Timex Dial Tabs

[bluerich]

I've recently gotten interested in Timex electric watches after finding one at an estate sale. The watch is a 1979 model 262 and it needed a lot of help. The back plate was missing and the movement had been heavily oiled. I've picked up quite a bit of valuable information from all of the experienced people on the forum, in particular Jersey Mo. One thing I haven't seen is any posting on how to deal with the fragile tabs that hold the dial onto the movement. It seems a weakness in such otherwise robust watches. I thought I was finished with the model 262 I've been working on but I had to remove the dial again due to problems with the day/date changing. Sure enough, one of the tabs snapped off when I was putting the dial back on. Anyone have any advice on how to fix broken tabs or re-attach a Timex dial with a few (or all) tabs broken off? I thought of UV liquid plastic but I don't think it would hold for long. Seems like crazy glue or a bit of solder might work but then things can get sloppy pretty quickly. My current project is back together with 3 tabs and I'm sure will hold for now. 

thanks

[dadistic]

I don't have an answer for you, but I do feel your pain :-)

 

 

[yankeedog]

Sorcery..

[dadistic]

One of the things that I've done in the past with Timex dials is to use a two screwdriver method of bending the tabs. I'll take one screwdriver, and use it to support the back of the tab, and then use the second on as a lever to actually bend the tab. The goal is to have the tab bend somewhere other than where it joins the dial. Don't want repeated bending in the same place, failure will be inevitable.  I can't say for sure that my method is 100%, but it seems to help me avoid broken tabs. 

I've tried dial dots to fix broken tabs, so far no success.  Someday I may try soldering a new tab, but I have yet to be motivated to put that much work in to a Timex dial. A new tab could probably be soldered much like a new dial foot can. 

[AndyHull]

Do we know what the dial is made of? If it is aluminium, then soldering might not be an option.

 

[bluerich]

Thanks dadistic for your tab bending tech. I have tried a variation of it with the goal of not bending at the point of contacting dial and it does work well. I did put too much pressure at that point when I broke the one tab and I could just feel it was going to happen. And thanks for the dial dot info too as this was another method I wondered about, And, AndyHull, I don't know what the dial is made of but I think it is brass. I'll take a closer look at it later. 

Thanks 

[canthus]

I haven't messed with a Timex dial but I have with others similar.  I used a very thin piece of  brass sheet and cut it to a T shape.  I bent it at 90 deg then used JB Weld to fix it to the underside of the dial with the top of the T on the dial and the leg of the T used for the tang and left it to fully harden in a warm place for a few days.  As JB Weld sets very hard and can be filed etc when hard, any excess can be easily removed to give a flat surface under the dial.  The brass plate should not be too stiff and the dial part big enough to avoid the dial part peeling when bending to fix the dial. Obviously there must be room between the underside of the dial and the movement, for the repair to allow the dial to sit flat.  If its metal to metal then maybe superglue would work as well.

[watchweasol]

Hi   If the dial is made of brass then the same technique as soldering dial feet on may work using a new tab of thin brass soldered on using this method and reshaped. If you search the web for Dirk Fassbender he buildt a modified version of the one buildt by Wesley R Door (Horological Times) contributer.  Have alook at Dial Foot Soldering on the net..   Its like spot welding using solder but its so quickusing an arc to melt the solder the front of the dial is un harmed. Always useful to practise first on some old dials.  I have buildt one of these and it works on conventional dials.

[yankeedog]

Aluminum  can be soldered...Aluminum  oxide cannot.Since the surface  of any aluminum  object  becomes  instantly  oxidized in the presence  of O2 it makes soldering  extraordinarily  difficult. 

[bluerich]

Thanks for all responses. Your JB weld method seems like a good way to go canthus. I have used this on other non-watch items and it holds well. I have seen videos on soldering dial feet and I think I've seen the one you mentioned watchweasol but have not tried it. You can see by the picture (if I did it right) that the dial tab is brass so it should be the same as soldering dial feet.

[JerseyMo]

Not sure JB weld will give you the flexibilty to bent the tab back into place but hey give it a try.  Three tabs should work since the dial reflector ring helps when the crystal is snapped in to place.

I too use an angle approach to lifting and bending the tabs.  So here is the tool I came up with to help with this.  No more than an exacto blade and the tip is notched soI can even used this tool to screw down a set lever screw.

One techinque I use on all Timex dials is to bend the tab back to 90 degrees from the dial before refitting to the movement.  This helps it fall into place better and not disrupt those darn day date detent srping that like to jump out of place.  and doe the 262 dial look like this one in blue?