atomic_doug Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Hi All, My main project, a Panerai 5218-201/A continues...I have re-shaped the case and drilled out the lugs. (I apologize in advance for the pictures, I didn't realize how much filth would show up under the camera lens.) The shoulders were sanded down and polished and the edges of the case were also rounded-off and polished. On the non-crown side in particular, one can draw a continuous arc up the lugs and along the upper edge of the case. The rehaut is also mirror polished, but doesn't appear to show up very well in the pictures. The crown guard was heavily worked-over as well. The pin was worked over to look slightly countersunk, the lever was a mess when I got it, and the crown guard body was cleaned-up as well along its edges and to meet the case better. I apologize for the placeholder dial and hands. All the work was done manually. The case is an old PAM111 rep case from years ago, the crystal, crown guard and crown are DSN newborn. The movement is a Swiss Unitas low-beat as per gen. Now all's I need is a blasted FGD dial and hands set, which I can't seem to find to save my life! Other than that, please let me know what you guys think is good, and what needs improvement. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crezo Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Sounds amazing but picks not loading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crezo Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 Never mind, stupid iPhone apps fault, looks ace, great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarface Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Looks really nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmy Caution Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Looks good! Before pics would be nice too - Not a complaint - just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomic_doug Posted May 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Sorry. I should have taken some before pics. It was just a bog-standard 111 rep case. Everyone's seen one of those, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmy Caution Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Good answer - I have one sitting in my watch box. Polishing the rehaut makes a big difference - the reflections of the numbers are evidence of that. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babola Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Not bad result at all! Congrats However that appears to be a h-fact case with slightly slanted and thinner lug profile? See if you could find a Noob 111J/M/N series case for a pre-V, especially 111 J-series as it comes with the 'chunkiest' lugs that are closest for a pre-V project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbetts1790 Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Looks good! My 201a is just unmodified 111J case for now... i dont have the balls (or tools) to reshape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomic_doug Posted May 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) JBetts, it's really not as hard as it looks. It does take a while, though. I only used a Dremel for the lug holes, holding the case in a vise and using the existing holes as a guide for the bit. For the reshape, I used a metal file, some 200, 400 and 1500 grit sandpaper, and then polishing compound. I popped the bezel off with a plastic knife. For the rehaut, I only used the sandpaper in a swirling motion to get rid of the brushing, then the polishing compound. Test fit a spare dial to check for the mirror reflection. For the case edges, I filed off some metal, checked the shape, filed some more, checked some more, etc, etc, etc. The file takes off so little metal at a time it's not as big of a risk as it sounds. Sure, if you're taking metal off with a Dremel you can foul a case up quickly, but I worked by hand. Reshaping the case corners and lugs to flow into one another took a little longer, since there was more metal to remove. I'd say it was fun, but it totally wasn't: it was boring and took a long while. The end result was pretty good, though, for a first-timer. Edited May 11, 2012 by atomic_doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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