Very well said. I totally agree. I'm not concerned with micro-scratches, as that is unfortunately the least of our worries. I don't think micro-scratches take away from the "pop" either. Solvents or paints have given me that problem.
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Ha I figured it was probably nothing to worry about as I won’t be using a magnifying glass probably ever in real life.I suppose the level of polish on a bare brass dial depends on what you are trying to achieve. I can't comment on whether it makes a big difference, or how it compares to a gen 50s/60s gilt dial (haven't seen on in person), but I haven't bothered trying to polish the blanks I am working with. Why?
So I think you are over thinking it some, which is a problem all of us here have.
- They already look very shiny to me
- Magnification to the level of observing scratches will expose all the printing flaws and inaccuracies, never mind completely different technique than pad printing and galvanic printing, which is a bigger tell
- I don't want to have issues with decals (or any method) not adhering properly to a dial because it is microscopically smooth
- The aging and cracks in lacquer (see the example you linked) creates more imperfections than scratches would, and would likely impact the shininess as much or more than scratches in the brass
- Gen gilt dials also have corrosion on the brass, which likely reduces shininess, yet they are still shiny
Thank you for the kind words! I am using an OKI331 (discontinued) home office printer, but I am sure back when I purchased it it had a reputation for cleaner than average prints vs. others in the same class. It's actually 600 x 1200dpi, so I'm guessing the 600dpi part is why I get jagged lines on some prints. It seems to depend on where the print starts, so I could probably get a few dial prints without the jagged edges if I printed an entire 8.5x11" sheet and cherry picked from there.Can't help you as I also have adhesion issues upon peeling that I have yet to resolve, but damn that print looks sharp. Was that on a home office printer or a larger more commercial printer?
Thank you very much, I found itScroll down some and don't forget to check the pages before too.
Decals print dials
rwg.cc
Thank you I'm not ready to put white on the indexes, I'm going to do a camouflage test with two layers of lume one white then one aged. It's a professional laser printer but limited to 1200 dpi. You can clearly see the pixelation when zooming in. I'd have to go to 2400 to get a sharper print. When I see @manodeoro's dials... I wonder what this "magic" is all about. I've just bought a glossy acrylic varnish and I'm going to apply it and continue when I get back from my weekend.That's looking very nice. Is the slight red tint around the text from printing in color on a laser printer, or is that an inkjet print? (I noticed it on the chapter ring dial at "200x magnification)."
Seems way more common for inkjets, but I've had it happen to me on laser printers too.
I think you'd be a pig in shit if you could put some white behind the indices before applying the print. That's my next goal, but I don't have a fool proof method yet.