repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) Hey all, I've been working on an interesting project for a friend for the past week. A bit of background first - when I first got into this "hobby" my girlfriend's dad gave me a 14060 replica that he had bought while traveling in China 10 or so years ago. It wasn't a bad rep, but since I was new to watches, I screwed it up quite a bit while working on it. The worst part was that I broke the seconds hand pinion, making the watch permanently seconds-hand-less. Anyway, the watch looked kind of like this at this point: A friend bought the watch off me when it was in this state, as it wasn't getting a lot of wrist time. He loved it until the movement died a few weeks ago. He had been wanting to learn more about watchsmithing, so I thought it would be fun to try and restore it together. We decided to convert it to a 5513, as the cases on the two are similar. Obviously nothing was going to be gen spec etc etc because we were pretty much just working with what we had. We ordered a new movement and did everything else ourselves. A lot of case and crown guard reshaping, bleaching of the bezel, making a real gilt dial, luming everything, making a vintage pearl from some leftover resin castings from my Bakelite insert, and here she is: The dial is a conglomeration of several different 5513 dial components that he liked. The chapter ring and silver lettering is from the early "Mark I" dials, the coronet is from a later example, and the exclamation mark is just for shits and giggles.And some pictures that he just sent me. He's pretty pleased with the way it turned out I think. All in all, not too shabby for what is essentially a $25 watch. Thanks for reading. Edited February 23, 2018 by repmaster1234 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted February 23, 2018 Not bad for a $25 watch. What lume and binder are you using? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, NCRich said: Not bad for a $25 watch. What lume and binder are you using? $6 "glow in the dark powder" from Amazon and nail polish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted February 23, 2018 11 minutes ago, repmaster1234 said: $6 "glow in the dark powder" from Amazon and nail polish. I find this easier to use. The main reason is that it uses something waterbased like white glue. That lets you color it with an inexpensive watercolor set from Hobby Lobby. It also lets you thin it and clean your mistakes with a water soaked pointed qtip. https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-WATCH-LUME-LUMINOUS-PASTE-KIT-GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-DIY-LUME-FOR-WATCH-HANDS/301576300414?hash=item463759277e:m:m5UkRmj1qU0aLKsJfhC-cJw Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 3 minutes ago, NCRich said: I find this easier to use. The main reason is that it uses something waterbased like white glue. That lets you color it with an inexpensive watercolor set from Hobby Lobby. It also lets you thin it and clean your mistakes with a water soaked pointed qtip. https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-WATCH-LUME-LUMINOUS-PASTE-KIT-GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-DIY-LUME-FOR-WATCH-HANDS/301576300414?hash=item463759277e:m:m5UkRmj1qU0aLKsJfhC-cJw I've thought about buying that stuff before but I can't justify the cost. The powder I have is $6 for 12 grams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted February 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, repmaster1234 said: I've thought about buying that stuff before but I can't justify the cost. The powder I have is $6 for 12 grams. I have lumed 35 watches with that kit. And I have more than half left. You probably could use Elmers white school glue with your lume. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 5 minutes ago, NCRich said: I have lumed 35 watches with that kit. And I have more than half left. You probably could use Elmers white school glue with your lume. I've tried the school glue but had problems with it drying too quickly. Any tricks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted February 23, 2018 I put a bit of water in a container. If it gets too thick I dip a small painting brush in the water and scrape a bit off the brush into the lume mix with a toothpick. Toothpick gives you control. The thickness is everything. When you get better at it, you can finish the whole hands and dial before you would need to do that. That takes a lot of practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 1 minute ago, NCRich said: I put a bit of water in a container. If it gets too thick I dip a small painting brush in the water and scrape a bit off the brush into the lume mix with a toothpick. Toothpick gives you control. The thickness is everything. When you get better at it, you can finish the whole hands and dial before you would need to do that. That takes a lot of practice. Great advice, I will try next time around! Thanks mate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nikosaldente 630 Posted February 23, 2018 Great result! Well done! Bravo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repmaster1234 49 Posted February 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Nikosaldente said: Great result! Well done! Bravo Thanks mate, much appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
