Self Polishing

snunez · Apr 12, 2020

I've got a Railmaster 2500 that is in for service. I told them not to polish it, but it has some scratches, and is unpolished now. I was afraid they'd over do the polishing wheel.

So, how does one lightly take out the scratches in their watches? I understand the physics of it: a deep scratch requires removing a lot of metal to take. However most of these scratches are from normal wear, and I wonder if there's something I can do by hand to get it looking a bit better without making it look like a bar of soap.

What do you guy you for do-it-yourself polishing?

pianomankd · Apr 12, 2020

NO!

Don't.

Gasman · Apr 12, 2020

Cape Cod polishing cloth will remove light scratches without overdoing it.

JwRosenthal · Apr 12, 2020

Gasman
Cape Cod polishing cloth will remove light scratches without overdoing it.

+1.
I have also used Mother’s polish on a Q-tip with minimal pressure to remove surface oxidation and grime and wipe with a soft cloth- the scratches are still there but blended in and the hazy surface gone- At your own risk of course.

Do not use any polish on brushed surfaces (or near them- tape them off) as it will put a shine on the brushing.

g-boac · Apr 12, 2020

ANY polishing overdoes it. Period. Remember when the watch is produced, the case is oversized, blocky, and sharp. The initial polishing breaks the sharp edges, and gets the case shape and surface finish down to it’s final, intended form. Further polishing beyond this only erodes the final geometry. You are correct to leave the case as is.

A more everyday example you can use to picture this is pouring water over an ice cube, or a melting ice sculpture. But any polishing effectively will reshape and shrink your case.

Gasman · Apr 12, 2020

g-boac
ANY polishing overdoes it. Period. Remember when the watch is produced, the case is oversized, blocky, and sharp. The initial polishing breaks the sharp edges, and gets the case shape and surface finish down to it’s final, intended form. Further polishing beyond this only erodes the final geometry. You are correct to leave the case as is.

A more everyday example you can use to picture this is pouring water over an ice cube, or a melting ice sculpture. But any polishing effectively will reshape and shrink your case.

You had better not polish your car then or you’ll end up with a mini. 😉

Dan S · Apr 12, 2020

Personally I don't like the way watch cases look when polished using a Cape Cod cloth or similar metal polish. It smooths out the scratches and softens edges in an unappealing way. Just my opinion. For me it's all or nothing. Either have the entire case refinished properly back to factory specs (with laser welding if necessary) or don't polish at all.

Gasman · Apr 12, 2020

I think you must have muscles like the hulk if you can round off corners with a Cape Cod polishing cloth

kingsrider · Apr 12, 2020

I thought this thread was about something else. Kingsrider out!😁

Archer · Apr 12, 2020

kingsrider
I thought this thread was about something else. Kingsrider out!😁

"Is that what the young folks are calling it these days? Self polishing?"

Dan S · Apr 12, 2020

Gasman
I think you must have muscles like the hulk if you can round off corners with a Cape Cod polishing cloth

Not dramatically rounded, but definitely softened in a way that original edges are lost. Try it yourself on one lug of an unpolished watch and you will see what I mean by comparing to the unpolished lugs. I've seen it many times on watches listed by certain sellers. The watches have a very particular look where edges and scratches are softened. Perhaps some people prefer that look, but I don't like it.

CPRwatch · Apr 12, 2020

Self polishing , sounds very hands on to me .

Rman · Apr 12, 2020

Archer
"Is that what the young folks are calling it these days? Self polishing?"

It had to be said.

stevec14 · Apr 12, 2020

Personally, if it bothered me I’d rather have omega refinish than bodge it myself.

cowboyjack · Apr 15, 2020

Leave self polishing to the professionals?

coffee · Apr 17, 2020

Scratched my SMPc this week. Heart broke for a minute, got over it soon. A battle scar which will remember me of these tough times we are living in. I would leave those scratches 😀

TXwatchfan · Apr 18, 2020

I second Cape Cod polishing cloth, I've had good results, only use in polished areas, not brushed areas.

TraderSantiago · Apr 18, 2020

I've found that a Cape Cod polishing cloth is quite good at hiding scratches on watch cases. It doesn't remove them but makes them blend in more...

mjb · Apr 21, 2020

This nonsense about hand polishing with a cloth removing edges on stainless steel is ridiculous. Unless you're talking about the sharpened edge of a knife.

And if you are worried about that, then just focus on the flat surfaces. A cape cod will be fine.

Of course, I'm referring to a normal person doing a normal polish. Not someone putting their entire body weight on a polishing cloth for 45 minutes.

gbesq · Apr 21, 2020

I've used polywatch applied with a clean cloth and light pressure to remove minor scuffs and scratches from the high polished lugs of both my SMPc and Speedy Pro. Worked like a charm and the lugs look brand new. I figured that if polywatch is gentle enough to use to remove scratches on a hesalite crystal then it probably wouldn't harm polished stainless steel. I'm not recommending this method to other members, but it worked for me.

Self Polishing

snunez

pianomankd

Gasman

JwRosenthal

g-boac

Gasman

Dan S

Gasman

kingsrider

Archer

Dan S

CPRwatch

Rman

stevec14

cowboyjack

coffee

TXwatchfan

TraderSantiago

mjb

gbesq

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