I know it's on this Fourm somewhere....

[Replicafan]

"AGING" a SS case, I know it's on this Fourm somewhere....

Guys I'm going vintage.. I've looked in the Tutorial section and can't find what I'm looking for. Who knows how to get a SS case looking like it's 60 years old? Love my shinny PAMs but it's time to start modding myself and my first project will be to take this and making it look 60 years old.

Hit me back with all your ideas on how to make the case look vintage. If there are posts already on the Fourm Please hyper link it to me.
Now I know I need to wear it and knock the stink out of it with dings and scrapes.. but how do you guys "age" the case to remove the shine? Any store bought chemicals work well? Let me know what you know and maybe this thread will help others in the future.
Thanks guys

Love this place!!!!!

 

[COLDI]

remove the crystal, movement, ect. throw the case in a coffee can full of marbles, nails, scrap metal. shake for a few minutes. sand the case with fine sand paper, repolish.

If your going realy vintage, best thing is silix's case. solder the lugs, get a ross or Nightwatch dial, and a vintage movement...but to have it accurate like that can cost well over 1k...

 

[Replicafan]

thanks for the idea.. but really?

COLDI, thanks for the idea.. but really coffee? Will it knock the shine off? Holy Cow what does it to to my stomach? After I play with this very inexpensive first project I'd like to get a case where I can weld in the wire lugs and have the options to change straps with a spring pin. Do you have a link to where I can get that case and other parts like a good rep movement for a vintage progect? I googled silix and didn't find it. Thanks M8...
PS I'm going to use the rest of the coffee in the coffe pot this morning and practice on a SS shakle I have.

Love this place!!!!

 

[avenger007]

www.silix-prime.com

 

[panther917]

COLDI, thanks for the idea.. but really coffee? Will it knock the shine off? Holy Cow what does it to to my stomach? After I play with this very inexpensive first project I'd like to get a case where I can weld in the wire lugs and have the options to change straps with a spring pin. Do you have a link to where I can get that case and other parts like a good rep movement for a vintage progect? I googled silix and didn't find it. Thanks M8...
PS I'm going to use the rest of the coffee in the coffe pot this morning and practice on a SS shakle I have.

Love this place!!!!

Just to make sure.....You were "joking" about the coffee right? It's not the secret ingredient. It's the coffee "can" filled with the other metal objects that when shook up, give the case that beat up look.

You can also put it on a strap that you want to beat up and hit it on things like rocks or your driveway or your head, ok, maybe not your head....Once youve got it how you like it, give it a nice sanding to help get the effect just like you want it, then a good polishing and you should be good to go.

If you are looking to have the case's color aged, you might have to have it dipped but I really dont know much about that process and how to do it.

 

[Replicafan]

In the "can"...... Coffee?

Well I didn't have a "coffee" can so I'm using an empty Never Dull can to do my "aging."
I put in some gravel, a few pennies, nickels and because I'm a big time spender .. a few quarters. I have a couple of SS screws in there too.
Oh and the "coffee" thing.... I put a healthy splash of my hot steamy Maxwell House coffee in for good measure.
Of course coffee is a great material to use to "age" a dial.. but I'm not expecting it to do anything to SS. I just knew I need some liquid in there to really shake things up.
The results?
I took some before pictures of the shakel next to my PAM005. BUT the only digital camera I have with me is my cell phone and it's not an iphone with a good camera. The pics were useless...

But the result were astonishing.
Once I reheated the coffee in the microwave it tasted great. The gravel, pennies, nickels and those quarters added a nice rich body to the flavor.

And the shackel? JUST Perfect!!!!!!!! Later today I'll post some pics to let you see.....

 

[COLDI]

Lol JUST the can, no coffee needed!! (Serious)

You can use the coffee and tea to age dials nicely though.

If you want the best vintage straps IMO, contact a guy named Donerix.

 

[Replicafan]

having fun with the coffee thing...

Grey Goose Vodka is my "aging" liquid of choice. Dirty, 2 olives, shaken.
Ummmm tasty. Is it martini time yet?

Donerix? Does he have a web site to view his work and what he offers?

 

[COLDI]

No he doesn't. Just a member. You can check the vintage section out. Both mine and nightwatches mocha latte dials have donerix and I think I made another post with one of my other vintage pieces "getting new shoes".

 

[Replicafan]

And now onto the results....

As you ca tell picture taking isn't my strong point in life. But I'm hoping you can see the difference.
The shackel is SS and had a nice shine to it before it got the "coffee" treatment. :thinking:

The patina is going to look great on my first project watch.

More deep dings and scrapes will only enhance my project and make it look better.

Now for another question.. How challenging is it to remove the crystal from this watch? Without a doubt I will booger up the crystal with it in. If there is no easy way to remove it without the proper tools I was thinking about protecting it with several layers of tape. I'm just thinking ahead..... or just thinking to much.

I haven't invested in all of the proper tools to make modding easy.
Any ideas on how to remove a crystal from a rep watch without the proper press?

Thanks Guys.
Love this place!!!!

 

[COLDI]

lol buy one, they are cheap