Polishing stainless steel

[vivat]

Hi guys, I really want to master polishing of steel. But unfortunately I dont rally know any tips and what discs to use etc. Can you give some advices or some sources how to polish satin, mirror steel ?

Please, that would be great if you'll share some information!

[grsnovi]

You might want to watch some of Joe's videos. He does a surprising amount of case polishing and he has a number of dedicated tools.

https://www.youtube.com/@NekkidWatchmaker

[vivat]

4 hours ago, grsnovi said:

You might want to watch some of Joe's videos. He does a surprising amount of case polishing and he has a number of dedicated tools.

https://www.youtube.com/@NekkidWatchmaker

Yeah already watched almost all of his videos, but there's no information about the polishing dicsc he uses Anyways thank you!

[tomh207]

What I use is felt wheels for rough and prepolish dialup followed by cotton mop wheels for polish and final polish. For graining I use grey fine scotchbright (900 grit ?).

 

Tom

[vivat]

4 hours ago, tomh207 said:

What I use is felt wheels for rough and prepolish dialup followed by cotton mop wheels for polish and final polish. For graining I use grey fine scotchbright (900 grit ?).

 

Tom

Thanks I think I'll try to polish in this way!

[vivat]

What for can I use these dics ?

Tha last one is the most questionable one, I haven't found any usage for this. 

[tomh207]

The last one looks kinda like a cotton mop to me so I would tend to use it with finishing paste like Dialux Rouge(red, also known as jewllers rouge).

 

Tom

[vivat]

9 hours ago, tomh207 said:

The last one looks kinda like a cotton mop to me so I would tend to use it with finishing paste like Dialux Rouge(red, also known as jewllers rouge).

 

Tom

Well this dics does nothing to steel without any paste, maybe it will do smth with it, i'll try it in a few days, thank you!

I don't know how to put satin on steel, do you know how ? Especially on small parts of a bracelet where i can't polish with disk, maybe by hand machine ? 

[mikepilk]

I do the same as @tomh207 - felt disks followed by a cotton mop (on a Dremel type tool)

For 'cutting' (getting rid of big scratches) I use Dialux Orange and final polish Dialux White. As you can see, White is the most useful for polishing just about everything. Red (rouge) is too soft - only good for gold and silver.

For graining stainless on a strap or case, I use Scotch-Brite pads : 

For straight grain on a case back - 240 to 400 grit wet and dry.

Edited February 18, 2023 by mikepilk
type

[HectorLooi]

That is a muslin wheel. It is usually used for polishing plastics. 

There is science behind polishing. The material being polished, type of wheel used, the type of abrasive it is used with, the rpm of the wheel, the diameter of the wheel, etc

Generally, the harder the material being polished, the harder the material of the wheel, the harder the type of abrasive used. 

Also, depending on the stage of polishing, the coarseness of the abrasive used.

For getting a satin finish, I like to use impregnated rubber wheels.

My advice is to use the biggest possible wheel as practical. Small wheels in inexperienced hands can dull line angles.

Practice on a scrap case first. To remove deep scratches, start with a coarse grit then move up to medium, fine and super fine. Sometimes you have to go back to a coarser grit if the scratch is still present.

[vivat]

WOW, masters, your advices are really cool nad helpful, well I knew most of these tips, just by logical thinking. But there is another question, after using one type of paste should I clean the disk or just put another paste ?

And maybe you can advice me something what can prevent logos (like different symbols and writing) on clasps to be ruined by polishing ?

Well I used to put lac on it maybe there is smth more profitable ? 

[HectorLooi]

There used to be a very good video on this subject on YouTube by Perplxr, but for some reason, all his videos have gone missing.

Next best thing is to watch Nekkid Watchmaker. His videos on watch case and bracelet restorations are fantastic. 

[Marc]

4 hours ago, vivat said:

should I clean the disk or just put another paste ?

Neither..

You need to have a dedicated mop for each grade of compound. If you try to use different compounds on the same mop your results will always reflect the coarsest compound and you will never get a proper finish.

[vivat]

3 hours ago, Marc said:

Neither..

You need to have a dedicated mop for each grade of compound. If you try to use different compounds on the same mop your results will always reflect the coarsest compound and you will never get a proper finish.

Damn that's expensive

[Endeavor]

Perhaps this article could be of some interest?

https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/how-to-polish-a-watch-case-and-bracelet/

[grsnovi]

On 2/16/2023 at 10:31 PM, vivat said:

but there's no information about the polishing dicsc he uses

I'm pretty sure if you reach out to Joe, he'll share with you what he uses.

[HectorLooi]

Cousins stock a good selection of stuff for polishing. Have a look at their catalog under consumables. 

[VWatchie]

3 hours ago, Endeavor said:

Perhaps this article could be of some interest?

https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/how-to-polish-a-watch-case-and-bracelet/

I'm not really into polishing, but that article made me look into what other links I had saved on the topic and found the following link which hopefully might add to the knowledge base.

https://blog.esslinger.com/how-to-polish-a-stainless-steel-watch-case/

I believe I've made the observation that people in general (non-repairers) who are into mechanical watches, don't care all that much about the condition of the movement and how well it runs. For example, I have an acquaintance wearing a very nice Omega chronograph in titanium and gold, which is 3h fast per day and in dire need of an overhaul. Still, he doesn't care much for service as he is "using it as an accessory only". Too bad those people don't realize that wearing a watch in dire need of service will eventually destroy the movement beyond repair. Sure, anything can be repaired, but sometimes not without making new parts.

So, if you'd like to make some money on used or vintage watches I believe it's a hundred times more important to learn how to make a watch look pretty rather than learn how to make it run well. That would also explain why we basically never see timing machine results in the listings on eBay.

[vivat]

1 hour ago, VWatchie said:

I'm not really into polishing, but that article made me look into what other links I had saved on the topic and found the following link which hopefully might add to the knowledge base.

https://blog.esslinger.com/how-to-polish-a-stainless-steel-watch-case/

I believe I've made the observation that people in general (non-repairers) who are into mechanical watches, don't care all that much about the condition of the movement and how well it runs. For example, I have an acquaintance wearing a very nice Omega chronograph in titanium and gold, which is 3h fast per day and in dire need of an overhaul. Still, he doesn't care much for service as he is "using it as an accessory only". Too bad those people don't realize that wearing a watch in dire need of service will eventually destroy the movement beyond repair. Sure, anything can be repaired, but sometimes not without making new parts.

So, if you'd like to make some money on used or vintage watches I believe it's a hundred times more important to learn how to make a watch look pretty rather than learn how to make it run well. That would also explain why we basically never see timing machine results in the listings on eBay.

Interesting story you've told, but im not into this kind of restoration work. I work in the watch repair service, so we just repair watch, quartz, mechanical and I thought that it will be good to master polishing just to be more professional:)

[VWatchie]

1 hour ago, vivat said:

Interesting story you've told, but im not into this kind of restoration work. I work in the watch repair service, so we just repair watch, quartz, mechanical and I thought that it will be good to master polishing just to be more professional:)

Well, my "story" was basically just meant as a side note.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know if find the article/blog I linked to useful. Thanks!

[vivat]

12 minutes ago, VWatchie said:

Well, my "story" was basically just meant as a side note.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know if find the article/blog I linked to useful. Thanks!

Oh I've just noticed the article, sorry had a lunch, but from the beggining i can stay it seems useful, thanks for it!