Another Acrylic + Toothpaste Success Story (Explorer 1016)

[dbhak22]

The "softness" of the acrylic crystals is no joke. Just walking around the house I occasionally rub the watch against the wall and get a scratch here and there. I got a fair sized one the other day so decided to try the toothpaste polishing method folks have recommended here before spending a few bucks on Polywatch. Polywatch is cheap but figured no harm in spending a few mins trying a solution I already had inside the house. Rubbed a bit of toothpaste on a cloth and rubbed it into the scratched area then took a wet cloth to wipe it off. As the title stated, success!

Before/after photo below. It was hard to properly capture the scratches so hope its visible...





And here's the toothpaste I used:



Hope this helps someone down the line.

[southtexas]

I don't get results that good with polywatch, well done!

[Kingface66]

Laugh all you want, but toothpaste kicks ass over ploywatch.

[V.lats97nsx]

Good to know. Thank you:)

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[busytimmy]

Awesome job, I have been meaning to crack open my polywatch and buff some sexi plexi :D


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[harry in montreal]

I use that crest on my foggy old Fox 5.0 headlamps. Works great.

[zapokee]

Minty acrylic!

[mineral]

Thanks for sharing.

[MitchSteel]

Sure fixed those cavities

[R.W.T.]

I think you will find that any good auto clear coat polish will do a very nice job.

Clear coat is of course plastic...so...

Many years ago I had some auxiliary gauges for a 65 - 66 Ford Mustang that had bad lenses. Hazy...scratched...worn etc. There were no reproductions at that time. I went to a plastic fabricator in town with my lenses in hand and asked the lady if she could copy them. She said yes of course but why? I mentioned the wear and tear on these and she brought out some Star Brite car polish and within seconds they looked new.

For me now I find Star Brite a little coarser than I like for watch crystals but any ultra fine car polish is going to have a good effect. I use a "Viva" brand paper towel as they are very soft and I saw a guy at a body shop using a very similar consistency towel on the final polish of my clear coat repair one day.

If the scrape is bad...you will use a whole tube of polywatch and it won't be gone....it's expensive for the amount you get.

[77T]

Good result on that pesky scuff - many substitutes exist and those with the best results often contain baking soda.

I've combined some arm and hammer with water to make a paste that works well, too.

[Toronto Soup King]

I just spent approximately three minutes start to finish cleaning up the crystal on both my 1675 (cyclops scuff) and what looked like a deep gouge on one of my cheapo ST-19-based Chinese chronos...both now perfect. Three minutes. And now they smell nice too

[Estilo]

And now the question is, can I use Polywatch to brush my teeth?

[RolexPete]

Originally Posted by Estilo

And now the question is, can I use Polywatch to brush my teeth?

[speedolex]

I've been a Brasso guy for years on all my acrylic's, from Speedmasters To Rolexes, always a fantastic result. Just an old t-shirt and a teaspoon of the stuff, my bottle is 20+ years old, will last a lifetime.

Anyone have a similar tip on stainless steel oyster bracelets? Anything over the counter available to buff out scratches? Or must we bring them to a dealer?

[Kingface66]

Anyone have a similar tip on stainless steel oyster bracelets? Anything over the counter available to buff out scratches? Or must we bring them to a dealer?

Actually, yes. I've been using these multi-sided nail buffers on bracelets with amazing success. The coarseness gradates from fairly abrasive, to super fine. I've used them on a number of bracelets, and the results are fantastic. You can find them at most drug stores, like CVS, and such.

[speedolex]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

Actually, yes. I've been using these multi-sided nail buffers on bracelets with amazing success. The coarseness gradates from fairly abrasive, to super fine. I've used them on a number of bracelets, and the results are fantastic. You can find them at most drug stores, like CVS, and such.

Awesome, but any tips on how to do this? Start with coarse and work your way to fine? Only do fine? Wet or dry?

Would be great if you could put up a separate post "How To Buff Scratches Out Of Your Stainless Steel Oyster Bracelet".

[morafa4]

Wow. thats a whole new level of resourcefulness that I wasn't prepared for!

Are you able to get as good results as Speedolex?

Originally Posted by Kingface66

Actually, yes. I've been using these multi-sided nail buffers on bracelets with amazing success. The coarseness gradates from fairly abrasive, to super fine. I've used them on a number of bracelets, and the results are fantastic. You can find them at most drug stores, like CVS, and such.

[droptopman]

Nice work!

I have used tooth paste, car wax, poly watch and other polishes around the house.
For optimal results, I like to use a dremel at low speed with a soft cotton wheel. Start with poly watch, then yellow carnuba, then Maquires #7. On deep scratches some automotive rubbing compound works for taking the deep gouges out.

[dysondiver]

brasso rocks ,, or t cut .

[Kingface66]

Well-done, man!!

[acf321]

WOW, just looked at this thread and I can't believe what I am seeing. This is truly an amazing outcome. Well done Speedo. I too have a 16610 date tritium Sub and whilst it's not as bad as yours was, it could definitely use a little spruce up. I'll be off to my local hardware store to get sorted. Thanks for the lesson.

[speedolex]

Originally Posted by acf321

WOW, just looked at this thread and I can't believe what I am seeing. This is truly an amazing outcome. Well done Speedo. I too have a 16610 date tritium Sub and whilst it's not as bad as yours was, it could definitely use a little spruce up. I'll be off to my local hardware store to get sorted. Thanks for the lesson.

Thanks! My Sub looked great on vacation. Credit to droptopman, he's taught me a bunch, he's the man.

The bracelet resto is very easy if you take your time and use the right tools. Make sure to remove the bracelet so you don't accidentally hit the case with the synthetic steel wool and make sure to soak the bracelet in Windex or dish detergent + water as you won't believe how much crud builds up between the links over the years. Wear goggles if you have them, the fine shavings can get in your eyes.

The end result is brilliant. My 1016 and 16610 all shiny and polished above.