smc Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Howdy peeps I bought a 177h, and decided that it would be the candidate for my first relume attempt. I figured that a sandwich dial would be easier than trying with my UPO. I also have a spare set of UPO hands that I would try. I phoned Ofrei, and tried to order some C3. The person on the phone had no idea what I was talking about other than "green luminous powder", so I said what the heck I'll try it plus a bottle of orange refill. I also ordered the 3 bottle Nitro Lume deal from Flav. I already had a few bottles of pre-mixed pigments from Ready-Set-Glow that I know are strontium aluminate so i figured I would do a quick and dirty little test card. Turns out Ofrei sent me C7 - Grrr. The C7 (green) from AF Luminova is at the top left of the card. It's way too green under normal light. Next is the orange. All the rest on the top row are R-S-Glow. The bottom row consists of the 3 colours of Nitro Lume. (the happy face is the green Nitro Lume) So as it turns out, My UPO and my Seiko Arctura last almost as long as both the Nitro Lume and the AF Luminova - About 6-7 hours readable in low light (not pitch black). I did not test longer because it was time to get up and get the kids breakfast hehe. Ok back to the PAM. I laid out the materials, stripped the lume off all the hands with nail polish remover, and cooked up a batch of a mix of green and blue Nitro with clear nail polish. During the process of stripping the lume off the PAM hands, I chipped the black paint. *^$*&%^$##@!!!! Off to the hobby store to pick up some flat black paint. Picked up some titanium white as well for the dial. Ok painting and filling hands... Thought I would mix up some some orange and add some clear red to get a glowing tip to the UPO second hand some UPO samples... some time later, hard to see but the Nitro Lume is lasting slightly longer.... Ok so I didn't like the colour for the PAM and I decided to mix up straight blue. Ok now here is the problem. I can't seem to get the hour hand to fit back on the stem (and I messed up the black hand paint). It seems loose. Did I lose a part or something? The minute and second hands go on fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhitesox Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I can't really see properly but did you put the hour wheel back on.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc Posted November 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I lost a gear didn't I... *!@$%%!!!! and the back just for reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc Posted November 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Problem solved, someone is sending me a replacement. Won't make that mistake again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhitesox Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Easy to do as the hour wheel just sits on the cannon pinion and will fall off if you turn the movement over....At least it was an easy fix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerblade Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Remember there's a small brass spring style washer that sits between the hr wheel & the dial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhitesox Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 For the record what does that washer do as one of my movements did not come with that.?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis123 Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 That washer prevents the hour weel from "creeping" up against the back of the dial (and thus losing proper contact with the hour drive wheel). Best Regards, Lewis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastergod Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Hey smc Great read - keep posting! Reading about peoples "problems" is often more interesting than reading about their successes, and its always cool to follow a project from scratch rather than just seeing the end result. Also, luming is a fascinating topic in itself, furthermore we need more lumers and luming services on this forum. Keep Going! MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I love this forum! Amazing answers, solutions, and documented experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Well done and well documented. It takes a long time to get the hang of it, practice is the key, your well on your way. I am not surprised that the Flav "Nitro" lume is not much better than the AF lume, that should be made clear especially on RG so others know what they are buying. If RC Tritec with their scientists as well as the Japanese part of the company can't make anything brighter than Super Lume, someone mixing up stuff in their kitchen isn't going to fair any better. No surprise though given the source and past history of this individual. You should get a couple of kits of Super Lume direct from RC Tritec, it is much brighter than AF Lume (I have both and have compared them in the past) and my guess is brighter than the Nitro stuff. It's also much easier to apply than AF. Keep it up. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siesta181 Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 SMC, my hats off to you for you are a braver man than I am. Tried luming when I first found RWG and looked forward to all the luming projects. I soon found out that I am a total disaster with the oiler and lume. Left it to the experts. My kudos to you for an excellent first attempt. Keep up the good work and looking forward to more of your projects. Kindest Regards Siesta181 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc Posted November 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I would love to get some C1/C3 RC Tritec for comparison. I'm suprised that nobody has posted a comparison before with the AF Luminova. Of course the problem is it costs a fortune! Does anyone know of a dealer in Canada or the US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc Posted November 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 Forgot to mention... Although this was my first attempt, the Nitro Lume seemed pretty easy to apply. Easy being a relative term lol. I spilled the bottle of thinner that I got from the AF kit, does anyone know where I can source something similar on the cheap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I would love to get some C1/C3 RC Tritec for comparison. I'm suprised that nobody has posted a comparison before with the AF Luminova. Of course the problem is it costs a fortune! Does anyone know of a dealer in Canada or the US? I posted the comparison between AF and Super Luminova 4 years ago, and since then I only use Super Luminova. There is a reason that genuine manufacturer's mark the dials "L Swiss L" for Luminova, it's the best and brightest product available, and this is the reason it's expensive. You get what you pay for. The only dealer is direct from RC Tritec. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smc Posted November 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I can't seem to find your comparison The Zigmeister. I did a search but no luck. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted November 30, 2008 Report Share Posted November 30, 2008 I don't think the post is here anymore. As soon as Super Luminova was available, and given that SL is the same stuff that the genuine manufacturer's use, it didn't matter to compare it to anything else. I have been using SL exclusively since then. If your planning on doing lume, I suggest you get a couple of kits from them, well worth using the best product available. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 That Blue PAM looks awesome, nice work ST4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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