Age lume dots?

[Whatever123]

Hi there,

I have a vintage Rolex with a nicely aged bezel insert. Still the dial looks like new (apart from the lume color). I wonder how you can achieve that washed-out tritium look on the lume dots - is there any way without reluming it? If you would for instance put a tiny drop of thinner or cleaning solvent on the lume dots... I haven't tried yet, I'm a coward...

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Whatever123

[FxrAndy]

some people put them in the oven, have a search for baking dial or something like that, i dont do it as it ruins the lume so it wont glow and you knw me i like mine to glow

[Whatever123]

Yes, I don't like the baking thing too... not because I need it to glow but the lume tends to get very dry and crumbly imo...

[captain swoop]

Model 'weathering powder' brushes on with a micro brush or cotton bud and comes in lots of different shades. If you don't like the effect it wipes off with a damp bud.

[freddy333]

the lume tends to get very dry and crumbly imo...

Exactly like gen lume after 40+ years.

[Whatever123]

Exactly like gen lume after 40+ years.

You have a point...

Maybe my try in baking a dial just wasn't good enough. The lume was so dried out that it fell off when I barely touched it...

[Whatever123]

Model 'weathering powder' brushes on with a micro brush or cotton bud and comes in lots of different shades. If you don't like the effect it wipes off with a damp bud.

Sounds interesting. Have you tried that yourself? Pics?

[captain swoop]

I wouldn't like to try it on a matt dial, the powder would 'stick to the whole face unless you were very precise with it.

[Nanuq]

I read that a glowing cigarette lets you heat the dial very precisely to get juuuuust the right look.

[Rockwell]

I know this is an old topic, i was searching topics on reluming and where to get luminizing kits here in asia, when

I came across this topic.

About the weathering or getting that vintage look on the lume dots, something came to mind...

I'm in to scale models and painting miniatures. Check out the Citadel paints for Warhammer, they have paints

that give that washed/used/aged/vintage effect. They look like lume/luminizing tints actually, but they give that

weathered color.

Cheaper alternative that also came to mind... Use tea... Hot or Iced... It might work, used to do that on paper,

make it look medieval/old manuscript...