re-luming a dial

[ken fingerlove]

I'm just making a deal for a Stowa pilot's watch, and it's going to be my little project.

I want to relume it in orange SL.

This will cost me to DIY - lume kit + orange SL (probably $80) hand removing and replacing tools ($60?), some screwdrivers, etc..

So maybe close to $200, and I might just make a balls of it, but I'd have some tools at the end of the day.

Getting someone (The Zigmeister???) to do it - I have no idea how much that would cost (there are a lot of luminous numbers on the dial), but at least it would be done right..

Has anyone given this sort of thing a go? How successful were you? Were you pleased with the end result? What do you recommend?

p.s. I like the way if you type z-i-g-g-y it gets replaced with "The Zigmeister" - much more fitting

(It was this or buy a rep IWC - and I didn't like the enormouse size of the IWC big pilot)

[JohnG]

I'm just making a deal for a Stowa pilot's watch, and it's going to be my little project.

I want to relume it in orange SL.

This will cost me to DIY - lume kit + orange SL (probably $80) hand removing and replacing tools ($60?), some screwdrivers, etc..

So maybe close to $200, and I might just make a balls of it, but I'd have some tools at the end of the day.

Getting someone (The Zigmeister???) to do it - I have no idea how much that would cost (there are a lot of luminous numbers on the dial), but at least it would be done right..

Has anyone given this sort of thing a go? How successful were you? Were you pleased with the end result? What do you recommend?

p.s. I like the way if you type z-i-g-g-y it gets replaced with "The Zigmeister" - much more fitting

(It was this or buy a rep IWC - and I didn't like the enormouse size of the IWC big pilot)

$200???!!! Where are you buying your lume? $60 for hand puller?

You can do it yourself, there are plenty of tutorials, practice first on old watches or even better, on coke cans, or other objects of no value.

I paid $10 for a 1/4 ounce of powder from GlowInc. My hand puller cost me around $15 WITH shipping. I bought setters but you can also use an old ballpoint.

But if it is going to cost you $200, have a professional do it.

[Toadtorrent]

There are a number of factors that will influence success.

• How comfortable are you working under magnification (a loupe)?
  
• How comfortable are you painting?
  
• Are you planning on doing more lume work in the future?
  

I agree that a set of tools will cost you at least $60. Like JG said, a cheap handpuller will only cost about $15, but you'll need a good set of screwdrivers to remove movements, a loupe, maybe a case opening tool (or tape, or whatever), Rodico, non-magnetic tweezers, etc.

Expect your first job to be completely botched...so don't experiment on the dial you want to keep. SL orders will do about 3 dials, and a lume job on the dials costs about $100 USD with shipping. Hands add on another $50.

Zig has stated before that learning to lume with gen Tritec SL is the most expensive but less frustrating as the product has a much easier consistency to work with.

I've seen many a crappy lume job. Whether or not you get success also depends on your tolerance level for quality.

Good luck.

[mad dawg]

Over the last couple of weeks I have been "learning lume".

Tools and materials cost <$100. Lume is ver very cheap, like $30 for 100gm!!

It aint easy coz you have to experiment with composition of the lume paint, stripping old lume, application tools and techniques and disassembling watches etc. This CAN be all good fun (is for me).

However if you are only interested in the final product then by far it is best to get it done by a pro.

My 2c

MD

Edited September 3, 2009 by mad dawg

[Toadtorrent]

Exactly like Mad Dawg said, you DIY to learn the process, knowing that you might botch a dial or 2 in the process...so go to a pawn shop and ask for the cheapest POS with something similar to what you want to work on, and go at it...movement working or not. See what consistency works, what doesn't, what tools work, what don't, etc.

I've got a dial ready to experiment with it too...but have so far limited my DIY to packaging the watch and mailing it off , all by myself.

[ken fingerlove]

It's awkward. I have a lowish capacity to look at a crappy result, but my feelin is that I have a high capacity for producing said crappy result.

I was looking at ofrei for prices. I hadn't seen the SL in orange anywhere else.

I'll think about tuis some more I think.

J

[Toadtorrent]

I always understood RC Tritec to be the only place that sold gen SL outside of re-sells from private individuals. Zig uses a small oiler to do the dials...says it spreads like snot. That should be an indicator of consistency to aim for at least when mixing the stuff up.

[mad dawg]

+1 for oiler

I practiced by luming letters on magazines. Lots of different shapes and sizes there.

MD

[ken fingerlove]

I always understood RC Tritec to be the only place that sold gen SL outside of re-sells from private individuals. Zig uses a small oiler to do the dials...says it spreads like snot. That should be an indicator of consistency to aim for at least when mixing the stuff up.

I looked at the site, but couldn't find anywhere to buy the stuff.

The only place that sells the orange lume is ofrei, that I can see anyway. And at $35 a pop (although that is the kit, and I have no idea how much that would cover), I'm not sure how much practicing I can afford.

The magazines suggestion was excellent - if I do go down this route, I'll definitely do that.

[Toadtorrent]

You have to email them asking for a sample as an independent hobbyist or something like that.

You can also try this thread for a cheaper alternative.

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