1675 build: getting that Hangzhou glued on the spacer

[Poecilotheria]

Hi everyone, while playing the waiting game on my milk case to arrive and Ruby to message back on a dial, I have a couple questions on the dial mounting.
Tripdog had said I'll need to break off the dial mounts and glue the dial to the spacer so that it fits, and of course allows the DWO to rotate. My question on that is: how will I be able to keep the dial+ring secure on the movement? i have never had to do this so I am unaware of this process, so any and all info/advice is welcome! In addition to that question, is anyone familiar with the process of taking an eta2836 and swapping the drive with a swiss 2846? (appears to make it a low beat). I saw a post on rwg someone did it back in 2012, curious if anyone knows how to do that.
Thanks everyone xD

 

[kilowattore]

You'll have to glue the dial+ring assembly to the movement or use dial dots or anything else that allows you to make it stay in place on the movement.

 

[KJ2020]

I'm getting ready to do one of these and plan to just glue new dial feet onto the Ruby's 1675 dial. The dial is 27.3mm, the HZ6460 movement dial feet holes are 24.3mm apart center to center. I believe there should be enough room there to epoxy new dial feet onto the dial. I will cut half the foot base off and sand the corners round to avoid interference with the datewheel. For this dial, I'm going to also sand off some of the outer half of the foot so it can't interfere with the movement ring. The remaining foot base will take the same shape and borders as the dial spacer, as close as I can make it.

Then just a tiny blob of JB Weld epoxy and set the dial right onto the anchored feet. Be sure to check the length of the new feet and shorten them before gluing if needed. They may be too long OOTB to clear the rotor once assembled. They can be shortened after gluing but it's harder and it's an unnecessary risk to the dial and to the glue joint.

Center the dial on the hands posts and line up the 15 minute tic with the stem. There is not a notch on the Ruby's dials. Place a dial protector and I weight the dial down with a DSSD case with caseback removed on top of a die. I can observe the centering through the crystal and make nudged corrections if needed.

I prefer not to glue dials and spacers to movements or use dial dots if at all possible. The spacer needs to be notched where the half foot bases are. That can be done before or after the feet are glued on.

 

[p0pperini]

Following this, as my attempts to successfully epoxy dial feet to dials has been woefully unsuccessful to date. My technique has been identical to KJ's, but every time I do it, the dial ends up getting knocked off the feet as the contact area of epoxy is just too small. It'll be interesting to know if the JB Weld does the trick. I have that, and it's probably the only glue I haven't tried for the job...

Mind you, I really am fantastically clumsy and probably shouldn't be going anywhere near watch modding.

 

[KJ2020]

Following this, as my attempts to successfully epoxy dial feet to dials has been woefully unsuccessful to date. My technique has been identical to KJ's, but every time I do it, the dial ends up getting knocked off the feet as the contact area of epoxy is just too small. It'll be interesting to know if the JB Weld does the trick. I have that, and it's probably the only glue I haven't tried for the job...

Mind you, I really am fantastically clumsy and probably shouldn't be going anywhere near watch modding.

I have used this exact technique with success on several dials already bro. The only difference here is the feet will be slightly narrower on the outside so as not to be able to be contacted by the movement holder. JB Weld has a note in the instructions not to use alcohol on the surfaces prior to gluing. Since I quit doing that, I have not had feet get knocked off unless I stressed them repeatedly, like when setting a datewheel overlay. I use the actual movement and actual dial fitted on the movement when gluing and adjusting a DWO. Sometimes this can take a dozen installs and removals of a dial and I did break a foot off once while doing this. I just reglued it and it's been fine since it had no additional stress placed on it.

 

[p0pperini]

I have used this exact technique with success on several dials already bro. The only difference here is the feet will be slightly narrower on the outside so as not to be able to be contacted by the movement holder. JB Weld has a note in the instructions not to use alcohol on the surfaces prior to gluing. Since I quit doing that, I have not had feet get knocked off unless I stressed them repeatedly, like when setting a datewheel overlay. I use the actual movement and actual dial fitted on the movement when gluing and adjusting a DWO. Sometimes this can take a dozen installs and removals of a dial and I did break a foot off once while doing this. I just reglued it and it's been fine since it had no additional stress placed on it.

That's really good to hear KJ, thanks for elaborating on your method. I was going to give up on this technique, having tried a couple of different superglues and also Araldite type epoxy. JB Weld was a brand I heard about relatively recently (it's not a big brand in the UK to my knowledge).

 

[KJ2020]

I don't secure the movement dial feet clamps when fitting and removing for a DWO install, and am careful but often there's a little friction between the feet and the holes, and there can be asymmetric lifting during removal. I've not broken a foot off ever if it was just a foot placement and dial install.

 

[p0pperini]

I don't secure the movement dial feet clamps when fitting and removing for a DWO install, and am careful but often there's a little friction between the feet and the holes, and there can be asymmetric lifting during removal. I've not broken a foot off ever if it was just a foot placement and dial install.

It's like you're reading my mind when it comes to all the things that have happened to snap the feet off again...

And apologies for the thread hijack @Poecilotheria

 

[Specter1000]

It's like you're reading my mind when it comes to all the things that have happened to snap the feet off again...

And apologies for the thread hijack @Poecilotheria

Man oh man...this is great info. My Milk 1675 has been HELL, mostly because I have fit dial feet at least 5x...and in the process, ruined 2 DWO.

Superglue was the absolute worst. I tried JB weld, but they broke off as well, but I might have used alcohol to clean. Long cure epoxy was no better. I finally got regular epoxy to hold....but I let cure 3 days. My biggest problem was the hand stack...I had to keep taking apart the movement because my second hand needed adjusted so it would not hit the crystal (Clark's).

I now have a different crystal with a bit more clearance, plus, I have the movement completely installed and doing hand setting with the crystal off...movement fully secured with clamps.

It's been a painful journey.

 

[KJ2020]

I now have a different crystal with a bit more clearance, plus, I have the movement completely installed and doing hand setting with the crystal off...movement fully secured with clamps.

It's been a painful journey.

Sometimes the long pinion second hand is too tall. Some of the pinion can be sanded off.

Second hand catching on GMT crystal

Alternately, the bosshua 2836 GMT has a taller pinion second wheel and can take a regular (non-long pinion) seconds hand. You can see the second wheel pinion sticking up above the hour wheel. I know you're a Boss fan, just wanted to mention this aspect of his movement as it differs from the HZ6460.

https://bosshua007.myshopify.com/collections/movememt-parts

 

[KJ2020]

I think it's worth reiterating that I feel weighting the dial down onto the feet is a useful step. The glue forms a complete ring around the base, rising up to nearly the same height. I always let them sit at least 24 hours, sometimes longer - I'll just work on something else and maybe several days go by.

 

[Specter1000]

Sometimes the long pinion second hand is too tall. Some of the pinion can be sanded off.

Second hand catching on GMT crystal

Alternately, the bosshua 2836 GMT has a taller pinion second wheel and can take a regular (non-long pinion) seconds hand. You can see the second wheel pinion sticking up above the hour wheel. I know you're a Boss fan, just wanted to mention this aspect of his movement as it differs from the HZ6460.

https://bosshua007.myshopify.com/collections/movememt-parts

good to know!

 

[p0pperini]

I think it's worth reiterating that I feel weighting the dial down onto the feet is a useful step. The glue forms a complete ring around the base, rising up to nearly the same height. I always let them sit at least 24 hours, sometimes longer - I'll just work on something else and maybe several days go by.

I'm going to copy/paste all the wisdom out of this thread into a "How To" document. The number of times I'm working on a project and am thinking, "Now, someone said something useful about this... but which thread did they mention it in..?" Then I spend 2 hours fruitlessly searching, and in the end I give up, carry on and do it wrong again.

Of course, I'll copy the info into a doc, and then forget that I've done that. So I can't win really. There's really no cure for the condition I call "ageing artist's butterfly brain".

I now have a different crystal with a bit more clearance

BTW, could I ask what alternative plexi you're using please Specter?

 

[Specter1000]

I bought this one...it appears to have an ever so slight larger dome than Clark's.



I haven't put the second hand on yet to see how things work out...I had my old raffles hand on and off so many times, and the last time I was pressing pretty hard to get more clearance, the tube broke off from the hand...new one on order. Like I said, this has been a painful journey...

Not to mention that damn movement ring...that took me forever to get to fit with the clamps.

I have had the dial on and off a million times, the lume has flaked off a little...but that doesn't bother me, it's supposed to be and "old" watch anyway...plus, $150 dial is nothing to throw away.

One one attempt with super glue and dial feet, I had a small amount of glue squeeze onto the dial top...I removed it with acetone, but a minute track marker got a bit wonky...but you can't see it in the finished watch.

 

[p0pperini]

Like I said, this has been a painful journey...

It all sounds very familiar to me... I seem to have a series of mini crises with any build that goes beyond just a case and dial ageing job! Still, it's all part of the fun of modding... isn't it..?

Thanks for the link to the plexi mate, I might give one of those a try on one of the builds. I've got 3 (possibly 4, I lose track) cartel GMTs squirreled away as project watches, but no particular plan for them (apart from one, which I have a white dial for).

 

[yodog]

stop using glue anywhere inside a watch case... theres no need to reattach dial feet. extra work for no clear benefit. I strictly use dial dots which allows for perfect centering when its all buttoned up since it can be shifted and then clamped into the case

 

[Raddave]

stop using glue anywhere inside a watch case... theres no need to reattach dial feet. extra work for no clear benefit. I strictly use dial dots which allows for perfect centering when its all buttoned up since it can be shifted and then clamped into the case

anywhere ?

epoxy included ?

 

[yodog]

anywhere ?

epoxy included ?

epoxy for date wheel overlays yes of course

for spacers, dials, etc... no glue!!

cant count how many times ive opened up a watch and see pieces of dried glue or epoxy tangled in the balance wheel, all over the dial side of the movement. causes problems all over the place. using epoxy to fit dial spacer #1 will make it impossible to remove or #2 dry over time and dial will start shifting

 

[KJ2020]

I have to respectfully disagree about not using JB Weld to glue on dial feet. I greatly prefer having a dial that goes on and off normally then one that I have to pry away gooey dial dots from. I have some JB Weld I used outdoors on yard furniture 5 years ago that hasn't deteriorated a bit in wet, heat, cold, dust, etc.

I used some to glue a socket on a caseback that I couldn't get off any other way and even after soaking 24 hours in acetone, it was only softened a little and took considerable effort to scrape away completely.

No longer than a typical rep will last as initially built, I put money on JB Weld outlasting most other components.

 

[Specter1000]

stop using glue anywhere inside a watch case...

I wish someone would tell that to the Filipinos...I have done a million Seiko mods/restorations, and the cheapest parts come from PI...but man oh man, those movements, dials, cases, bezels, everything
are ALWAYS FULL of epoxy.