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SB56667

Here goes nothing...

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SB56667
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.

 

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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! :)

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JohnG
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:)

 

 

I did one like that once :band::rofl: :rofl:

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SB56667

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. :blink: )

 

Removed the movement, covered the glass and screw holes, and shook for 5-10 mins in a tupperware full of coin and screws:

 

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That got me this far:

 

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Paused for an espresso before sanding with 150, then polishing with a good old Cape Cold cloth.

 

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That got me here:

 

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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:

 

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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!

 

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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! :drunksing:

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dingle

looks great mate.....:lol:

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Member X

How the hell did you front lume like that? It's impossible! :lol:

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SB56667
looks great mate.....:rofl:

 

Thanks, dingle! Been following your trials and tribulations -- looking forward to the photos you promised! :)

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SB56667
How the hell did you front lume like that? It's impossible! :)

 

:rofl: 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! :Whistle:

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dingle
Good thing it's a vintage build...more room for error, and you can even pretend you meant it! :(

 

+1K

 

:dingleberry-nemesis:

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SB56667

Incidentally, a look at the project with some alternate dials:

 

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Still think I like the 2533 best of all:

 

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