Author Topic: What glue for mineral crystals?  (Read 539 times)

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Offline chris141058

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What glue for mineral crystals?
« on: January 08, 2012, 05:30:45 PM »
I have a couple of watches under restoration that have a mineral crystal which is glued into the case ring.
As I do not do too many restorations I do not want to invest in a UV lamp so what alternative type of glue would people recommend?
Chris

Offline red9k

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What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2012, 06:31:13 PM »
Hello!

Seikos 2 component crystal glue is said to be one of the best   

Good luck

Cheers Magnus

Offline mmounce

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2012, 06:32:37 PM »
UV glue and set it out in the sun for 6 hours.

Offline chris141058

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2012, 07:49:05 PM »
Thanks guys.
Normally these would be two good suggestions. However, the Seiko 2 pack glue seems to be discontinued - at least according to Cousins.
And in the UK we will not get 6 hours sun in the whole of January so I would be waiting a while for the sun to cure a UV adhesive!
I was thinking of an epoxy 2 pack glue but the last mineral crystal I tried with this dropped out after a day.
Any other thoughts?
Chris

Offline red9k

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What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2012, 10:12:09 PM »
Actually, last year, I did manage to get hold of the seiko glue of a supplier I the US that would ship to me in Sweden without any problems.
Can't remember the name of the supplier but I googled for it and found it, and when I got the package it was relabeled af-Swiss :) but still seiko box and glue. 

Good luck
Magnus

Offline red9k

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What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2012, 10:44:45 PM »
Did find where I got it :) but sadly they don't have it any more :(
The place was www.watchmaterial.com

Cheers
Magnus

Offline tanwill

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2012, 03:01:36 AM »
I use this :



Offline chris141058

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2012, 12:49:07 PM »
Magnus. Thanks for checking that supplier.
 
Tanwill, I have seen that glue but saw this it is often specifiied for acrylic crystals rather than mineral ones.
 
Have you found that his holds the crystal well enough?
 
Chris

Offline tanwill

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2012, 05:26:55 PM »
Its will work for both glass and plastic.


Magnus. Thanks for checking that supplier.
 
Tanwill, I have seen that glue but saw this it is often specifiied for acrylic crystals rather than mineral ones.
 
Have you found that his holds the crystal well enough?
 
Chris

Offline SKX

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2012, 12:31:24 PM »
I've used the Seiko UV glue with good results. A few hours in the sun should set it, and you can of course buy a UV lamp to do the same job.

Offline Adriano

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2012, 09:01:00 PM »
The watchmakers I work with use GS Cement for plastic. But for mineral, we use the Seiko S-314 UV glue. It's by far the best UV glue and sealant in the market. Don't tell anyone, but we use just the Seiko glue even for every swiss watch.

The finish is perfect and it does not become yellow over the years. I have my Tissot Lisboa glued with Seiko UV glue for 5 years now and not a sign of changing in color, which happened in one year with a regular 3M "two-component" glue.

Best regards,

Adriano

Offline d1ck_browne

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2012, 08:41:51 PM »
Top tip I was given by an old watchmaker when I needed to re-glue a pocket watch glass in place whilst working away from home - pop along to your closest Halford's and buy some of the glue they sell to attach mirrors to windscreens.  A couple of pin sized drops at the cardinal points using a pin was enough to fix my PW problem.  It doesn't run, it cures in daylight in about an hour and it's pretty cheap too.


I'm not sure how true this is, but the chap who gave me the tip originally told me that it's exactly the same stuff that crystals are glued in with, but much cheaper.


Hope this helps


Richard

Offline BobbyChariot

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2012, 01:54:10 AM »
Hi,
     I have not used the UV-cure glue however I would like to try it - any usage recommendations would be great.

When I use 2-part epoxy on mineral crystals I find I can remove the excess that squeezes out between case/crystal with a tooth pick or similar when the epoxy has nearly set.

With UV-cure do you wipe away the excess before curing or can excess glue be 'picked-off' after curing ?

Regards.

Offline BenchGuy

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #13 on: January 22, 2012, 11:08:38 PM »
The UV cement I use cures in full sun in 15-20 minutes (unless you put it on too thick).  My bench light is flourescent...and up close there is enough UV output to start the curing process...so, I apply with the windows closed, and incandescent or LED light.  First, try not to have any excess...but if you do, don't try to wipe it until its cured.  Once cured, clean excess off with acetone on a buff stick.  If you want to verify that whatever UV source you are using has adequately cured the cement, put a few dots on the old crystal and set it in the same source as the case...when the dots are cured, the new crystal is cured.  Be neat...once the new crystal is cured, it will be more difficult to remove than the tradional G-S or Rocket crystal cement products!  (BTW...best removal results for UV cement seem to be with heat...I like an electrical shrink-tube heater).

Offline mwbuss8

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Re: What glue for mineral crystals?
« Reply #14 on: February 18, 2012, 04:20:30 AM »
If you have a halogen light that will work as well. I have a small but bright desk lamp I use for this. When I glue crystals I take off the glass UV shield covering the bulb of the light. I haven't had any problems using this method so far. This is the stuff I have been using:

http://www.esslinger.com/watch-crystal-glue-clear-uv-adhesive-thinner-viscosity.aspx

They also have some other glues that I have not tried yet.
It scares me how quickly my collection is growing...