New to the forums, but I recently was able to secure a Beads of Rice bracelet for a late 60’s Seamaster. Only problem is that it has three initials engraved in the clasp.

Anyone have any experience in buffing out engravings?

Edit: added photo

 

Depends on how superficial or deep the engraving is, but any watchmaker or jeweler could do this. Do you have a photo?

Just remember than when polishing, metal is removed so if the engraving is deep this would thin the metal on the clasp.

 

Ditto. If the engraving is light it won't be too hard on the clasp, if it is deep...

 

Not sure of value to you overall, but if it is deep you might need to have it laser welded and then buffed out.

 

Why not just buy an un-engraved clasp on eBay?

 

From the photo, it appears to be fairly light...

 

Good point, I’m fairly new to Vintage Omega’s... my assumption was that it would take some time to secure a new clasp. Maybe / Maybe not?

 

Yes, it does look quite light. I think a jeweler or watchmaker could do that with no issues.

 

Yes, I do. Yours looks much lighter than this one I removed last year...



Method I use is to polish it out first...



Then rebrush the entire bracelet...



Came out fine with no affect on the integrity of the clasp, so I don;t think yours would be a problem to remove.

Cheers, Al

 

Looks great! Thanks for sharing...

 

SS is hard and "tough" but I've started with a fine jeweler's file and worked up to 2000 paper then buffed then brushed if needed. Just buffing with course compound only can do a lot of unwanted rounding of features so use only last little bit. But I like Ebay idea best

 

That engraving doesn't look deep but that doesn't mean that you can just set to it with the polishing wheel from your Dremel set.

When you removed the engraving, you'll also remove the finish on the clasp. This is a job for someone with the right tooling (I wouldn't be surprised if someone says you can do it with 1500 grit) but more than that, the experience to do it right first time. I would recommend letting a pro do it or pick up a replacement clasp. Either will be much less painful.

 

What could possibly go wrong?

 

Dammit, that's a cutting disk not a grinding disk!

 

What do you want from me. These are my case opening tools.

 

Yes, to be clear I wasn't suggesting the OP should do this themselves or have some amateur watchmaker do it for them, as this is a job for someone with experience. There are even a lot of pros out there who can't do this kind of work without "unwanted rounding of features" as someone put it above, so make sure whoever you choose is good at refinishing, because it's clear that not all watchmakers are. If the person is experienced and knows what they are doing, this is a very easy job that takes minimal time with a bench lathe (polishing motor) but as noted these can also do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. Dremels don't belong anywhere near a watch IMO...

Refinishing is a skill that has to be learned just like any other, and it's generally not taught in watchmaking schools, although that has changed over the years so more of this kind of work is included in some schools. It's usually left up to the watchmaker to learn this on their own, or via an apprenticeship, or in brand training from specific watch brands. For example I've had training on refinishing from brands like Rolex and Omega - they both have very different approaches but in the end the result is what counts.

The example above took me just a few minutes, and it's much deeper than what the OP shows, so for someone with the right skills this would not be a problem to do without affecting the overall look of the bracelet.

Cheers, Al

 

The proper satin surface requires a buffing machine with the correct grit "brush" wheel. It looks like a tight scotch brite wheel but costs quite a bit for the good ones and then you need the correct grit one, and then you need a steady hand or you will not end up with an even parallel lined brush. Not an amateur thing to do but if you are already buying a replacement off ebay then go ahead and learn. As to getting down to an even surface, filing and leaving a super smooth surface is also a practiced art. Whether you are a machinist or a jeweler or any type of craftsman it can be done. Tedious yes. But P12016 asked "if" he could do it and treating him with respect and assuming he has some manual skills or wants to learn, a few have replied how he can do it. We all want to learn whether we actually do it or not. And yes you can mess it up, that is why I mentioned not to go get the harshest cutting rouge and wail away at it as it will round and or distort it all to hell and and definitely will look like an engraving was removed. I really liked the idea of filling in with a laser welder then removing that back to the original surface height. That IS difficult but would be probably the best way to restore it if it had a deep engraving and a replacement was not available. I have thought of this type of repair on gold case backs but have not run it by my laser equipped jeweler friend as I have not had a watch warranting that much effort. he has brought back Futurematic case backs from the dead for me and they look fantastic. And they are gold filled. Not cheap.

 

Forgot this. Safety 1st

 

You could probably do this yourself with fine grain sandpaper?

 

Bufflex wheels are not particularly expensive, and they last a very long time...no association with the seller, just a random link I selected when doing a search for current pricing:

https://www.esslinger.com/bufflex-fb6-satin-finish-buff-choose-grit/

I use different grits, and also have a variable speed polishing motor that can, to a degree, fine tune the finish. The steady hand comment is puzzling - it's not difficult at all to get the grain straight in my experience. Moving the work in a circular motion against the Bufflex wheel will give consistent results every time.

There are also flap wheels that can be used to achieve a straight grained or satin finish, and that is actually what Omega uses.

As for what method you use to initially remove the engraving, it really doesn't matter. To remove it completely you need to remove material down to the bottom of the engraving, so if that's done using a file or a hard felt buff with compound, as long as you don't go too far too quickly and blend it in with the surrounding material surface, it will come out fine.

Laser welding is a useful addition to the refinishing arsenal. I've done a bit of it using a machine owned by a friend who is a goldsmith - he uses it every day and for jewellery repairs it's fantastic.

Cheers, Al