SB56667 155 Posted June 12, 2011 Looking forward to more! :P OK, here you go. Here's what I got done before I got dragged out of the house last night. Some need a little cleanup of the "resin fill" on the wording (white crayon, per HomageForum tutorials), plus a final coat of matte lacquer. All need vintage lume, which is on the way from watch-lume in 2 shades. Notes on technique at bottom. The dials, as I mentioned, are 2-layer ABS, with laser engraving to expose the white core. I was constantly experimenting and used a slightly different technique with each, but the basic procedure was: - Scuff up surface with #600 sandpaper, smooth out any rough edges - Do quick touch-up with fine point Sharpie where necessary - Apply a very thin layer of acrylic paint with a craft paintbrush (color were Tuscan red, Van Dyke brown, old gold, camel, and titanium white in various combinations) - Once dry, spray multiple very thin layers of Krylon Indoor/Outdoor spray paint, clear lacquer for texture, and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle (the secret ingredient!), in alternating colors (no formula, just experimented and checked frequently, using flat black, antique gold, brown, and the lacquers) - Once dry, rub tip of a white crayon into the lettering lightly and in a circular motion until letters are filled, then gently wipe off excess with a cotton rag - Final coat of matte lacquer Now if only if I could magically get my cases from Jackson tomorrow so I see what these look like in an actual watch! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted June 12, 2011 I did one like that once :rofl: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SB56667 155 Posted July 4, 2011 After returning home from a few weeks away to a number of packages I'd ordered -- not all I needed for two vintage builds I was planning, but enough to get started -- I took advantage of the holiday day to do a little tinkering. I know the 2533 is supposed to be 47mm, but my wrist won't take anything more than a 45mm, so my base was a 45mm Cali from Jackson. Not a work of art itself, but fine to get started with. (Except for the lug screws, two of which stripped to near-unusability nearly immediately. ) Removed the movement, covered the glass and screw holes, and shook for 5-10 mins in a tupperware full of coin and screws: That got me this far: Paused for an espresso before sanding with 150, then polishing with a good old Cape Cold cloth. That got me here: Front-lumed a handful of ABS dials I'd made a few weeks back using a mix of light yellow and aged vintage lumes from watchlume at Homage Forum, including a 2533 and this 3646: Interim results are below. I'm still waiting for gold hands I can properly age, as well as a few more pieces that will let me put a Molnija movement in. At the moment, it's still the stock movement. But after working on it half the day, I had to put a temporary version together that I could wear out that night! I've got a long way to go before I really match what I'm looking for, but in the meantime, thanks a million to everyone here for the tutorials, advice, and support that got me this far! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingle 57 Posted July 5, 2011 looks great mate..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Member X 91 Posted July 5, 2011 How the hell did you front lume like that? It's impossible! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SB56667 155 Posted July 6, 2011 looks great mate..... Thanks, dingle! Been following your trials and tribulations -- looking forward to the photos you promised! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SB56667 155 Posted July 6, 2011 How the hell did you front lume like that? It's impossible! So I'd heard. I made a lume mixture with a bit more resin than powder (60:40?) so I had a more liquidy mix to deal with, then I took tiny amounts of it on a very stiff, narrow paintbrush and filled in the indices bit by bit. The pain in the ass was when I started to lose patience and got a bit sloppy and then had to blot/nudge/scratch away traces of gloss ringing parts of the indices. Good thing it's a vintage build...more room for error, and you can even pretend you meant it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingle 57 Posted July 6, 2011 Good thing it's a vintage build...more room for error, and you can even pretend you meant it! :( +1K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SB56667 155 Posted July 28, 2011 Incidentally, a look at the project with some alternate dials: Still think I like the 2533 best of all: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites