Part VI - The finishing what’s the tricky bit…
Dear friends,
Another long break in the updates, I keep meaning to do it and keep putting the wretched task of writing at the end of my to do list. Apologies.
Firstly, the news. I caught covid!
Apparently most of the breathing public in NYC caught it as well. Fortunately most of us seem to be vaccinated like sane people, and the symptoms were very mild for me. A bit extra tired, a two day cough and the chance to spend more time tinkering.
Thank you scientists who make things I don’t understand which kill nasty bugs.
When you’re in a project it’s tough to see or think that progress is being made sometimes. At least that’s how it works for me. When I last updated I had just put the CNC mill together and made a few first cuts with it. That was at least a month ago and in the intervening weeks I’ve spent countless hours tweaking the machine and the code that it runs off of to better accomplish the cutting. As previously mentioned, I don’t exactly have much (any) experience running a cnc machine so the learning curve is mostly bumping along the bottom of the graph and not going up very fast at all.
Anyway, I have made progress and this blog is a nice reminder of where I was and how far I’ve come.
The mill as it sits now, well tweaked and refined and performing better than I could have hoped
A step by step showing the cutting of a watch dial
So I’ve figured out how to cut a dial, and to a slightly lesser extent, the hands. It’s been challenging for sure and I’ve broken a dozen or so tiny end mills which are about $30 per piece. So much bad language has been used. But overall I’m really happy with the progress and how well the machine is working.
The hands are going to be the same material as the watch case, 316L stainless steel which is notoriously difficult to machine. That’s going to be another learning adventure but I feel like I’m halfway there having learned a bunch from the brass dial. I’ve made several hand sets already and they’ve gotten progressively better.
Which brings us to the tricky bit. The finishing.
Up until now, all the processes involved in the making of this watch have relied on the precision of machinery. I’m fairly good at harnessing technology to make things but the final steps in making this thing are going to require actually using my hands and I’m slightly worried that I’m not up for it.
The older watches which I based this design on have luminous powder and a fixative on the dial markings and hands. I had assumed that it would be fairly easy to apply a powder into the cut markings i’ve been making in the dial which is why I chose that method of creating the dial design in the first place but oh boy, it’s tricky.
I’m trying all manner of methods of getting the lume in (and only in) the markings and it’s a beast. I’ve used hypodermic needles, dusting and cleaning, smearing, dripping… it’s given me a whole new appreciation for the artisans who made these things in decades before. They definitely had talent.
I’ll get there, eventually, but its going to be a challenge.
An early dial prototype with a paint fill in the dial markings and a worn oxide finish. The final version will have larger hour markers which will be lume filled. The color will also be a more muted and darker gray.
Moving beyond the dial and hands I’ve managed to fit the movement, a really nice Sellita SW300, into the case for the first time. For the prototype I’m using an off the shelf snap ring to hold the sapphire back against the o-ring seal. For the final versions I’ll be machining my own C-ring which will be slightly more elegant and refined and also come with an engraved serial number and my brand name.
The case itself has undergone some design revisions since I machined the first prototype and, along with a few aesthetic tweaks, will be slightly thinner.
The first case up of the Sellita SW300 movement in the prototype case.
So, I’ve survived covid round one, and with any luck I’ll be wearing a watch I built in the next few weeks. I am going to be making a run of 9 of this first design edition. If you’re interested in owning one drop me a note for more information.
Till next time, stay warm, get your boosters and don’t forget to enjoy the little things.
Giles