How to make a true gilt dial on the cheap - Tropical or Black

[jamiex]

@chrome72 I hope so, let us know because I’ve just paid £9 each for three of them from a Seiko mods shop.

 

[chrome72]

Showing a diy gilt dial in a 6542 and explorer case as they are on the docket when my brass dials come in.

 

[chrome72]

Tinkered with an acid that should give me browns to blacks. I got what I feel was a nice dark black. It would be darker with a lacquer on it. Just showing colors you can get on bare brass.

 

[Danza1813]

@chrome72 any ideas how to get the correct texture on the 7928 dial when adding laquer?

 

[chrome72]

@chrome72 any ideas how to get the correct texture on the 7928 dial when adding laquer?

@Danza1813 got examples of what texture you want to achieve?

 

[Danza1813]

@Danza1813 got examples of what texture you want to achieve?

 

[chrome72]

The closest you can probably get is through what’s called orange peel in the painting world. Do a Google search for something like “rwi aging dial texture” and look at the images. There are lots of threads on people adding texture via spray lacquer. Find something similar to what you are aiming for and see if they give details on how they applied the lacquer. Ultimately it boils down to “poor” application technique. But in your case that “poor” application is the desired effect. You should be able to get something very similar to this.

 

[chrome72]

Another more radical solution is to take your brass dial and put it in ferric chloride and let some of it be eaten away. This will give you the bumpiness. Clean the dial and then apply the toner transfer and then oxidize the brass. You should then get the uneven surface.

If you have Facebook check out laszek guilloche. He does toner transfer but acid etches. You can see some of his dials have that bumpy look like you posted a pic of.

 

[Danza1813]

Another more radical solution is to take your brass dial and put it in ferric chloride and let some of it be eaten away. This will give you the bumpiness. Clean the dial and then apply the toner transfer and then oxidize the brass. You should then get the uneven surface.

If you have Facebook check out laszek guilloche. He does toner transfer but acid etches. You can see some of his dials have that bumpy look like you posted a pic of.

Attempt number one at the 7928 dial, not bad but I’ve used krylon crystal clear and probably need a Matt varnish for the finish to be more accurate.

 

[Danza1813]

The 6538 is about where I want it though.

The brass black worked perfectly after 3 one minute soaks, gently rinsing, drying and rubbing with a soft cloth between each soak. I’ve found q tips in nail polish remover worked best for removing the toner mask, as on occasion using a make up pad took off some of the oxidisation on the dial.

Then varnished with 3/4 layers of krylon. Ready for an attempt at lume and installation in the next few weeks.

 

[chrome72]

The 6538 is about where I want it though.

The brass black worked perfectly after 3 one minute soaks, gently rinsing, drying and rubbing with a soft cloth between each soak. I’ve found q tips in nail polish remover worked best for removing the toner mask, as on occasion using a make up pad took off some of the oxidisation on the dial.

Then varnished with 3/4 layers of krylon. Ready for an attempt at lume and installation in the next few weeks.

if you are aiming for something near perfection, i think you might be pressing too hard as the Rolex crown and 12 oclock marker is a bit distorted. It has a bit of fuzziness to it. My Rolex ones always work out the best for me as they are a bit larger, less complex than the Tudor rose logo and I get perfect transfers with no distortions. When i burnish the paper, I use a wooden clothespin and the amount of pressure I am putting on is like a gentle caress. I do it all around, up, down, left, right to make sure everything has been transferred. If you really don't care about it, then my feedback can be ignored

 

[manodeoro]

from my own experience I guess there's 2 "easy" options to get such a texture ... or mething close ...

1 - you want texture both on black and gilt parts :
- use a matte spray lacquer ...
- 2 coats applied without letting the first completely cure before applying the second one ...
if you're lucky enough you'll get something like this ...

2 - you want texture on the black parts only :
- mix clear glue with some talcum powder and apply it on the polished dial before transfering the toner ...
- put the dial in a bowl when it's perfectly cold, pour some boiling water on it and let it soak for a few minutes ...
- carefully wash it with some dishwashing detergent and tepid water to remove all the glue (and talcum powder) on the gold parts ...
- rinse will cold water ...
I tried that method just once but the result was quite nice ...

 

[manodeoro]

@chrome72 ... Hi
It's been a long time I haven't read your thread ... too much work at the office too much work at home redoing the bathroom but I'm still working on watches and still making gilt dials ...
Those days I'm working on a 6536/8 project ... still a long way to go but I guess that dial will be really nice after lume work

 

[chrome72]

from my own experience I guess there's 2 "easy" options to get such a texture ... or mething close ...

1 - you want texture both on black and gilt parts :
- use a matte spray lacquer ...
- 2 coats applied without letting the first completely cure before applying the second one ...
if you're lucky enough you'll get something like this ...

2 - you want texture on the black parts only :
- mix clear glue with some talcum powder and apply it on the polished dial before transfering the toner ...
- put the dial in a bowl when it's perfectly cold, pour some boiling water on it and let it soak for a few minutes ...
- carefully wash it with some dishwashing detergent and tepid water to remove all the glue (and talcum powder) on the gold parts ...
- rinse will cold water ...
I tried that method just once but the result was quite nice ...

I am confused on your second method. Im reading it as you put the glue and talcum powder on the polished dial only to wash it off. Can you expand that a bit further on how that gives you the texture if it’s washed away?

 

[manodeoro]

I am confused on your second method. Im reading it as you put the glue and talcum powder on the polished dial only to wash it off. Can you expand that a bit further on how that gives you the texture if it’s washed away?

I apply the glue mix BEFORE applying the toner so the talcum powder is sticked between the toner and the dial base.
The glue mix is washed away on the gilt parts so they stay polished.

 

[bigtiddygothgf]

@chrome72 ... Hi
It's been a long time I haven't read your thread ... too much work at the office too much work at home redoing the bathroom but I'm still working on watches and still making gilt dials ...
Those days I'm working on a 6536/8 project ... still a long way to go but I guess that dial will be really nice after lume work

Wow, I'm always amazed at the crazy sharp results you get from these homemade dials. Film free decal like the rest?

 

[chrome72]

I apply the glue mix BEFORE applying the toner so the talcum powder is sticked between the toner and the dial base.
The glue mix is washed away on the gilt parts so they stay polished.

Gotcha. I wouldn’t expect any oxidizers or plating to go on cleanly though. This is more for the dry film method you do right?

 

[manodeoro]

Gotcha. I wouldn’t expect any oxidizers or plating to go on cleanly though. This is more for the dry film method you do right?

YEP ... sometimes it's too much clean

 

[chrome72]

@chrome72 I hope so, let us know because I’ve just paid £9 each for three of them from a Seiko mods shop.

Confirming they are brass. Got 20 of them

 

[chrome72]

So that’s $3 per brass dial. Pretty good deal. Granted they are 28.5mm and fit the nh35 movement. If you use a different movement you can just cut the feet and widen dial opening a bit if needed before using the dial.