Reply With QuoteThere is a utube video somewhere Shadow, but the gist is use one of those gas cooker lighter thingies. Heat for about ten seconds, it melts the glue and should slide/push off.
Go on, have a go and take some before and afters!
How do you remove these then? Just a cheap watch. The bubble is so scratched that I can't read the date. :lol:
There is a utube video somewhere Shadow, but the gist is use one of those gas cooker lighter thingies. Heat for about ten seconds, it melts the glue and should slide/push off.
Go on, have a go and take some before and afters!
OIC! As easy as that? I will have a go, then, and let you know. Will try to get pictures although not very good at watch photos (don't have a macro lens).
Nail Polish (Acetone) remover & a bit of peg wood can do it, depending on the crystal.
Don't hold me to the 10 seconds. I personally would try 3-5 first mate. And rather than just push it off, use a blade?Originally Posted by shadowninja
Just found this mate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzhYmhawDCg
Thanks. I failed miserably to find the video.
Hit it with your G-Shock. :D
:lol:
I want to remove the bubble not destroy the watch. :D
I did consider hitting it with a metal file (hammer against handle) but I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't put the file through the crystal and face.
I must admit I didn't realise until that thread last week that it was just glued on/melt off.
I would have chipped it off with a sharp small chisel! :shock:
That was my plan this morning but thought I ought to ask.
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If it's so scratched, are you sure it is sapphire?
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______
Jim.
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If it's so scratched, are you sure it is sapphire?
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Um. It could be plastic.
Here's plan A. As I don't have a gas lighter with such a controlled flame, I'm going to apply a soldering iron to it for a few seconds and see what happens. If you see a large puff of smoke in the SW London area, that's probably my house.
If it's as badly scratched as you imply, it sounds as if it's plastic or acrylic. In which case heating it up is only likely to end in tears, as is the "try to lever it off with something sharp" option. You may be stuck with it.
However, if you decide to give it a go, don't forget to post some pictures!
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Ok, decided I quite like the bubble there even if I can't see the date. Nothing to see, move on, please.
So after heating it with a soldering iron which did nothing to the crystal or bubble, I adjusted my hold and burnt my finger - felt like I'd touched the iron itself. Then I tried to lever the bubble off but it was still glued firmly and ended up jamming the knife into my thumb.
I tried a regular lighter, soldering iron, and jet lighter. Wouldn't budge and I ran out of balls to try anything else.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
We definately need pictures now....
never mind the macro's....just get a mate to photograph you having dramas :D with sharp & hot objects...
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
It takes ages to heat it up with a soldering iron, literally like 5 minutes!!
Get one of the jet flame lighters and hold that on it for about 10-20 seconds. It does need to get pretty hot, but then it'll just slide off.
The trick is to not melt the bezel or crack the glass!!
Did it on my Submariner last week, and yes, I was sh1tting myself during the experiment. It does look ace without the bubble though :D
Yup - there has to be a second attempt, I'll get some popcorn :wink:
And who is going to pay for reconstructive surgery when I need new thumbs?
:shock:
Well... that didn't work either. I've got bits of bubble everywhere plus bits still stuck to the crystal. Watch still works, I still can't easily see the date.
I tried a Dremel with polishing bits. That kinda worked but still opaque so couldn't quite see it. Just a finer set of scratches.
I give up.
I had another thought about this.
:D
Are you sitting down?
:D
I could drill through the crystal, leaving a small hole big enough to read the date.
:drunken:
Who needs a crystal at all!?! :D
need balls of steel to do this to a watch you love :P
Well, if it was a clock, fair enough but a watch worn under the sleeve would suffer from problems.
Not sure bravery is the issue if it were a Rolex. Sanity would be questioned, though!
Well, I can see the date again... but the fuzzy edge to the hole casts a shadow. Still, it's functional, again.
My conclusion: if you damage the date bubble, replace the crystal or bin the watch.
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