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Fitting a Pearl ?

iang27

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I somehow managed to lose the pearl from my ARF sub and Sead has kindly sourced me a replacement.

What is the best way to fit it ?
Do I just put a tiny drop of superglue on it or is it best to remove the bezel and glue it from the back of the insert.

I have never removed a bezel so didn’t want to scratch or break anything or not be able to refit the bezel.

Any tips please ?
 

iang27

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No one able to advise ?

i did have a look in case this was a sticky but couldn’t see anything.

I didn’t want to make a balls up of it.
 

Mike116

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Mate, dont use super glue. Its a nightmare anywhere near a watch. GS Hypo cement is the way to go. In the past when i was into DSSDs the usual practice was to heat up the insert with a hair dryer to loosen up the glue holding the insert onto the bezel. Gently pry it up with a tooth pick. Place the pearl in the hole and glue it from the back. Put 4 or 5 tiny dabs of gs hypo on the bezel area towrd the outside edge and put the insert back on and check the alignment with the 12 marker. Spin the bezel around to make sure its free and clean up any glue on the outside once its dry. You can do this with a soft cloth.
edit. Most ceramic bezel are stuck on with double sided tape so you'll need to clean all that gunk off before you glue it back on. Best of luck !!
 
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KJ2020

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Mate, dont use super glue. Its a nightmare anywhere near a watch. GS Hypo cement is the way to go. In the past when i was into DSSDs the usual practice was to heat up the insert with a hair dryer to loosen up the glue holding the insert onto the bezel. Gently pry it up with a tooth pick. Place the pearl in the hole and glue it from the back. Put 4 or 5 tiny dabs of gs hypo on the bezel area towrd the outside edge and put the insert back on and check the alignment with the 12 marker. Spin the bezel around to make sure its free and clean up any glue on the outside once its dry. You can do this with a soft cloth.
edit. Most ceramic bezel are stuck on with double sided tape so you'll need to clean all that gunk off before you glue it back on. Best of luck !!

This will work great if you don't want to try gluing it in place.

If you do, it can be done. You need steady hands and some skill with tweezers. I use slow cure epoxy as it holds permanently and gives you time to adjust parts if needed.

Start by dry fitting the pearl to the hole to get familiar with how it's going to sit. Is the hole the perfect size or are you going to have to center the cup shaft uniformly in a larger hole? The answer will help you know how much glue to use and how to set the pearl.

This is great stuff, you get 30 minutes to make adjustments

https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Smith-In...b+smith+epoxy&qid=1566090747&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Mix up a little and let it sit for 5 mins so it becomes more viscous (thicker and less runny).

Use a needle or straight pin and dab some blobs of glue on the insert, immediately around and in the hole. Keep the blobs small enough that they won't spread beyond the perimeter of the pearl cup when you set it.

Add a liitle around the sides of the cup shaft and a slightly generous little blob on the bottom of the cup shaft.

Place the pearl with tweezers. Once satisfied it's positioned OK, let it cure for a few minutes. I then turn the watch upside down so the blob on the bottom of the cup shaft spreads out and settles into the areas of contact.

15660903801190.jpg


15660903801891.jpg


15660903802072.jpg
 
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iang27

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Cheers guys. I now need to get the ceramic bezel off without it breaking, unless they are quite tough.
 

muiramas

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The bezel insert is friction fit. You’ll just end up with a hot watch and a snapped insert if you go at it with a hair dryer.
 

iang27

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Great tips thanks.

I had read on other posts about the inserts breaking quite easily and also that someone removed the bezel but it wouldn’t go back on.

I think the safest bet is to get some of the glue mentioned above and just stick the pearl on while the insert is still on the watch.

It seems a few pearls have dropped out. They mustn’t be putting enough glue on at the factory.
 
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