Hi all, today i'm going to write a guide on how to hand polish watch cases at home. I just polished a SKX007 and very happy with the results. You can view the before condition of the watch here :
http://www.malaysiawatchforum.com/index.php/topic,13901.msg119744.html#msg119744Materials:
400 grit silicon carbide sandpaper
800 grit silicon carbide sandpaper
1500 grit silicon carbide sandpaper
Autosol metal polish
water
soft cloth
small piece of wood
magnifier
Procedure:
1) Gather all your materials
2) Make a sanding block by wrapping a small piece of sandpaper on a small wood block around the size of a finger.
3) start with 400 grit sandpaper, sand the watch case in one direction. Work until all the original scratches are not visible and you have an even surface. Keep in mind the contours of the watch case. Sand lightly, this will take some time.
4) now start using the 800 grit sandpaper. Again as above sand slowly but work in a slightly different angle as to the first part. For this step, wet the watch case before sanding, and keep wetting it as it dries. Work until you cannot see the marks made by the 400 grit sandpaper previously.
5) Now use the 1500 grit sandpaper, and using the same method as above, working in a different direction to the last sanding. Again, wet sand the case. sand until the marks from the previous steps are gone. You will have a quite reflective case at this point.
6) wash the case under running water. Dry properly. And now, you may start polishing using the Autosol metal polish.
Continue polishing until you achieve a mirror finish.
7) clean the case using soap and water and its done.
Note: for brushed finish areas, just sand according to the original grain direction using 400 grit sandpaper.
Good luck.
(all the materials can be obtained at most hardware stores.)
