automatico Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 The two Explorers above look very good! Specs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggi Posted January 5, 2023 Report Share Posted January 5, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted January 7, 2023 Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 11, 2023 Report Share Posted January 11, 2023 Still wearing my freddy333 Daytona (aka The Big Kahuna) while awaiting arrival of The Next Big Thing (aka The Big Gold Dot) -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggi Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 14, 2023 Report Share Posted January 14, 2023 10 hours ago, iggi said: That is a VERY pretty watch. Love the numbers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted January 15, 2023 Report Share Posted January 15, 2023 On 1/14/2023 at 4:16 AM, iggi said: Depending on the year, I have to wonder if this was an inspiration for Frank Mueller Crazy Hours. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackflash Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted January 27, 2023 Report Share Posted January 27, 2023 Working @ home & wearing The Golden Cuckoo (which continues to encourage copious amounts of slobber to seep from my oral cavity). I have been bewitched by this watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSebWC Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 On 1/4/2023 at 2:50 PM, automatico said: The two Explorers above look very good! Specs? HA! Where did you get that picture of me? That 1016 mk2 was something I whipped up for a member next door. raffles case with acrylic crystal swap ruby mk2 dial ruby hands - aged lume to match dial Ruby bracelet asian eta 2824 and a subtle amount of aging to the case desk diver safe queen . On my last order I thought I would try out one of his new tropical brown dials. was not disappointed. (stay tuned for the sub build ) New raffles case with acrylic (apparently they are glued it - caution advised) enlarged lugs. soften case with some ageing raffles dial and aged the lume with some brown air brush paint to break up the evenness of the lume tone. raffles gilt hands -- aged asian 2824 with date wheel removed and setting lever modded to 2 settings. Silix rivet bracelet under bright direct light the dials pop and have a bit of an rootbeer colour leaning towards orange. under overcast skies in natural light it does take on a chocolate tone. the finish does have a bit of a metallic effect to it , but subtle , I want to give it more age and depth but deciding which way to go as they are a semi gloss finish and I think dulling down the dial will reduce the metallic effect which I dont want . open to suggestions. I must say that Raffles has really upped his game the cases he offers are very good quality great machining and quality. the dials are miles ahead of what they used to offer. crisp text and the details are way more accurate than they used to be , now he offers albino and tropical options also. the quality and durabiilty of the finish is top notch. I have worked with Vietnam dials from ruby , mochacha and mq and honestly they dont compare as far as finish . I've had lume fall off a mq dial , paint chip off really easily on mochacha dials . ruby is good but they are getting slow on the communications I hope they are not going under cause they are the best value for a Vietnam parts. But Raffles is really coming in strong and for a 10the the price!!+ I hope they continue to expand their offerings. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 "Where did you get that picture of me?" Saw it on a news stand, the face looked familiar. Ha! I never was a National Enquirer fan, but I look at the covers...mostly UFOs landing in back yards etc. Now it's Harry, Meghan and of course Bigfoot. It has been a familiar magazine in one form or another in supermarket checkout lanes for as long as I can remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 7 hours ago, JSebWC said: On my last order I thought I would try out one of his new tropical brown dials. was not disappointed. (stay tuned for the sub build ) ......... under bright direct light the dials pop and have a bit of an rootbeer colour leaning towards orange. under overcast skies in natural light it does take on a chocolate tone. the finish does have a bit of a metallic effect to it , but subtle , I want to give it more age and depth but deciding which way to go as they are a semi gloss finish and I think dulling down the dial will reduce the metallic effect which I dont want . open to suggestions. The best way I found to naturally patina a tropical dial is to add a tiny bit of black shoe polish to some of the brown/blank areas & then bake it -- carefully -- until the desired effect is achieved! Done properly, you should not see where the polish was applied & some of the shininess will be reduced. You did great work on the Explorer & I look forward to seeing the outcome of your tropical Sub. In the meantime, here is some inspiration -- 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 4, 2023 Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 Wearing The Golden Cuckoo today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSebWC Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 4 hours ago, automatico said: "Where did you get that picture of me?" Saw it on a news stand, the face looked familiar. Ha! I never was a National Enquirer fan, but I look at the covers...mostly UFOs landing in back yards etc. Now it's Harry, Meghan and of course Bigfoot. It has been a familiar magazine in one form or another in supermarket checkout lanes for as long as I can remember. "The National Enquirer is still in business. It was originally founded by William H. Hearst in 1926 and is one of the oldest and most successful tabloids in the United States. Over 95 years in business, the Enquirer has changed owners and has gone through several rebranded versions, including the Star, the Globe, and the National Examiner" "That 1016 mk2 was something I whipped up for a member next door. raffles case with acrylic crystal swap ruby mk2 dial ruby hands - aged lume to match dial Ruby bracelet asian eta 2824 and a subtle amount of aging to the case desk diver safe queen." All the dials I got from Raffles have been very good, but they were mostly unsigned project dials. Got two '1016' dials a couple years ago and they were pretty good except they are a little bit oversized for oem spec cases...Raffles are 28.5mm and genuine 1016 is 27.9mm. It looks like their cases are very good too, may have to get a couple for the dials. The dial of unknown exact origin in my '1016' project is pretty good but the letters do not 'jump', they are a bit subdued/faded. It is Ok for an 'older' vintage watch I guess. Yes I always get a laugh looking at those covers while waiting in line....never forget batboy!! Interesting I didn't realize that gen dials were less that 28mm for 36mm watches. I assumed I have a few gen OP's meant for 34mm cases and they are that size. I guess its all on the inner case design , slightly larger seats/ ledges on the 36mm cases to hold the dials Yes the raffles cases are great. he offers sterile mid cases so you dont have that brutal jibberish to deal with. I was thinking of getting a 1mm stamp kit and try my hand at adding my own markings but I think that would end up in a disaster...but in my minds eye it would look better than the chinsy laser etching. 17 hours ago, freddy333 said: The best way I found to naturally patina a tropical dial is to add a tiny bit of black shoe polish to some of the brown/blank areas & then bake it -- carefully -- until the desired effect is achieved! Done properly, you should not see where the polish was applied & some of the shininess will be reduced. You did great work on the Explorer & I look forward to seeing the outcome of your tropical Sub. In the meantime, here is some inspiration -- Wow I didnt know you had build one of these Freeddy!! Is that a raffles dial that you aged and relumed? Inspiration indeed. that movement is a mint now! I completed my build last night and tried baking the dial , didn't have shoe polish but tried a bit of modeling dry paints and some vinegar and had mixed results. it look alright but not quite what I was after. the lume did darken , which I didnt really want but trial and error. I will probably leave it and just order a new one on my next order and try again with the shoe polish I can see how it would give depth to the color. I did bake my insert and all I can say is wow. I am really impressed with how that turned out. I am going to take some pics later on today , so stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
automatico Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 "I was thinking of getting a 1mm stamp kit and try my hand at adding my own markings but I think that would end up in a disaster...but in my mind's eye it would look better than the chinsy laser etching." A friend engraved a few cases for me using an old Hermes pantograph engraving machine and they all came out fine. It takes a while and most of the time is spent on setting it up...mounting and centering the case in the machine etc. Many jewelry stores that have been in business for a long time will have one along with many hobby guys who bought one for not much $$. The correct font is easy to find because it is a basic design. You might ask around and see if anyone you know has one or knows someone who does. Using an Older Flat Engraving Pantograph. - Bing video 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 3 hours ago, JSebWC said: Is that a raffles dial that you aged and relumed? Inspiration indeed. that movement is a mint now! I completed my build last night and tried baking the dial , didn't have shoe polish but tried a bit of modeling dry paints and some vinegar and had mixed results. it look alright but not quite what I was after. the lume did darken , which I didnt really want but trial and error. I will probably leave it and just order a new one on my next order and try again with the shoe polish I can see how it would give depth to the color. I did bake my insert and all I can say is wow. I am really impressed with how that turned out. I am going to take some pics later on today , so stay tuned. If I remember correctly, the 6536/1 dial came from MQ, but you may be able to search out the original build threads describing the parts & construction details. Paint is probably not going to work well, because, by definition, it adds a solid layer to the underlying material. Shoe polish, on the other hand, is applied, smeared (by finger) & then LIGHTLY buffed, leaving thin/variable layers of darker color that are burnished INTO the dial rather than drying as an additional solid layer ON TOP of the dial. I think that may be why your result was less than expected. This is the type of work that I would recommend you practice on scrap dials BEFORE attempting on your target dial. As I said, you have to be careful not to over bake (ie, burn) the dial paint, which is easy to do. This is definitely more art than science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSebWC Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 21 hours ago, automatico said: "I was thinking of getting a 1mm stamp kit and try my hand at adding my own markings but I think that would end up in a disaster...but in my mind's eye it would look better than the chinsy laser etching." A friend engraved a few cases for me using an old Hermes pantograph engraving machine and they all came out fine. It takes a while and most of the time is spent on setting it up...mounting and centering the case in the machine etc. Many jewelry stores that have been in business for a long time will have one along with many hobby guys who bought one for not much $$. The correct font is easy to find because it is a basic design. You might ask around and see if anyone you know has one or knows someone who does. Using an Older Flat Engraving Pantograph. - Bing video Thanks for the info , that is a cool system and would be easy once set up. Im surprised it can do such small font sizes on a case. I was just going to buy the stamps and try hammering them into the case. but decided I am not OCD enough and would just make a mess of it so decided to hold off. however if I did come across a machine like this for sale I would consider it. 19 hours ago, freddy333 said: If I remember correctly, the 6536/1 dial came from MQ, but you may be able to search out the original build threads describing the parts & construction details. Paint is probably not going to work well, because, by definition, it adds a solid layer to the underlying material. Shoe polish, on the other hand, is applied, smeared (by finger) & then LIGHTLY buffed, leaving thin/variable layers of darker color that are burnished INTO the dial rather than drying as an additional solid layer ON TOP of the dial. I think that may be why your result was less than expected. This is the type of work that I would recommend you practice on scrap dials BEFORE attempting on your target dial. As I said, you have to be careful not to over bake (ie, burn) the dial paint, which is easy to do. This is definitely more art than science. Agreed. Well truth be told I had messed up the keyless so had to strip it back down and during teh reassembly the dial was not seated flat and when I mounted the hands and went to test the alignment, the hour hand scratch the dial DOH! total bonehead move so I figured the damage was done so I threw caution to the wind and decided I would experiment since there was no going back. As expected the baking did flatten out the dial colour and metallic affect, at least partially , along with the dry paints. but now having it all back together I am overall happy with the look of the piece for the moment ( I will be doing a separate post for this project ) I do like the idea of shoe polish and I can see how that would work and give depth and a spotty darkness to a dial. however I do not like how the lume darkened so I am not sure I will bake the next one at least at that time around 300 deg. however I do think I may be able to achieve the same blotchy look with transparent air brush paint as It allows the surface to be seen and I can build up the colour with multiple layers without covering up the surface details of the dial I use this technique on my lume so I am able to build up with layers and stop when I am satisfied with the colour I appreciate the incite 👍 This was the before , after scratching the dial and disguise / distract up of a paint spray to cover up the scratch. It worked , but then I pushed the limit.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 3 hours ago, JSebWC said: however I do not like how the lume darkened so I am not sure I will bake the next one at least at that time around 300 deg. however I do think I may be able to achieve the same blotchy look with transparent air brush paint as It allows the surface to be seen and I can build up the colour with multiple layers without covering up the surface details of the dial I use this technique on my lume so I am able to build up with layers and stop when I am satisfied with the colour I would try lower temps (200-250 degrees F) & avoid applying anything, including polish, to the lume or dial text. Whatever you use, I would try to bias your application towards the center hole & the solid brown areas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSebWC Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 6 hours ago, freddy333 said: I would try lower temps (200-250 degrees F) & avoid applying anything, including polish, to the lume or dial text. Whatever you use, I would try to bias your application towards the center hole & the solid brown areas. The finished product!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 6, 2023 Report Share Posted February 6, 2023 3 minutes ago, JSebWC said: The finished product!! I think you need a better handset. The current hands look very rep & betray everything else. Or, at least they look sufficiently suspect to make me feel the need to give everything else a closer inspection. With a proper set of hands, the dial might just pass without drawing too much attention to itself. It is 1 of those cases where if everything else feels right & looks homogenous, I might accept what I see on face value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Caught my APH, red-handed, today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan72 Posted February 12, 2023 Report Share Posted February 12, 2023 Sent from my SM-F711B using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtools Posted February 12, 2023 Report Share Posted February 12, 2023 (edited) Edited February 12, 2023 by oldtools uploaded wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iggi Posted February 12, 2023 Report Share Posted February 12, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted February 12, 2023 Report Share Posted February 12, 2023 Wearing my freddy333 Daytona today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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