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Beginning my 6538 Build…
- Thread starter DeLoMan
- Start date
Worked on aging the hands a bit more. Calling her done!
Nice!! I would call it done as well. sooo what are you building next lol
Enjoy it , I plan on eventually getting a gilt dial for mine and I will call it complete also
Enjoy it , I plan on eventually getting a gilt dial for mine and I will call it complete also
Great watch build , I am absolutely thrilled with your craftmanship. I am collecting parts for a similar build but with a smaller watch case. i cant find a 37.5 but have found a 38 mm case. but looking for a band is very difficult. I do not want the NATO band as its a black i have been searching high and low for a navy blue in the nine strips.
I found this but it's not in production anymore.
Anyway the hunt is the fun.
also your 8mm brevet is divine...good job chap.
Elmarko
I found this but it's not in production anymore.
Anyway the hunt is the fun.
also your 8mm brevet is divine...good job chap.
Elmarko
Thank you! This is the 16mm non-NATO Bond strap I ended up finding after a long search: https://www.esprit-nato.com/en/nylo...y-in-goldfinger-black-military-green-red.html
Good luck with your build!
One more tweak I did this evening. My bezel wasn‘t brass enough for my liking. After watching a YouTube video about a common process to brass plate metal, I got inspired. So I took it apart tonight, hit it with a propane torch again to get it good and hot, and this time hit it with a brass wire wheel on a drill while the bezel was still extremely hot. I went around the entire bezel for multiple passes. This proved to be a MUCH better approach that actually puts a thin layer of brass on the bezel. I then hit it with a few coats of Testors clear lacquer to try to protect it from rubbing away in daily use. I wish the bezel teeth were more like gen, but at least the color is good now!
Nice outcome. I got this brass look on my bezel just by putting it on a heating plate for some minutes.
Was astonished how good the brass colour came out.
Will do one more 6538 soon. Got a nice gilt dial made to fit raffles case.
Was astonished how good the brass colour came out.
Will do one more 6538 soon. Got a nice gilt dial made to fit raffles case.
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Thanks! I did not use any chemicals, only light sanding and some tumbling in a box of screws.
Hello everyone,
I would like to see if you can help me a little bit.
I would like to get something like this in principle, it is a 6536-1 which more or less fits the aliexpress box that some of us have ordered that @369mafia has used.
For the dial I've thought about using tamiya with a nail brush, although I might be short of it?
Regarding the hands, I read that some of you use vinegar and salt and even hydrogen peroxide. I would like to get this effect between the rust and the white color, do you think that spraying directly to the hands I could get it? Or should I dip in the vinegar concentration?
Thank you!
To update this build thread, I ended up buying the AliExpress case that @369mafia shared in another thread. The shape is very nice, but the lug holes are too far to the edges to be drilled to 1.2mm/1.3mm. As a result, I used the bezel off that $29 case and installed it on my Raffles build.
The bottom of the bezel has teeth that need to be sanded off (180 grit sandpaper), and then I went around the edges of the bezel with the same grit to give it some wear. Then I heated it up with a torch, and brassed it with a wire wheel. Photos below, but I think this greatly adds to the appearance of the build having a more gen-like bezel design. The brass still needs to tarnish a bit as this was just completed last night!
The bottom of the bezel has teeth that need to be sanded off (180 grit sandpaper), and then I went around the edges of the bezel with the same grit to give it some wear. Then I heated it up with a torch, and brassed it with a wire wheel. Photos below, but I think this greatly adds to the appearance of the build having a more gen-like bezel design. The brass still needs to tarnish a bit as this was just completed last night!
nicely done. looks great!To update this build thread, I ended up buying the AliExpress case that @369mafia shared in another thread. The shape is very nice, but the lug holes are too far to the edges to be drilled to 1.2mm/1.3mm. As a result, I used the bezel off that $29 case and installed it on my Raffles build.
The bottom of the bezel has teeth that need to be sanded off (180 grit sandpaper), and then I went around the edges of the bezel with the same grit to give it some wear. Then I heated it up with a torch, and brassed it with a wire wheel. Photos below, but I think this greatly adds to the appearance of the build having a more gen-like bezel design. The brass still needs to tarnish a bit as this was just completed last night!
Wow, that looks fantastic. Can you share where you got the fat springs with rounded ends? What a great looking build.I forgot what a PITA cutting a stem to the perfect length is. Especially when I had the dial spaced a bit too much and the stem was being angled in the case. In any case…resolved that, and here is the finished product! Raffles case, HR dial I aged, Tiger insert, Tiger hands, NH38 movement, and a cheap AliExpress leather strap (for now). Really pleased with how this came out for a relatively low budget build.
