I'm wondering if one could polish out an Apple Watch 2, non-shiny version, to shiny finish? I work with different metals and know that the case could very easily be polished out. I just don't know if anyone else has done it.
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Polish Apple Watch 2?
- Thread starter darita
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If you are referring to the ‘non-shiny’ version of the aluminum Sport model, no, you can’t polish the 7000 Series aluminum or at least, it would be very ineffective. Only the 316 L stainless could you polish in removing any type of scratches or scuffs, with the exception of the black stainless with the DLC coating _cannot_ be polished.
mavis
macrumors 601
But aluminum CAN be polished to a mirror finish (I've done it before) ... not sure what the AW in particular would look like - I'd be curious to see!
I question if the 7000 series aluminum with the anozidation can be polished to a high shine? I think it probably depends on the grade of aluminum and how it’s treated, but in terms of what the OP is asking, the aluminum casing Can’t be polished to remove defects or scratches. I personally have not tried it, some have, and they were not successful. That’s the one drawback to the aluminum casing on the Apple Watch compared to the 316L Stainless watch Model.
Lennyvalentin
macrumors 65816
You could do it I'm sure, but not sure it would really be worth it. Apple anodizes its aluminium products to protect them, because alu is pretty soft so scratches easily, plus it oxidizes and mars easily too, and the anodization protects against both of those things.
You'd also have to remove everything else from the watch casing first though or risk damaging it during the process; the screen, the back, crown, all the guts inside. It'd be a major job for sure, and then who can say how long the mirror finish would stay shiny. Sweat is salty, so you'd probably see corrosion pretty quickly.
But hey... Don't let anything stop you, if you wanna do it do it. If you succeed you might be the first in the world to have a shiny aluminium apple watch. 🙂
I was just wondering if anyone else had tried it. I've polished out many anodized aluminum surfaces, so that's not the problem. Keeping it shiny is just a matter of cleaning the surface with a metal polish and takes nothing more than a few rubs. Thing is, taking out the guts and knobs and stuff...but I've seen people on youtube that have removed that stuff from the watch, just to explore it, so wondered if there were folks out there that have gone one more step to buff out the case. All it would take is a Dremel buff pad and some compound.
Julien
macrumors G4
I would also be concerned about the water resistant seals/adhesive once you expose the Apple Watch internally, they likely would have to be replaced as well, which I don’t know how you would have access to the seals in the least.