Slartibartfast Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Some may remember that I spent some considerable time tinkering with my 1655 rep, originally bought from Trusty. One of the mods I carried out was to create a flat top three datewheel overlay in AutoCAD and print this onto a label blank, stuck this over the original overlay and hey presto, an updated and improved look to the watch You can read all about my attempts at modding this long suffering watch here However, I was never fully satisfied with the finish of the printing with this overlay mod, so have had another go, and at the same time stumbled onto a cheap and cheerful way to create that silver datewheel look. Many reps have date windows in the dial that do not line up with the original datewheel on the movement used in the watch. To overcome this the rep factories sometimes use a steel disk printed with the date numerals on top of a white background simply stuck over the original datewheel, which then aligns with the rep dial date window. Well it struck me that all I had to do was remove the white paint and digits from the datewheel overlay disk to end up with a steel (silver) disk. Now I have re-printed my original AutoCAD work on a laser waterslide decal sheet, that I bought from ebay. Following the steps below, you too could have that silver datewheel look for next to nothing. First step...strip the watch down, and remove the datewheel overlay. This is simply stuck over the original ETA wheel using double sided tape. Now dump the overlay in a cup of paint stripper. The original paint and numerals, simply 'fall off'. Now here's the datewheel stripped of all original paint. It is actually much 'shinier' than the photo shows it. Now here is the datewheel next to the printed image on the water decal sheet. The print quality of the digits on the decal is quite good using a 1200dpi laserjet office printer. Place the original datewheel overlay onto something solid, ready to accept the decal, once you have immersed it in water for 30 seconds. It is quite tricky to get the decal aligned correctly on the metal disk. I trashed a few trying to get it right, but you can fit well over a couple of dozen images on one A4 sheet, so never mind. Here is the finished overlay with the decal in place. As the decal background is transparent, the shiny metal background shows through Now position the overlay onto the original datewheel on the movement, and glue in place after ensuring it is aligned through 360 degrees with the date window. This takes quite a lot of trial and effort to get right. Once you are done, re-build the unit and sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour! These photos really do not do justice to the metallic look of the datewheel. It looks grey in these pics, but it actually does have a genuine metallic look and shine to it. Go on guys....if I can do it, anyone can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlsbadrolex Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 That is fricken awesome... I think that you might have a little side business if you wanted to provide these waterslide decals. The great thing about doing it this way is that the water slide stickers are so thin that there would be no clearance issues at all. OUTSTANDING, and let me know when you make these available for purchase! T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Such an elegant, yet simple solution Fantastic work, my friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brook0 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Very slick. Another great idea from a great frum member. Love this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morlock Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 That is fricken awesome... I think that you might have a little side business if you wanted to provide these waterslide decals. T Thanks, but I wouldn't be too confident that all datewheel overlays are the same size between models. Worth a thought though! The great thing about doing it this way is that the water slide stickers are so thin that there would be no clearance issues at all. You are quite right. The previous attempt using a label sticker was not so good, the date change was restricted by the thickness of the paper. Now though, the date clicks over sweetly, just as if it was factory fresh. Such an elegant, yet simple solution Cheers TeeJay! The simple solution is often the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Well done. That is just excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThinkBachs Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Outstanding. The only question I have is how well the transparent overlay will handle temperature extremes over time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Faaantastic! I've think I've got a couple of spare date overlays scattered around...I'm going to see if I can apply a radially brushed finish to one. ...Then I'm going to wait until until you make these waterslide decals available... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 The only question I have is how well the transparent overlay will handle temperature extremes over time? Hey Freddy, let me think...... home...office.....pub....home.....office......pub Nope! No extremes there! (but I get the point). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyberetta Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Awesome! Care to share the file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Wow, fantastic results! Great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlr8tn Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Very nice read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJo35 Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Wow, very clever! Congrats on a terrific idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Fantastic. I may want to do this on my 1665 project. You did this on an ETA correct? 2836? So, how much for a decal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilty Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Interesting idea! I've got a couple hundred blanks waiting to be printed. some are prepainted, and some are still bare steel. I might have to give it a try. How is the resolution? I tried to print out at 1200dpi on laser during test printing and I find it not clean enough, and I am using a vector file. I'll see if I can find someone with 2400dpi output that can print and give your method a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Brilliant stuff! Well done and thanks for the effort and sharing your ingenuity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southcoast68 Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Uber cool idea!! Folks that use ACAD rock!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takashi Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Very nice result. Would you mind sharing the CAD file? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyd3 Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Uber cool idea!! Folks that use ACAD rock!! If you are willing to share the file, I can print it in 2400 dpi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gioarmani Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Clever. Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchmeister Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 If you are willing to share the file, I can print it in 2400 dpi. You can print it in 2400 dpi but as far as I know the best resolution swiss clear vinyl stock takes only 12-1400 dpi at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted April 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 In response to a question from stilty about the resolution and print quality at 1200dpi, I have added these two pics zoomed to a gazillion times normal size, that should give you a good idea of what to expect. Printed onto the decal sheet, yet to be cut to size. And a collage of pics of the finished DW insitu, which should give you an idea of how shiny the overlay is, which my previous pictures did not. When viewed with the naked eye, the quality is quite acceptable (IMHO). You would need to whip your loupe out of your pocket and shove your Explorer adorned wrist in your eye for it to be an issue. Thanks for all the interest guys! (apologies for the awful quality of my photography ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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