Reply With QuoteWell worth the effort and great results.
Thought I might share a few pics of a few pieces I have had to 'refresh / refurb' ...mainly family and friends who know I have been doing bracelet and case refresh work for 15+ years..
not a job most people relish anymore and many shy away from bracelet refurbs as well they are very time consuming but for my sins I love doing it and its kept me entertained during lockdown..
picked up many tips over the years from others doing the same including Pauls emery glued to sticks which works a treat...
patience is key and not rushing any steps using the right kit and of course doing your practice on 'scrappers' .. I use felt polishing wheels /tips by hand polisher which for me personally gives great precision and I prefer to a fixed wheel..but I know others have their own ways which are equally effective..
1st to start with is a lovely 1973 - Omega F300hz in 9ct Gold which I purchased for myself as I have always fancied a 'hummer' arrived in nice honest condition but worn so all surfaces shiny and marked up and carrying quite a lot of err 'DNA'....
watch will be heading to Keith T for his f300hz expertise...
the case seal has done what they do on these and turned to black goo so alcohol / injection swabs are perfect for cleaning out case channel...
case back will be rotary brush finished as soon as i have a moment...
heres some before's bearing in mind my photography skills are not the best so apologies..
and some during / afters
Caseback with be brush finished.
The dreaded Speedmaster bracelet / for comparison of 15 years of wear see the pic with new links with old !
lots more DNA
A skating rink
next up a daily worn 118238 President and a lovely ladies Tag Aquaracer......
sorry for pic heavy thread ...
Last edited by TKH; 8th December 2020 at 17:56.
Well worth the effort and great results.
Great work there. Both very impressive
Fantastic work. Keep it coming.
One question - why didn't you send the f.300 to Keith for de-casing and then work on it without the movement? Extra postage I know but surely easier.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Nice work!
Thanks Paul.....appreciatedOriginally Posted by walkerwek1958
Hi the F300 is actually running beautifully currently scarily accurate (good old Bulova / Accutron amazing technology) and Once something arrives my OCD kicks in and I have to get on with making it as good as possible straight away ...I find I can get great results without needing to fully disassemble and did not want to be without it just now “honeymoon period”..but do take your point....she will be off to Keith in New Year for a service...
Interestingly these 198.5001 / 398.5001 were actually made in U.K. by an exceptional goldsmith called
Shackman & sons they also made cases for Rolex in early 70’s..
Wow !
That was extraordinarily theraputic, and inspiring, thanks of posting.
I love to see these refurbs. Thanks for showing.
Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app
Amazing work, I can imagine your inbox is gonna be quite full haha
Thanks Olives
having retired last year from a challenging job / industry ....I find it very enjoyable, satisfying and the thought of doing it full time has crossed my mind..if the demand is out there ??
Here's a nice one to have done a Ladies Aquaracer ...all the more enjoyable as my friend gave it to his daughter for her 18th she's worn it solid for 3 years battery dying (staggered tick) and he asked if I would battery it before her 21st....so took it off him and asked if he would like it 'refreshing' ....which I duly did
he then re-boxed it and gave it her again on her 21st which was a welcome surprise....
if you look at case side pre sorting they were very marked up...as I get a few ladies watches that are worn with bracelets on same wrist which continually rubs....had a gents GMTC which had same issue so its not a unique to ladies watches...
I think you might have made a rod for your own back - you'll be doing that every 3 years...
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Great work here and really great to see and read
Thanks for sharing!
S
A job well done......It takes some real patience and expertise to pull this off.
Guillermo
Some really nice work.
Some beautiful work there.
I bet you will be swamped now!
Cheers,
Neil.
The brush work is unbelievable - looks as new!
Thanks for kind words makes it worthwhile....
another TAG a ladies F1 Diamonds ...10+ years old and a daily wearer, bracelet is constructed like a president bracelet and needs each link individually done to remove scratches and then each polished followed by taping and re brush finishing outer links...but has come up well considering wear..
bracelet sides often overlooked are just as satisfying to polish up (OCD again) ...and yes any polish residue removed at final clean / inspect...
alas sag in bracelet is not something you can polish out
I wont put too many pics up and kill Eddies server ....
Last edited by TKH; 9th December 2020 at 15:54.
Nice skills, amazing work👌
Skills cracking work
Great work, impressive stuff.
Nice work Tim!
I can probably line up a few refurbs if you ever get bored helping local folk out with their car woes...
:-)
Great work and thanks for sharing. Can you advise what polishing compound you use with the felt tips and wheels? I have done a few of my own (stainless) bracelets using a similar hand held approach with a Dremel and have found that even Brasso works pretty well for the final polish after any deeper scratches have been removed. Would be interested to hear how it's done "properly"
As I’ve said many times, use wet and dry paper around a mini rubber block ( must be flat) to get the damage and scratches out. 600 grit for deep damage, otherwise start with 800. Work through the grades
(1000, 1200 1500, 2000, 3000, 5000, 7000) until you end up with a semi- polished finish. You can skip a couple of grades, I find it best to put plenty if work into 1500 grit, then jump to 3000. You can use metal polish after 3000 but its better to persevere and go to 5000. If its a flat surface I would use 7000.
I use Bergeon buff sticks with solvol autosol as a metal polish. Finally, finish off with a polishing wheel or Dremel. A polishing wheel is better, the polish stays on better. I use the grey blocks, I don’t see any significant advantage with the finer grades. I’ve never tried charging a Dremel felt pad with this type of polish, not sure if it would work. The problem with a fluid polish like autosol is the way it gets thrown off the Dremel pads
I do not advocate using a polishing wheel to polish significant scratches out, only use it for getting the final finish. Doing it my way by hand is laborious but it gets excellent results with the minimal removal of metal.
My polisher is a Foredom bench lathe, available for around £150. Lathe is a misleading term, I’d call it a polisher, but its a super piece of kit for getting the final finish. It can also be used with a scotchbrite- type wheel to get the final brushed finish on brushed parts but it gas to be run slowly and it lacks torque for this application. I do brushed finishing by hand and use the wheel for the final touch to get it looking dead straight.
Following my house move I no longer have a facility for refinishing, my polisher isn’t set up because my garage is still at ‘work in progress’ stage, just returned in the house for a warm after spending the afternoon re-sealing the joints with mastic .........great fun!
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 14th December 2020 at 17:31.
Thanks appreciated..Great work and thanks for sharing. Can you advise what polishing compound you use with the felt tips and wheels? I have done a few of my own (stainless) bracelets using a similar hand held approach with a Dremel and have found that even Brasso works pretty well for the final polish after any deeper scratches have been removed. Would be interested to hear how it's done "properly"
if using felt tips which are fantastic for working by hand to remove scratches they need priming well, one that has had some use is better than a fresh one and shape chosen is important so I tend to bed them in 1st on an old clasp, but as a media to work with they get great results with the caveat of 'a steady hand' ! and a nice pair of 3.5 x magnifying glasses..and lots of taping..
Laborious yes agree totally but worth it for the result...IMHO.
In terms of polish I have used / tried many of the branded watch specific polishes but I have to say the most sympathetic and easiest to work with is 'Meguiars NXT Metal' polish less abrasive than almost all the other stuff so takes a bit longer but its a nice consistency and minimal fling but trick with that is prime 1st then spin up to high speed to get off residue before you start on the watch...and re-dip regularly.
Agree with Paul for me the Burgeon '2290' buff file is a firm favourite and one of the best and inexpensive weapons for case refinishing having 3 different textures for smoothing out marks and final finish pre cloth polish which I do with Burgeon 6719 cloth followed by Cape Cod..
these are the 'buff sticks' which are also superb for polishing jewellery such as rings / bangles etc
https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/bu...on?code=B49265
All the brushed finishes you see in the pictures are hand done both case and bracelet I know many use Artiflex wheels and get good results on bracelets but I like doing by hand..like therapy...
will post up the 118238 as soon as i find the damn pics...
Paul I would definitely rather be refinishing watches indoors than doing mastic outdoors -- I wish you all the best sir...
Last edited by TKH; 15th December 2020 at 10:33.
I love these posts - excellent work and thank you for taking the time to write it all up!
Hey Mike...thanks and send whatever you want my way...
who else do you know who enjoys the masochistic job of making PCL's like new ?....the most scratchable Rolex finish ever look at them wrong and they are covered in marks ...arrghhh OCD just thinking of it....
The buff sticks I referred to are leather- faced and approx 7mm wide, they’re ideal for applying metal polish and they’re quite hard so you can polish up to edges without the risk of softening them. When I get back to my computer I’ll post a link, Cousins sell them. At around £6 and I highly recommend them. When they get clogged with polish they can be cleaned with a knife blade and washed with washing up liquid to refresh the surface.
As I’ve said before, I find refinishing work tedious and I no longer enjoy it, I don’t mind doing one now and again to keep my hand in, but having developed a way of getting excellent results without expensive equipment ( albeit time- consuming) I’ve lost the enthusiasm, I’ve the wrong mentality for boring work and that’s how I find it. Same applies to decorating, I like to see the end result but I struggle to have the patience thesedays.
Here’s another tip: get some lollipop sticks and a tube of evostick, ideal for sticking wet and dry paper and making emery sticks in the grade you want. If double- sided adhesive sponge tape is used the stick is slightly more flexible and better suited to some jobs. These home- made abrasive sticks are excellent for restoring edges on cases, never work on the edge, work on both flat surfaces and the edge will sharpen up.......trust me this works. Wet the abrasive with soapy water to prevent clogging and get a cleaner cut.
And there Paul is where we potentially differ me being a sprightly greying 51 and only been at it near 18 years I still have bundles of enthusiasm and thoroughly enjoy it each and every one of them, I can't say I have ever been bored of doing it or of seeing the end results of my labours, that said I wholeheartedly agree with you it takes patience and is time consuming but I have plenty of time on my hands....
yes the 6mm leather buff sticks are nice to work with but I also like the 2290 which you will find are quite robust and mess free, and a good recommend for those asking what tools etc I think they are a great buff tool for enthusiasts as well as pro finishers...
here you go link for the leather buff sticks save you having to mess around.
https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/buff-sticks-leather
and if anyone does fancy having a go these tapes are a must for separating brushed from polished surfaces and vice versa again IMHO
https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/ta...tection-kapton
Posting Permissions
