A Few Questions on Watch Parts

[bushwacked]

My main few questions after researching and looking all over the web are:

1) Is there an actual good place to buy watch part blanks? I see lots of people selling them, but the majority seem to be eastern European?? I see a lot of people buying from ebay, but have had a hard time finding something that looked good.

2) What is a good price per gram of watch parts?

3) What is a good price for middle of the road watch faces?

4) After gluing the CF to the tube, are scissors the best thing to trim nicely?

5) How much overhang should I have once the tube is fitted? I read about an inch or so on each side ... is that about right?

 

[jttheclockman]

Ebay is your friend. Unless you know of a watch dealer that has access to materials then shop on ebay. There is no set price for parts just do some shopping and compare. As far as watch faces go you will have a hard time finding special faces alone. Best to buy old broken watches and again they are cheap. But when want Rolex or highend watch faces you will have a hard time finding real ones for cheap money unless again you know a dealer and then they would be fools to sell cheap.

There are videos on utube and some here as well showing how watch part blanks are made and yes scissors can cut CF but be aware that stuff is bad for your health if breathing in the fibers. Those fibers will fly very easily when disturbed. Work safe and do some research here through some past threads.

 

[drflame]

I also buy from ebay, bought a 2 pound bag for 5 dollars full of good pieces. Just look for old watch parts in the search box, also some jewelry shops have old pieces for the asking and when you tell them for pen making they seam more interested.