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Dial (face) cleaning?

64americandeluxe
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Kraai Watch Enthusiast

Kraai

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Posted (edited)

A dial from a Bulle clock (model XC) looks dirty. Varnish remover does not help. Sanding and  resilvering is not possible because the letters are not engraved.

Please help, thanks, Kraai

 

Dial Bulle clock XC.JPG

Edited by Kraai
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64americandeluxe
64americandeluxe

My dad's 30-ish year old Seiko has white crud at the 12:00 marker.  I think it is adhesive from an old repair (possibly a crystal repair with the dial still in the case?).  Any thoughts?  Would it be

Bill3
Bill3

Thank everyone who responded to my question about cleaning a watch dial. better What a treasure trove of useful information! I was doubly surprised to get so much good information, especially since t

Graziano
Graziano

Hi there LittleWatchShop ,on that particular dial I would go no further than saliva (enzyme solution ) on a q tip .It will not remove printing and lacquer only dirt and leave it at that. But don't do

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Chopin Super WRT Addict

Chopin

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Without messing it up you will only be able to clean it up by about 25% or so... Even that can be a tad risky, especially with the indexes, writing, numerals, etc.

It looks good as it is if you ask me. It has personality and patina. Not gonna be able to make it look brand new.

I would say that your only bet is to lightly tap the dial with some cleaning substance and some cotton and that's about it. If it'll remove some of the dirt then that'd be good enough.

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mikecj Member

mikecj

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Y'all,

Just purchased a 90 year old watch. It still runs. The only issue the dial face has some patina (read dirt), oxidation and minor paint loss. Can you provide me recommendations for:

1. Removing the dirt.

2. Dealing with the oxidation.

3. Replacing the lost paint.

The dial face appears to be paint on metal.

Thank you,

MikeCJ

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carlos123 Watch Enthusiast

carlos123

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Hi all,

 

I’ve recently got my hands on a Seiko divers watch which needs a little work. When I first got the watch I noticed what I thought was a fingerprint in the underside of the glass, however on removing the movement I noticed the mark was actually a shiny part of the dial rather than the matt finish.0dcebd3bf356e16fb8c90f3e51e85c9b.jpg

 

I’ve tried cleaning/lifting with Rodico and some solvent cleaner without any joy.

 

Does anyone know if there is any way to restore the Matt finish? I don’t really want to buy another dial as I prefer it to be original to the watch.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Carl

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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AlexeiJ1 WRT Addict

AlexeiJ1

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You know if you wanted to experiment? You could try some degreaser or light soap and then gently touch it with your finger, then rinse/dry.

Yes there is a risk the dial will be destroyed, but there is a chance it will remove the oil stain if that is indeed what it is.

I did ruin a dial that had battery acid damage by washing it - but it was still usable its just that the awesome patina from the acid was washed away with water.

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luiazazrambo Super WRT Addict

luiazazrambo

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You could try to take a picture of it and edit (removing the dirt and to make it 1 to 1) it in GIMP for example then you could use the same technique what Mark used in his video: 

 I am not sure how difficult it would be to find a spare dial to use that for the experiment and not the original one. I also like the original as it is.

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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8 minutes ago, luiazazrambo said:

You could try to take a picture of it and edit (removing the dirt and to make it 1 to 1) it in GIMP for example then you could use the same technique what Mark used in his video: 

GIMP is an image transformation tool with very poor technical drawing features. One needs Illustrator, or Inkscape to work on dial blueprints.

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wls1971 Distinguished Member

wls1971

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I've used Gimp quite a lot for flat dials, just scan the original and edit out the defects, the beauty of this you can lay the new dial over the top of the old, so if in the future you decide you want a dial restorer to work on it you have preserved it for future restoration.

You can print on off white paper or card to make the dial look aged.IMG_20190613_0002.thumb.jpg.5c53cdbaba9a4b407a94892b6dde0966.jpg1300016454_clockdial.thumb.jpg.11226ab0a0458e9e042a24b15be8e406.jpg

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watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

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Hi  K  If its not a full on restoration I should give it a wipe over with mild soap and water then leave as is It got like that through the life it lead and is therefore the character of the clock.  I personally like to leave things alone as long as its not detremental to the operation of the clock, we all pick up a few cuts and bruises through life.

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Lenj WRT Addict

Lenj

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Also got me thinking, you may recall I wanted to get an Epee dial restored, but to expensive, I love what Mark did in his video, I was wondering if I could do the same, does it have to be printed with laser printer? or would normal printing be OK on the special paper??

 

Thanks Len

epee1aa.jpg

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wls1971 Distinguished Member

wls1971

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I've used all sorts of paper a high gloss photo paper printed on a inkjet does a good job of looking like an enamel dial. I use a canon inkjet there is a setting on it that puts more ink onto the paper for the blacks, Epson heavy weight matte paper is fantastic for  non glossy printed dials it has a very fine surface finish to the paper.

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