Batman ceramic insert paint mod

[KJ2020]

I've posted these pics in various other threads before, but I'm posting them in a separate thread for ease of linking to when members ask.

A decent Batman insert is achievable. But making one out of an aftermarket is not really something a casual hobbyist is going to want to tinker with. Here's what he process entails. Note than some pics are of an all blue insert I did just recently.

Dig out the white paint from the markers. I use a jeweler's screwdriver sharpened to a needle point and held in a pin vise. The white paint has a clear coat over it and it will not come out using just chemicals - mineral spirits, acetone, thinner, etc. Nothing I've tried will budge it, even left for long hours.

Paint the whole insert with a good quality all in one primer and paint, metallic silver. Two or three light coats done all at once. I use Krylon 'Brilliant Aluminum'. It dries in about a minute to recoat. Let it dry for a few hours or overnight under a glass.

Scrape the paint off the insert flats with a straight razor. Ceramic is highly scratch resistant, but don't be overly aggressive with the blade. Use a low angle and be careful near the marker sidewalls.

The results will look a little rough under high magnification, but in normal viewing it looks great, just bright beautiful silver.

Reinstall the insert

Member Spongebob does a great platinum sputter coating for around $200 if you want something really professional. Spongebob supplies inserts at an extra charge, but he uses Noobs for the Batman and they have really bad speed bumps. So you need to send him an aftermarket or rep insert of your choosing without any speed bumps. He's in Taiwan, so the whole process can take 3-4 months if you send one to him.

Here's a pic of my Bluesy insert he did.

If you don't want to hassle with any of this, buy a GMF. The insert will be acceptable as is for many people. There is an updated GMF Batman insert out now.

GMF releases true clone 3186 GMTs

I would not plan on ever finding a gen Batman insert for sale. They are impossibly rare and would cost $2.5K -$3K. Additionally, dozens of people would beat you to it before you ever saw it for sale. I'm quite content with mine, which cost me about $50 and a few hours of my time.

 

[rolexppapfan]

THX!

 

[ucool22]

wow nice, thanks for this info. this is excellent!

 

[srhoque]

Thanks again KJ!! I am really hoping GMF sells only insert someday.

Any plans to commercialize your process of modding Batman insert and selling to us members

 

[freakyfrank]

I've posted these pics in various other threads before, but I'm posting them in a separate thread for ease of linking to when members ask.

https://forum.replica-watch.info/forum/rolex-tudor-replicas/8553680-platinum-paint-mod
Just want to share my paint mod also.
What do you think on the colour?

 

[KJ2020]

https://forum.replica-watch.info/forum/rolex-tudor-replicas/8553680-platinum-paint-mod
Just want to share my paint mod also.
What do you think on the colour?

The color looks pretty good bro. How long did you let it dry before scraping? Seeing a few particles in some cutouts - the 2 and 4 for example. Scraping too soon can let wet flakes drop into a cutout then dry there

I am going to do another one soon when there's a warm day. I have a different brand of paint with finer particles (metal flakes).

I've tried several different clear coats before and none bonded well. No doubt a pro auto painter with a quality spray gun could do something really great, this is just a quick hobbyist mod to rid the eyesore. I never touch my inserts though and have paint mods that still look good a year later.

 

[KJ2020]

Thanks again KJ!! I am really hoping GMF sells only insert someday.

Any plans to commercialize your process of modding Batman insert and selling to us members

Nah I have too much on my plate all the time bro! It's not hard to do - try one if you have a loose insert lying around.

 

[freakyfrank]

The color looks pretty good bro. How long did you let it dry before scraping? Seeing a few particles in some cutouts - the 2 and 4 for example. Scraping too soon can let wet flakes drop into a cutout then dry there

I am going to do another one soon when there's a warm day. I have a different brand of paint with finer particles (metal flakes).

I've tried several different clear coats before and none bonded well. No doubt a pro auto painter with a quality spray gun could do something really great, this is just a quick hobbyist mod to rid the eyesore. I never touch my inserts though and have paint mods that still look good a year later.

it is about 1 hour dry also I wiped the excess paint with thinner, so the excess paint solute that's why there is a flake in the cutout. i didint think about the easy way to remove with the razor. lol

The particle look coarse in some angle/light and i think the sureface in the cut out does not that smooth. (I didnt yet apply the clear coat)

 

[Vitor747]

Had the noob V9 insert lying arround
Had to give it a shot
Airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic flat aluminum


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KJ2020]

Flat aluminum is a good color. Show us the finished product!

 

[Vitor747]

Left it drying overnight
Will post pics tomorrow when Im done scraping!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KJ2020]

Left it drying overnight
Will post pics tomorrow when Im done scraping!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it's acrylic it might come off just by rubbing a Q-tip across the flats. I pull half or more of the cotton off one to keep it denser, dip in alcohol, squeeze out excess so it's just damp and start swiping.

 

[Vitor747]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[KJ2020]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not bad bro. I know from doing these that it looks way better IRL than in pics. Our eyes don't pick up the slight color deviations in the metallic particles.

 

[Cadows]

In order to make extra paint easy to remove after drying, make that area greasy. Best way to do it is just to “swipe” the insert with greasy finger. Paint from that area will fall off very easy. Just my cent

 

[Hazing]

I'm really interested to see how the airbrushing works out. When I saw this Pic I thought it was spray painted and thought it looked like a good idea.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[bertieng]

Just a thought. Is it really necessary to remove the existing coating on the engravings before spraying on the new paint?

 

[KJ2020]

Just a thought. Is it really necessary to remove the existing coating on the engravings before spraying on the new paint?

Aftermarket inserts are nearly always much thinner than the ones rep factories use. This means the marker cutouts are more shallow. Also, aftermarket marker cutouts are almost always full to the flat surrounding surface, and they have a clear coat over the marker paint. Additional paint will not fit in the space and also will not adhere well to the clear coat. So yes, the existing paint needs to be dug out.

 

[bertieng]

Thanks for your input KJ2020
This is interesting, I always thought the rep factories are also just using the aftermarket inserts since it is hard to imagine they will produce their own watch parts except the steel cases.
In fact, my feeling is that these factories are just assembling the watch parts together from different suppliers.
This is cleared from the availability of the VR3186 on the open market.

 

[KJ2020]

Rep factories do indeed just assemble parts they source from different suppliers. Fortunately for us, in most instances they use suppliers that make parts that are a cut above what many aftermarket suppliers provide. I have found that to be true with a few key parts - cases, inserts and bezels, dials, hands, datewheels, bracelets, and clasps. Whenever I need one of these parts my first choice to source it is always from a TD. For the cost of rep factory parts, they are a really great resource. On the other hand if I have to source a dial or hands or a datewheel from some random vendor I know the lume isn't going to be great or the hands aren't going to have clean edges or the inserts are going to be thin and will be filled with white paint and not platinum. This is not including suppliers that specialize in vintage parts of course like Yuki, Ruby's, Helenarou, etc.

I've bought probably 50 aftermarket inserts (about 30 ceramic) and not once have I gotten one that was as thick or had deep markers like the rep factory ones. We really are getting better stuff from the rep factories most of the time, as much as we complain about it you'd never know I guess!

You might find this post interesting if you haven't seen it

https://www.repgeek.com/discuss-gene...-industry.html