Wetsanding glass crystal with a Dremel or by hand....anyone done it?

I lost my watch while wakeboarding the other day so I've been wearing my old watch that I used to wear. The glass crystal is quite scratched and Nixon wants $85+shipping both ways to replace it. It's square so I don't know that a normal jeweler can replace it.

Is this something I could wetsand? The crystal sits quite a bit about the case (probably why it's so easy to scratch) so it looks relatively easy to sand without scratching the case. Tips?

Enyar wrote: Nixon wants $85+shipping both ways to replace it.

Wow, and he says he's not a crook?

No but seriously try covering the rest of the watch face with tape and then hand sanding. You might still mess up and scuff the case so be sure a clear lens is worth more to you.

Edit: Of course I mean wet sanding with the finest sandpaper you can get.

I don't think sanding is going to be the answer here. I think something more like jeweler's rouge might, though. I mean, it's messed up already, right? Are you going to make it worse?

polishing glass can be tough. I worked at simon pearce during the summers while in college polishing and grinding glass and it's no fun even with the expensive equipment.

I would find a natural fiber buffing wheel (Ours were made using deer hair or something) of some king and some jewelers rouge. That's your best bet. Do not use it dry and do not let it dry out. You also need to be careful about heat as any stresses in the glass can become cracks pretty quickly if you localize heat in one spot.

GameboyRMH wrote: Wow, and he says he's not a crook? No but seriously try covering the rest of the watch face with tape and then hand sanding. You might still mess up and scuff the case so be sure a clear lens is worth more to you. Edit: Of course I mean wet sanding with the finest sandpaper you can get.

Ha! That was the plan.

Dr. Hess wrote: I don't think sanding is going to be the answer here. I think something more like jeweler's rouge might, though. I mean, it's messed up already, right? Are you going to make it worse?

DaveEstey wrote: polishing glass can be tough. I worked at simon pearce during the summers while in college polishing and grinding glass and it's no fun even with the expensive equipment. I would find a natural fiber buffing wheel (Ours were made using deer hair or something) of some king and some jewelers rouge. That's your best bet. Do not use it dry and do not let it dry out. You also need to be careful about heat as any stresses in the glass can become cracks pretty quickly if you localize heat in one spot.

With a dremel? What is jewelers rouge? I've heard of it before but what is it, just a compound or polish?

Enyar wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Wow, and he says he's not a crook? No but seriously try covering the rest of the watch face with tape and then hand sanding. You might still mess up and scuff the case so be sure a clear lens is worth more to you. Edit: Of course I mean wet sanding with the finest sandpaper you can get.

Ha! That was the plan.

Dr. Hess wrote: I don't think sanding is going to be the answer here. I think something more like jeweler's rouge might, though. I mean, it's messed up already, right? Are you going to make it worse?

DaveEstey wrote: polishing glass can be tough. I worked at simon pearce during the summers while in college polishing and grinding glass and it's no fun even with the expensive equipment. I would find a natural fiber buffing wheel (Ours were made using deer hair or something) of some king and some jewelers rouge. That's your best bet. Do not use it dry and do not let it dry out. You also need to be careful about heat as any stresses in the glass can become cracks pretty quickly if you localize heat in one spot.

With a dremel? What is jewelers rouge? I've heard of it before but what is it, just a compound or polish?

Same deal as cutting and polishing the paint on a car, just with different materials. Dremel will probably be too fast- likely to dry out and burn.

Brasso!!! Used it on watch crystals in the past and it works great. Learned about it in the military while polishing our brass accruements on our dress uniforms. Brasso and a soft rag. We used old t-shirts or cloth diapers.