Cast Iron Watch Case

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

I need to pick your collective brains.

Can anyone think of a good reason why bar stock Meehanite wouldn't be a suitable material for a watch case?

Steve

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

It rusts and is going to heavy as very thin sections would probably not be strong enough.

Emgee

[WearyParticipant @weary]

The graphite that Meehanite contains will leave black marks upon contact and when handled.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Steve Crow on 02/01/2020 18:17:22:

I need to pick your collective brains.

Can anyone think of a good reason why bar stock Meehanite wouldn't be a suitable material for a watch case?

Steve

.

To be honest, Steve : I’m struggling to think of a single reason why it would be a suitable material for a watch case.

… What type and size of case are you considering ?

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 02/01/2020 19:16:18

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I thought it was the second of January, not April the first, I must go and make a set of cutlery out of that beryllium copper in the shed.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Bronze would be OK and is already used by some makers if you're looking for a change from stainless steel.

Martin.

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

Ok, point taken. Back to the drawing board.

Incidentally, I was thinking of a squarish pocket watch case – blasted finish. No part of the case touching the movement or crystal.

Thank you for the non-frivolous answers

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Why think of CI and not plain steel plated?

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

One of the TV auction shows recently had a pocket watch with a blued steel case that went for a nice price because of its rarity.

Rod

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

Posted by Bazyle on 02/01/2020 23:29:44:

Why think of CI and not plain steel plated?

Just thinking out loud really.

I was looking for something unusual but easily obtainable and machinable for a pocket watch case.

As somebody suggested bronze might work but which grade? Or gunmetal?

Any suggestions for other materials would be welcome (except beryllium copper!)

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I suppose the classic materials like gold, silver, stainless steel etc. Have stood the test of time. A wrist watch is going to have to survive sweat on a hot day and that can be pretty corrosive. A pocket watch will also be handled on a regular basis and the sweaty mits problem will be there. Plating can be used to improve the resistance of baser metals as well as decorative effect. Nickel affects some people adversely so may not be a good idea. Titanium can be very attractive but is not exactly cheap.

Mike

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I don't know which grade of bronze they use for the case, but I think stainless steel, titanium or sapphire casebacks are normally fitted to minimise skin contact

Martin.

.

Zenith Pilot

IWC Pilot

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

If you don't want Berylium copper how about AlBeMet??

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I think something like figured granite, agate or quartz, if it's not too brittle, would make a pretty amazing case.

Neil

<edit> someone got there first:

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 04/01/2020 14:35:54

[egaParticipant @ega]

Titanium is also fashionable for wedding rings (but often presents difficulty in machining).

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary what about Inconel either 600 or 718. or even Rene 41 , Udimet, all are Heat resisting super alloys [ although that's not a requirement for a watch ] but it would be "Unusual "

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Anodised aluminium, exotic hardwoods, animal horn perhaps. Maybee even some ordinary aluminium with an inlay of another material – e.g. abelone against the wearer's skin ??? What about plastics? Delrin, 3D printed resin or powder deposit, not sure what it's called.

The possibilities seem endless

Ed.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Pattern welded Damascus steel would look attractive, or perhaps layers of different coloured metals (brass and nickel silver sheets soldered together?) machined to give a rainbow effect similar to the caps on some Parker 61 pens. Something totally impractical and difficult to machine, but I suspect very inviting to the steampunk fraternity, might be corten steel, left outside to weather before fitting the movement.

Brian G

[Adam PhillipsParticipant @adamphillips50363]

Damascus Steel would get my vote. If you really want to get interesting try meteorite if you can find one. There are a few watches shown on Instagram made of it

Good luck Adam

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

Thank you for some very interesting suggestions, love the corten steel idea. I had to spend a bit of time on google to find out about some of the more exotic suggestions though.

Again, it comes down to availability (and cost!) in a suitable size billet and machineability.

Damscus steel is very interesting and easily available. groundflatstock.com have a beautiful and bewildering array of damascus. I'm not sure about machining it though – surely every batch is different and therefore unpredictable?

As this is a pocket watch and not touching any ones skin, wouldn't a material like aluminium be acceptable?

Steve

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