How to: relume a sandwich dial (and make it glow like a torch)

[Zwal 0]

thanks for the tutorial, anyone know when the quality of the lume starts to deteriorate?

Edited May 3, 2014 by Zwal

[Wiz 0]

thanks for the tutorial, anyone know when the quality of the lume starts to deteriorate?

 

It depends on the pigment. Low quality pigments start deteriorate quite quickly, some after only a few months. Better quality pigments may keep almost the same brightness for a little longer, maybe 2-3 years, and high quality pigments will stay almost as bright for 6-10 years.

[Zwal 0]

Thanks Wiz

[Adamsmith 0]

Absolutely well done!!!

[airfix163 0]

will you do mine ill pay i havent got the nuts nor nohow to take a watch apart

[arniesack 5]

Fantastic tutorial really clear and some great tips. Thank you!

[Pt1803 0]

Superb!

[ajmahi 0]

Have to try this on my 247

[Daywatch 4]

Very nicely done:)

[Jamjam 0]

Wicked job!

[2200CET 0]

Thats a very nice and clear tutorial mate.

Loving your handmade dial stand

 

One question I have though. Isn't it likely to happen that lume applied is too thick, so the plates have a little gap resulting in problems when mounting hands, specially second hand?

Or is that the reason you stick it back together when half dry to allow lume to push through sandwich openings a little bit?

[GenTLe 1,501]

Ok, so, after a week trying and retrying let me add something here

 

1) when you put the luminova and the compound on the plate, it will probably be thick enough so that the upper plate will not be flush with the lower plate. This must be corrected! The 2 plates must be fully in contact on the border and in the center. Otherwise the pinions of the sec or hour/minute hands will be "sunken" and the hands will not fit well on them.

I solved this problem using wet sand paper grain 1000 to lower down the applied luminova until I saw the center and border parts of the lower plate losing the white paint given before applying the luminova.

 

2) I tried a couple of compounds with the lume powder.

One was water-based transparent polyurethane varnish (generally used as finish treatment for woodwork). The pro was that it is relatively low cost and much easier to clean in case of problems (and to clean the tools to apply it). This one has been a disaster: on the hands it has been ok, but on the dial the part described in point 1 (grinding the dried lume application to make it flush with the plate higher parts) it was just not working well. Using it with wet sandpaper was removing it badly. Using it with dry sandpaper was also leaving a very scary surface, mainly because the compound is not strong enough and was detaching in "crumbs"

Then I tried a professional 2 components clear-coat for car bodywork I had used few years ago to paint the wheels of my motorcycle: THAT was simply perfect. The application, with a toothpick, was easy, once dried it is hard and the grinding was just perfect.

I'd have liked to try to use the airbrush to apply the lume, but didn't have a couple of bits to attach it to the air compressor...

 

3) re-gluing the 2 dials parts together: use a glue that spread well when the 2 parts are rejoined. 1st attempt I used a contact glue like http://www.uhu.com/en/products/contact-adhesives.html : again a disaster. The way it works is creating a layer between the 2 parts. And this is against 1) upper. Also the parts are not easily relocatable once placed in contact.

In the end I used a tiny amount of 2 component epoxy glue. BEWARE: use a LITTLE amount: 4 micro drops on N/S/W/E points on the border, and 2 micro drops in the central part. If you put too much glue it can spill out in the holes of the upper dial part and then you kill the whole job and watch...

 

When it will be completed I'll put up some pictures

[JSJ 0]

Ok, so, after a week trying and retrying let me add something here

 

1) when you put the luminova and the compound on the plate, it will probably be thick enough so that the upper plate will not be flush with the lower plate. This must be corrected! The 2 plates must be fully in contact on the border and in the center. Otherwise the pinions of the sec or hour/minute hands will be "sunken" and the hands will not fit well on them.

I solved this problem using wet sand paper grain 1000 to lower down the applied luminova until I saw the center and border parts of the lower plate losing the white paint given before applying the luminova.

 

2) I tried a couple of compounds with the lume powder.

One was water-based transparent polyurethane varnish (generally used as finish treatment for woodwork). The pro was that it is relatively low cost and much easier to clean in case of problems (and to clean the tools to apply it). This one has been a disaster: on the hands it has been ok, but on the dial the part described in point 1 (grinding the dried lume application to make it flush with the plate higher parts) it was just not working well. Using it with wet sandpaper was removing it badly. Using it with dry sandpaper was also leaving a very scary surface, mainly because the compound is not strong enough and was detaching in "crumbs"

Then I tried a professional 2 components clear-coat for car bodywork I had used few years ago to paint the wheels of my motorcycle: THAT was simply perfect. The application, with a toothpick, was easy, once dried it is hard and the grinding was just perfect.

I'd have liked to try to use the airbrush to apply the lume, but didn't have a couple of bits to attach it to the air compressor...

 

3) re-gluing the 2 dials parts together: use a glue that spread well when the 2 parts are rejoined. 1st attempt I used a contact glue like http://www.uhu.com/en/products/contact-adhesives.html : again a disaster. The way it works is creating a layer between the 2 parts. And this is against 1) upper. Also the parts are not easily relocatable once placed in contact.

In the end I used a tiny amount of 2 component epoxy glue. BEWARE: use a LITTLE amount: 4 micro drops on N/S/W/E points on the border, and 2 micro drops in the central part. If you put too much glue it can spill out in the holes of the upper dial part and then you kill the whole job and watch...

 

When it will be completed I'll put up some pictures

Thanks very much for the extra tips here. I must have another go at reluming and this info is great.

[GenTLe 1,501]

Here we are.

Anyway the final surface of the luminova looks a bit rough in the end. Nothing visible without a loupe anyway.

Also consider this is cheap luminova from Ali, not the super uber bright one.