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Applying nail polish to protect your apple watch?
- Thread starter Abdol
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Does nail polish really offer that that much protection? I'd imagine anything strong enough to damage aluminum would damage the nail polish causing it to chip/scratch etc.
An option would be to try and find a broken watch through a 3rd party seller for really cheap and test your idea that way. I don't think anyone's tried this before so it might be hard to find any concrete evidence you can trust.
So I’ve kinda done this... because my screen cracked and I wanted to “waterproof” it. Nail polish definitely looks terrible and will peel off in about a month then you have to reapply it, just don’t do it.
Personal note: my series 3 screen popped off after being cracked for a year or so, I ended up supergluing the screen back on, it looks REALLY bad but it works and my 6 should be in soon.
Personal note: my series 3 screen popped off after being cracked for a year or so, I ended up supergluing the screen back on, it looks REALLY bad but it works and my 6 should be in soon.
Here’s a photo. It’s got 3 holes in it where the glass flaked off and it cracked all the way around, hence the need for the super glue.
Attachments
- The protective material must be always softer than the surface being protected, otherwise it will scratch the underlying layer.
- It will never look dreadful.
I think I don't even need to cover the entire watch. I'm thinking of two scenarios:
- Usually, corrosion in aluminum watches begins with small little dots. I can immediately cover it with a small drop of nail polish.
- Will give my MacBook 2009 corroded corners a shot to see how adding and removing nail polish works.
- At the moment I'm 100% sure acetone is not going to damage the surface nor it will mar the aluminum.
Have common sense: When someone wears the nail polish the only issue you'll see is chipped nail polish. Have you ever seen nail polish on nails destroying nails?
In case you haven't seen this before, in the video below this guy retouches the bike's paint and rustproof it with nail polish:
So let me repeat it more:
The screen, the holes, the crown, the bottom ceramic or anywhere you can imagine that will get damaged is NOT supposed to get painted.
Only the aluminum surface using a fine brush. This is a demonstration of tools and how it should be done in general:
Since I read the same comment about the screen left and right:
The nail polish will not be applied to the screen, moving parts, ceramic, the holes. Only the aluminum body.
- It will never look dreadful.
I think I don't even need to cover the entire watch. I'm thinking of two scenarios:
- Usually, corrosion in aluminum watches begins with small little dots. I can immediately cover it with a small drop of nail polish.
- Will give my MacBook 2009 corroded corners a shot to see how adding and removing nail polish works.
- At the moment I'm 100% sure acetone is not going to damage the surface nor it will mar the aluminum.
Have common sense: When someone wears the nail polish the only issue you'll see is chipped nail polish. Have you ever seen nail polish on nails destroying nails?
In case you haven't seen this before, in the video below this guy retouches the bike's paint and rustproof it with nail polish:
So let me repeat it more:
The screen, the holes, the crown, the bottom ceramic or anywhere you can imagine that will get damaged is NOT supposed to get painted.
Only the aluminum surface using a fine brush. This is a demonstration of tools and how it should be done in general:
Since I read the same comment about the screen left and right:
The nail polish will not be applied to the screen, moving parts, ceramic, the holes. Only the aluminum body.
This thread is painful to read. You seem decided despite all of the feedback you've received.
What exactly are you hoping to hear before you proceed?
What exactly are you hoping to hear before you proceed?
This thread is like someone rubbing sandpaper against my brain.
it’s like going to the doctors and getting their diagnosis, but going back and using yahoo answers instead 😂
I think the OP is looking for actual experience or information that indicates nail polish/acetone on the BODY of the watch will damage the watch, before going ahead and doing so, and not looking for a bunch of opinions whether it is a good idea, will look good, will be effective etc.
Seems like a perfectly reasonable question to ask before taking the final step to try it.
It sounds like from the responses that no-one has any actual real data indicating it will damage it. Only opinions that it might.
Seems like a perfectly reasonable question to ask before taking the final step to try it.
It sounds like from the responses that no-one has any actual real data indicating it will damage it. Only opinions that it might.
I appreciate your comment. Exactly! I asked a question and got all kinds of responses except an actual relevant answer.
I think you have mixed up the concept of having a clue and discussing something and arguing about something without having a clue...
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I've apparently missed all of these corroded aluminum Apple Watches. Is there a thread somewhere?
The very first response outlined the major issues with the idea. Wasn't much need to repeat them.
In my opinion, if one is so obsessed about not getting any scratches on the watch, that one puts nail polish or other gimmicks on the watch, one would do better not getting a Apple Watch. The watch is not a work of art. It is a cheap disposable electronic device.
I had said earlier that I have a series two that I use in pool, five times a week and have seen no change since purchasing the watch when it was realeased.
yet you are ignoring everyone’s comments about it being a bad idea.There is probably a reason why nobody has done it. Likely because it doesn’t need to be done.
It sounds like you have made up your mind, I really hope when you do it something doesn’t go wrong.
The OP seems determined despite what anyone says. It is probably best we stop wasting our time replying to this thread, and participate in other threads where our interaction is appreciated.
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OP, the aluminum body is anodized, I do not know exactly which anodize chemical process Apple uses, you can probb google the patents, but based on that, adhesion of the nail polish maybe poor and flake off. I have used Aluminum Apple watches for 3 Years now, swimming, lake water, salt water, pool. No issues with corrosion. I am guessing the anodizing is doing a good job and the aluminum is sealed well with it.
Based on my experience swimming with painted toe nails and the watch, I can say the watch survives the swimming much better than nail polish. Nail polish usually gets hazy and cracks.
Based on my experience swimming with painted toe nails and the watch, I can say the watch survives the swimming much better than nail polish. Nail polish usually gets hazy and cracks.
If you can afford to try with the risk of failure then go for it. Anything that can protect against scratches I get...but not sure I would risk it...why not get the many watch cases available? I’ve had the watch since the 1st release without any issues...
This is the most ridiculous thing I have read. I know you don't care for opinions, but hear me out: it's a watch. It's meant to be worn. It is consumable, time-limited by it's lithium battery. Enjoy it, get good use out of it, don't sweat worrying about a little scratch. Adding nail polish is frankly silly, will only mar the look of the watch (yes, I can see it on your Macbook image. No, I do not consider that "pristine")
if you are trolling, so be it. You sound dead set on doing this, so best of luck. There's a reason Apple doesn't sell nail polish touch up kits under the 'accessories' page on the Apple store.
I hesitate to wade into this convo at all, but once upon a time I did get a degree in chemistry and then some time later I did get a doctorate in materials science, and there are a few misconceptions I think I can speak to.
First of all, organic solvents react with inorganic elemental solids and inorganic compounds all the time. The text quoted above seems to suggest a belief that chemistry doesn’t exist across that boundary, but it definitely and extensively does. This includes acetone, which has known chemistry with a number of divalent metals. Generally speaking, it would be non-reactive with aluminum (and is used to remove organic debris). But I would not assume it would be non-reactive with all aluminum oxide surface coatings.
Second, aluminum alloys that are heavy in Cu content will actually become photoreactive in the presence of light, acetone and moisture. The 7000-something series Al alloy in an Apple Watch shouldn‘t have this problem (I believe the alloying metals are zinc and magnesium). But still, the fact is that there ARE reactions that can occur between aluminum alloys and acetone.
Third, the acetone found in nail polish remover is not going to be any sort of reagent grade solvent. It’s going to be a low quality acetone that’s bound to have all sorts of contaminants, including potentially HCl. Chloride-contaminated acetone could easily lead to a corrosion situation with a metal that would normally be rather impervious. I would think raw aluminum could easily pit. The watch probably would be protected by its oxide coating. I wouldn’t care to try it, myself.
So, if I have fulfilled my quotient of useful information pertaining to the specific original question, let me now say that in my experience as an Apple Watch user since Gen 0, the unperturbed casing will long outlast the rapid obsolescence of the internal technological guts of the watch. I don’t think there’s much benefit from going to any extreme measures (any measures at all, really) to protect a sports watch from sports activities.
OP, there is not a lot to gain and quite a strong potential of a damaging oopsie for what you’re contemplating. If you’re determined, lucky and careful, it probably won’t make a difference in the durability but likely won’t do harm.
When it comes to science experiments of questionable utility, YMMV according to your own whims and tolerance for “oh ****” mishaps.