DuDro Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 After compiling enough tools to now become dangerous, I've decided to tackle my own AR coating project! I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous about this, but the venture into the unknown makes it all the more exciting. I just hope that in the end, the results are positive and I will be awarding myself a nice set of AR coated reps. For this project, I've decided to separate the coating into two groups: 1) Group A will have double sided coating with a heat bake/curing to impart maximum durability, and 2) Group B will have a single sided coating with a minimal level of heat curing so that the cyclops lens does not come off. I will be experimenting on the temperature for Group B so that the adhesive on the lens is not compromised. The exact temperature has yet to be determined, so "my guy" will need to "play it by ear". I trust the guy. He has a PhD in Physics and runs his own optical engineering lab with over 30-years of experience. And now onto the guinea pigs...errrr....I mean subjects for my first run... The Group: Group A: Group B: The existing coating on the UPO will first be removed to avoid any issues that may arise. I will post some photos of the group with the crystals removed for a "before" shot later this weekend. The crystals are scheduled for drop-off on Monday morning, and I should have them back within a week. I need to give some credit to chieftang and his thread for being a great resource for this project. My goal is to have my watches turn out as nice as the ones he did. Stay tuned... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Fingers crossed! This would be a great service, it would certainly take some of the pressure off of Chieftang, there is incredible demand for this service at the moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 best of luck dudro; can't wait to see the results!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Please let me know if this works and is available!! I think the idea of stripping the uPO and doing the crystal with double AR is a good one. I would love to see a systematized way of doing this, as it would enable us to circumvent the price gouging on the super-reps. For example, one could order the SFSO with the asian movement, and get the AR done aftermarket. We could pressure the rep maker to release asian movement versions of the super-reps without AR and get them for half the price and then do the AR mod afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted August 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Just to be clear....I'm doing this for my own collection. I currently do not have plans to take requests from other members. IF everything turns out well and IF I have time, I may consider accepting requests....We shall see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b16a2 Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Jumped the gun a bit in my post Looking forward to the results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rxus Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Good luck on your project.. And hope all goes well, so that maybe you can assist some of us in getting some AR coating done. Certainly some extra cash comming in couldn't hurt. But no pressure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyster Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Good luck with the project, I would be interested to know if someone could offer this sort of thing in the UK. Hope it all goes well for you DuDro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRiddle Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I think everyone's interested in AR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK471 Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 If nothing else, it shows that it can be done! Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted August 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 Monday, 08/27/07, Update... I was able to remove the crystals from my PAM087, SMP Chrono, and UPO...See Below... PAM087: SMP Chrono: UPO: However, I'm stuck and not able to remove the crystals from my IWC GST Ti Chrono and IWC AMG Ingenieur Ti Chrono...Hmmm...Maybe it's the titanium cases not being as forgiving as SS. I'm going to locate a local shop and ask for some assistance. I don't want to risk damaging the crystal or case. The stubborn titanium cases: Tomorrow the removed crystals will be off to the lab...More to follow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italiano17771 Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 awesome job!! cant wait for the final result....good luck with everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckh Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 AWESOME! STAY TUNE.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 Good luck with this project! The right AR coating makes such a difference. In the end, you'll be very rewarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxmilian Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 So chief, will there be another run from your side ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted August 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 Wednesday, 08/28/07 Update... I was able to remove the crystals from the IWC GST and Ingenieur. Stubborn suckers but eventually they gave up their goods... I realized that I forgot to add a "before" shot of the PAM048 crystal. Anyhow, it's with the rest of them at the lab and the engineer is prepping them for the coating. The engineer is creating a "cell" that holds each crystal around the edges. The cell is basically a metal plate with a cut-out to fit the crystal. He stated that the "lip" that he creates to hold crystal in place measures less than a 10th of a millimeter, and that it will be virtually unnoticeable when the crystal is mounted. I read in chieftang's thread that any existing coating on the crystals must be removed. I asked the engineer to perform a thorough cleansing and stripping of any existing coating on the crystals. He stated that he will be using boric acid with some mild, physical agitation to remove any coating from the crystals. I know that AR coating removal has been discussed before and some members have had a real tough time with it. I'll get some additional details from the engineer on his exact process of removing AR and post it later. I should have the crystals back next Wednesday. I'll post some photos of the crystals before I mount them back...Stay tuned for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckh Posted August 30, 2007 Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 Is it difficult to pop-off the crystal from case? What kind of tools we need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted August 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2007 Is it difficult to pop-off the crystal from case? What kind of tools we need? This is what I used to "pop out" the crystals from my Omega and Panerai... My titanium IWC watches were a bit more difficult. I had to suspend each case in a table vise and tap the crystal from inside with a wooden dowel and mallet. They came right out with a light tap. I tried using my specialized tools from above, but the tolerances were exceeded and the tools became temporarily disabled...Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 This is what I used to "pop out" the crystals from my Omega and Panerai... So how are you planning to put them back them safely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted September 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 So how are you planning to put them back them safely? I have a crystal press...similar to the one you have. BTW...I like your new avatar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted September 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Tuesday, 09/18/07 Update... Still another delay...The engineer is working at a very slow pace. He is a really nice guy, very knowledgeable, but is hindered by his ripe old age of 82! I check in with him about twice a week. He thinks he should be done by Wednesday. I hope so!!! I can't wait to see the results and get my watches back together...Stay tuned for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italiano17771 Posted September 19, 2007 Report Share Posted September 19, 2007 i could not find this post for the life of me. thanks for the update....cant wait to see the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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