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Glue for case back (not crystals)

signcarver
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signcarver WRT Addict

signcarver

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I'm working on a cheap quartz watch. i changed the press fit crystal and the battery. The case back was glued on and now i'm having trouble finding what is the proper type of glue to use on a case back.

I've read a lot about gluing crystals, but can't find anything about gluing case backs.

My experience with epoxy is that, in general, it is very difficult to undo (for the next time you want to remove the case back.)

kd8tzc WRT Addict

kd8tzc

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I'm still learning myself, but I don't think glue is ever used for a case back.

What kind of watch is it, and better yet, can you post some pictures?

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Waggy Distinguished Member

Waggy

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I agree, I would be surprised if the case back is supposed to be glued in position. Perhaps its a substitute case back that didn't quite fit so the person before you used glue to fix the problem?

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signcarver WRT Addict

signcarver

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@kd8tzc and @Waggy I agree - to clarify - Gluing a case back just didn't ring true. I am new to watchmaking so this may be completely due to my inexperience. The case gasket was hardened and in pieces and only partially there, which i didn't notice when i removed the case back. I should have inspected it then but i didn't. However, once i noticed the state of the case back gasket, i replaced it with at new one which i greased with silicone. When i used my case press to reinstall the case, i could not get it to snap in. I inspected both the case and the case back and could not determine any lip that would allow the case back to snap on. Just as a further experiment, i tried to snap on the case back without the gasket with no luck. On further inspection i noticed, what appears to be glue residue inside the case. So i assumed that the only way the case was attached was by glue. I'm probably still missing something?

tomh207 Distinguished Member

tomh207

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I think you may need to slightly reform the caseback, what I have seen a couple of times is the caseback is slightly concave with it being pressed on the middle, works this time but won’t the next.

 

Tom

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Neverenoughwatches Distinguished Member

Neverenoughwatches

Posted
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1 hour ago, signcarver said:

@kd8tzc and @Waggy I agree - to clarify - Gluing a case back just didn't ring true. I am new to watchmaking so this may be completely due to my inexperience. The case gasket was hardened and in pieces and only partially there, which i didn't notice when i removed the case back. I should have inspected it then but i didn't. However, once i noticed the state of the case back gasket, i replaced it with at new one which i greased with silicone. When i used my case press to reinstall the case, i could not get it to snap in. I inspected both the case and the case back and could not determine any lip that would allow the case back to snap on. Just as a further experiment, i tried to snap on the case back without the gasket with no luck. On further inspection i noticed, what appears to be glue residue inside the case. So i assumed that the only way the case was attached was by glue. I'm probably still missing something?

As Tom is suggesting press on casebacks tend to have a slightly convex shape to them. When pressed in the center this then flexes and increases the caseback's  diameter slightly to help enable it to snap over the retaining lip of the case. As the pressure is released the caseback recovers it's convex shape and grips the lip to hold in place. Tom could be right, it might be bent inwards.

HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

Posted
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There are some casebacks with incredibly thin gaskets, like 0.15mm thin. The thinnest gaskets I can get from Cousins is 0.3mm. Even with a lot of persuasion, I have never managed to squeeze a 0.3mm gasket into such casebacks. 

In such instances, I have resorted to using plumber's tape and UHU glue.

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kd8tzc WRT Addict

kd8tzc

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As other have said, can you post a picture.

I wonder if the glue that was used is part of the issue.  Possibly it is preventing the caseback from snapping into place due to old glue somewhere.  Hard to tell without seeing though.

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signcarver WRT Addict

signcarver

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OK - i think i figured it out. The original case back gasket was "hardened" and broken into pieces, with some pieces missing. I assumed it was a standard rubber gasket that had hardened. I now believe that it was a plastic hard gasket all along. That would have created a lip that allowed the case back to snap on. Replacing the original gasket with a soft rubber one wouldn't, and didn't, solve the problem. Doh!

So now i'm in search for a hard (plastic) gasket.

Thank you all for your insights and suggestions! 👍

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