Watchband metal

Any clues what the white metal is that is used in the articulated watchbands?

I wonder sometimes about melting and casting it to make replacement links. Or
other stuff for that matter.



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As always, put on rubber gloves, wear eye protection, stand on an electrically
insulating mat, dress in old clothes, avoid electrical shock by working with one
hand in your pocket, and do it outdoors in a well ventilated area. Lastly, to
avoid personal injury, have it done professionally.

"ted.frater" wrote:

Hi Carl,
Not wishing to appear condecending,

I'm sorry, I posted when I was tired, it was very terse and clueless sounding.


...but if your a caster you should have
some knowledge of materials other than the ones you normally use.

I don't call myself a caster, if anything I call myself a blacksmith. Even as a
smith, I know some about silver, babbit, typemetal, gold, bronzes, brasses,
zinc, copper, aluminum, iron, steels (stainless and tool), wrought iron and
pewter. In the last 25-30 years I've poured bronze, aluminum, typemetal, silver
and pewter into sand (loose and green), iron, investment, cuttlefish-bone and
soapstone molds, sometimes by the tens of pounds, sometimes by tenths of ounces.

Sadly, that experience has not left me with knowledge of the alloys this
particular industry uses for this particular purpose. Hence my question.


As there are probably dozens of watch strap makers the world over, if
the scrap ones are named ie, has a makers mark how about trying to find
them on the net? and contacting them for a specification?

I may yet try that. If I don't find a helpful answer here.


Also what about the magnet test? and the scrape and fire test? along
side known metals?

Non-magnetic, clearly non-ferrous, soft, easily drilled, sawn, and filed. Many
Fossil bands are of this stuff.

"the scrape and fire test"? as in chip off a bit, melt it and see what happens?
I was hoping that someone might actually have an idea about what's in this stuff
and be able to say (if it's true) "Ye Gawds! Don't melt that stuff in your shop!
It's particularly noxious, it'll make you sterile and its vapors'll coat all
your tools and you'll never be able to solder gold again!" Or such like.

Not having gotten such a response, I'll take a bit to my armoring shop, and give
melting it a try there.


... if its from a cheap far east watch
band itll probably be die cast zinc, first copper then hard chrome
plated

Nope, not plated. Solid homogenous white metal. It doesn't seem to corrode up
against humans, probably not zinc. Probably not nickel, too many folks are
allergic to that. I'm suspecting it's some 'relative' of pewter from the way it
works.


Id take my jewellers saw and cut one in half

Done that while trying to figure whether I can repair a Fossil band that's
broken one link down from the case. (answer: not so it'll look good. Not with
what I know now)

I've carved a number of scrap links to expand watchbands for customers whose
wrists have expanded and don't have any extra links. I'd like to have the option
of making something that is a better match.


...in less time than it takes
to write to this news group

You either saw fast or type slow.
It was 12:30am, I was 12 miles from the shop, I was curious, I asked.


If you try this youll soon enough find the answer.

A simple "I don't know either, but if you find out anything, please tell the
group." would have sufficed.



If you try to 'reply' to me without fixing the dot, your reply
will go into a 'special' mailbox reserved for spam. See below.


--
Carl West http://carl.west.home.comcast.net

change the 'DOT' to '.' to email me

As always, put on rubber gloves, wear eye protection, stand on an electrically
insulating mat, dress in old clothes, avoid electrical shock by working with one
hand in your pocket, and do it outdoors in a well ventilated area. Lastly, to
avoid personal injury, have it done professionally.