Another use for fishline

[KJ2020]

Somehow this case got separated from its original bracelet so I had to find a replacement. I tried several from ye olde parts drawer and nothing seemed great. The best I had was this one and the SEL recess was not pretty.

What's needed on a fit like this is some wedge material on the bottom between the case lip and the SEL flange.

You can ofc use bracelet tape for this but the gap was pretty big so I tried some fishline on a whim and woohoo, this is picture perfect. Having a variety of thickness lines on hand was beneficial as it took 3 tries to find the right size. It's wedged in super tight so no way it'll spring loose and the SEL is absolutely immobile.

Check it out

Before

0.48mm neon green fishline added

After

 

[NCRich]

Took me a couple minutes to figure out what you did. I guess the brain slows down as you age.

 

[KJ2020]

Took me a couple minutes to figure out what you did. I guess the brain slows down as you age.

Haha fair enough Rich, I'll add some more explanation.

 

[WatchSmith.US]

A brilliant solution! It looks el perfect-o!

 

[ward1991]

I once had a gap so bad I used a second bent spring bar on each side to pivot the SEL up flush lol. Luckily, the fishing line will suit most everyone's needs.

Bravo once again sir.

 

[Subzed]

Took me a couple minutes to figure out what you did. I guess the brain slows down as you age.

Glad I’m not the only one!
But when I figured it out, ahhh, very satisfying.
Thanks for another great tip KJ!

 

[KJ2020]

Glad I’m not the only one!
But when I figured it out, ahhh, very satisfying.
Thanks for another great tip KJ!

Arghh sorry guys but hey that's a testament to how subtle the mod is so yay!

I added some arrows to the pics and some color aided text to the OP. Thanks!

0.48mm neon green fishline added

 

[BMRltd]

Arghh sorry guys but hey that's a testament to how subtle the mod is so yay!

I added some arrows to the pics and some color aided text to the OP. Thanks!

0.48mm neon green fishline added

Hey KJ! Did you have to use thinner spring bars for this fix?

 

[KJ2020]

Hey KJ! Did you have to use thinner spring bars for this fix?

Not on this one bro. This mod doesn't really push the SEL back away from the case as much as it rotates the SEL about the springbar axis. So it needs a little room to do that (reason for the mod), and it will alter the look of the SEL recess.

So pay attention to that change and evaluate if it's acceptable. In my example it was an improvement as lowering the front of the SEL also raised the back of it to give the whole SEL a more uniform recess.

 

[BMRltd]

Not on this one bro. This mod doesn't really push the SEL back away from the case as much as it rotates the SEL about the springbar axis. So it needs a little room to do that (reason for the mod), and it will alter the look of the SEL recess.

So pay attention to that change and evaluate if it's acceptable. In my example it was an improvement as lowering the front of the SEL also raised the back of it to give the whole SEL a more uniform recess.

I see, did you also put tape on the lower sel here to get the sel sit lower near the bezel? Or the fish line did all the work?

I’m in the process of doing the same fix, not as deep as this one, but shares the same issue maybe half or less than that of this recess.

I’m not entirely sure of what you mean by rotating rather the pushing the sel away from the case, I’m wondering what sort of play is needed by the bar and lugs to have enough room to rotate.

I’m just waiting for the different sized spring bars before I even start working on it in case I need them.

 

[KJ2020]

I see, did you also put tape on the lower sel here to get the sel sit lower near the bezel? Or the fish line did all the work?

I’m in the process of doing the same fix, not as deep as this one, but shares the same issue maybe half or less than that of this recess.

I’m not entirely sure of what you mean by rotating rather the pushing the sel away from the case, I’m wondering what sort of play is needed by the bar and lugs to have enough room to rotate.

I’m just waiting for the different sized spring bars before I even start working on it in case I need them.

No tape on this one, but I have used that technique also. The gap on this one was big enough it would have taken a 5 or 6 tape stack, which is possible but I decided to try fishline to see if it would work.

Before

After

To better understand the SEL rotation that is taking place, hold a pen or pencil between two fingers near the pointy end. With your other hand, gently move the fat end down slightly. It doesn't move the whole pen backwards, it just pivots the fat end down and the pointy end up (to a lesser degree). This is what is accomplished by the mod. The top of the SEL is forced against the case and the whole SEL becomes tighter due to filling the gap that caused the looseness.

 

[BMRltd]

No tape on this one, but I have used that technique also. The gap on this one was big enough it would have taken a 5 or 6 tape stack, which is possible but I decided to try fishline to see if it would work.

Before

After

To better understand the SEL rotation that is taking place, hold a pen or pencil between two fingers near the pointy end. With your other hand, gently move the fat end down slightly. It doesn't move the whole pen backwards, it just pivots the fat end down and the pointy end up (to a lesser degree). This is what is accomplished by the mod. The top of the SEL is forced against the case and the whole SEL becomes tighter due to filling the gap that caused the looseness.

@KJ2020
Many thanks for your explanation…

The sel on this issue of mine is pretty tight to begin with, zero play…

Sel is flush on bezel side and recessed on lug side and no play. Maybe using a 1.8mm spring bar will create enough room to allow me to force or push the lug end of the sel closer up to the lug (lessen recess) and maybe insert tape on both the sel (top of lower sel) to lower the sel near the bezel by a fraction.

I’ll try all the techniques I’ve read here except sanding anything lol.

 

[onsight]

The fishing line it a great idea. I recently tried a similar thing with tiny pieces of plastic zip ties between the SEL and the spring bar. I’m going to get some fishing line.