Newbie Trying To Relume

[E J]

Hi, maybe I shouldn't be doing this but hey what the heck? I am going to try to relume a Omega PO. I have no idea where to start I just figured out I gotta start some day or else I never will.

Can anybody point me to a good reluming DIY guide I have been trying to find one but couldn't, any ideas?

I am starting to buy some tools from ebay I guessed I could go cheap at first and then start to upgrade little by little. Where can I buy the lume.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

[poopypants]

First, you send it to a professional!

Second, that professional does the lume job!

And Finally third, you receive the watch back better than you could ever do it!

Any other questions?!?! i kid, i kid!

PP

Edited February 16, 2007 by poopypants

[E J]

That sounds like the right thing to do, but I'm not one to go with the flow. Hey even Pros had to start somewhere right?

[RWG Technical]

Reluming is like painting or riding a bike, no matter how much you read about it, or someone tells you about it, it does no good until you actually try it yourself, I can promise your results will not be anywhere near what you expect... I can't teach you how to paint via text, no more so than I, or anyone else, can teach you how to relume.

First you need the lume - www.ofrie.com (cheap lume) or www.rctritec.com (genuine Super Luminova), then you need caseback opening tools, screwdrivers, a loupe, and knowledge on how to use these tools, how to case and uncase the watch, then hand removers and installers and knowledge on how to use them and do this task, knowledge on handling the movement so as to not break it, or remove the oil from the pivots, knowledge on standard practices on movements, etc, etc, etc...

Since you have no idea where to start, I suggest Time Zone watchmaking school...and forget about the Ebay cheap tools, you get what you pay for, and there is no trade as unforgiving as watchmaking and cheap tools...the two just dont' go together. Not when you consider that a fingernail can crush the parts of a watch, a mislaid finger can destroy an adjustment, or mishandling can undo an hour of adjustments and workmanship. Start at the beginning and work your way up, otherwise your in for a lot of disapontements and mistakes...

You have chosen one of the most difficult things to tackle as your first step into watch work, as PP said, send it to a professional, or not, your choice... Just remember, there are no shortcuts in watchmaking, and learing to lume, takes hours and hours of practice and more practice, expecting anything other than terrible results and mistakes and damage to your movement/dial/hands, as your first attempts is not being realistic. Believe me I know, from first hand experience...

RG

[E J]

Thanks The Zigmeister, I really appreciate it coming from someone with your reputation!!!

I was thinking about joining TZ watch school as you suggested and buying a few but high quality tools (better spend a bit more one time instead of buying cheap tools over and over again, I suppose)

I was planning on buying

LG case opener

Case Holder

Bergeon #6 hand removers

Dumostar #2 tweezers

screwdrivers (not decided on the brand any recomendations?)

Is there anything I am missing? remember this is just as a starters kit

Thanks

[RWG Technical]

Thanks Ziggy, I really appreciate it coming from someone with your reputation!!!

I was thinking about joining TZ watch school as you suggested and buying a few but high quality tools (better spend a bit more one time instead of buying cheap tools over and over again, I suppose)

I was planning on buying

LG case opener

Case Holder

Bergeon #6 hand removers

Dumostar #2 tweezers

screwdrivers (not decided on the brand any recomendations?)

Is there anything I am missing? remember this is just as a starters kit

Thanks

That is a good start, your missing a loupe and headband to hold it, and you should also have watchpaper, and a dust blower and rodico, and a hand installer (red/grey bergeron one is good), Horotec make the best screwdrivers in my view, but the Bergeron ones are fine...

For luming, you can buy dial blanks (sandwich and non) from davidsen, and also hands from him, practicing on these is a much better and less risky way to teach yourself. I have painted with oils all my life, and even with 30 years of painting experience and brush handling, combined with being able to work under a loupe for hours, I still screwed up my first 10 or so lume jobs, so I can easily say how difficult it can be...but anyone can learn, just not on a nice PO I dont' think...

And it's one of the practice practice and more practice jobs, there is no other way to get the handling and applying down pat.

Your list, and the items I suggested are the minimum you need to remove and reinstall the movement and clean up after yourself.

Have fun,

RG

[E J]

Thanks The Zigmeister, I'll start with what you suggested and then get the other tools I need after I get enough practice in 1st Course in TZ school.

You are right, gonna buy myself some blank dials for practice. (duh! don't know why I didn't think of that myself)

Thanks again!!!

[stang]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but can anyone recommend a reasonably priced place to get a single watch relumed.

The ZigmeisterZumba,

You mentioned RCTritec as a Superluminova source. I know them from a search on SPO-Tritium paint years ago. Is there anyone who can/will do a re-lume job using tritium paint as opposed to superluminova. I would pay a few hundred dollars to get some real tritium applied to my watch!!

Thanks, in advance, The Zigmeister for any assistance you can provide! (Superb articles, BTW! Truly top-notch stuff The Zigmeister!)

[RWG Technical]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but can anyone recommend a reasonably priced place to get a single watch relumed.

I am assuming (maybe mistakenly) that you have gone over my info at www.ziggyinfo.com...if by reasonable you mean less than the price I charge, then no, I know of no where that it can be done for less.

ZiggyZumba,

You mentioned RCTritec as a Superluminova source. I know them from a search on SPO-Tritium paint years ago. Is there anyone who can/will do a re-lume job using tritium paint as opposed to superluminova. I would pay a few hundred dollars to get some real tritium applied to my watch!!

Thanks, in advance, Ziggy for any assistance you can provide! (Superb articles, BTW! Truly top-notch stuff Ziggy!)

No, Tritium is illegal and a controlled substance in the USA and Canada...the only place I know Tritium is used and allowed, is aircraft emergency exit signs...tritium in watches is illegal to import from what I know. In Canada you need a license from the atomic commission to have tritium.

RG

[Pugwash]

tritium in watches is illegal to import from what I know. In Canada you need a license from the atomic commission to have tritium.

It's a WMD, according to the US. It's used as a starter to increase yield in Fission bombs (although Lithium is debatably better) and importing it will get you a spell in Gitmo.

[stang]

The Zigmeister,

I didn't see your service guide, as you predicted. Now I have. I think your prices are very reasonable and will probably (90%) try to contact you for Superluminizing and/or service in the not too distant future. (As soon as I can bear parting with my new toy for a couple weeks or more...). Thank you very much for providing these valuable services to us RWG members. Your service to the replica watch community and owners of all mechanical watches is truly valuable and important. Same goes for the knowledge and experience you freely share with everyone. Much appreciated!!

Pugwash,

By WMD, I assume you mean Weapon of Mass Destruction.(?). If this is what you mean, (and is in fact what the US government believes & their reason for banning tritium imports/service), it's yet another example of how unbelievably ignorant and clueless our (USA) leaders are. Note: I'm not doubting what you say about the reasons are true. This would not be the first time the government made ridiculous regulations based on a complete lack of scientific knowledge and fact.

Why tritium paint *is not* (and probably never will be) a WMD is almost too numerous to explain completely.

1) Fusion bombs (which use tritium to increase yeild), utilize pure, elemental tritium. The tritium paint in watches uses molecular tritium ... i.e. a compound (polymer) which has hydrogen in it, some of which is tritium hydrogen. Just like there is tritium inside me and you. I guess we are WMDs and need to be banned.

2) Hydrogen bombs utilize a very pure, very concentrated, very radioactive form of tritium. This is millions (billions) of times more radioactive per gram (specific activity) than tritium paint. It is probably easier to harvest this grade of tritium from water than it would be to remove the hydrogen from polymers and concentrate it to a useable form for bombs.

3) A hydrogen (fusion) bomb has to be "ignited" with an atomic (fission) bomb. An atomic bomb is *already* a WMD all by itself. Sub-critical levels of tritium won't do much, if anything. (I'll have to double-check this)

4) The tritium in the GTLS (gaseous tritium light sources) is a much more "useable" form of tritium for making fusion bombs since it is already in the pure, elemental state ... just not "active" enough for fusion. However, these GTLS's *are* available in the USA I think(?)(Luminox, etc)

5) Radioactive hydrogen is the weakest of all radioactive compounds. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make even one person sick just through the radioactive emissions of this radionuclide. (A person would have to EAT all the tritium paint from dozens/hundreds of watch dials to get sick or die).

6) The Beta particle (electron) emitted by tritium can't penetrate a piece of paper or your skin ... thus the eat reference above.

I'll admit that I don't know everything and that all my science courses (many, many years) may be wrong. I'd have to see a credible, scientific-journal paper indicating that the low-activity, non-elemental, tritium in watch paint can be used as a WMD for me to believe otherwise.

IMO, this is yet another "one-size-fits-all" mentality of truly ignorant officials. Like comparing a lady-finger firecracker to a truckload of nitroglycerine. "But their both explosives. They're the same. Ladyfingers should be banned!!).

Pugwash, again, I believe you. Which is why I get so pi$$ed off with the govt sometimes.

Sorry for ranting so much. I'm mad that I can't get a tritium watch because of stupidity.

[flamemax]

Hello all,

I actually own a tritium key fob, that I purchased on Ebay. It is a little key chain goodie that is shaped like a slender pear, it's made out of plastic and it contains a little vial of tritium that will glow for years to come. I live in Canada, and could only find one or 2 ebay sellers that would send their product to Canada due to laws governing tritium.

I received this product about 2 years ago but I still have it. Heck I even sometimes attach it to my dogs collar when I walk her at nigh for visibility;). It also sometimes gets snafoo'd by my girlfriend so that she can use it on her key chain to make it easier to find her keys in her purse.

With that said, I am wondering if the tritium contained in the little vial could be used to lume a watch?

Anyone???

[flamemax]

Anyone????

Does anyone have exp. with tritium... is it usually applied as a liquid or a powder?

[sssurfer]

I suppose people here are a bit scared by those paranoid laws about tritium.

Surely you can use it to lume a watch.

A paste just like superluminova is probably the best way to use it.

Just don't keep it on your wrist while you are sleeping. Even low-penetrating emissions like those from tritium might do damage if applied on your testicles or tyroid hours along...

[cypher]

I suppose people here are a bit scared by those paranoid laws about tritium.

Surely you can use it to lume a watch.

A paste just like superluminova is probably the best way to use it.

Just don't keep it on your wrist while you are sleeping. Even low-penetrating emissions like those from tritium might do damage if applied on your testicles or tyroid hours along...

Do you recommend using masking tape on the dial around the markers on the dial? Does this help in not messing up the dial?

[geo1nah2a]

With that said, I am wondering if the tritium contained in the little vial could be used to lume a watch?

This is getting OT but I think the tritium in the vial is in gas form..

[sssurfer]

Do you recommend using masking tape on the dial around the markers on the dial? Does this help in not messing up the dial?

Masking tape won't work. With masking tape you will not be able to precisely follow the markers' edges, and when you pull the tape out it removes some of the border of the lume you applied too, together with the lume on the tape -- unless you precisely cut a fracture line with a sharp blade before removing the tape, but this would make for an added risk to scratch the dial.

In order to protect the markers I got the Micro Mask liquid instead. It is water-based and it is resistant to acetone-based paintings like superluminova. I did not alredy test it, though. The Zigmeister's advice is not to mask the dial and to only rely on hand precision, so I still wonder whether to give Micro Mask a try or not.

[stevie7s]

It's a WMD, according to the US. It's used as a starter to increase yield in Fission bombs (although Lithium is debatably better) and importing it will get you a spell in Gitmo.

You scare me!!!

[FxrAndy]

This is getting OT but I think the tritium in the vial is in gas form..

Yes it would be refered to as a GTLS or gaseous tritium light source it is the same only larger as what is found on Taser watches look here

[eunomians]

Don't mess around with Tritium vials (tubes). If you break one, the gas turns to a powder and the rest of it (invisible gas) sticks in the air for a long time ---> dangerous stuff!

[sssurfer]

Don't mess around with Tritium vials (tubes). If you break one, the gas turns to a powder and the rest of it (invisible gas) sticks in the air for a long time ---> dangerous stuff!

Second it. Gaseous tritium would be a nasty thing to deal with.