My (Novel?) Bracelet Lubrication Method

[Midas]

Great write up! I just don't know what the "grease" is your using. From Safeway or Home Depot. Little more details please. What about bacon grease so we can eat the bacon while the lube is working.

Also, can you help NASA with a lube for their/our stuck capsule?

Thanks

David, Older Gentleman

 

[jacquy]

Thank you for sharing this with us.
With this set at less than $100, is that enough in your opinion?

Amazon.com

Very interesting to watch the 2 videos in this link.

 

[bechtolb]

Thank you for sharing this with us.
With this set at less than $100, is that enough in your opinion?

Amazon.com

Very interesting to watch the 2 videos in this link.

Yep, that should do it!

 

[Cubby]

I love the technical thinking that’s gone into this, to come up with this equipment and methodology deserves an award. I have 2 questions.
1 Are you going to offer this as a service?
2 Will it stain the cuffs of my shirt on a hot day?

 

[bechtolb]

Great write up! I just don't know what the "grease" is your using. From Safeway or Home Depot. Little more details please. What about bacon grease so we can eat the bacon while the lube is working.

Also, can you help NASA with a lube for their/our stuck capsule?

Thanks

David, Older Gentleman

hahaha!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BN82TPY4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I have been using

 

[bechtolb]

I love the technical thinking that’s gone into this, to come up with this equipment and methodology deserves an award. I have 2 questions.
1 Are you going to offer this as a service?
2 Will it stain the cuffs of my shirt on a hot day?

Thank you!
1) I'm crazy busy these days with kids and full time job, so I would have to charge more than people would likely be willing to pay to make it worthwhile for me. That was one of the main reasons I posted this - didn't want to make a business of it, but also didn't want to keep it to myself.
2) After the first couple days, all of the isopropyl should have evaporated off, so I wouldn't expect much migration of the lubricant after that. But to be honest, I haven't worn cuffs directly on top of any of my lubricated bracelets, so I can't confirm 100%.

 

[jacquy]

bechtolb,is this the process shown in the video that you follow?

 

[zzipy5050]

I think this would also do and you can literally get them for less that $10 on craiglist/ebay

https://www.amazon.com/Goplus-Pneumatic-4-2CFM-Operated-Conditioning/dp/B0183JCT12/ref=asc_df_B0183JCT12/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693401379483&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12120106276146195677&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008156&hvtargid=pla-569205895666&psc=1&mcid=cb8911d0ffb53420b9eae519ae9c2b69

 

[pack11]

Great explanation - thank you.

I wonder if this method can be replicated with a normal household machine to vacuum these sous-vide bags?! Some of these machines have the possibility to connect a hose to vacuum small containers.

Here is an example picture:

https://caso-design.de/media/thumbs/d7/b1/723ff0809531177db337f56dd89a162f786d/1400x_crop=center/images/productimages/caso-vakuumieren-vakuumbehaelter-set-01260-002_1400px.jpg.thumb.jpg

Do you think, that this might work?

 

[Perpetuum]

Thank you for the great idea and the great description.

I have a 1989 Jubilee from my 16233 that I had a goldsmith in Poland overhaul a few years ago because it was stretched too much. The work was good, but it was missing that last bit of "Rolex feeling".

Today I subjected it to the bracelet treatment described. I made a simple vacuum chamber out of a pickle jar and used the air conditioning equipment that I still had.

For this I used pure silicone grease from diving equipment mixed with (less than you might think) isopropanol alcohol. The rest went as described - vent until no more bubbles appear, ventilate, repeat a couple of times. Then I burned about +/- 28 rolls of toilet paper to clean it and gave it a careful bath with washing-up liquid and a nail brush (briefly and superficially).

The result is fascinating - WOW. The old straps always feel a bit "cheap" and rickety, but now it is so soft and "flows" through your fingers. It reminds me more of the Jubilee of my 126234, which is 30+ years younger. The only rattling now comes from the metal of the old buckle. No comparison to the baby oil bath that I usually use.

Many thanks to @bechtolb for the great idea!

 

[bechtolb]

Great explanation - thank you.

I wonder if this method can be replicated with a normal household machine to vacuum these sous-vide bags?! Some of these machines have the possibility to connect a hose to vacuum small containers.

Here is an example picture:

https://caso-design.de/media/thumbs/d7/b1/723ff0809531177db337f56dd89a162f786d/1400x_crop=center/images/productimages/caso-vakuumieren-vakuumbehaelter-set-01260-002_1400px.jpg.thumb.jpg

Do you think, that this might work?

That's an interesting thought. It seems like it might be harder to get all the air to "boil off" as it does with the open chamber. Also, I'm not sure what level of vacuum those devices reach, so it would require a bit of research to see if they can reach the same level of vacuum as an actual vacuum chamber.

 

[bechtolb]

Thank you for the great idea and the great description.

I have a 1989 Jubilee from my 16233 that I had a goldsmith in Poland overhaul a few years ago because it was stretched too much. The work was good, but it was missing that last bit of "Rolex feeling".

Today I subjected it to the bracelet treatment described. I made a simple vacuum chamber out of a pickle jar and used the air conditioning equipment that I still had.

For this I used pure silicone grease from diving equipment mixed with (less than you might think) isopropanol alcohol. The rest went as described - vent until no more bubbles appear, ventilate, repeat a couple of times. Then I burned about +/- 28 rolls of toilet paper to clean it and gave it a careful bath with washing-up liquid and a nail brush (briefly and superficially).

The result is fascinating - WOW. The old straps always feel a bit "cheap" and rickety, but now it is so soft and "flows" through your fingers. It reminds me more of the Jubilee of my 126234, which is 30+ years younger. The only rattling now comes from the metal of the old buckle. No comparison to the baby oil bath that I usually use.

Many thanks to @bechtolb for the great idea!

This is amazing! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see someone else actually try this. Even better that it worked well for you! Seems like you replicated the process perfectly. Very nice work.
I've gotten a bit more efficient with it now. Only use about 10 squares of toilet paper to do the cleaning, and only takes maybe 20-30 minutes total. I have been lubricating all of my watch bracelets this way now. Even my high-quality bracelets on my Breitling, Omega, Hamilton, etc. have benefited greatly from this process. I think I'm tainted now - any bracelet without this lubrication feels rickety now haha! Nothing seems to beat that flowy smooth feeling. And great news for anyone wondering about how long it lasts - the very first rep Rolex bracelet I lubricated still feels like day 1. Granted, I haven't gone swimming or showered with it, so unsure what effect that would have. I had the chance to compare it side by side to a friends gen Rolex just recently, and it was truly indistinguishable to either of us. Big win in my book
I hope more people jump in and try this out!

 

[Cigar_Guy97]

I am very interested in this method, although curious if the silicone grease would have any adverse affects on plated bracelets. Being food grade it seems it would not, guess I'll just have to test it out and see! lol
Great writeup man! Thank you for this!

 

[Midas]

This is a great thread. Perfect example of community I see in RWI and rep in general. A suggestion would be for the members in the
plating business/industry to jump in with thoughts. How to clean before and after treatment. Suggested cleaning products to protect
bracelets etc. Effects of heat and cold? Only a few of the many questions and opportunities. Ha, maybe I'll try on my "trick" knee!

Thanks

David, Older Gentleman

 

[Cigar_Guy97]

I am very interested in this method, although curious if the silicone grease would have any adverse affects on plated bracelets. Being food grade it seems it would not, guess I'll just have to test it out and see! lol
Great writeup man! Thank you for this!

So I ended up buying the exact same setup as OP posted in the link to amazon - Same pump and chamber, same grease as well.
I couldn't get the alcohol to mix in with the grease very well at all though... Regardless, it still worked pretty damn well and I am pleasantly surprised at the feeling of my bracelets after using this method. Makes Jubilee bracelets feel so much better than just the routine baby oil baths. Also tried this out on a plated bracelet with no adverse effects on the plating yet!

 

[themaxx25]

So I ended up buying the exact same setup as OP posted in the link to amazon - Same pump and chamber, same grease as well.
I couldn't get the alcohol to mix in with the grease very well at all though... Regardless, it still worked pretty damn well and I am pleasantly surprised at the feeling of my bracelets after using this method. Makes Jubilee bracelets feel so much better than just the routine baby oil baths. Also tried this out on a plated bracelet with no adverse effects on the plating yet!

My setup arrived yesterday, looking forward to putting the bracelets through this bath process.

@bechtolb thanks for taking the time to share this with the community.

 

[bechtolb]

So I ended up buying the exact same setup as OP posted in the link to amazon - Same pump and chamber, same grease as well.
I couldn't get the alcohol to mix in with the grease very well at all though... Regardless, it still worked pretty damn well and I am pleasantly surprised at the feeling of my bracelets after using this method. Makes Jubilee bracelets feel so much better than just the routine baby oil baths. Also tried this out on a plated bracelet with no adverse effects on the plating yet!

I am using a 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. Not sure if that makes a difference. If you are using a more common 70% rubbing alcohol, perhaps the higher water content is making it harder to mix? I'll have to test that at some point.

 

[Cigar_Guy97]

My setup arrived yesterday, looking forward to putting the bracelets through this bath process.

Keep the thread updated on how well you were able to get your alcohol/grease mixture to cooperate with you lol - I found that the small 1oz tube of grease I ordered from amazon to not be enough, unless I did not add enough alcohol to the mix. Honestly though trying to mix it in the small rectangular container with a spoon probably was not the best way to do it
I'll order the 3 pack next time I try this out and get some measuring cups for the alcohol to really break this down to a science to achieve this "honey consistency" OP is describing!

 

[dpd3672]

Interesting technique to experiment with. I have a vacuum sealer for food that's probably not as powerful, but might be worth playing around with.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Cigar_Guy97]

I am using a 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. Not sure if that makes a difference. If you are using a more common 70% rubbing alcohol, perhaps the higher water content is making it harder to mix? I'll have to test that at some point.

I used 91% isopropyl, but I think my mixing equipment could have been the problem lol