Most expensive take 2- most costly screwup...

[Kev Williams]

I'll start, and plead total idiot status-- to a point anyway...

Few months ago while engraving 1600 watches for my watch guys, they dropped off a dial face the wanted me to look at. No hurry, after the big batch is done. Never got an explanation to as to the face itself or what they wanted done to it.

Short version: Can't find it. We tore this place inside out last night, it's nowhere to be found. I'm hoping THEY have it, that it inadvertently got put in one of their watch carriers.

Hope they find it, because unbeknownst to me until last night, it's the face from a Cartier Roadster model W62025V3. I just figured it was one of their own faces. Had I known, the WIFE would've been put in charge of it!
Best I can tell these Roadster's have been out of production for 4 years, original price of this model around $7,000. Used prices for these vary from mid 2000's to high 6,000's

first time in 41 years I've misplaced a customer's item. First one's a doozy. I'd gladly buy a new face, but there simply isn't a match available.
356831

[Bert Kemp]

sorry Kev

Boy I'm glad I'm a hobbyist, I screw things up all the time but the most expensive things I engrave might cost $20 buck and there for its also the most expensive screw up https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo30.gif https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo30.gif https://s.yimg.com/ok/u/assets/img/emoticons/emo30.gifROTFLMAO

[Scott Marquez]

Kev,
My heart hurts for you, it's the simple stuff like this that bites you in the butt, it would have been nice if the customer would have mentioned the importance of that little piece of material. I hope it all works out.
Scott

[John Lifer]

Agreed, In my opinion, something truly Expensive and unreplacable should be marked and noted as such. And Signed for by You or your representative, not just handed over like something that is worth a nickle!

[Bruce Volden]

This thread is almost the inverse of the "most expensive stuff you ever engraved", except without the happy ending??

Bruce

[Jerome Stanek]

That is why you pay for insurance.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Not on a laser but I set an H500-50 machining centre up to do the machining work on the back faces of Kitagawa 12" chuck bodies.(Hydraulic chuck type)

These are 12" versions

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-46537691064911/kitagawa-10-3-jaw-thru-hole-lathe-power-chuck-b210-14.gif

The jaw slots are cut with a 24 tooth insert type cutter and MUST be aligned with the back counterbore that holds the backplate (I can't post the tollerance but put it this way, room temperature makes a difference)

Miss probed the bores with the renishaw and set them 0.1mm off then ran an entire months production through. At the time the B-212 chuck body cost about $15,000 (each chuck bodies slots are ground to match it's base jaws from Schunk)

Keep in mind, I was making the chuck bodies for every Kitagawa chuck sold in Europe at the time to get an idea of how many were involved.

So I think I just about got screwups covered :)