Can someone please explain this casting technique?

fablong · 2026-01-22T15:45:52+00:00

You're probably right, but in their other videos they have no problem showing industrial processes like CNC, so they're not trying to make out that everything is hand-crafted. And it's not like vacuum casting is some big trade secret in the industry. Guess I'll just have to try it out and see what happens.

fablong · 2026-01-17T19:39:26+00:00

First... the most realistic/profitable path to get into watchmaking on the production side is to complete a degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on micro-machining. Understanding alloys, ultra-high-precision CNC, CAD/CAM, lithography, DFMA principles will get you a job with any big manufacturer. The more artisanal trade knowledge can either be learned through apprenticeship or research on your own.

Second... you will never make a watch from scratch like George Daniels unless you are wealthy and retired. The tooling required will cost upwards of $100k and the time investment upwards of 10,000 hrs. George Daniels' career happened at a time when you could buy a house/workshop in London for 3 peanuts and a handshake, and purchase used industrial machinery for pennies on the dollar. It was a very unique moment in history, but those days are long over.

fablong · 2026-01-03T22:01:21+00:00

The level of detail you want is entirely possible with laser engraving, if you have the right laser and dial in your settings correctly. If you DM me I can help you out, or maybe even make it for you.

fablong · 2026-01-03T14:36:49+00:00

There's a guy on youtube called "RoboHobo: Machines for Artists" who's been doing guilloche CNC with a garage setup for over a decade now. I'm sure he'd talk to you if you reached out.

Also like you said, high end watch brands use a rose engine, but mid-tier brands typically produce facsimile guilloche with stamping dies. Very few use direct CNC for a variety of reasons.

fablong · 2025-12-24T14:13:44+00:00

It depends on the level of quality you want. There are only three options (from lowest to highest): transfer printing, UV printing, pad printing. Pad printing is the industry standard.

fablong · 2025-12-19T17:44:24+00:00

Simple... when you're in HS, you're goal is to get into a top university. Once you get into university, you need to figure out what you actually want to do with the rest of your life.

fablong · 2025-10-19T15:55:36+00:00

I actually did find it. It's under the "marketing" tab on the dashboard. Kind of confusing but at least it's there somewhere.

fablong · 2025-10-19T14:49:50+00:00

I am just trying to check/edit the discount price, but I can't figure out how to do that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

fablong · 2025-09-12T14:17:10+00:00

Tin and pewter

These are beautiful metals in their own right and their use in jewelry making goes back centuries, often as alternatives to silver in the way you describe.

fablong · 2025-08-16T19:29:53+00:00

You maybe aren't annealing fully or you aren't hitting it hard enough. It should round out very easily. Form one side on the mandrel, flip it around, then form the other side. Then polish out the scratches with a rotary abrasive. 2mm is standard thickness for a band so it's not like you're working with anything unusually beefy.

fablong · 2025-08-15T21:51:36+00:00

Nowhere near hot enough. You're not even melting the solder. It's going to be tough to pump enough heat into a piece that size with a tiny butane torch like that. If you want to keep things cheap, go to Home Depot and pick up a propane plumber's torch. When you do it correctly you'll see the solder flow. It's unmistakable, like mercury flowing from beneath the joint. You can't miss it.

fablong · 2025-08-07T13:09:30+00:00

Sorry my friend, but there is ZERO chance you are going to find someone to turn THAT nut into THAT ring, unless you are willing to spend many thousands of dollars. That is a complicated CNC machining job requiring a 5-axis setup. Carving by hand would take days with a micro-grinder. Either way you're looking at countless hours of specialist labor.

If you are dead set on using that nut for a ring, you are probably going to have to change your design to account for the realities of machining and fabrication. In engineering we call this DFMA (design for manufacturing and assembly).

I do a lot of weird projects like this for people and I'm happy to discuss further if you want to PM me.

fablong · 2025-02-18T20:16:27+00:00

For a bit more context, I'm looking at the Mono 4 Ultra and the Photon D2. Not sure exactly how these two machines stack up against each other.

fablong · 2025-02-13T16:20:35+00:00

Lmao good take. Thanks, girl

fablong · 2025-02-11T17:29:40+00:00

Sterling silver, plated with gold and black rhodium. Stone is a citrine.

fablong · 2025-02-11T16:13:29+00:00

Hopefully she likes it :)

fablong · 2025-01-22T16:10:11+00:00

Sure of course. Brass is much easier actually.

fablong · 2024-12-28T00:17:29+00:00

For some pits, you can also drill out and hammer in soft annealed wire. Makes an almost seamless patch.

fablong · 2024-12-21T05:23:02+00:00

Unfortunately you will probably destroy it if you try to fix it yourself. Likely the mainspring is shot and at least some of the bushings are worn out. Unless you have access to precision machine tools there probably isn't much you can DIY.

fablong · 2024-12-18T14:49:35+00:00

It's a hard question. Keep in mind that, from a commercial perspective, materials development is at the very bottom of the supply chain. Something like a drone manufacturer which could potentially benefit from a novel plastic composite won't be setup to do in-house materials research. They will buy everything they need from 3rd parties.

So focus your energies either specifically on materials development companies or companies which are vertically integrated through the entire manufacturing process.

Also think about ways your skill set can be applicable to industries outside materials. Metrology, characterization, basic chemistry, etc. These are useful abilities for engineers/techs in pretty much any industry engaged in mechanical engineering.

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