pbdad Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 First Rolex modding venture: I've chased after the idea of a 6538 big crown for some time. I finally decided to pull the trigger after I had some positive feedback form members here on rwg. I started with Yuki's 6538 case set complete with big crown, upgraded bezel, and riveted stretch bracelet. I'm didn't want to jump right into modding a $850 case set without a little practice first. So, I ordered up a cheap 5517 from Trevor and had at it. Softened all the sharp edges, soaked the insert in pool chlorine, cleaned up the CGs a bit, softened the dial and relumed and recolored the indices, and "gilted" the hands. I chose this method of reluming since I read that the tritium in the indice's and hand's integrity tend to degrade over time. I confirm this with a simple google search. I'm not a fan of super clean lines on indices as it tends to make it too new looking. Not bad for a first effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Congrats .. the Military Subs are addicting..what isn't .. AC Lani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HaloArchive Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 How did you do that to the dial and hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmg Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 PB, great job on the patina that looks like its seen some action! I might suggest a little more shaping on inside of the CG's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Not bad indeed, that's looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbdad Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 thanks everyone... toomuchgear: how much more should I take off the CGs? any pics? dial and hands were aged using water sandpaper, spit and shine, and some special lume recipe. I've been playing with vintage PAMs for a while, and even though this was my first Rolex vintage project, it seems like old hat to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted October 18, 2009 Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Yeah, yeah, nice watch! Awesome! Where did you source that olive drab receiver for your 26? That's must have gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbdad Posted October 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2009 Yeah, yeah, nice watch! Awesome! Where did you source that olive drab receiver for your 26? That's must have gear. ha! it's a OEM OD 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 MmmmK, thank you pb. Not a gun hobbyist, just needed the one, and bought the model 22. Love that receiver. Just don't drop it in the field...............you'll never find it. lol Gotta love a marketing scheme that pairs a CWP hand gun with 'sniper' camo. I wonder what the orchestators of Ch. 790 think about that? Enjoy the watch................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmg Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 thanks everyone... toomuchgear: how much more should I take off the CGs? any pics? dial and hands were aged using water sandpaper, spit and shine, and some special lume recipe. I've been playing with vintage PAMs for a while, and even though this was my first Rolex vintage project, it seems like old hat to me. The insides should be a little more parallel to each other, not so angled if that makes sense. Here's a pix of a gen with some slightly uneven in size CG's, which is not that uncommon on vintage. Again, your dial really looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin tama Posted October 19, 2009 Report Share Posted October 19, 2009 hey that looks great....heres one ive been pounding on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolexmaniac88 Posted November 8, 2009 Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 First Rolex modding venture: I've chased after the idea of a 6538 big crown for some time. I finally decided to pull the trigger after I had some positive feedback form members here on rwg. I started with Yuki's 6538 case set complete with big crown, upgraded bezel, and riveted stretch bracelet. I'm didn't want to jump right into modding a $850 case set without a little practice first. So, I ordered up a cheap 5517 from Trevor and had at it. Softened all the sharp edges, soaked the insert in pool chlorine, cleaned up the CGs a bit, softened the dial and relumed and recolored the indices, and "gilted" the hands. I chose this method of reluming since I read that the tritium in the indice's and hand's integrity tend to degrade over time. I confirm this with a simple google search. I'm not a fan of super clean lines on indices as it tends to make it too new looking. Not bad for a first effort. Love the vintage look you gave to this one! BTW, i'm on my own 5517 project. Who is Trevor? Is he a watch collector? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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