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Decal printed dial
- Thread starter Bart Cordell
- Start date
That hosting appears to work well, thanks!
I'm intrigued by your denim texture and nearly perfect lume application. How were both achieved?
Also, the case in the photo above, it looks like a PCG mod, but the chamfers are so sharp. Is it a Vietnamese case?
Thanks! The printer I use I can manipulate in the settings to get that jeans texture. Was more a shot of luck than wisdom haha! The lume I apply under a stereo microscope with two sizes of oilers, one grabs an amount, the other scoops the final amounts to apply.
The case was a pretty simple one from DHgate, that I reworked on using my lapping and polishing tools.
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The "denim" effect is far more natural when using film free, as it is baked, the toner will become fluid and becomes much more smooth, these are dials done some moons ago... Also, on tropical dials it looks more suited...
Also, no matter what decal method you use, you ain't fooling nobody, and those you do fool, you would fool with any poorly executed one.
Also, no matter what decal method you use, you ain't fooling nobody, and those you do fool, you would fool with any poorly executed one.
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That's useful to know, thanks buddy. I've been looking into film free printing but it just looked like it was more expensive and more hassle. So understanding the upsides helps.
Well, yeah, I use Sunnyscopa paper, with W1 glue (important not to take W2!!) then soak the decal three seconds in warm water, and make sure no dust is coming on there, and no fingerprints. The W1 glue I put in a droplet applicator for eyedrops, and then apply one droplet on the dial, place the decal on and slide it. Sunnyscopa sell a squeegy to wipe the fluids from under the decal, but beware that this means the decal can very quickly not move any more at all! Then bake at 100 degrees C for three or four minutes (not longer!!) and gently peel off the film, and then bake it at 220 degrees C for about ten minutes to get it smooth. You can then apply another decal on top if you want less pixellation and more relief.
That's basically the difference. I have used inkjet, laser on film, both with clear coat and polished, which can look very nice, but these methods don't provide gilt relief at all. Therefore I still prefer the film free laser printed method.
stanevo6
computer says no
Thanks, I think they're just such cool watches, and that's what it is about for me. I don't need to have genuine pieces for a number of reasons and don't want to spend thousands on a close as possible rep too. These were only a few hundred dollars tops when released, and what they need to cost today is just insane, more insane than making a rep at this level imho.
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I'd love to see photos of your lapping machine setup if you're willing to share. I know that dedicated lapping machines for watchmaking are in the tens of thousands of dollars, but people like dbane have made their homebrew solutions.
Also, if you have recommendations for a stereo microscope that would be appreciated. I'm in the market for one.
I'm using this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3298...chweb201603_52
With this, and some polishing paste...
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3264...chweb201603_52
And the stereo microscope I am using at home is also Chinese, but at work I have an Olympus, Mantis and also some macro cameras with monitor. The Chinese is fantastic really if you ask me, although it depends on preference and whether you can handle the eye hand coordination well enough. I've worked under these for many years doing soldering work, so the watchmaking under it also came naturally. But the Chinese barely performs less than the Olympus, at a fraction of the cost, and the silicone mat provides an excellent workspace. My avatar picture was actually taken through one eyepiece, with my phone though, but you can also get a trinocular with cam if you want to make vids or stills.
This will do fine:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3305...chweb201603_52
Just take at least 3.5x as minimal magnification, higher makes it very hard to keep a good overview. Also, take the ringlight!
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Thank you, Briteling .
To the rest of the group, has anyone thought of painting a gold plated dial with black enamel then using a laser cutter to etch the paint away? Is this feasible, and would commercially available laser cutters (e.g. epilog / glowforge) have the resolution to do text?
To the rest of the group, has anyone thought of painting a gold plated dial with black enamel then using a laser cutter to etch the paint away? Is this feasible, and would commercially available laser cutters (e.g. epilog / glowforge) have the resolution to do text?
stanevo6
computer says no
I see Krylon Crystal Clear is recommended to coat the dial but it seems like there are different formulations of it. Does it really matter as long as it has a glossy finish?
hope this image works.
Tried to get the light to catch my dial. Should I sand this to remove the texture from spraying the Krylon? Or is this what most people experience and the light is just accentuating it?
This is the dial without the lighting catching all the texture
Tried to get the light to catch my dial. Should I sand this to remove the texture from spraying the Krylon? Or is this what most people experience and the light is just accentuating it?
This is the dial without the lighting catching all the texture
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