Jump to content

Solid 18K Gold Lug Repair Advice

JBerry

By JBerry
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

JBerry WRT Addict

JBerry

Posted
Posted

Hey guys,

I picked up an old boxed Seiko Cronos in 18K solid gold from Japan,
I am absolutely delighted with it, however I noticed one of the lugs has a little bit of sideways play.
The bond between the lug and the case appears to be cracked, as I hope I've shown in the photos.
I'm wondering what the best way to go about this repair is, is there some kind of epoxy I could use to secure this? or is soldering/resetting the bond possible with a conventional soldering iron?

Thanks so much for the advice in advance, I know there is a lot of information available on soldering lugs online, but given that my lug is still in place, and is partially secured I hope there is a simpler solution.

IMG_6608.JPG

IMG_6609.JPG

IMG_6610.JPG

IMG_6604.JPG

IMG_6607.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
JBerry WRT Addict

JBerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I went to a well recommended local jeweller...

He advised me in order to solder the lugs he would have to bring the case up to such a high temperature that it would likely warp the case.

Is there any truth in this? Before I went in he was confident he could fix it, but made this claim based on the shape of the case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

Posted
Posted

He doesn’t want the job.

Technoflux cool paste is a heat insulation paste used to protect areas not requiring heat when soldering e.g. stones, areas of metal or solder joins. The paste is applied liberally to the area, heat is then applied (during soldering),

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
JBerry WRT Addict

JBerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
13 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

He doesn’t want the job.

 

Technoflux cool paste is a heat insulation paste used to protect areas not requiring heat when soldering e.g. stones, areas of metal or solder joins. The paste is applied liberally to the area, heat is then applied (during soldering),

 

Thanks again OH, that's a relief. Now to find someone that does want it... is there anyone in the UK you would personally recommend?, I would be content to post this off. Otherwise I can try a few more relatively local places and the NAJ list Mark sent.

Edited by JBerry
punctuation
Link to comment
Share on other sites
nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

Posted
Posted

It could warp the case, though someone competent with a torch would have a low risk. Perhaps they've already gotten bit by picky watch folks in the past and just don't want the potential headache as OH said.

Many jewelers now can do laser welding but that won't be as strong as soldering on this job.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Horologent Member

Horologent

Posted
Posted

Ok, as a jeweler I can tell you that if this came in my store, I wouldn't secure this lug with anything other than my laser welder. Can it be soldered, probably, but no jeweler is going to want to use hard solder, so it will be done with easy solder. I can almost guarantee that the solder will flow around the crack as well as in it. This means more cleanup and being such a tight space, well, thats another reason I wouldn't use solder. Not all 18k are the same, there are different shades in color.

Lasers definitely have limitations, but in the years I have had mine, I have never had an issue with yellow gold or platinum, especially high karat gold. In the laser its like butter and produces an very secure joint. Remember that solder is a special alloy formulated for heat, while lasers use actually gold wire and basically work like a tig welder. 

Lastly, if you seek out a jeweler with a welder, make sure its a laser welder and not a puck welder. These are not as precise nor as clean in their function. Here in the states anything done on the laser starts at $30.00 and goes up from there, so it shouldn't be crazy expensive.

Good luck

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Horologent Member

Horologent

Posted
Posted
On 10/30/2018 at 1:45 PM, oldhippy said:

He doesn’t want the job.

 

Technoflux cool paste is a heat insulation paste used to protect areas not requiring heat when soldering e.g. stones, areas of metal or solder joins. The paste is applied liberally to the area, heat is then applied (during soldering),

 

You are absolutely correct on this and heat shield would be a good idea if soldering is the preferred method of repair. However, remember that when any type of heat shield is used, it essentially works as a heat sink which means the torch has to be cranked up to compensate. Being that this is an 18k lug, only an experienced jeweler should attempt this. I say experienced because here in the states, there are too many "jewelers" that are amateur at best. They think they can handle something like this and what you can be left with is a melted lug. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
JBerry WRT Addict

JBerry

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for all the answers guys! I'm going to take the safer option of having it laser welded, a jeweller got back to me with a thorough description of how he would tackle the issue based on the pictures and a fairly reasonable quote, plus I've heard good things about him. Which is probably the biggest factor for me. Will revert back to the thread when I get it back. Fingers crossed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • joelcarvajal
      Gamblin Gamsol for cleaning?

      By joelcarvajal · Posted

      Thank you all for the replies!  Very informative! True enough, the Gamsol took some time to evaporate and does leave a residue. So not all naphtha are created equal!  Need to find alternatives then. i was able to try Hexane recommended by Alex and it seems great.  I wonder what the cons are?
    • GuyMontag
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By GuyMontag · Posted

      Yeah, I saw that in the tech sheet but I don't see how it can be adequately cleaned with the friction pinion still in place. I've accidentally pulled the arbor right out of the wheel once when I used a presto tool to try and remove it. Mark shows how he does it with the Platax tool. Those are a little too pricey for me so I got one of these from Aliexpress and I just push down on the arbor with the end of my brass tweezers. That usually gets it most of the way out and then I just grab the wheel with one hand the and the friction pinion with the other and gently rotate them until it pops off. Probably not the best way but it's seemed to work for me so far.    
    • Zedster
      Movement inserted from crytal side

      By Zedster · Posted

      Thanks, Jon Sounds like a plan. Obviously I'll have the face on so do you think gripping with the holder will create any problems, but I will check in the morning to see how feasible it is but I assume it only needs to be lightly held. As for holding the movement instead of the holder won't be possible in this scenario as one hand will be puling on the stem while the other pushes the spring down. That was my initial concern is how the hell can I do this with only one pair of hands. All the other times I've had to remove the stem hasn't been a problem, apart from the force required to release the stem from the setting lever, but now I need to fit the face and hands its sent me into panic mode. If it had the screw type release things would be a lot simpler but that's life 😀   Another thing I will need to consider is once the dial and hands are fitted and the movement is sitting in the case I will need to turn it over to put the case screws in. I saw a vid on Wristwatch revival where he lightly fitted the crystal and bezel so he could turn it over, is this the only option or is there another method?      
    • nevenbekriev
      Main spring

      By nevenbekriev · Posted

      Hi Jon, do You think that relation spring torque - amplitude is linear? I would rather guess that the amplitude should be proportional to the square of the torque. I had once idea to check it, but still haven't.
    • ManSkirtBrew
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By ManSkirtBrew · Posted

      I did not. I thought about it, but I had cleaned it in my ultrasonic, and the tech sheet shows lubricating it in place already assembled, so I figured discretion was the better part of valor. Although since I have to depth the jewels anyway, maybe I pull the pinion off to rule it out 100% as part of the problem. Do you know if there's a safe way to do it? I don't want to use a puller because it would push down on the plane of the wheel, and that seems like a Bad Idea. I thought about using a roller table remover, but I don't think I have a hole stake pointy enough to push it down.
×
×
  • Create New...