tantalum, cases are brushed Tantalum, and case backs brushed Titanium. Interesting, images of the 192 shows the crown protector polished on the front and brushed on the back???? Thinking about the weight, I agree the 192 would be the easiest to add weight to as it has a solid case back - but does anybody make a rep of this model? The alternative would be to get a steel case Ti(CN) Titanium CarboNitride coated mid to dark grey - it's a PVD type treatment (Plasma Vapour Deposition - think???) There should be any number of engineering tool suppliers who could get it done - just let them know the colour.....just a thought. Using steel would allow the polished bezel as well. You would still need to think about adding a bit of weight, but not as much. Catch you later.. Cheers, DR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Doc you seem to have the best way there, personally i was going to put a 172 dial in a 177 case and that would be that until i read the post (and the cooker was still hot from dinner) Avitt would be able to do the DLV/PVD he has been a bit of a magician in the past with DLC I am going to leave mine as it is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bike Mike Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 I have a 177 case that I am working with. Polishing the Ti and CG is easy. Don’t know why people think polishing Ti is hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRaph Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Found the Tantalum wedding rings in a small jewelers shop near to where I live - have seen odd bits of jewelry on my travels. Try this link http://www.smart-elements.com/?arg=joy. They did not make a Tantalum wedding ring in my size, so had to make do with white gold and diamonds, however one of my work colleagues (plating shop manager) has one - interesting and really heavy. Cheers, DR PS - got a 111H but the crown and guard look wrong - too skinny - what's the best source of replacements - rest of the watch seems OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRaph Posted April 3, 2010 Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 I hate to be proved wrong .... But, found these pics on one of the UK Panerai jewelers web sites:- And the brushed Tantalum really does appear to be blueish grey in color, rather than the dark grey I saw on the wedding rings. Maybe the Tantalum oxide has a similar color change to Titanium.... with the really thick oxide being dark grey. To copy this effect with Titanium, you could anodize to about the middle of the voltage range to get that washed out blue grey colour - trouble is, it's a bit of a balancing act and easy to miss. Alternatively, you could brush a steel case, then heat it to get light blue-grey - probably not as robust as Titanium oxide, but you would have the weight. Interesting..... Cheers, DR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 Thinking about the weight, I agree the 192 would be the easiest to add weight to as it has a solid case back - but does anybody make a rep of this model? They used to make 192 reps, but stopped a couple years back, so this is a rep in high demand. I have a thread with mine somewhere in this section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 Just spent the afternoon trying to oxidize my 172 with Oxyclean...Did everything as explained... AND IT'S A COMPLETE DISASTER!! SS is not supposed to be oxidized but it became brownish, as the case did... I guess this case is dead! It was coming from DSN, don't know if he uses real titanium, or if the crown guard and bezel were really made of SS... Have you tried Cape codding it? Cape cod should take the copperry color out and make the titanium come out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 PrDubis, HikeUSA is right, the case isn't dead yet If the CapeCod doesn't do the trick, try using an ink eraser (the green ones) on a section of it. You can also give it a going over with a 3M ScotchBrite pad, this should remove the oxidized top layer and give it a nice brushed finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bike Mike Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 I hate to be proved wrong .... But, found these pics on one of the UK Panerai jewelers web sites:- And the brushed Tantalum really does appear to be blueish grey in color, rather than the dark grey I saw on the wedding rings. Maybe the Tantalum oxide has a similar color change to Titanium.... with the really thick oxide being dark grey. To copy this effect with Titanium, you could anodize to about the middle of the voltage range to get that washed out blue grey colour - trouble is, it's a bit of a balancing act and easy to miss. Alternatively, you could brush a steel case, then heat it to get light blue-grey - probably not as robust as Titanium oxide, but you would have the weight. Interesting..... Cheers, DR Wow the buckle really shows well the color that needs to be accomplished! I am thinking we should just all chip in for a chunk of Ta! I managed to high polish my 177 Ti bezel and CG this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 ] I managed to high polish my 177 Ti bezel and CG this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted April 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2010 I managed to high polish my 177 Ti bezel and CG this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRaph Posted April 6, 2010 Report Share Posted April 6, 2010 I've just managed to get my hands on a piece of Titanium - about 12" of 1" diameter rod. I'm going to machine a couple of thin discs from one end of it and resurrect the anodizing set-up at work in my lab (lucky I'm the only occupant). I'll try and get a polished surface on one side, with a brushed surface on the reverse to show the difference. I'll post some pictures when I've done this - could be a couple of days. Sorry but couldn't publish any of my company report - too sensitive apparently - something to do with the design of the parts I was playing with. Talking of Tantalum, did offer to clean my colleagues Tantalum wedding ring so I could have a better look at it, but I don't think he trusts me with it somehow - drat!!! Cheers, DR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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