Mbari 2,227 Posted March 27, 2021 Picked up some spare parts from a member for cheap. Just to play around with things, because you know why not. The kit included: A messed up albino dial A messed up insertCase with no crown no movement spacer A throwaway bezel Thanks to Sir Alan Sugar from the other side of the pond for the inspiration to commence on a project, making a 6542 that emulates one only found submerged into the ocean floor after a plane crash... #rustic_albino Stuff done so far today: - Instead of trying to paint the edges of the dial, I decided to lean in and embrace the ocean floor. -Add rust and tropical vibes -Strip the paint off of the insert, repaint to get better color tones and look like it's aged to match the dial. -Brassify the bezel and then add rust to it, soaking it in rusty drill bit bath with salt + vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. -Add some heavy aging to the case, using metal bits and rocks in a tin can. 10 mins of vigorous shaking later.... I have to polish and soften the case now. Waiting for movement to arrive, then age the hands and dwo. Finally put it back together and stick on a nicely aged bracelet. Opinion needed: a full red small gmt hand or a regular gmt hand to finish the watch? Onto some update pics As always, thanks for reading. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 27, 2021 Some bezel painting aka risky business with these brittle cartel inserts Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using TapatalkJamming on to some chemical brothers while playing with chemicalsSent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 27, 2021 Case now aged and bezel rusted, brassified Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using TapatalkThink I'm gonna call it a night Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trailboss99 994 Posted March 27, 2021 This is going to look great! Nice work mate, seriously cool. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 27, 2021 This is going to look great! Nice work mate, seriously cool. Thanks mate! Had to put it into the case for sec. I am stoked to see what it will look like fully done Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buddhabar 4,546 Posted March 27, 2021 Great Job .. thanks for sharing the steps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alhig72 3,016 Posted March 27, 2021 Nice Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foxindebox 464 Posted March 27, 2021 9 hours ago, Mbari said: Thanks mate! Had to put it into the case for sec. I am stoked to see what it will look like fully done Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk That looks fantastic mate Looking forward to seeing the end result! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glaude 1,615 Posted March 27, 2021 I'm not a vintage fan at all, but this is damn realistic ! Great job ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rek001 12 Posted March 27, 2021 This is so creative! Love the made up backstory to this. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 27, 2021 Haha thanks. To make things more realistic, Pan Am flight 6 crashed into the pacific in 1956. Which would make this 54 production watch a perfect survivor Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 28, 2021 Still needs some refining here and there but for now she keeps time, while looking purrty Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scope 3 Posted March 28, 2021 That looks the part!Love it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 29, 2021 Haven't been this excited About a build in a while. Phong insert just livens this up to a new level. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nikosaldente 630 Posted March 29, 2021 That's sexy! Awesome job! Thanks for sharing! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aramis2288 6,254 Posted March 29, 2021 WOW! Absolute stunner! Congrats. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,751 Posted March 29, 2021 Missed this. Looks the bees knees. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,538 Posted March 29, 2021 You are an artiiste @Mbari! Next you have to make something that went down on one of the infamous BOAC Comets in 1954! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rm65453 108 Posted March 30, 2021 Gorgeously gorgeous! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ibanez 2,713 Posted March 30, 2021 @Mbari - superb, simply stunning, great stage pics too. Chapeau 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted March 30, 2021 Thanks y'all (Texas). I totally missed these comments. Made my day. Best part of going through the pain of taking on these excursions is to hear from you folks. I must say Lord Sugar (@Alhig72) had a lot to do with this. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anj4de 2 Posted March 31, 2021 Thanks a lot for those posts...they are very valuable to me. I just got into all this and I am already learning a lot. I have some cheap parts coming for my 1st mod attempt...can't wait for the stuff to arrive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
k4jun 251 Posted March 31, 2021 On 27/03/2021 at 04:07, Mbari said: -Brassify the bezel and then add rust to it, soaking it in rusty drill bit bath with salt + vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Could you chime in more about this process? I mean, is it one bath and the solution is a mix of salt+vinegar+hydrogen peroxide? Or in steps, first salt+vinega bath, then hydrogen peroxide? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mbari 2,227 Posted April 4, 2021 Could you chime in more about this process? I mean, is it one bath and the solution is a mix of salt+vinegar+hydrogen peroxide? Or in steps, first salt+vinega bath, then hydrogen peroxide?Dip in the salt vinegar and peroxide bath, with a rusty drill bit. Goal is to get the peroxide to extract the rust as the salt and vinegar acts a rusting agent. I know ...odd. Also it's vital to have ample otherwise the solution doesn't work as well. I did this because parts of the dial had metal exposed and I wanted to build a bit of rust in those spots.After about 1 hr of soaking I tool the dial out and let it all soak in the sun, building rust in the exposed parts and drying up the rust all over the dial. It looked intense at that point. Don't worry the steps after this would make more sense. Once dried up, I drop bit of water in the center which cleans the dial while pushing some of the rust out towards the edges. Repeat this until desired effect is achieved. As it gets clearer, use a fine brush to draw circles, feathering as needed in certain spotsOnce satisfied, seal it with some matte lacquer and voila. Youre done! Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites