Lapidaryforum.net
Gadgets, Gizmos, and Dohickeys => Cutting, Grinding, Polishing => Topic started by: dpn on July 11, 2020, 11:57:11 PM
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Hello all,
I've joined this forum to learn more about how to cut watch dials out of semiprecious and exotic materials.
Watch dials have very precise dimensional requirements -- one movement, for instance, requires a dial that's 36.4mm in diameter and 0.4mm. Depending on the movement, there are also quite a few precise holes that need to be drilled to accommodate hands, dial feet, hour markers, etc.
I'm a complete newbie, and I really have no idea how these sorts of cuts are accomplished. It's generally known that these sorts of dials have a very high manufacturing failure rate, with materials like opal being especially difficult to work with.
Assuming that one could get a round blank of the correct diameter, would a lapidary slab cutting saw be able to create slices as thin as 0.4mm? I'm also thinking that it might be possible to make very thin (~1.0mm) cuts with a slab saw and then sand the material down to a correct uniform flatness and thickness using a lapping machine?
I'm really starting from zero in terms of lapidary skills, and appreciate that there will be a steep learning curve with a lot of practice required.
If anyone is curious, I've attached a few photographs of very high end watches that feature semiprecious stone dials. I know that it's *possible* for large watch companies to endure high failure rates and create these dials, but I don't know whether it's *feasible* for a hobbyist or small-scale maker like me to get these sorts of results without spending tens of thousands of dollars on tools.
Any advice is appreciated!
Cheers,
Dan
A variety of semiprecious stone dials ...
(https://i.imgur.com/9zzB0lK.jpg)
Malachite
(https://i.imgur.com/VD8K8h4.jpg)
Opal
(https://i.imgur.com/3cUFWpp.jpg)
Turqoise
(https://i.imgur.com/SYR0ZSK.jpg)
Lapis
(https://i.imgur.com/G4Lk3jA.jpg)
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Piaget uses a dedicated CNC machine that literally cost well over $100,000 to build. Doing the work by hand is theoretically possible and they most likely did a few that way first to check the feasibility. Getting the precision required for a watch using standard lapidary tools would be an enormous challenge. It will be interesting following your experience with this. I wish you the best of luck and I have no doubt you will get a lot of help from the people here. As far as a round blank, you will need to start with a core drill as close to final size as possible and then turn it to exact dimension using a lathe. Then drill the core while still in the lathe. Notice that Piaget does not include markers on these watches. Getting the holes in the exact location would be another huge challenge. One good thing about starting with a round core is that you can polish the face before slicing. Slicing to .04mm will be the real test. I just don't have a clue how you are going to do that.
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I've done a bit of research a while back, but never tried pursuing this in practice. I'll share some opinions you could take with a grain of salt.
First off, the dial thickness "requirements" are not really requirements, but simply a historical consequence of the dials traditionally being made from sheet metal. You could accommodate thicker dials, but would need to design the case accordingly. There is plenty of room - the plastic "movement holders" we see in quartz watches are required to fill up the unused space, including thickness, between the case back and the movement. Some watches also have spacer rings between the movement and the dial!
Yes, the hands might need to be custom made with extension tubes that fit the movement posts.
Next, the stones. Note the distinction between the hardness and toughness when researching them. Some agates or jade might be tough enough and defect-free to stand on their own, although some destructive testing of a significant number of samples would be required to comfortably include these in something you'd sell. Otherwise, the turquoise, malachite, opal, or lapis examples you pointed to are certainly epoxied to a backing support (or have an epoxy backing) and then thinned down by sanding. I suspect that turquoise may even be not the real stone but "reconstituted turquoise" (look it up). You can learn a lot by reading up on how opal doublets are made, in this forum and elsewhere.
Come back and tell us what you found out!
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You can simply lap the slab down to size as done with thin sections. When lapping things this thin it will be evident that the " uphill " side of the stone cuts faster than the trailing edge. This is fairly easily solved by using an old faceting machine to lap the slab. You can set the quill on the vertical setting and spin the dopped slab to get acceptable tolerances.
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I've had success in slabbing rough down to 1.5-2mm. Using a plaster mixture to incase several pieces of rough. But never any thinner. Its worth trying again but on a smaller saw with a thinner blade.
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There are small trim saws designed for finest work in faceting, using thin blades. I would say cut, smooth both faces to a fairly fine sand, and as r. u. Sirius mentioned epoxy to a backing before working to final thinness. One more thing, how are these faces attached, are they, say, epoxied to a metal backing? You might need to epoxy to that and do the final sand and polish from there. This sounds like a fascinating project, never done it myself, just trying to think of what might be done in a hobby setting. Enjoy your new endeavor!
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Just to add - there was an interesting post about slicing opals using in-house built wire saw.
(https://lapidaryforum.net/group/index.php?topic=5521.msg41131#msg41131)
Perhaps we shouldn't get too obsessed with thin blades here, though: your goal is to slice precisely. Thicker blades are actually more stable than thin ones. It's just that thick blades will waste more material. I would say a well aligned and vibration-free blade and vise are more important here, as well as choosing your rough. Stabilizing the slab (look it up) might also be wise for certain materials.
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Thanks all for the wealth of information and the warm welcome to the forum! You all have provided me with great starting points for my research.
I'm not interested in creating custom cases and crystals, but using commodity parts. I may be more height restricted going this route than I would be with a bespoke case & crystal, but there are some nice commodity high-domed crystals that might give me more room to work. The note about hand extenders is a great one, however, as it'll probably be easier to get to a 1.0mm height with a dial than an 0.4mm height.
I agree that hour markers, etc. will be infeasible due to the precision required. A better solution would be adding a chapter ring (https://i.imgur.com/YBUiak8.jpg), as Tag Heuer did with this fordite watch:
(https://i.imgur.com/RXP9U75.jpg)
I've done more research since my original post, and I absolutely agree with @R.U. Sirius's suggestion to look into opal doublets and triplets -- a very thin opal doublet is probably a very good model of how to accomplish this.
To this point, does anyone know how thinly opals are sliced for doublets and triplets? I'm guessing that the answer is *really* thin, and the tools and techniques necessary to accomplish that are probably the right track for me to pursue for my project. I know that opal doublets and triplets aren't exactly embraced as good things, but I'm quite curious about the techniques necessary to create them. I'll be Googling this, but wouldn't object if anyone knew this information offhand. ;-)
Shoot, with a thin enough slice, it'd be trivial to mount my "stone" to a blank brass dial and take advantage of the brass dial's feet, etc.
As far as tools, I'm going to be looking into slabbing saws and lapping machines to start. As a total newbie, I know very, very little about these. My instinct is that it'd be easiest to get a nice thin slice with a larger diameter (12"?) thin-bladed slabbing saw. There's a local lapidary club I might look into to see about learning how to use this equipment. My instinct might be totally off, though, is this the sort of application that a smaller diameter slabbing saw might be better at? I feel like the cutting ability of the saw will be less important than how precisely it can be used -- forgive my lack of terminology, but having a precise way to smoothly and evenly feed the material to the saw sounds more important than the saw's raw power. Getting a "thin enough" slice to feed to a lapping machine to work down to the final height seems like a better option than trying to hit the 0.4mm slice target using only a slabbing saw.
And for the actual dial materials -- I'm honestly more interested in experimenting with weird but inexpensive stuff than expensive and difficult materials like opal. The idea of a fordite, "surfite", or "bowlerite" dial is what is really driving me here -- I'm absolutely in love with the fordite dials on those Tag Heuer watches. Not only are these synthetic materials inexpensive and cool, but they appear to be fairly easy to work with. See, e.g., this desktop CNC mill shaping fordite. (https://youtu.be/11a7IdhaB4U) Fordite has specifically been compared to rhodochrosite -- 3.5-4 hardness, but brittle. The techniques required, however, seem squarely in the realm of the lapidary. And I certainly wouldn't say no to an opal or lapis dialed watch, if I figured out the technique!
Anyway, thank you all for the warm welcome and great information! I've got a lot more research to do. I'll keep updating this thread as a I figure stuff out, both to track my progress and to help other folks out if they're researching a similar idea. I'm a huge believer in open source information.
Cheers,
Dan
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I would likely try the following process flow, and am curious what others think:
- Cut or procure thin slabs and select fracture-free areas. Trim close to (but slightly larger) than the dial diameter. If possible, avoid oil saws and work with water-based coolants only, to ensure better adhesive bond later on
- Procure a blank dial and grind/lap to thin it down, checking the uniformity carefully
- Mount the stone preform to the dial using an appropriate epoxy that bonds to brass and stone. To minimize the risk of delamination due to thermal stress (brass and stone have different coefficients of thermal expansion), choose an epoxy that is slightly flexible. Also, choose an epoxy that will cure at a relatively low temperature (80C-95C). Clamp and cure. Let the bond develop over a few days.
- Drill the center hole in the stone using a diamond burr, through the existing hole in the brass. You might want to first temporarily mount the stack onto a support layer of marble or glass using wax.(
- Grind the perimeter of the stone to the dial. Use the finest grit that will still do the job, to avoid chipping. I believe this doesn't require perfection, as the perimeter of the dial will be hidden in the end.
- Grind the stone down to the desired thickness on a flat lap, checking frequently.
- Polish the stone
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I love it, R.U. Sirius. Thank you so much for brainstorming this with me!
I'm also very eager to hear what other folks might suggest.
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Traditionally waterglass was used to glue the thin slab to a strong backing for lapping then soak it off with water.
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Thank you @lithicbeads for this info! It gives me some specifics to research and investigate it. As a complete newbie, even learning the vocabulary of basic techniques and tool names is a challenge.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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As an update, just in case anyone is curious:
1) I have access to a Buehler "IsoMet Low Speed Precision Cutter" (https://www.buehler.com/isoMet-low-speed-cutter.php) through an archaeologist friend who uses it to cut very thin, very precise slices of bone and teeth for examination through a compound microscope for his osteology research. (All I can say here is that it's cool to be a weirdo with weird friends.)
2) I'm still planning on joining my local lapidary club, the Sacramento Mineral Society (http://www.sacramentomineralsociety.org/index.php?name=Info&p=2), to make some connections, get some in-person tips, and make use of their workshop equipment. This is how I hope to cut my rough material into something suitable for turning and shaping on a lathe.
3) I'm still researching lathes, lapping machines, and how to best use them to create dial-size cylinders for cutting on the Buehler precision cutter, which would then be further flatted and thinned down on a lapping machine.
4) As I've researching things more, the final "stone" dial + backing template thickness may be less of an issue than I had feared. There are hand extenders available to provide more vertical clearance above the dials for a variety of movements, and it's possible to find higher-domed sapphire crystals that will also increase my vertical clearance.
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Anyway, my efforts here are very much alive. I hope, with the advice of this forum and my local lapidary club, to get some additional advice and tips as I'm ready to progress into proof of concept and prototyping. Because I have really benefited from open-source information and the help of others over the years, I intend to continue documenting my efforts in a public way so other other folks might benefit as well.
Thanks again, everyone, for the warm welcome and great tips! I have donated to this forum as a tangible way of saying thank you.
-- Dan
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The right equipment can show up in unexpected places. That sounds like it should cover the bases as far as cutting the material goes, and definitely minimize finishing work. Like to know how it works out!
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Hi Dan,
You may want to get in touch with me. I have a little inside knowledge on this exact subject. I'd be happy to tell you what I know.
Craig
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The Buehler is an amazing piece of equipment that will make the project far easier. I used one while I was working and with experience it can be made to cut and polish your blank to just the thickness needed. You still have some watchmaking challenges ahead but your job just became downright practical. The unit I used was in a metals lab and there was no way I would be allowed to cut stone with it. The dust would have had half the company down on me.
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The Buehler is an amazing piece of equipment that will make the project far easier. I used one while I was working and with experience it can be made to cut and polish your blank to just the thickness needed. You still have some watchmaking challenges ahead but your job just became downright practical. The unit I used was in a metals lab and there was no way I would be allowed to cut stone with it. The dust would have had half the company down on me.
How did you modify the Buehler to polish? Did you put 4" diamond flat laps on it and move the vice in and out as a make shift lap?
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The blade had one side covered in very fine abrasive. I have no idea where it came from but it left a nice polished surface on the steel. We were cutting fish hooks, so not a lot of crossover there. The hooks were first encased in thermoplastic making a cylinder about the size of a watch dial.
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Nothing to add except that the larger saws use oil instead of water, and I do not think you want oil on your material, and the larger blades tend to be rougher/lower grit/thicker. It sounds like your friend can provide the ideal solution.
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Hi everyone, here's the latest on this project:
1. I believe that the most efficient way to create a custom dial using fordite is to do the following: (a) lathe flat pieces of fordite into a short cylinder of the correct diameter; (b) use the Buehler to make perfectly flat 0.2mm slices of that cylinder; (c) attach the thin slice to a 0.2mm brass dial template for a total height of 0.4mm; (d) drill a 1.75mm central hole in the fordite for the watch hands, using the brass dial template as a guide; (e) attach the chapter ring; and (f) personalize the dial using carefully-positioned film free decal paper. Thankfully, half-height (0.2mm) blank brass dials are readily available for certain movement brands.
2. I've obtained quite a few pieces of fordite in appropriate sizes to work with.
3. I've connected with a local jewelry/lapidary studio, for guidance, instruction, and access to a lathe.
4. My archaeologist buddy reiterated that I have full access to his Buehler IsoMet Low Speed Precision Cutter. Out of respect for him and his tools, I'll be buying a blade specifically for the fordite cutting.
Here is a list of available blades, and I'd greatly appreciate anyone's insight as to which specific blade I should buy. Given what I know about fordite (fairly hard, easy to work with, potentially brittle), I'm leaning toward the option I've put in bold below. The blades themselves are quite pricey ("price on request" and a recollection that they were $150-200/blade), so I'm not going to be able to determine the best empirically. What do y'all think my best bet would be?
- IsoMet 30HC - Polymers Rubber, Soft Gummy Materials
- IsoMet 20HC - Aggressive Sectioning of Metals
- IsoMet 15HC - Metal Matrix Composite, PCBs, Bone, Ti, TSC
- IsoMet 20LC - Hard tough Materials, Structural Ceramics
- IsoMet 15LC - Hard Brittle Materials, Glass, Al2O3, ZrO3, Concrete
- IsoMet 10LC - Medium to Soft Ceramics, Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites
- IsoMet 5LC - Soft, Friable Ceramics, Composites with Fine Reinforcing, CaF2, MgF2, Carbon Composites
- IsoCut CBN - Fe, Co, Ni based alloys and super alloys
Again, thank you everyone who has helped me think through this process. I still really want to get in contact with @Craigab, and I'm also still working on the details. With luck, however, I'll have some thin dial sections cut with the Buehler to show off in a few weeks. I'll update the thread here when there's more progress to report.
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I'll make a new post on the subject, but I'm at the stage where I need to figure out how to lathe rectangular slabs of fordite that are 1.5cm high into cylinders that are 37mm or 28.5mm in diameter. Photo attached of a representative chunk that I'm ready to lathe.
(https://i.imgur.com/iCGSJdE.jpg)
Once I have cylinders of fordite, I can start slicing them on the Buehler precision cutter. I've also got the watchmaking part of this exercise mostly dialed in, and I'll be ready to start assembling prototypes.
I'm super excited about working with fordite, but I'm also really excited about working with actual minerals -- labradorite would be amazing, in addition to lapis, malachite, bumblebee jasper, etc. Once I get this process nailed down, the sky is the limit ...
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Quick update for anyone who is still curious:
1) I've connected with a local watchmaker and jeweler, who got interested in this project. He's going to show me how to operate and let me borrow a Unimat model-maker's lathe to turn cylinders out of my rough fordite slabs.
2) I've got the next steps dialed in and ready to go, as soon as I get my slabs turned. The Buehler is ready to rock and roll, and I've got my half-height brass dials ready to go as well.
3) If anyone is curious, I'm laser-cutting carbon steel chapter rings that I'll be gluing on top of the watch dials.
This has been a really fun research project and thought exercise, and if all goes well I'll be cutting materials next week. Hopefully I'll be able to post process pictures. As I've learned more about stone watch dials and lapidary work, I'm really excited about expanding beyond fordite into natural materials (labradorite, malachite, turqouise, lapis, etc.).
Cheers,
Dan
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I'll be slicing my fordite cylinders into thin disks over the weekend. Fingers crossed, but I'm getting there.
I ended up just using a diamond hole saw and a bench drill press to bore the cylinders. They're not the exact diameter they need to be, but they're super close -- within 0.5mm. I'll just be gently and carefully hand sanding them to fit the brass dial blanks once they're glued on. It was a cool feeling realizing that I could cut one big step out of the process by skipping the lathe.
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Wow! This is really amazing! I probably would somehow have tried to just cut a circle by hand and sand down a thin slab, and it never would have worked out. This really requires a huge amound of thought and special equipment. I have much more respect for these gemstone dials now that I know what goes into them. Let us know how it works out. I can;t wait to see the finished products!
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Right on, thanks for the encouragement! I was wondering whether it was worth continuing updates here. ;-)
I'm still trying to schedule my time with the Buehler, but that's the last major step in this process. It's also where the rubber will meet the road: If I can get a handful of good 0.2mm thin slices, I'm in business. If I can't get good slices, I'll need to rethink my approach. It'll probably involve me getting the thinnest slices I *can* get, and then hand-sanding them down to the correct height.
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Yes please continue your updates.
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Thanks all for the encouragement.
I'm still in a holding pattern, waiting for my buddy to retrieve his Buehler from his ex's house. I'm pulling my hair out with anxiety, since I have everything else ready to go to start manufacturing my first run of ten dials!
Because of limited availability of the half-height (0.2mm thick) blank brass dials I'm using to make my first ten Seiko-compatible dials, I'm working with a Chinese manufacturer via Alibaba to have a run of 200x half-height Seiko dials and 200x half-height ETA 6498 dials manufactured. This is an entirely new can of worms, and I'm waiting to receive my first ETA 6498 half-height dial prototype before I approve full production.
@Craigab was very generous with his time, and he walked me through some techniques and suggestions to cut dials from other materials. I'm 100% psyched to start exploring other options, once I finish my first run of dials.
I posted on another thread about how to work with "Cadillac Ranch Fordite," (http://lapidaryforum.net/group/index.php?topic=5742.msg42520;boardseen#new) which is a really interesting material that is far more delicate than "normal" fordite. The long and short of that is that, after I complete my first run of 10 "normal" fordite dials, I'm going to be using Cactus Juice and a vacuum chamber to stabilize the "Cadillac Ranch" stuff. Being able to stabilize materials will be of great help once I branch out into other stone materials.
For a variety of reasons, I'm hoping to work with the following minerals/stones first after I get my fordite process dialed in. I'd love any feedback on these choices, and would love to hear about other really cool stones that might make great watch dials:
- Turquoise
- Sugilite
- Bloodstone
- Labradorite
- Bumble Bee Jasper
Finally, because pictures make everything better, here are some high resolution scans of some of the fordite I've cut and polished. It's a really cool material.
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I would be scared to death to work that thin with Labradorite Because it is a triclinic crystal formation and has 3 cleavage planes, 2 that intersect at right angles. I just can't see it ending well on such thin cuts personally.
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Great notes @irockhound.
I know this company managed to do it: https://lundis-bleus.com/en/produit/1120-ld-labradorite/
But I'm thinking that they either a) tolerate a HUGE failure rate; or b) Can go with a taller final dial, so that they're not cutting as thin as I need to.
I'll scratch that one off the list.
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Labradorite, much like any other natural stone (apart from perhaps some high quality, fracture-free jade or agate) is not tough enough to be used as a stand-alone dial. It is epoxied to a metal blank (likely black-colored in case of labradorite, opal, etc. to enhance colours), and then thinned down to desired thickness on a flat lap. There may be other stabilization steps involved to further strengthen the structure (impregnation with epoxy or another resin system to fill natural fractures).
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True, If you can back it first before lapping to thickness that will help.
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A couple of quick updates:
The Buehler is an amazing machine. Unfortunately, I'm actually using a Buehler Low RPM precision cutter instead of a Buehler IsoMet 1000. The 15HC blade I'm using is 4". Combined, this has meant that I haven't been able to cut perfectly flat and adequately thin dial veneers *in one cut*. Because I've had to reposition to complete my cuts, I've had issues with flatness and thickness.
I have a 5" Buehler 15HC blade on the way, and I believe that the extra working room will allow me to cut perfectly flat (and thinner) fordite veneers in one cut. If this blade is insufficient, I will be buying a used Buehler IsoMet 1000 myself instead of just using my friend's equipment.
Here is a video of the Buehler in action: https://youtu.be/rWUV9SNuA90
Here is a shot of the Buehler in action:
(https://i.imgur.com/d6rkghh.jpg)
I've completed one "proof of concept" dial with a flawed piece of fordite. As a photo, it's not much to look at and I'm not comfortable sharing it. As proof of concept showing a watch with a fordite dial, I'm incredibly proud of it -- my overall process is sound, and the next steps I need to refine the process and get to saleable final pieces I'm proud of are clear.
I'm getting close enough to feel really optimistic. But for two pieces of luck (finding 0.2mm half height brass dials and have a friend with a Buehler), this project wouldn't have gotten far at all.
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Thanks for the picture. Always curious about the equipment.
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The Buehler IsoMet "Low Speed" precision cutter is a really cool piece of equipment. It's intentionally crippled by only being able to cut smaller samples. It's also $5,700! In the picture you can see my partial workaround -- hot glue -- as the chucks I had available were too small to accommodate the 29.5mm diameter fordite core.
It was really cool to watch it in action, though. It's a great design -- the gravity feed allows for very minute adjustments, and I can see that it really excels at what it's marketed for: Delicate sectioning of fragile materials with the lowest possible risk of deformation.
I'm really hoping that the $500 5" blade I bought will fix the issue, and let me complete thinner cuts in one pass. If that doesn't work, I'll have to pick up a used Buehler IsoMet 1000.
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Ooh. $500 blade.😱
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Quick update: I bought my own Buehler IsoMet 1000. It's currently not functional, but I'm sending it in for repair. Even if the repair is expensive, I'll still be coming in at a far lower purchase price than a new unit.
I've had difficulty scheduling time with the Buehler IsoMet Low Speed sectioner, so no other progress to report.
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Quick update:
I've cut my first series of fordite veneers, and I'm in the fun-but-difficult stage of assembling my first run of dials.
Here's a scan of my first workable batch of fordite sections (ranging in thickness from 0.3mm to 0.5mm). The final patterns of these will change, as I'll be grinding them down to their final height. (This is a good thing, as some of the patterns below are pretty uninspiring. It'll also be heartbreaking, as some of my favorites below will likely shift too.)
It's coming together!
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Cool.
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So, this is going to be my last update here -- at least until I'm ready to start experimenting with other stone materials for dials.
In sum: This process works, and works well. Broken down, here's how I'm able to produce watch dials featuring very thin (0.2mm) Fordite sections:
1. Acquire rough fordite. Use a hole-saw to cut a ~29mm diameter core of fordite.
2. Use a Buehler IsoMet Precision saw to cut very thin (~0.4mm is ideal) sections of fordite.
3. Use Epoxy 330 to glue the thin section of fordite to a half-heigh (0.2mm) brass dial blank.
4. Use the brass dial blank as a guide to trim the small amount of fordite overhanging its edge. Use the central hole on the brass dial blank as a guide to drill a hole through the fordite.
5. Grind/polish the fordite/brass dial to the final height of 0.4mm and then take care of the final polishing/finishing of the fordite.
6. Install into a watch.
I've successfully produced a few of these dials and installed them into watches. I've got a lot of work ahead of me to finish, announce, market, and sell my dials. Here's a quick photograph of one of my dials installed in a working watch:
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Thanks to everyone who helped me figure this out! I'm absolutely delighted that I was able to pull this off.
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CONGRATS!!!!! :occasion14:
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:blob1: :WEEEE: :hello2:
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Here's a better shot of my first two completed watches. Thank you all again for the encouragement and great ideas.
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Wow those are spectacular!!! :Worthy:
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Thanks all for the advice and encouragement. I'm still ecstatic that this worked at all.
Next up: "Surfite" dials.
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Really nice work. I'm glad all that effort paid off. Have you found a source for your logo on the dial face?
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Really nice work. I'm glad all that effort paid off. Have you found a source for your logo on the dial face?
Nope, and I’m unlikely to. Each of these dials takes me around 8 hours (including my failures), and I don’t want to add another variable yet. I will say that I’d love hour markers, if only to make aligning the hands easier.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I spent some time with my camera and lights this weekend, and took better shots of my first four fordite-dialed Seikos. The really wild dial here is from Mustang fordite, while the more subdued dials are from the Jeep assembly line.
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Those turned out quite nice, bravo! It's great that those dial rings (excuse my English) come with markings, so watch is legible without any markings on the fordite dial.
I may have missed it in this big thread - now that you've gone through the initial pains, are you planning on trying other materials? Jade or some agates may be tough enough to be thinned down to necessary thickness, especially once they've been mounted onto the support metal.
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Apologies for the delay in my reply. My regular job and family life take up almost all of my time, and I'm still working to get my first production run of 10-15 fordite dials up for sale.
In terms of future materials, I'm currently experimenting with "surfite" (layers of resin from surf board manufacturing) and "bowlerite" (pieces of chopped up bowling ball).
I'm absolutely still interested in experimenting with natural stones, but I've got to focus on recouping my (significant) costs before I can invest in any of the additional necessary equipment I'll need.
Specifically, I'll need some sort of lapidary saw to cut rough slabs, some means of grinding the rough slabs into regular, flat cylinders of a specific diameter, and then some means of polishing the final cut disks of material. (Oh, and I absolutely need to get one of those vacuum chambers to impregnate materials with resin so that they're durable enough to work.) I'm good with what I believe is the trickiest part, cutting very thin disks out of a cylindrical core, but the rest of the stuff I'll need to work with more than paints and plastics is going to cost a pretty penny.
Maybe later in 2021, or 2022 ...
Thanks again to everyone who helped me out here!
Oh, and here's some new eye candy (https://imgur.com/a/OgHr5AC) I haven't shared here before.
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Your production pieces look amazing, congrats! It has been a long road you have maneuvered. I find it hilarious the naming of materials like paint, surfboard resin and more resin from bowling balls "ites" like that makes them stone and selling sites calling it agate now. Probably has even started a garage industry of making the material in batches and saying it is from Ford or others. I think there should be truth when you alter stones and also calling something what it is. Heck I just looked to see if the insanity has gone as far as the metaphysical and yep there are websites telling of all the healing properties of Fordite. Wonder if they quote the healing properties of 409 or comet cleanser yet ROFL.