Dial (face) cleaning?

[Kraai]

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

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Kraai

[oldhippy]

No easy way, not that I know.  Needs to go to a clock dial restores. 

[Chopin]

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.

[Redwood]

Whatever you decide to clean it with do a test somewhere that is not going to be seen. The harshest chemical I use is window cleaner and a cotton swab dabbled or rolled, never wiped


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[mikecj]

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

[watchweasol]

Hi we need to see the dial face and back to asses the limit of the damage, can you post a photo please.

[mikecj]

Please see the attached photo. The back appears to be solid with no indications rust or pitting. Thanks for the quick reply.

 

 

[Redwood]

Looks like the dial base metal has corroded in places and turned black, the base coat has gone in those places along with the lacquer.

Some are happy with this and others are not and will completely restore it. 

Edited December 16, 2019 by Redwood

[carlos123]

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.

 

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

 

 

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[Chopin]

You're not going to able to restore it, sadly. You can get a genuine replacement dial for it. It's still going to be original, so to speak.

Looks like some of the paint was wiped off...

Edited December 29, 2019 by Chopin

[jdm]

These dials are relatively expensive when bought new and genuine. Sometime you can can find a modder that selle the original on forums like WUS. Aftermarket ones on Ebay and other site are almost OK except the tint of DIVER'S

[carlos123]

Thanks for the replies, I’ll probably just put up with it then as I can’t justify the £40-50 cost of the replacement. Although tempted by modding the watch but am on the fence at the moment.

Cheers

Carl


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[jdm]

As mentioned a $13 dial is perfectly acceptable and certainly better than a damaged one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SEIKO-AFTERMARKET-BLACK-DIAL-LUMINOUS-HOUR-MARKERS-FOR-SKX007-DIVERS-7S26-0020/193110703703

Cousins UK has the genuine item for £25.95 + VAT.

Edited December 29, 2019 by jdm

[AlexeiJ1]

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.

[luiazazrambo]

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.

[jdm]

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.

[Kraai]

 

thanks, but it is not a real restoration

[wls1971]

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.

[Bod]

Got me thinking....

I have a scruffy dial, that doesn't warrant much money spending....

 

Bod 

[watchweasol]

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.

[Lenj]

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

[Lenj]

Can anyone tell me name of printing paper used??

Happy New Year to you ALL..

Thx Len

[luiazazrambo]

1 hour ago, Lenj said:

Can anyone tell me name of printing paper used??

Happy New Year to you ALL..

Thx Len

Open the video in youtube and in the description field you will find a link to the "paper".

[wls1971]

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.

[Lenj]

2 hours ago, luiazazrambo said:

Open the video in youtube and in the description field you will find a link to the "paper".

Thx I will have a look..