Correct. With a positive photoresist, the areas exposed to the UV light will be washed away by the developer.
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Making a gilt dial (not decal)
- Thread starter chrome72
- Start date
It’s been a bit. Got some time to try out new stuff today
i did the photoresist route. I need even pressure across all sides but otherwise the photoresist came out pretty good for a first attempt
I then did black nickel plating. The black looks great in person.
here is where something went wrong
In order to remove the photoresist you need a mixture of lye and water. Drain cleaner has 100% lye but I’m not sure of the ratio. When I put my plated dial in the drain cleaner the plating looks to have dissolved. I don’t know if there is a curing time for plating before you do anything to it but I just chunked it in after plating.
I did a test plating on a dial I made with my stamp and will let it dry and see if I have the same issue.
for the electroplaters out there is there a curing time for new plating?
i did the photoresist route. I need even pressure across all sides but otherwise the photoresist came out pretty good for a first attempt
I then did black nickel plating. The black looks great in person.
here is where something went wrong
In order to remove the photoresist you need a mixture of lye and water. Drain cleaner has 100% lye but I’m not sure of the ratio. When I put my plated dial in the drain cleaner the plating looks to have dissolved. I don’t know if there is a curing time for plating before you do anything to it but I just chunked it in after plating.
I did a test plating on a dial I made with my stamp and will let it dry and see if I have the same issue.
for the electroplaters out there is there a curing time for new plating?
Also another lesson learned is to dip plate not brush plate. Some of the photoresist mask appears to have been brushed off.
There is no curing time for an electroplating. Nickel should not react with lye (NaOH, sodium hydroxide). Maybe try to remove the photoresist with acetone.
..or try to expose the dial again after plating to UV light and put it into the developer again.
Attempt #2
im not getting a crisp print, I think my mask is slightly off just enough. Anyone know if 2 layers of transparency paper prints are really necessary to form the mask?
I opted to brush plate again because I wanted to get down the stripping part which I think I nailed my drain cleaner/water ratio to strip the photoresist mask. The brush plating is semi burned in spots but looks like a good black when viewing from straight on.
awesome shimmer in the sun from the polished brass. The second pic is a gif but didn’t know how to make it gif so click the second image for some shimmer in action. .
making progress!
im not getting a crisp print, I think my mask is slightly off just enough. Anyone know if 2 layers of transparency paper prints are really necessary to form the mask?
I opted to brush plate again because I wanted to get down the stripping part which I think I nailed my drain cleaner/water ratio to strip the photoresist mask. The brush plating is semi burned in spots but looks like a good black when viewing from straight on.
awesome shimmer in the sun from the polished brass. The second pic is a gif but didn’t know how to make it gif so click the second image for some shimmer in action. .
making progress!
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Big success!
tinkered with my method. Made this in 5 minutes but I think I e got my variables nailed down to do this in a co trolled manner. Need to figure out good way to center my design on dial. Still need to dip plate rather than brush plate as I can tell where the alligator clamps were on the dial. But here is test #5. I’m ecstatic with the results that all came on quick thought last night.
tinkered with my method. Made this in 5 minutes but I think I e got my variables nailed down to do this in a co trolled manner. Need to figure out good way to center my design on dial. Still need to dip plate rather than brush plate as I can tell where the alligator clamps were on the dial. But here is test #5. I’m ecstatic with the results that all came on quick thought last night.
Good to see that you are making progress. I think you are on a good way. For the electrical connection, maybe solder a thin wire to the backside, and snip it off afterwards.
- 13/10/16
- 3,917
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Big success!
tinkered with my method. Made this in 5 minutes but I think I e got my variables nailed down to do this in a co trolled manner. Need to figure out good way to center my design on dial. Still need to dip plate rather than brush plate as I can tell where the alligator clamps were on the dial. But here is test #5. I’m ecstatic with the results that all came on quick thought last night.
Really good progress ... congrats !!!
Maybe I could prepare a dial plate with toner mask already on then send it to you and let you do the electroplating
Big success!
tinkered with my method. Made this in 5 minutes but I think I e got my variables nailed down to do this in a co trolled manner. Need to figure out good way to center my design on dial. Still need to dip plate rather than brush plate as I can tell where the alligator clamps were on the dial. But here is test #5. I’m ecstatic with the results that all came on quick thought last night.
Looking good mate, you’re getting a lot closer.
A little closer to the finish line. I sprayed this with a 5 layers of nitrocellulose lacquer and will try smoothing it and polishing it in a week or so after it hardens. Every dial is now used to test the next step in finishing. I tried dip plating this one but I need to tinker with that method as it is not as simple as cathode and anode in the plating solution. Lots of variables there too.
there are a lot of things that can go wrong when making these kinds of dials which is echoing articles I’ve read where for any one dial that was commercially viable there were many that had minor flaws. I’ll post all my learnings in a separate post when I have this nailed down.
there are a lot of things that can go wrong when making these kinds of dials which is echoing articles I’ve read where for any one dial that was commercially viable there were many that had minor flaws. I’ll post all my learnings in a separate post when I have this nailed down.
Also I have a previous test dial I made sitting out in the Texas heat, humidity and UV to see if the black nickel tropicalizes at all left unprotected.
Got a 99% successful mask. Had a smudge of grease apparently on the dial prior to plating which came through on the dial post plating. Font and logo are very legible. Black nickel has a glossy, deep black appearance.
i apparently suck at centering holes.
next one I think will be my first 100% successful dial with all my failures and lessons learned. However I think I can say I made a freaking galvanic gilt dial.
i apparently suck at centering holes.
next one I think will be my first 100% successful dial with all my failures and lessons learned. However I think I can say I made a freaking galvanic gilt dial.
- 27/4/16
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Got a 99% successful mask. Had a smudge of grease apparently on the dial prior to plating which came through on the dial post plating. Font and logo are very legible. Black nickel has a glossy, deep black appearance.
i apparently suck at centering holes.
next one I think will be my first 100% successful dial with all my failures and lessons learned. However I think I can say I made a freaking galvanic gilt dial.
that's great man. Bravo!!!
The minute markers on the right side are sharper, thinner. Looks like the master has no flat contact with the dial during exposure and stray light gets it from the sides. Also, the master should be mirror-inverted so that the printed side faces the dial.
Got a 99% successful mask. Had a smudge of grease apparently on the dial prior to plating which came through on the dial post plating. Font and logo are very legible. Black nickel has a glossy, deep black appearance.
i apparently suck at centering holes.
next one I think will be my first 100% successful dial with all my failures and lessons learned. However I think I can say I made a freaking galvanic gilt dial.
Wow, I’m looking forward to the production batch
I’m was using an older template that had some flaws as learn how to perfect everything so the thickness issues are inherent to the actual design itself. I couldn’t quite nail the photoresist and ended up going back to toner transfer after a random thought on how to control heat and pressure. The photoresist is sidelined for a short bit. Why is it important for the actual printed side faces the dial and not the other side?
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Tried a different template and surprised how detailed the Tudor rose came out. The transfer of the mask came out amazing minus a few spots on the 15 minute plots and I thought I could use this one to lume up. Was sure my technique was nailed. Tried a different plating technique and not sure if I removed some of the minute markers on accident.
Last attempt before 2 week vacation.
if I was going for the world famous Tulor brand I nailed it.
I am using toner transfer and I believe I have diagnosed the problem of not a 100% transfer. I think the paper is fusing to the molten toner and as I lift the transfer paper it’s pulling a bit of the toner with it. I can see it happening. Anyone familiar with toner transfer know if this is a heat/pressure issue or let the dial soak In water for hours for the paper to lift off on its own?
if I was going for the world famous Tulor brand I nailed it.
I am using toner transfer and I believe I have diagnosed the problem of not a 100% transfer. I think the paper is fusing to the molten toner and as I lift the transfer paper it’s pulling a bit of the toner with it. I can see it happening. Anyone familiar with toner transfer know if this is a heat/pressure issue or let the dial soak In water for hours for the paper to lift off on its own?