martijnp Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hi guys, Last week I bought two inserts from a great member here on RWG. I didn't want to f#ck over a good insert so bought these to try some bleaching. I keep the "original" insert and I will switch so now and then Well let's see what I did: I used very fine sandpaper (scotch bright) After that I used some more rough sandpaper to give it some wear/used look at it After that was done I used some simple bleach to lighten the colour on the insert (picture was taken before I used the sandpaper ) I had the insert in there for a minute of 4... Watch out that you don't got the bleach on your hands or clothes Then I cleaned the insert with cold water. Always rinse off the insert and wipe overweight a paper towel. More paint come off than you think. And than the result: On my Tudor 7928 before: and after: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 That looks nice. There are quite a few older threads over in the Rolex Forum about "aging" inserts. I believe the one thing that people have to be really careful about is that not all inserts are created equal. Some will have no change whatsoever after 5-10 minutes in a bowl of bleach, others if left for that same time period will be completely faded to almost a blank insert!! The big problem being, you have no idea which ones are going to turn to bare metal almost instantly, and which will resist all but the most determined efforts to age them. Everyone should read some of those threads, and then do as you did, experiment with an insert or two that are "throwaways". Please don't use a 250.00 USD + genuine insert to experiment on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resistor Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 A lot of the variation in the reaction of the insert to the aging process comes down to the thickness and pore size of the anodize and whether or not it was properly sealed following the dye step. Colored anodize generally runs from .0004" to .0008" thick; thicker anodize will hold more dye and will be somewhat more resistant to fading. Similarly, properly sealed (with hot deionized water or nickel acetate) will resist aging since the coating features additional protection from attack by the elements (in this case bleach or saltwater). The bleach actually attacks and dissolves the anodize coating, creating a lighter and lighter color as the dye is leached out and the coating itself is destroyed. There is no way to predict how a particular insert will react so it will be important to start off slow and gradually re-expose the insert to your bleach solution (rinsing in between each step) until your desired color is achieved. Alternately, you can use a strong UV light source to fade the color - this will degrade only the colored dye without harming the anodize itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
508-Fanatic Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 I've considered gently wiping down the insert with bleach to age it up a bit and then baking it to give it a nice aged tropical patina... I would also then paint the backside with black enamel. Then I would sell it on eBay for $2,000.00 jk ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCM21_88 Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) I've actually used toilet bowl cleaners that contain bleach in them and they work pretty well Edited February 7, 2015 by WCM21_88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Fine result, I didn´t want to have any scratches so I skipped the part with the scoth brite and sanding paper. My inserts wouldn´t bleach at all, tried bleach, chlorine, hydrochloric acid all first diluted than up to pure - nothing. Instant results were obtained with the stuff for draining clogged pipes: caustic soda. Put the insert in a container in the washing basin, pour some grains - the nearer to the insert the more result, mix in some water to cover the insert, protect the eyes, do not inhale or touch; start to rinse immediately after 10 seconds with slow running water, You may repeat in increments but always less than a minute. This worked-fast:) before after trial 1 (exceeded 1 minute with caustic soda after trying for hours with other stuff) first I was shocked and ordered new inserts from cousins.uk, than actually got used to the overfaded looks:) new inserts arrived and trial 2 with caustic soda only (15 seconds this time) have kept it like this for some months already: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulza Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I am guessing this won't work with a ceramic insert? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
508-Fanatic Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 that last pic there is quite nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martijnp Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Fine result, I didn´t want to have any scratches so I skipped the part with the scoth brite and sanding paper. My inserts wouldn´t bleach at all, tried bleach, chlorine, hydrochloric acid all first diluted than up to pure - nothing. Instant results were obtained with the stuff for draining clogged pipes: caustic soda. Put the insert in a container in the washing basin, pour some grains - the nearer to the insert the more result, mix in some water to cover the insert, protect the eyes, do not inhale or touch; start to rinse immediately after 10 seconds with slow running water, You may repeat in increments but always less than a minute. This worked-fast:) before after trial 1 (exceeded 1 minute with caustic soda after trying for hours with other stuff) first I was shocked and ordered new inserts from cousins.uk, than actually got used to the overfaded looks:) new inserts arrived and trial 2 with caustic soda only (15 seconds this time) have kept it like this for some months already: You did a great job there mate, love the looks of it. I'm guessing to do one over and also like you did for 15 seconds or something to get something between a new black insert and the completely faded one like I have now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCM21_88 Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Here's a first attempt with toilet bowl cleaner containing bleach, pretty good results I thought compared to other methods I've tried, I think I left it in for like five minutes rinsed with warm water for a minute and then cold for a minute. I like it but still not the "perfect ghost" look IMO Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resistor Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 I am guessing this won't work with a ceramic insert? Likely not. The principle behind fading aluminum inserts is the degradation of the anodize dye, or in Nightwatch's case, complete removal of the anodize coating with a highly alkaline solution. Ceramic is not colored with a dye (I believe pigments are added to the precursors during manufacture of the material) so it is probably impervious to attack - one of the reasons manufacturers switched from aluminum to ceramic for their bezels. Don't quote me on this as my only experience with ceramics is the application of non-colored aluminum dioxide via plasma spray. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me82 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Looks great! Especially on those subs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
508-Fanatic Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I think it's a very fine line between looking aged versus ruined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Did someone say natural fade > bleaching? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
508-Fanatic Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 dBane yours takes the cake man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 DBAne- Yours is a real "ghost":) beautiful - that´s what I meant when saying "I didn´t want to scratch mine" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
508-Fanatic Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 ^^ Exactly ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philwongnz Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Nice wrote up, the only thing I see which bugs me is the edges are far too bleached compared to it middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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