PAM390 Case & CG "Finishing"

[tr0y]

Hey folks,

After polishing the crown, pin & CG edge this week, I thought the case could be even better after the same treatment:

2x Dialux polish (felt & cotton)
1 x Cape Cod

I like it

Under 'natural light' conditions:

 

[Dochere2]

Very nice results. Dialux is by far my favorite rouge, it is a quality product. Did you use grey?

 

[tr0y]

Thanks!
I used white/grey first & then the blue Dialux for "Superfinish".

 

[Dochere2]

Basically the exact same method I use, grey/white/blue. I use a tight woven cotton with the grey, flannel for the white and a chamois wheel for the blue. I buff a lot of cases and I am always impressed with the results. Thanks for sharing!

 

[tr0y]

Yeah, I'm really impressed what that stuff can do to the cases. Can highly recommend it to anybody who wants to add a "luxury"-finish to their rep!

 

[jacobkr]

it looks very nice!

 

[Bozz]

Great improvement
The difference is like the day and night

 

[chris3007]

Looks very nice. Good job [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone 6

 

[kampachi]

What about green dialux? Saw in a few tutorials that recommend the green (vert) as a final polish for stainless.

 

[tr0y]

PAM390 Case & CG "Finishing"

Thanks guys

I personally don't like the green Dialux for SS-cases, as I tried it once on a part for my motorcycle and it leaves some kind of mist on the steel. You can polish the steel of course but the green Dialux is made for silver, gold and chrome - I believe that the company has reason to produce different kinds of polish.
If you want a really "deep" and shiny finish, just use the white Dialux (2x) and then the blue one.

 

[kilowattore]

That's an awesome result mate!
Would you care to elaborate a bit the process and cloths used for polishing? This would be a great addition to the summary of PAM tutorials I just posted, besides I would like to try it on my own 390

 

[chris3007]

PAM390 Case & CG "Finishing"

I just use dialux white for the polish but I think it's time to order the blue one. What wheel did you use? Wheels from Dremel?



Sent from my iPad Air 2

 

[tr0y]

PAM390 Case & CG "Finishing"

That's an awesome result mate!
Would you care to elaborate a bit the process and cloths used for polishing? This would be a great addition to the summary of PAM tutorials I just posted, besides I would like to try it on my own 390

Thanks!
Of course - I'll make some pictures of the process the next time. I forgot to do it now, as I was to caught up in polishing...

What you need:
1x Dremel with scalable speed
1x White Dialux
1x Blue Dialux
2x Felt wheels
1x Cotton or Chamois (soft leather) wheel
1x CapeCod
Gloves, Foil, Microfiber cloth

Okay, the process:
1. Take of the strap (If you want to do it really really right, take if the crown too & stick some Rodico into the hole.)

2. Clean your watch with a microfiber cloth (best results & you need one anyway)

3. Put on some gloves and
a) if you still have it, put on the screen protector
b) use another kind of foil and cut it to the size of your from crystal

NOTE: Always only use one wheel for one kind of polish. If you mix the polishing compound, you'll change its reaction to the metal and may do more damage than improvement.

4. Assemble the felt wheel and put on some white Dialux.

NOTE: You have the right speed if the compound sticks to the wheel. If the wheel is to fast, it will throw little fragments around and if it's to slow, the wheel will simply stop. At the right speed, you'll see that the felt becomes more "whitish".

5. Start polishing the long sides with steady movements from one side to the other. Try to not lift the wheel from the steel & to use the same pressure.

NOTE: If you leave no "foggy" trails on the wheel, the wheel is to slow. If the compound gets black on the watch, the wheel is too fast or you have too much compound on the wheel.

6. Polish the lugs and bezel. Take care not to polish the backside or the crystal of the watch.

NOTE: As soon as the wheel lost the color of the compound, add some new polish material to the wheel. Use less compound more often

7. After polishing every part of the case, use the microfiber cloth to wipe of the compound from the case.

8. Repeat the steps 4-7 with a new wheel and blue polish. You may need to adjust the speed (I can tell you the speed I use but most dremel-like tools down show it).

9. Now put on the cotton wheel and apply the blue Dialux.

NOTE: I always go over the whole case twice. First with a high speed & once again with a lower speed.

10. Thoroughly clean the whole case with the cloth.

11. Use the CapeCod for the final polishing. I apply it approx. 2 minutes to each area.

NOTE: If you want to polish your crown too, follow the same instructions for the Dialux. Put Rodico around the stem & polish horizontal to the crown-teeth. Cut off a small piece of CapeCod and grab it with your tweezer to polish between the teeth.

12. Thoroughly wipe of the CapeCod with a clean polishing cloth / microfiber cloth. This will feel like the real polishing as the more you use the cloth, the brighter it start to shine.

13. You have a new case

 

[tr0y]

Pictures will follow asap!

 

[kilowattore]

Thank you tr0y, that's a really good explanation already, I think I got how it's done now, and the tips you added are very useful.

Rep points to you mate

And obviously, should you find some time to add some pics it would be the top

 

[tr0y]

PAM390 Case & CG "Finishing"

Wow...thanks!!

I want to polish a Radiomir, so if anybody has a 448/424/425 that he wants to be polished - send it over

 

[Dochere2]

Great post tr0y. If you don't mind, I'll add a few tips. I do an awful lot of polishing and have picked up some useful 411 along the way.

First, as to your comment on the green Dialux, and any rouge that leaves a cloud, haze or swirling in general, mist the piece you are working on with water and lightly dust the wheel and the piece you are working on with some talc or corn starch and rebuff on the same wheel with the same compound and you will eliminate this.

1. Use only one rouge per buff. Using different compounds on the same buff negates the ability of the finer compound.
2. The rule to applying rouge is to apply a little bit, often. See #5 below.
3. Use an appropriate level of abrasiveness, starting with the most abrasive necessary for the job and work to the least abrasive. For most stainless watch cases, assuming Dialux product, this would be grey, white then blue. Heavier compounds may be used for deep scratches but remember that, in order to level a scratch, you need to remove all the material around the scratch down to the depth of the scratch. In some cases, this may be inappropriate. Deep nicks and scratches should be hammered out or filled, ground level then sanded and buffed. This is beyond the scope of this particular thread though.
4. To cut, including scratch removal, work the piece in the opposite direction as the wheel spin. To polish, work the piece in the direction of the wheel spin.
5. If you see a dark, greasy build-up, you are using too much compound. When applying compound to the wheel, It takes only about a second to apply enough compound. Applying any more will over saturate the buff and you will be wasting compound. Using a bit of talc on the wheel and piece and rebuffing on the same wheel will clean this greasy mess.
6. More speed is typically better. Professional buffers try to maintain a surface feet per minute of around 7500; The acceptable range being between 3500 and 7500 +/-. For a 8 inch buffing wheel, this would equate to a motor rpm of about 3500. With a Dremel, the key is to maintain a speed that, under load is near 3500 rpm. This is usually a low or medium speed setting on most rotary tools.
7. It is important to apply pressure in all stages of buffing. Pressure should be firmer when using heavier cutting compounds and should be lighter when using finer compounds. Lack of pressure will result in no affect at all or unwanted affects like hazing.
8. Using some talc as a final step on each wheel will clear remnants of the previous compound before going on to the next wheel/compound.
9. Keep buffs clean with a rake. Small fragments of metal and dirt saturated compound can cause more damage and accounts for a majority of fine lines and swirls that seem to linger and move around. Many people chase fine lines thinking that they are not being removed when in reality they are being reapplied because of the dirty buff. If this continues after the buff has been raked, it is time for a new buff.
10. Choose the right buff for the job. For grey and typical Stainless Steel "green" rouge, a tight sewn cotton wheel is best. For white and jewelers rouge, a medium or loose sewn cotton wheel or a medium or loose sewn flannel wheel is best. For blue rouge either a canton flannel, a domet flannel or a chamois wheel is best. Heavy cutting should be done with either a treated cotton wheel or a sisal wheel but this level work may be best suited for professionals as things can go wrong quickly.

Typical rouge types: Black or emery compounds are course and used for heavy cutting; Brown or Tripoli is a general purpose compound used for cutting and coloring; Green / Grey are used primarily on Stainless Steel and are a great first step compound for medium cutting and the finish left is excellent even without additional steps; White is a mild cut with more color (polish) action; Blue / Red typically has 0 cutting ability and is dry but is great for final polishing. Blue / Red is also good for plated pieces, like gold plated watches to enhance luster. Red is a little "wetter" than Blue and is better on rose and yellow gold and gold plate. There are others as well, and some manufacturers use a different color chart but for the most part the information above will be enough to get started.


I hope this helps and makes a good additional to this thread. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[tr0y]

Thanks Dochere2 - these are some great tips!

 

[kampachi]

This should be up in the sticky as an all purpose polishing thread!

Anyway, this is what i understand from reading some of the articles online.

Red
Red is the classic color for jeweler's rouge. Made for polishing extremely soft metals like gold and silver, red rouge can also be used on copper, brass, pewter, nickel, chrome and thermoset plastics like Formica. Red rouge is also found in extra-dry bars, typically called "New York Style" red rouge. The drier the rouge, the brighter the finish.

Black
Black rouge is used less for polishing and more for cutting and prepping materials. While excellent for some metals like aluminum and steel, black rouge can also be used on sturdy materials like iron, nickel, pewter and brass. Black rouge cannot be used on soft metals, like gold or silver, nor can it be used on materials like thermoset plastic, plated metals, rubber and horn.

White
Rougher than red rouge but smoother than black rouge, white rouge is used by jewelers to polish jewelry and to remove scratches and dirt from the surface. It excels at polishing aluminum but can also be used on all precious metals and thermoset plastic. White rouge is too soft for use on hard materials like wood or nickel.

Green
Green rouge is ideal for polishing hard metals like steel and aluminum. Stainless steel is especially suited to the grain of green rouge. It is too rough for gold and silver, and it cannot be used on plastics. It is less rough than black rouge, however, and should not be applied to surfaces like wood or horn.

Brown
Rougher than most grains of jeweler's rouge, brown is slightly softer than black rouge. It can be used on softer metals like gold and platinum; however, brown rouge is also a stand-out choice for buffing and polishing wood. It can be used on hard rubber and plastic surfaces, but should not be used on hard metals like stainless steel.

Blue
While some suppliers recommend blue jeweler's rouge for any and all projects, other suppliers recommend you save blue rouge for projects that use only the finest materials. Less greasy than red jeweler's rouge, blue rouge is intended for polishing, not cutting, materials. Blue rouge is ideal for polishing fine metals like gold, silver and platinum, as well as thermoset plastics


As for Dialux rouges.

Blanc	White	Bright polishing of silver.
Bleu	Blue	All-purpose compound for all types of metal.
Gris	Gray	Fine polishing of stainless steel.
Jaune	Yellow	For bright high polish of soft metals such as brass, bronze and copper.
Noir	Black	For final polishing of silver
Rouge	Red	The brightest shine for yellow gold. Also produces a brilliant shine on silver.
Vert	Green	Recommended for bright polishing of hard alloys such as platinum, white gold, chrome, chrome cobalt and stainless steel.
Vornex	Orange	Pre-polish cutting compound for all ferrous metals.

 

[kampachi]

Well, tried polishing my old watch with three different steps ; (dialux grit, vert and then finish it with bleu and the result was quite good! the hard part was the sanding, ended up with a sore back and thumb. Anyway, i have a question for the masters here; why is it hard for the rouges to stick on my wheels? Im using a dremel tool (approx 8000rpm) and i noticed that when i stick my wheels on the rouge, it tends to crumble the rouge. I tried to increase the rpm and it worked better as i let the heat slowly do its work. However, are there any methods to make the rouges stick properly? Like adding oil? What kind of oil is recommended? My Dialux rouges are pretty hard by the way. I was expecting something butterish.

By the way; a picture of what i achieved from 3 hours of hardwork. This was my first time trying on a watch case.