- 9/12/18
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- Thread starter kilowattore
- Start date
- 5/11/13
- 147
- 853
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- 9/12/18
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Franken Marlin 217 on a 'ghost' strap by Kostas
Juat finished my weekend project creating this 1 of a kind 192 rep w SS case, Tantalum look. I was trying to match the color from here (https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/gen-pam172-vs-rep172-side-by-side-comparison.277376/)...I think its pretty good/close.
Sitting next to my 089 titanium for color reference.
Sitting next to my 089 titanium for color reference.
- 28/4/17
- 20,068
- 11,605
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SparkDogg
Getting To Know The Place
I think that looks pretty fantastic. I've been kicking around the idea of building a 172, would you mind sharing your process to achieve that finish?Juat finished my weekend project creating this 1 of a kind 192 rep w SS case, Tantalum look. I was trying to match the color from here (https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/gen-pam172-vs-rep172-side-by-side-comparison.277376/)...I think its pretty good/close.
Sitting next to my 089 titanium for color reference.
- 9/12/18
- 2,523
- 10,519
- 113
Marlin 111 on vintage gustav ammo by Cordes
Sure, happy to.
My case was SS, so the oxi treatment wasnt an option (Most 172 reps have the TI case). The nice thing about this route is the weight is way closer to gen since Tantalum is heavier than SS and Ti lighter than SS (also IMO the color is way closer to gen). I used a SS blackener to oxidize the SS and get the grey color.
I used Birchwood SS Blackener, it had better reviews than the others: https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Te...1709764995&sprefix=ss+blackener,aps,98&sr=8-1) .
Took some trial and error with some scrap SS to get the color and finish right. I very much regret not buying an Ali case to practice on after i was done with playing around with the scrap SS. There were some things I would have done differently had I done that step first. The color ended up a nice dark grey which seems to match the pictures Ive seen of pure tantalum and that 172 comparison thread.
As far as process: I took the entire thing apart (CG off, movement and dial out), taped off the bezel and crystal (both inside and out), taped off the crown hole and put the caseback on. Then I went over everything I wanted to treat with scotchbrite and cleaned it well with soap and water (while wearing gloves to avoid any oil from my hands getting on the now clean metal). Then I hung it from one of the lugs and sprayed the solution (I diluted it with some water to get grey vs black) on reapplying every 45 seconds for ~3 minutes. Then I rinsed with water, let it dry and done. If I had to do it again I think I would have brushed on the solution with a cloth/Q-tip vs spraying it like i did and there was no need to hang it. I was worried about brush marks, but thats not an issue at all (I found out when doing touch ups). Afterward I went through and redid the process for any spots that didnt take. I found that really the cleaning is more important than the sanding down. Some areas I just recleaned with soapy water, rinsed and redid the application and worked perfect.
Im not sure how durable the finish will be. A lot of gun and knife guys have done this process and seemed fine for them, so I figured a watch would be no issue given its much lower duty than a knife/gun. I talked to some engineer at the company and they recommend sealing it with clearcoat. I did a couple quick tests (not great ones with some matt polyurethane i had lying around) and it made the scrap test pieces too black/wet looking, but that might have been because I was using poly vs actual matte clearcoat spray lol. I plan on testing out the clearcoat spray option in a few weeks when i have time on a scrap piece.
Doing touch ups is super easy - basically just clean the area and apply the chemical again with a Q tip for a couple minutes, rinse and done- ive already gone through and cleaned up a bunch of spots that didnt take initially, without having to take it apart again. I plan to live with it for a while and see how it wears and then decide if i want to seal it. I had tried soaking it in penetrating oil to seal it, but that didnt really work (I may have not used the right oil), finish came out terrible (blotchy). The nice thing about this vs PVD or DLC is being able to do touch ups that blend perfectly, this isnt a thick finish on top of the metal, its just reacting with the metal, creating a super thin layer of oxidation on the SS, so touch ups blend perfectly and take <5 minutes.
The only reason i took the risk of all this is its completely reversible, just sand it down with some scotchbrite (I used green) and comes right off, so i can always go back to the stock SS no problem. I already tested it out on a couple parts of the case that didnt come out well initially, and I also had to polish out the bezel when some solution got under the tape and turned it black, so I can confirm you can get it back to 100% natural SS (brushed or polished).
If you ever decide to try it out just DM me and I can walk you through in more detail including some tips/tricks I learned along the way. There are also a lot of threads on this process in Gun and Knife forums online if you google around, i read a bunch before I took the dive.
sdre1982
Getting To Know The Place
- 20/11/21
- 54
- 33
- 18
I'm new to Panerai, however I have been collecting gens and eventually moved to reps completely.
Here's my submission for a few beauties I just received.
Here's my submission for a few beauties I just received.
I'm new to Panerai, however I have been collecting gens and eventually moved to reps completely.
Here's my submission for a few beauties I just received.
Looks good. What size is your wrist mate? I'm worried about the size of the 127 but I love this design. Also is that XF model right? I think thats the best one available right now