Crystal Transplant Procedure?

[abem]

Hi.

I'd like to transplant the crystal (mineral glass) face from one Hamilton QED to another. I read that to do so, it's necessary to first remove the crystals by heating the case and crystal in an oven to loosen the adhesive (epoxy?), then to replace the crystals using epoxy.

Can anyone verify this and perhaps tell me a little more about the specifics - oven temp, time, type of epoxy, any extra hints?

Thanks 1.0e6.

-abe.

[Sully008]

Read about half way down this page:

http://crazywatches.w.interia.pl/photo/ ... serv2.html

Also check the "tips" page @ www.oldpulsars.com

Hope this helps.

Mike

[retroleds]

Set oven to 350 faren(put watch in while pre-heating to avoid thermal shock which can break the glass, 10 minutes after turning on oven, grab with rag and push out from inside. If it doesn't come easil;y, put back in for another minute or two.

Let case cool, then scrap all old epoxy out of groove and sides - small screwdriver sparkened into a mini-chisel is often very nice. Save rebrusing for after you have the epoxy all cleaned out and your new crystal fits in easily. I'd suggest 5 minute epoxy, since it holds plenty good enough(slower curing epoxies are generally higher strength, but even the 5 minute is like overkill). Clean off epoxy smudges with alcohol before fully cured. Don't worry about epoxy on inside around edges...you'll make more of a mess trying to clean it than just leaving it, which harms nothing.

Some think the old epoxy should be removed while hot - personally, I like to throw the case back in for another 10 minutes after removing glass. Allow to cool and then scrape off old stuff. I feel that then the epoxy is degraded by the heat and actually cleans off nicer/easier. Your mileage may vary. due to varying conditions.

[abem]

Ed?

Thanks for the detailed intructions. The expertise available on this site continues to amaze me. I mean, how many people in the world have this sort of experience? A few? A few dozen? It's astounding.

-abe.

[abem]

Ed,

Everything worked just as you described. For one watch case, the crystal popped right out after 10 minutes. The next one took another 5 minutes in the oven. No problems at all.

Here's a picture of the old and new crystal. The "new" (refinished) one is not quite perfect, but it's close enough to perfect that I no longer see the flaws. It's easy to imagine the watch as brand new:
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/92/dsc ... 0x1200.jpg

I now have an extra Hamilton case front. If anyone needs one, let me know and I'll send it to you. Here's a photo. It's a little rough, but could be refinished:
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9661/d ... 0x1200.jpg

-abe.