TeeJay Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 I've had this dial for quite some time, as it was originally intended to be part of a project, which for reasons I won't go into here, is simply not going to happen anymore. It was one of the typical faux-vintages available with the yellow paint on the markers which doesn't look particularly old, so my intention was always to re-finish the dial. To that end, I scraped the paint from the markers down to the bare brass, and then re-filled with matte white paint, topped with Revell Night Color (I also had to tidy up some of the edges of the markers with matte black, from where the screwdriver slipped and removed black dial paint Some of that 'restoration' work was more successful than others... In addition to this, I had to re-apply the markers at 39 seconds and 54 seconds. I'm happy with the work I did on that, but not with the paint I used, which I could probably have better matched had I the time and patience. Another process, was to randomly 'paint' the dial with black marker pen. My hope, was that once sealed with matte varnish, the different paints/marker inks would have given an interesting aged effect. Sadly, I didn't have any matte varnish, so had to use clear gloss spray paint instead, which I'm not particularly satisfied with due to the incorrect surface finish, so I might re-spray when I get more matte varnish, alternately, I might just strip the dial entirely and apply a Snowflake decal Here it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Im not much of a authority on Rolex dials but what I see looks good to my eye. If It's the "vintage" look you were shooting for I think you found It, thanks for sharing bro Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Im not much of a authority on Rolex dials but what I see looks good to my eye. If It's the "vintage" look you were shooting for I think you found It, thanks for sharing bro Mike That's kind of you to say, bro, but I'm not happy with how rough the finish is around the edges of the markers, and to be honest, even the replaced second markers annoy me because of the difference in color. Next time, (if there is a next time) I'll be sure to match the paint properly, rather than just 'making do'... To be fair, hiding it behind a watch crystal definitely makes an improvement, I might give it a stay of execution till I can get more matte varnish, and then decide what to do with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoast68 Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 You did a lot better than what I would have done. Trying this kind of this for the first time makes you appreciate folks like Zig and Vaccuum who do such an expert job of it. I'll bet with a little practice, you would get a lot better at it. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 You did a lot better than what I would have done. Trying this kind of this for the first time makes you appreciate folks like Zig and Vaccuum who do such an expert job of it. I'll bet with a little practice, you would get a lot better at it. Cheers Thanks, dude, and as you say, practice makes perfect There're some aspects of it I'm really happy with, such as how the paint/ink reacted under the top coat, and I'm happy with the luming work I've done, it's just the roughness of the edges of the markers, which was from when I removed the original paint, and just couldn't touch up perfectly, and the color mismatch on the second markers which is bugging me... Oh well, maybe I'll just keep it and build a 5513 as a spare rather than my 1655 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSRep Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 hi TJ! Kudos for giving it a good shot. Alot of us wouldnt even get this far This is just one small learning step to improvement when you try your next one. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 hi TJ! Kudos for giving it a good shot. Alot of us wouldnt even get this far This is just one small learning step to improvement when you try your next one. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the encouragement, amigo I used the edge of a piece of paper to apply the second markers, next time, I'll use tracing paper to get an even finer line, and I'll definitely use matte varnish, I think impatience got the better of me this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmb Posted June 18, 2010 Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 I don't think I'd ever try that! Very good first attempt, you'll be a pro in no time! Go down to the hobby shop and buy a can of Testors "Dull Kote". It's a flat clear that's used on military models after decal application since decals need to go over a smooth glossy surface and tanks ain't s'posed to be shiny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2010 I don't think I'd ever try that! Very good first attempt, you'll be a pro in no time! Go down to the hobby shop and buy a can of Testors "Dull Kote". It's a flat clear that's used on military models after decal application since decals need to go over a smooth glossy surface and tanks ain't s'posed to be shiny! That's my plan, bro, I'm hoping that a spray of matte varnish will give the finish I was aiming for (and would have had, had my can of matte varnish not clogged up ) The worst that could happen is if there was to be a reaction between the paint and the varnish, and then I'd just have to strip the dial anyway If it works, I'll wind up with parts for a new spare watch so I don't have to endure the 1655, if it doesn't work, I'll wind up with parts for another project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Carl Posted June 19, 2010 Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 TeeJay- Aging components is like making soup from ingredients you have never seen before. All that is really required is optimism and you have proven it. It looks fine to me and will only get better. If you look at some of the really old gens which come up for auction, you will see how close you are. Keep at it. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2010 TeeJay- Aging components is like making soup from ingredients you have never seen before. All that is really required is optimism and you have proven it. It looks fine to me and will only get better. If you look at some of the really old gens which come up for auction, you will see how close you are. Keep at it. Carl Thanks indeed I've seen photos of a pair of 6200s, where the lume application is really sloppy, I think I just had a different idea in my mind for how I wanted the dial to come out, and it doesn't quite match that goal Still, I'll pick up some matte varnish at the end if the week, and see how much of a difference changing the texture from gloss to matte makes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas6002mi Posted June 21, 2010 Report Share Posted June 21, 2010 thats actually a good try....................... mine went waaaaaay off chart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted June 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 thats actually a good try....................... mine went waaaaaay off chart. Thanks What happened with yours? What techniques were you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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