How did Mido do it and a hand painting question?
Anthony Fremont
How did they put the cork thingy inside the case tube? Is it
replaceable? Does the case tube unscrew, or is it pressed in? I assume
that it can't be soldered since that would likely burn the cork.
Here is the before pic:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g143/afremont/multifort.jpg
It's a mess, but it runs (sort of ;-). The stainless steel case already
looks 50 years younger after some hand polishing of the bezel and
caseback. The sides have a vertically brushed finish. It's a small
watch, the crystal size is only 24mm. I found another dial (refinished)
that looks allot better, I also ordered some glow paint to redo the
hands.
We will have to see how that turns out. I should have enough paint to
redo them til I get it right. When I apply the paint should I hold the
hand upside down, or right side up? I've seen people advising each
technique. I know to apply the luminous paint to the backside of the
hand.
Oiling materials should be here today or tomorrow, so I will proceed
with cleaning of the movement when they arrive. It's a cal 816 which I
understand to be one of the first automatic movements that Mido
produced. It is plain brass with no rhodium plating, so I figure it to
be very early. The watch also has a serial number (between the lugs and
on the screw-on caseback) that is less than 950,000. I'm thinking it is
very close to 1940 since the cal. 816 movement wasn't introduced until
1939 AIUI.
dAz
> Vintage (ca. 1940) Mido Multifort w/octagonal case.
>
> How did they put the cork thingy inside the case tube? Is it
> replaceable? Does the case tube unscrew, or is it pressed in? I assume
> that it can't be soldered since that would likely burn the cork.
now you are making me scratch my head :)
Mido have used cork gaskets for years and years and still do.
http://www.pacifictime.com/product_info/mido-watches/mido-aquadura-system.htm
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=1230937&rid=0
http://www.watcharama.com/mido.htm
no the tube in the case does not come out, the cork is replaceable, now
a long time ago I used to work for the Australian agent that
serviced Mido and I think the end of the tube was removable, then dig
the old cork out, fit a new cork and press the spacer back in, but don't
quote me :)
however one thing, never ever wash the case of a Mido without the crown
in place, I still have a special factory supplied plug that did the job,
if you do soak the case without the plug or crown in the cork will swell
up and possibly be damaged.
despite the quirkiness of the cork instead of rubber or silicon it works
and works very well, 30-40year old midos come in with the original cork
gasket in place still doing the job long after rubber gaskets have gone
hard and useless.
use a little silicone grease on the cork.
>
> Here is the before pic:
> http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g143/afremont/multifort.jpg
>
> It's a mess, but it runs (sort of ;-). The stainless steel case already
> looks 50 years younger after some hand polishing of the bezel and
> caseback. The sides have a vertically brushed finish. It's a small
> watch, the crystal size is only 24mm. I found another dial (refinished)
> that looks allot better, I also ordered some glow paint to redo the
> hands.
>
> http://glowinc.com/
>
> We will have to see how that turns out. I should have enough paint to
> redo them til I get it right. When I apply the paint should I hold the
> hand upside down, or right side up? I've seen people advising each
> technique. I know to apply the luminous paint to the backside of the
> hand.
upside down, works for me.
>
> Oiling materials should be here today or tomorrow, so I will proceed
> with cleaning of the movement when they arrive. It's a cal 816 which I
> understand to be one of the first automatic movements that Mido
> produced. It is plain brass with no rhodium plating, so I figure it to
> be very early. The watch also has a serial number (between the lugs and
> on the screw-on caseback) that is less than 950,000. I'm thinking it is
> very close to 1940 since the cal. 816 movement wasn't introduced until
> 1939 AIUI.
>
Mido used reserved A.Shield (AS) movements, in this case the 816
movement is an AS1081
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&uswk&Mido_816
reserved movement meaning effectively this is a Mido movement, parts for
it could only be bought from Mido, some parts however are
interchangeable with similar AS movements but other parts are not
exactly the same and don't fit.
Anthony Fremont
"dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
news:448ec60d$0$25131$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
> Anthony Fremont wrote:
> > Vintage (ca. 1940) Mido Multifort w/octagonal case.
> >
> > How did they put the cork thingy inside the case tube? Is it
> > replaceable? Does the case tube unscrew, or is it pressed in? I
assume
> > that it can't be soldered since that would likely burn the cork.
>
> now you are making me scratch my head :)
>
> Mido have used cork gaskets for years and years and still do.
>
>
http://www.pacifictime.com/product_info/mido-watches/mido-aquadura-system.htm
> http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=1230937&rid=0
> http://www.watcharama.com/mido.htm
>
> no the tube in the case does not come out, the cork is replaceable,
now
> a long time ago I used to work for the Australian agent that
> serviced Mido and I think the end of the tube was removable, then dig
> the old cork out, fit a new cork and press the spacer back in, but
don't
> quote me :)
Yep, the part that sticks out from the case simply pops out. It
apparently friction fits in a 4mm seat that is cut into the case. Seems
kinda flimsy, I wonder if it was glued. There seems to be a thin layer
of material on the seat.
Still the cork is larger than the hole on the case side of the extension
tube. Hmm....now to figure a way to insert the new cork.
> however one thing, never ever wash the case of a Mido without the
crown
> in place, I still have a special factory supplied plug that did the
job,
> if you do soak the case without the plug or crown in the cork will
swell
> up and possibly be damaged.
Too late. I will have to fashion a new piece of cork. I don't think
the water really hurt it as much as me "cleaning" the "gunk" from the
inside of the case tube. Now I realize the gunk is cork. :-(
> despite the quirkiness of the cork instead of rubber or silicon it
works
> and works very well, 30-40year old midos come in with the original
cork
> gasket in place still doing the job long after rubber gaskets have
gone
> hard and useless.
Seems good for keeping actual water out, but what about living in the
desert? Since it's not an airtight seal, wouldn't it shrink enough to
allow dust/dirt to become the main problem. Seems like humidity might
cause trouble as well.
> use a little silicone grease on the cork.
>
> >
> > Here is the before pic:
> > http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g143/afremont/multifort.jpg
> >
> > It's a mess, but it runs (sort of ;-). The stainless steel case
already
> > looks 50 years younger after some hand polishing of the bezel and
> > caseback. The sides have a vertically brushed finish. It's a small
> > watch, the crystal size is only 24mm. I found another dial
(refinished)
> > that looks allot better, I also ordered some glow paint to redo the
> > hands.
> >
> > http://glowinc.com/
> >
> > We will have to see how that turns out. I should have enough paint
to
> > redo them til I get it right. When I apply the paint should I hold
the
> > hand upside down, or right side up? I've seen people advising each
> > technique. I know to apply the luminous paint to the backside of
the
> > hand.
>
> upside down, works for me.
Any tips on what to use as a paint applicator?
> > Oiling materials should be here today or tomorrow, so I will proceed
> > with cleaning of the movement when they arrive. It's a cal 816
which I
> > understand to be one of the first automatic movements that Mido
> > produced. It is plain brass with no rhodium plating, so I figure it
to
> > be very early. The watch also has a serial number (between the lugs
and
> > on the screw-on caseback) that is less than 950,000. I'm thinking
it is
> > very close to 1940 since the cal. 816 movement wasn't introduced
until
> > 1939 AIUI.
> >
>
> Mido used reserved A.Shield (AS) movements, in this case the 816
> movement is an AS1081
> http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&uswk&Mido_816
That sure looks like it, only mine is not plated. So they say 1935 was
when the movement was introduced.
> reserved movement meaning effectively this is a Mido movement, parts
for
> it could only be bought from Mido, some parts however are
> interchangeable with similar AS movements but other parts are not
> exactly the same and don't fit.
Cool, thanks for the information.
dAz
> "dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
>
> Yep, the part that sticks out from the case simply pops out. It
> apparently friction fits in a 4mm seat that is cut into the case. Seems
> kinda flimsy, I wonder if it was glued. There seems to be a thin layer
> of material on the seat.
locktite is your friend :), and I am talking about the anaerobic
adhesive not superglue.
>
> Still the cork is larger than the hole on the case side of the extension
> tube. Hmm....now to figure a way to insert the new cork.
if its the right size it will pop in, cork is flexible
>
>> however one thing, never ever wash the case of a Mido without the
> crown
>> in place, I still have a special factory supplied plug that did the
> job,
>> if you do soak the case without the plug or crown in the cork will
> swell
>> up and possibly be damaged.
>
> Too late. I will have to fashion a new piece of cork. I don't think
> the water really hurt it as much as me "cleaning" the "gunk" from the
> inside of the case tube. Now I realize the gunk is cork. :-(
yeah that will do it, hope you remember the next time you get a Mido :)
>
> Seems good for keeping actual water out, but what about living in the
> desert? Since it's not an airtight seal, wouldn't it shrink enough to
> allow dust/dirt to become the main problem. Seems like humidity might
> cause trouble as well.
>
>> use a little silicone grease on the cork.
grease it, it won't dry out, Mido has been using this system for over
60years, it must work or they wouldn't still use it.
>> upside down, works for me.
>
> Any tips on what to use as a paint applicator?
I use an oiler, basically the trick to mix the paint to the correct
consistency, pick up a blob on the oiler and apply it to the hand in one
motion base to tip, helps if you hold the hands on a tapered pin stuck
in something, I use a hand gauge to hold the hands
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bergeon-Watch-Hand-Gauge-Size-Swiss-Pocket-Clock-Tool_W0QQitemZ8947042235QQcategoryZ10363QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
whatever works for you.
>> Mido used reserved A.Shield (AS) movements, in this case the 816
>> movement is an AS1081
>> http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&uswk&Mido_816
>
> That sure looks like it, only mine is not plated. So they say 1935 was
> when the movement was introduced.
yeah lots of cleaning over the years will eventually strip the plating off
>
> Cool, thanks for the information.
>
no prob. :)
Anthony Fremont
"dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
> Anthony Fremont wrote:
> > "dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
>
> >
> > Yep, the part that sticks out from the case simply pops out. It
> > apparently friction fits in a 4mm seat that is cut into the case.
Seems
> > kinda flimsy, I wonder if it was glued. There seems to be a thin
layer
> > of material on the seat.
>
> locktite is your friend :), and I am talking about the anaerobic
> adhesive not superglue.
Ahhhh.....I bet that's what that layer is. :-)
> > Still the cork is larger than the hole on the case side of the
extension
> > tube. Hmm....now to figure a way to insert the new cork.
>
> if its the right size it will pop in, cork is flexible
It's something like the other end. The opening is rolled over a tad,
just not as much. IOW, the opening is smaller than the OD of the cork.
> >> however one thing, never ever wash the case of a Mido without the
> > crown
> >> in place, I still have a special factory supplied plug that did the
> > job,
> >> if you do soak the case without the plug or crown in the cork will
> > swell
> >> up and possibly be damaged.
> >
> > Too late. I will have to fashion a new piece of cork. I don't
think
> > the water really hurt it as much as me "cleaning" the "gunk" from
the
> > inside of the case tube. Now I realize the gunk is cork. :-(
>
> yeah that will do it, hope you remember the next time you get a Mido
:)
Oh, I'll not forget, whether I do any more or not. I learn best like
this.
> > Seems good for keeping actual water out, but what about living in
the
> > desert? Since it's not an airtight seal, wouldn't it shrink enough
to
> > allow dust/dirt to become the main problem. Seems like humidity
might
> > cause trouble as well.
> >
> >> use a little silicone grease on the cork.
>
> grease it, it won't dry out, Mido has been using this system for over
> 60years, it must work or they wouldn't still use it.
OK, will do. When you say grease, do you mean something of the
consistancy of vaseline? Since I've entered the watch side of horology,
I see the term grease being used when it appears that the writer is
talking about something that I would refer to as oil.
> >> upside down, works for me.
> >
> > Any tips on what to use as a paint applicator?
>
> I use an oiler, basically the trick to mix the paint to the correct
> consistency, pick up a blob on the oiler and apply it to the hand in
one
> motion base to tip, helps if you hold the hands on a tapered pin stuck
> in something, I use a hand gauge to hold the hands
>
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bergeon-Watch-Hand-Gauge-Size-Swiss-Pocket-Clock-Tool_W0QQitemZ8947042235QQcategoryZ10363QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
> whatever works for you.
I suppose that I'll discover a method that works for me. Pretty neat
tool, but like many "neat" tools, I'll have to wait a little while
before purchasing that. I'm thinking a brass taper pin and some putty
will do it for me.
> >> Mido used reserved A.Shield (AS) movements, in this case the 816
> >> movement is an AS1081
> >>
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&uswk&Mido_816
> >
> > That sure looks like it, only mine is not plated. So they say 1935
was
> > when the movement was introduced.
>
> yeah lots of cleaning over the years will eventually strip the plating
off
Do you think that's what has happened? Sure seems unlikely from
examining it. There is no trace of anything having ever been present.
It really looks like it was intentionally made this way to me, but what
do I know. ;-) Unless it is a plating that has a coppery color to it
and tarnishes w/age.
dAz
> "dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
>>>
>>>> use a little silicone grease on the cork.
>> grease it, it won't dry out, Mido has been using this system for over
>> 60years, it must work or they wouldn't still use it.
>
> OK, will do. When you say grease, do you mean something of the
> consistancy of vaseline? Since I've entered the watch side of horology,
> I see the term grease being used when it appears that the writer is
> talking about something that I would refer to as oil.
no I said SILICON grease, grease that is used in the watch trade to lube
the gaskets of watches
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/silicon-grease-for-watches_W0QQitemZ8947241769QQcategoryZ91471QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
actually I don't remember what Mido used, being cork a light mineral oil
would probably be ok, you cannot use oil on rubber or neoprene gaskets
because they will rot or go slimly.
you can buy silicon oil if you really want to, just go to any shop that
sell radio control cars, the proper ones 1/10th, 1/8 scale not the cheap
toys, various grades of silicon oil is used in the shocks.
> I suppose that I'll discover a method that works for me. Pretty neat
> tool, but like many "neat" tools, I'll have to wait a little while
> before purchasing that. I'm thinking a brass taper pin and some putty
> will do it for me.
thats all you need, glue the taper pin upright in a block of wood or
plastic.
>
>>>> Mido used reserved A.Shield (AS) movements, in this case the 816
>>>> movement is an AS1081
>>>>
> http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&0&uswk&Mido_816
>>> That sure looks like it, only mine is not plated. So they say 1935
> was
>>> when the movement was introduced.
>> yeah lots of cleaning over the years will eventually strip the plating
> off
>
> Do you think that's what has happened? Sure seems unlikely from
> examining it. There is no trace of anything having ever been present.
> It really looks like it was intentionally made this way to me, but what
> do I know. ;-) Unless it is a plating that has a coppery color to it
> and tarnishes w/age.
Mido always used AFAIK a silvery finish to their movements, they would
not leave a bare brass finish because it will tanish, that omega bumper
wind I did a while back had lost a lot of of the copper finish too.
really depends on the cleaning solutions used over the years, some are
more aggressive than they need to be unfortunately.
Nate Nagel
No help, but I really like that watch. I have a slightly newer
"super-automatic" (non-bumper mov't and center seconds hand) and think
it's just one of the neatest looking watches, if not the most upscale.
I wear it pretty much whenever I think I can get away with it.
nate
--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
Anthony Fremont
"Nate Nagel" <njn...@flycast.net> wrote in message
news:e6q53...@news1.newsguy.com...
> No help, but I really like that watch. I have a slightly newer
> "super-automatic" (non-bumper mov't and center seconds hand) and think
> it's just one of the neatest looking watches, if not the most upscale.
> I wear it pretty much whenever I think I can get away with it.
Mine is a super-automatic as well, though I can't see the tiny print on
the dial without a loupe. I picked up a crystal today, but it is a high
dome. I mocked up the crystal and dial into the freshly polished cased
and it really looked pretty sweet, even with all the dial patina. I
might use the high dome crystal anyway until I can get one with a lower
profile.
Oil supplies arrived yesterday, so I can get on with cleaning the
movement. It's been mounted in a movement holder for a couple of days
living under a dust cover. It runs fine, but was gaining a little bit
of time when I first got it. It's obvious that the balance swing is
low. Hopefully a cleaning will improve things. My Bergeon crystal
lifter is on back order, how disappointing that was to find.
My glow paint arrived today so I can proceed with the refinishing of the
hands. I already have cleaned them up, and I even managed not to
destroy them while doing so. ;-) I'd like to find a new case
tube/water seal piece, but I'll figure out some way to get mine to be at
least splash resistant again, even if I can't get a replacement.
I can't wait to case it all back up and pick out a band to go with it.
I'm sure this will be one of my favorite watches.
Nate Nagel
Ah, I see the lettering now around the sub-dial - missed it at first glance.
Your comments about the crystal prompted a question - when I got my
watch it also had a very high crystal on it that was obviously newer
than the rest of the watch - not as much patina on the watch as yours
but enough that it shouldn't have had a perfect crystal. Based on the
shape of the hands I am guessing it should have had a lower profile
originally. Can anyone confirm or deny this? How hard would it be for
a non-watchmaker but reasonably mechanically inclined person to replace
a crystal himself, assuming a "correct" one could be found? I do get a
little nervous when wearing it with a short-sleeved shirt.
Anthony Fremont
"Nate Nagel" wrote:
> Ah, I see the lettering now around the sub-dial - missed it at first
glance.
>
> Your comments about the crystal prompted a question - when I got my
> watch it also had a very high crystal on it that was obviously newer
> than the rest of the watch - not as much patina on the watch as yours
> but enough that it shouldn't have had a perfect crystal. Based on the
> shape of the hands I am guessing it should have had a lower profile
> originally. Can anyone confirm or deny this? How hard would it be
for
The crystal on mine seemed to be very old and it is of a much lower
profile than the new high-dome GS PHD type crystal that I was able to
obtain locally. The GS PK type is the normal low-dome style with a
ledge that should look much better. A 24.1mm crystal seems to fit ok I
guess, but it goes in fairly easy by hand. A watchmaker suggested that
I use that size, but I'm not convinced that it should be that easy to
insert without using a compression tool. I'm thinking at least 2 or 3
more tenths of a mm might fit more securely. AIUI, you just don't want
to put something in that fits so snugly that it is constantly being
squeezed. That will cause the crystal to craze.
> a non-watchmaker but reasonably mechanically inclined person to
replace
> a crystal himself, assuming a "correct" one could be found? I do get
a
> little nervous when wearing it with a short-sleeved shirt.
I'm not a watchmaker, and I'm going to be putting one in. ;-) I
obtained some glue that hardens under UV light (artificial or even
sunlight). I figure that should be fairly fool proof since it won't
harden til I take it outside. Crystals are fairly cheap. Jules Borel
sells GS brand crystals at $3.40 each for the PK low-domes and $2.70
each for the PHD high-domes in single quantities.
dAz
>
> I'm not a watchmaker, and I'm going to be putting one in. ;-) I
> obtained some glue that hardens under UV light (artificial or even
> sunlight). I figure that should be fairly fool proof since it won't
> harden til I take it outside. Crystals are fairly cheap. Jules Borel
> sells GS brand crystals at $3.40 each for the PK low-domes and $2.70
> each for the PHD high-domes in single quantities.
>
a low dome plexi should not be a problem, but just watch the curvature,
make sure there is room for the hands to move, the original was probably
a low domed plexi and the makers tend to match the curve of the plexi to
the curve of the dial, you will often find that a low dome replacement
is too flat in the middle to allow enough clearance, hence the tendency
to fit a high dome plexi.
sometimes when I have replaced an armoured plexi on a watch with a
fairly curved dial and the hands touch the low dome in the middle, and
fitting a high dome doesn't look right, I fit the low dome, close the
case without the movement, warm the plexi until it softens a bit then
using a blower fitted to the case pipe pump just enough air in to dome
the plexi a bit, results in plexi that is like the original.
this will only work on a water resistant type case and armoured plexis
not the sprung in types, and you have to be careful to not overheat the
plexi, heat it evenly otherwise you end up with a bumpy look and
overheating could also make the plexi craze and bubble, not good.
that UV glue is only meant for mineral type crystals, it could attack
the plexi and damage it, use an epoxy like UHU or araldite that comes
in a ultra clear version http://www.selleys.com/itemDisplay.aspx?ItemID=38
have a look at the bezel groove in the case of that Mido, is it straight
or undercut?, if undercut then the sprung in type plexi is correct and
you don't need to use glue of any kind since the tension is what holds
it in place.
if on the other hand the groove is straight or right angled then it
takes an armoured plexi which you need to use a press to fit, or you can
use the plain sprung in plexis too, but you will need to epoxy them in.
ps; when using the epoxy, if you warm the case up (but not so hot you
cannot still hold it) the epoxy will flow like water, use a fine point
like a large oiler will do, also be aware warming the case shortens the
working life of the epoxy a bit.
Anthony Fremont
"dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
> Anthony Fremont wrote:
> >
> > I'm not a watchmaker, and I'm going to be putting one in. ;-) I
> > obtained some glue that hardens under UV light (artificial or even
> > sunlight). I figure that should be fairly fool proof since it won't
> > harden til I take it outside. Crystals are fairly cheap. Jules
Borel
> > sells GS brand crystals at $3.40 each for the PK low-domes and $2.70
> > each for the PHD high-domes in single quantities.
> >
>
> a low dome plexi should not be a problem, but just watch the
curvature,
> make sure there is room for the hands to move, the original was
probably
> a low domed plexi and the makers tend to match the curve of the plexi
to
> the curve of the dial, you will often find that a low dome replacement
> is too flat in the middle to allow enough clearance, hence the
tendency
> to fit a high dome plexi.
The crystal that was on the watch was low profile, but it was also
broken. I visited a local watchmaker and obtained the high-dome since
that was all he had in stock. I thought I would use it until I got
another one, but since I now have to order the correct crystal cement, I
might as well order a low profile crystal too.
> sometimes when I have replaced an armoured plexi on a watch with a
> fairly curved dial and the hands touch the low dome in the middle, and
> fitting a high dome doesn't look right, I fit the low dome, close the
> case without the movement, warm the plexi until it softens a bit then
> using a blower fitted to the case pipe pump just enough air in to dome
> the plexi a bit, results in plexi that is like the original.
>
> this will only work on a water resistant type case and armoured plexis
> not the sprung in types, and you have to be careful to not overheat
the
> plexi, heat it evenly otherwise you end up with a bumpy look and
> overheating could also make the plexi craze and bubble, not good.
>
>
> that UV glue is only meant for mineral type crystals, it could attack
> the plexi and damage it, use an epoxy like UHU or araldite that comes
> in a ultra clear version
http://www.selleys.com/itemDisplay.aspx?ItemID=38
Thanks again for saving me from my own self. I had noticed that some of
the adhesives specifically said for plastic and glass. This one didn't
specify either, so I naturally made the wrong assumption. From your
response, it seems a given that UV glues are only for glass and saphire.
> have a look at the bezel groove in the case of that Mido, is it
straight
> or undercut?, if undercut then the sprung in type plexi is correct and
> you don't need to use glue of any kind since the tension is what holds
> it in place.
I took some Rodico and pressed it into the groove to get a profile of
it. It seems to be sort of a V shaped cut. If I don't use glue, what
will keep the water out? If I'm not to use glue, then I will surely
need a crystal that fits more snugly. It seems that the front opening
of the case is ~24mm. Since the size of the crystal including its ledge
is 24.1mm, it's no wonder that I can easily pop it in by hand. The
depth of the groove seems to be less than the size of the ledge on the
crystal. Is this right? Should the ledge of the crystal fit tightly
into the groove?
> if on the other hand the groove is straight or right angled then it
> takes an armoured plexi which you need to use a press to fit, or you
can
> use the plain sprung in plexis too, but you will need to epoxy them
in.
So how does that work? Does the press expand the metal ring?
dAz
> "dAz" <dazb@zipDOTcomDOTau> wrote in message
>
> straight
>> or undercut?, if undercut then the sprung in type plexi is correct and
>> you don't need to use glue of any kind since the tension is what holds
>> it in place.
>
> I took some Rodico and pressed it into the groove to get a profile of
> it. It seems to be sort of a V shaped cut. If I don't use glue, what
> will keep the water out? If I'm not to use glue, then I will surely
> need a crystal that fits more snugly. It seems that the front opening
> of the case is ~24mm. Since the size of the crystal including its ledge
> is 24.1mm, it's no wonder that I can easily pop it in by hand. The
> depth of the groove seems to be less than the size of the ledge on the
> crystal. Is this right? Should the ledge of the crystal fit tightly
> into the groove?
ok it has an undercut groove, so you are using the correct type plexi
that is sprung in, so if the bezel measures 24mm or 240 then the size
plexi you want is 242, now provided the bezel groove is in good
condition a reasonable seal is made with the tension of the plexi
against the groove, it will keep dust and rain out but any sort of
pressure it will leak, you can improve by using GS Crystal Cement
http://www.ofrei.com/page_208.html this glue is like some airplane glues
, it has a fine needle applicator so you can put a nice thin bead in the
groove, you don't need much because the plexi will spring out and fill
all the space, too much glue will make it ooze out and make a mess, and
using epoxy in this case would be worst, the GS cement is easy to clean
off, the epoxy not so much.
personally I wouldn't bother, you won't be wearing the watch in water,
so long as you have a gasket in the back and the crown cork is in good
condition that will keep the sweat out.
when you fit the plexi, place the pads of your fingers on top of the
plexi and twist while holding the case with your other hand, if the
plexi turns in the bezel at all its too small, fit the next size up, a
244, if the plexi is too big you have to compress it quite a bit with
the tool, the plexi will craze and/or pop out.
>
>> if on the other hand the groove is straight or right angled then it
>> takes an armoured plexi which you need to use a press to fit, or you
> can
>> use the plain sprung in plexis too, but you will need to epoxy them
> in.
>
> So how does that work? Does the press expand the metal ring?
no, the metal ring is incompressible, when the armoured plexi is
correctly fitted into a straight sided bezel groove, the arcylic is
compressed between the metal ring and the bezel, this is what provides
the seal.
divers watches fitted with thick armoured plexis and are good for 200
metres, Rolex use or did use on their oyster cases a type of armoured
plexi, instead of a metal ring they used a lip on the case, the plexi
minus the metal ring was fitted over this lip then the bezel was fitted
over that, achieving the same effective seal as a normal armoured plexi