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PVD Coating...What could possibly go wrong?


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Guest avitt
Posted

I've been providing DLC service on a word-of-mouth basis for some time now. Most of the time, everything works out perfectly - but every once in a while, there's a snag...

Yesterday, I received a shipment of two cases, and several small parts. All of the part looked good at first glance, but when inspecting more closely, I noticed a small imperfection around the bezel of one of the cases. Thinking that it could be some oil or something, I wiped the area down with alcohol on a cotton swab. When I did this, the DLC coating actually lifted in the area:

img4983h.jpg

img4982.jpg

img4986x.jpg

I immediately suspect what happened...

Normally, I remove the bezels from all watches, and coat them separately. With this case, the owner had attempted to remove the bezel, and it wouldn't budge. When I received it, I also tried, without any luck. We determined that the bezel was probably press-fit metal. Not wanting to damage the case, we decided to leave it in place for coating.

Looking at the coating defects, I am certain that there was a gasket left in place inadvertently. PVD coating is done at a very high temperature. (DLC is applied at slightly lower temperature than most other coating, but the parts are still heated to around 350-400

Posted

with my pvd coating company i had never this problem.

requirement is, all parts are separate and disassembled.

my company has a lot of experiences with pvd / dlc coatings for watches.

rolli

Guest avitt
Posted
requirement is, all parts are separate and disassembled.

That is the problem, Rolli. As you know, some cases are press fit with a mechanical press, and are not intended to be disassembled (just like press fit crown tubes, which are left in place for coating). Because this bezel was so difficult to remove, I made the mistake of assuming that it could not be removed.

...It had nothing to do with the PVD company...Mine is excellent too!!!

Here are the parts that weren't damaged ;)

img5003y.jpg

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest avitt
Posted

The patient is on the road to recovery...

The defective DLC has been stripped, and the case is ready for a new coat...

img5038g.jpg

...This time, perfection is guaranteed! ;)

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest avitt
Posted

OK...The problem is solved! :D

Bad coating has been stripped, and a new, perfect coating applied:

img5085d.jpg

...like it never happened ;)

Posted
OK...The problem is solved! :D

Bad coating has been stripped, and a new, perfect coating applied:

img5085d.jpg

...like it never happened ;)

Looking good. Great job.

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