Decal printed dial

[janneau]

A few other things I was playing around with this weekend.
Lumed the 'Bart' finally.
A black and white 'Singer'
Lumed the sunburst
A gilt 'Singer' (not doing it for me really)



Probably going to build the sunburst one first with some snowflake hands. I was going to build the date Tudor Singer-esque, but I'm liking the steell look of the sunburst. The B&W and fantasy Gilt Singers were lume practice more than anything. Not happy with the lume on the Bart either

 

[Dumbellbee]

Are there any tricks or tips for peeling off the film paper to get a 100% perfect result? I’ve tried making a dial with a white paint base more than 20 times, but I still haven’t achieved a perfect outcome… What I’ve learned is that the smoother the white paint surface, the higher the chance the toner will stick perfectly. But are there any other variables that affect the result?

 

[WatchN3RD]

Are there any tricks or tips for peeling off the film paper to get a 100% perfect result? I’ve tried making a dial with a white paint base more than 20 times, but I still haven’t achieved a perfect outcome… What I’ve learned is that the smoother the white paint surface, the higher the chance the toner will stick perfectly. But are there any other variables that affect the result?

Yes, there are tricks, but they are often just luck.

To answer your question, can you please provide every detail possible?

Is the dial brass or copper?
How are you cleaning the dial, and are you sanding it? If so, with what grit?
It's a real bitch considering all the things that can go wrong, but the more details you provide, the more likely your problems have been resolved by people who've already made similar mistakes.

For white specifically, you need to be sure the white paint will stick to the dial through every temperature and environment it will go through. If that's solved, then you should only have to only worry about fixing the adhesion.

 

[manodeoro]

Are there any tricks or tips for peeling off the film paper to get a 100% perfect result? I’ve tried making a dial with a white paint base more than 20 times, but I still haven’t achieved a perfect outcome… What I’ve learned is that the smoother the white paint surface, the higher the chance the toner will stick perfectly. But are there any other variables that affect the result?

try to wet sand the white paint using 2000 grit sand paper then "cook" it for a bit around 80°C ... depends on the paint you used as some can turn to yellowish if cooked at too high temperature.

 

[Dumbellbee]

Yes, there are tricks, but they are often just luck.

To answer your question, can you please provide every detail possible?

Is the dial brass or copper?
How are you cleaning the dial, and are you sanding it? If so, with what grit?
It's a real bitch considering all the things that can go wrong, but the more details you provide, the more likely your problems have been resolved by people who've already made similar mistakes.

For white specifically, you need to be sure the white paint will stick to the dial through every temperature and environment it will go through. If that's solved, then you should only have to only worry about fixing the adhesion.

I sacrificed a Raffles dial. At first i only used white paint, but when I pulled off the free film, the paint came off with it. After that, I added a primer coat to fix the issue. So the process became: sand dial base eith 500 grit > primer coat > sand with 2000 grit > white coat > sand with 2000 grit > apply free film > bake for 4 minutes and 30 seconds (my magic time) > cool it off > peel the film. But I always end up getting flaws > repeat 🫠. What glue should I use?

 

[Dumbellbee]

try to wet sand the white paint using 2000 grit sand paper then "cook" it for a bit around 80°C ... depends on the paint you used as some can turn to yellowish if cooked at too high temperature.

I did it with a heatgun, but ill give it a try thanks.

Here’s the best result I can get with the method above.

 

[manodeoro]

I did it with a heatgun, but ill give it a try thanks.

Here’s the best result I can get with the method above.

your problem could be your printer ... which definition do you use ?.. on my side I print 1200ppp

 

[Dumbellbee]

your problem could be your printer ... which definition do you use ?.. on my side I print 1200ppp

Idk I printed it at a print shop, and my design is on 1200dpi but the result always has a bit of bleeding, which makes all the details and text appear smaller than the original design. I’m happy enough if I can get a perfect peel off result. In the image above, there was a flaw where the toner didn’t apply perfectly in the holes of the R, O, Y, and S. Lucky enough i was able to fix it with black acrylic paint managed to repair the super tiny flawed area with my trembling fingers.

 

[WatchN3RD]

I sacrificed a Raffles dial. At first i only used white paint, but when I pulled off the free film, the paint came off with it. After that, I added a primer coat to fix the issue. So the process became: sand dial base eith 500 grit > primer coat > sand with 2000 grit > white coat > sand with 2000 grit > apply free film > bake for 4 minutes and 30 seconds (my magic time) > cool it off > peel the film. But I always end up getting flaws > repeat 🫠. What glue should I use?

Is your paint not sticking to the dial, or the toner not sticking to the paint? If the paint is sticking to the dial now, you can try using a gloss or matte medium for glue, if you want to try the glue route. Look at clear mediums sold with acrylic paint at an art or craft store.

 

[matzemedia]

Maybe this helps. It is my best practice for toner transfer (not inc):

• I directly transfer to the brass dial
• I sand the dial with a 400 grid. Too much was a problem in my case.
• Be sure the dial is flat; otherwise bend it
• Be sure the dial is clean (I use isopropanol) and there is no rest of isopropanol at the dial
• The key is to add the film without air/water bobbles underneath. I use a folded kitchen roll and spread it with pressure over the film.
• I put the dial at 120°C for 10 minutes into the heater.

 

[chrome72]

@matzemedia to your point about applying the decal without water/air bubbles…have you tried pulling it off under water so it floats to the surface? It should float flat and no bubbles. Then bring the dial up from underneath it in the water. It should lay flat against the dial and you can then squeegee any excess water out. Not sure if that would help with that step

 

[matzemedia]

@matzemedia to your point about applying the decal without water/air bubbles…have you tried pulling it off under water so it floats to the surface? It should float flat and no bubbles. Then bring the dial up from underneath it in the water. It should lay flat against the dial and you can then squeegee any excess water out. Not sure if that would help with that step

No I have not tried this. But I think everything gets to wet. As you may know: the more water there is between the film and the dial, the more slippery the film is and you won't be able to position it.

 

[WatchN3RD]

No I have not tried this. But I think everything gets to wet. As you may know: the more water there is between the film and the dial, the more slippery the film is and you won't be able to position it.

I agree. When it's really wet, it's extremely easy to mistakenly move the film while trying to remove air bubbles. I've moved transfers before with a small soft paint brush, so it's not hard to mess it up when it's "floating" on the dial.

Can you please share more details about the "folded kitchen roll" technique? Assuming Kitchen Roll is the more European term and Paper Towel is the more common term in the US, but do you only do it initially, or is this also done when it's heated in oven?

I've got some spare prints on the same paper as you, but I never tried since I had Sunnyscopa and their glue. I might try the glue-free method just for fun. Definitely an advantage if there's no glue.

 

[WatchN3RD]

I'd like to retry making a tropical gilt like this one I tested out using a brown print. It was somewhat promising, but I have some better prints on the non-sonnyscopa paper.

 

[turbo911]

so i am out of dial blanks. I read that some of you order blank dials from raffles? i asked them and they said they have only unbranded 28.5mm Explorer dials, so no blank dials.
i especially need 27,5/27,3mm dials with date window in RLX location

any tips?

 

[WatchN3RD]

so i am out of dial blanks. I read that some of you order blank dials from raffles? i asked them and they said they have only unbranded 28.5mm Explorer dials, so no blank dials.
i especially need 27,5/27,3mm dials with date window in RLX location

any tips?

-Buy raffles
-Or some cheap dials on Ali Ex with a 3135 date window position and add the necessary dial feet.

With both, just put them in Acetone, or Lacquer Thinner, in a small jar to remove all the paint. You can use a paint brush to agitate if needed. Acetone will take everything off so you'll end up with a brass blank. Also, you might want two jars to wash it twice. Once to get everything off and second time to remove any film or residue that isn't seen by the naked eye.

 

[WatchN3RD]

Personally, I just use a miniature grape, strawberry, jam, jelly, or preserves glass. Drop the dial in, and check in 15 minutes to see pure brass.

 

[janneau]

The blue isn't as sharp as I'd like, but I think that's the limit of my printer.

 

[WatchN3RD]

The blue isn't as sharp as I'd like, but I think that's the limit of my printer.

Did you get a new printer? That looks awesome, and the lume is amazing too. What's the haps on the craps, mi amigo?

 

[janneau]

Did you get a new printer? That looks awesome, and the lume is amazing too. What's the haps on the craps, mi amigo?

Thanks. I had to increase the size of the logo, hence the loss of the OSC text at the bottom. I had to trial and error to get a shade blue that basically only used the Cyan ink in the printer. Any shade darker and there would have been magenta in the mix and because of the size, there would have been a noticeable halftone of red dots in it.