projectologist Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 So last Fri. morning I met up with member Bruce79 at a local Starbucks. Usual watch chatter. I brought along the SD I had FS for him to look at. As he took off his "new 005", and with only a quick glance, I asked him when he got it (assuming he bought the gen back). As I picked it up to inspect, I honestly had a moment of hesitation before deciding it was 100% rep. Yep, it was everything members said it was and I had to have one ASAP!!! As I headed back to the office, I gave member Jidonsu a call to ask him what he thought of it and to pick out the obvious flaws. He mentioned Josh had them in-stock again, but I really didn't want to wait if I didn't have to. So I pm'd a couple of members during my lunch break and no luck. Then a little later I get a text from Jidonsu that member Harley07 edited his 005 FT ad to FS. So it's Fri. afternoon, PayPal funds are sent, a package is ready to be sent Priority Sat. morning and I received it today... this community gets it done!!! It arrived in awesome condition (thanks Harley07 for the accurate description and smooth transaction!) but something about the cg, the lever and the crown was really bugging me. The gaposis between the crown and case (lack of with this one), as well as between crown and inner cg needed fixing. Plus the lever/roller pin stuck out like a sore thumb. I decided the rectangular open area of the cg wasn't as much an issue as the crown was a little too thick (became even more obvious when comparing it to the straight-on pics in the PAM catalogs). I chucked up the crown in the lathe and turned down just a little on both sides, then finally a little in the recessed area. A subtle bevel added (latest gen crowns have a noticeably more squared off look than the earlier series). Last 2 things done... the inner corners made more square and the visible part of the lever that houses the roller/pin was brushed more flush making it less noticeable per gen. Despite it's other flaws (they're all minor) it's still a huge no-brainer... buy it and be very happy right out of the box BEFORE - AFTER - They got the lume color right this time - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klocklind1 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 That looks really nice I think You have to be very careful when taking off the metal inside the crown as I have read that some have destroyed the crown when taking away to much on it! BTW how much did You sand down the inside of the crown and how did You do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikellem Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Great job my friend... Crown guard now looks wonderful... MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
projectologist Posted May 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 That looks really nice I think You have to be very careful when taking off the metal inside the crown as I have read that some have destroyed the crown when taking away to much on it! BTW how much did You sand down the inside of the crown and how did You do it? Thanks! Actually the crown was surprisingly thick through the center. I used my lathe and just took off a very thin amount from the inset area. I don't remember what the read-out measurement was. That combined with taking a little off both sides of the crown gives the illusion the cg opening is a little wider now (that and squaring the inner corners a bit more). Great job my friend... Crown guard now looks wonderful... MM Thanks! Luckily this one doesn't take much work, it's so close right out of the box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
projectologist Posted May 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Crown width and spacing was based on this catalog pic... still trying to decide if I want to modify the lever tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cats Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Great job , just got mine a few hours ago and i love it . Had a lot of reps but this one has the best look and feel out of the box. ( a pitty that the hands don't line up perfectly but it has to go for a service job so it's not a big issue ) Like the crown mod a lot. I'l ask my watch smith if he can do that job to mine also. Thanks for shearing Carpe Diem Cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eton Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Fantastic piece!!! Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteM Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Nice work... I was thinking as I read down about the CG tip and then saw you were contemplating doing it.... well mate if I had your modding skills I would Congrats and wear it well R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Looks fantastic R. Kudos for the lathe work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Love work like this! So inspiring! Would love to see a shot of your work shop sometime PAM looks great and I would definitely mod the lever tip. That would be the icing on the cake for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumroxas Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 ...beautiful work... did you keep the pin in place while brushing the CG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
projectologist Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks all for the nice comments! Love work like this! So inspiring! Would love to see a shot of your work shop sometime PAM looks great and I would definitely mod the lever tip. That would be the icing on the cake for sure! No real workshop at the moment, but here's a pic of the mini-lathe I picked up a couple of months ago (took it apart to clean and lube). Perfect for small parts. Rad mid-case next to the tool post waiting to be thinned down a little. ...beautiful work... did you keep the pin in place while brushing the CG? Thanks! Never brushed the cg, just the lever (and only the roller area). The cg is pretty impressive straight from the factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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