New-ish member shows their junk (6538 case reshaping)

[lucadotti]

Good evening.
Today I present how it started...

well kind of... I added the rivet bracelet. Aaaaannnd how its going...
I've never been a metalsmith nor do I have any experience moving metal around. I think I've done a fair job a recreating the chamfers of a 6538. I haven't polished them as I am still unsure if it would be very complimentary to what should be a true vintage watch.

As always, I am open to constructive criticism, but if you are just going to be a turd; well, go ahead. You were going to anyway.

Best,

 

[Specter1000]

I don't see anything wrong with that...its a little bit over the top, but hey...each his own. I'd wear it.

 

[lucadotti]

I don't see anything wrong with that...its a little bit over the top, but hey...each his own. I'd wear it.

Appreciate your feedback. I am still on the fence of what type of bezel insert I am going to swap to. It won't be nearly as relic'd as this one lol. This was a first attempt; and some might say failure, at a relic bezel.

Best,

 

[kilowattore]

Chamfers look ok, you did a good job but now comes the difficult part: polishing them without losing their shape
For the rest check raffles for a new insert and helena rou for a dial, then you're good to go imho

 

[p0pperini]

Very nice work, bravo and thanks for sharing. I like a really defined chamfer, so IMO they look great. But they do need to be polished to really look the part.

I also like the OTT beaten up look of your insert, but it does tend to draw the eye somewhat..! So I can understand why you want something with a more subtle finish.

 

[manodeoro]

lucadotti congrats for the chamfers ... maybe you could use a burnisher to get them polished without loosing ther shape

 

[p0pperini]

maybe you could use a burnisher

What is this magical instrument of which you speak sir? At first I saw it as "bumisher" - like The Punisher, but for... bums. But I would like to know if a "burnisher" is a tool that's missing from my armoury of tools - all which I use equally badly.

manodeoro

 

[gunsmoke16610]

What is this magical instrument of which you speak sir? At first I saw it as "bumisher" - like The Punisher, but for... bums. But I would like to know if a "burnisher" is a tool that's missing from my armoury of tools - all which I use equally badly.

I’d also like to know. I’m hopeful that a alternative to the lapping machine exists.

 

[Toofsy]

in french : cabron. Used in jewelry and in my case to polished my diamond awl for leathercraft

https://images.app.goo.gl/bUARcomR6eS953f69

https://sodimabi.com/limer/249-cabron-plat-3000001023265.html

 

[p0pperini]

in french : cabron. Used in jewelry and in my case to polished my diamond awl for leathercraft

Okay... Cabron seems to be French for "sandpaper glued to a lolly stick". And their described use is for finishing a surface prior to polishing, which doesn't really seem like what I'd expect from a burnishing tool. But maybe it is. Still, it would be nice to get confirmation from manodeoro that he's referring to sandpaper glued to a lolly stick.

 

[manodeoro]

in french : cabron. Used in jewelry and in my case to polished my diamond awl for leathercraft

https://images.app.goo.gl/bUARcomR6eS953f69

https://sodimabi.com/limer/249-cabron-plat-3000001023265.html

Okay... Cabron seems to be French for "sandpaper glued to a lolly stick". And their described use is for finishing a surface prior to polishing, which doesn't really seem like what I'd expect from a burnishing tool. But maybe it is. Still, it would be nice to get confirmation from manodeoro that he's referring to sandpaper glued to a lolly stick.

Burnishers (brunissoirs) are used in jewellery to achieve a really fine polish on soft or hard metal without removing material ... cabron will definitely remove some
There are different sorts of burnishers, made from metal or stone, depending on which material you want to polish.

Engravers use stone burnishers to polish steel printing plates.
I never tried that tool on a watch case but years ago I studied engraving at a fine-arts school and we used agathe burnishers to get perfect "white" areas on the printings.
When you polish stainless steel there's always a really fine texture remaining, whatever sanding method you use ... even with with wet 2000 grade sandpaper then polishing compound.
The texture is so slight you can't see it with naked eye but you can see it on the prints as you get a "soft grey" or "off white" instead of pure white.
So we used agathe burnishers to achieve to get perfectly polished areas on the stainless steel printing plates so that no ink was transferred on the printed paper.
The process was quite long but it worked perfectly ... we used that method on small areas only but I guess it could be use to polish chamfers on a watch case.
I just ordered an agathe burnisher today so I'll let you know if it really works on a watch case ...
​​​​​​​

 

[p0pperini]

Thank you, as always, manodeoro for the interesting background detail - and potentially another tool for the box. Really looking forward to seeing how the brunissoir performs!

 

[Amaiel]

in this case the real tool are...the hands. Without proper skill and experience the "Cabron" becomes quickly "Cambronne".

 

[p0pperini]

in this case the real tool are...the hands.

I think it would take absolutely ages to burnish it with your fingers. And it'd also lead to nasty friction burns unless you did it slowly. Could use a fingernail to speed things up a bit, maybe.

 

[manodeoro]

I think it would take absolutely ages to burnish it with your fingers. And it'd also lead to nasty friction burns unless you did it slowly. Could use a fingernail to speed things up a bit, maybe.

Possibly a Peggy Sage nail high polisher could be used ... I polish handsets with it

 

[p0pperini]

Possibly a Peggy Sage nail high polisher could be used ... I polish handsets with it

I was just joking - about the idea of (literally) using your hands as tools - but now you've gone and turned my nonsense into another handy tip... heh!

 

[Usernametaken]

I think it would take absolutely ages to burnish it with your fingers. And it'd also lead to nasty friction burns unless you did it slowly. Could use a fingernail to speed things up a bit, maybe.

Used to buff my car this way, always looked worse after I was done..(lol)


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