Jump to content

Repairing Enamel Dials


Recommended Posts

Hi All

I've bought a couple of broken Waltham pocket watches to help me get started on my new watch repair hobby

I've noticed that they have chipped and cracked dials - which is no big deal as I'm only interested in tinkering with the movements at the moment.

However , I was wondering if such dials where repairable ?

When I look in eBay, most of the 'spares or repair' old pocket watches have knackered dials and it would be good fun working out how to repair them.

I've tried googling around, but there seems to be almost no information about how to do this .

I've seen 'enamel paste' for sale that suggests it is used for such repair work

Does anyone have any experience with this ? Is there a good source of info on dial repair on the interwebs anywhere?

Cheers

Dean

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have repaired french clock dials using this kit purchased from Meadows & Passmore. However I have also replaced all of the numerals as well which this company also supplies in the form of  transfers for clock dials . Getting the same colour match between the old & new enamel is also a real challenge so I repair the cracks , etc., rub down the whole dial & spray with enamel paint then apply the new numerals & then spray over the top with varnish. I have seen articles where guys use the same technic as I use but hand paint the dials. You might be able to repair pocket watch cracks using this kit that are not near the numerals but the colour match will be the challenge.

 

 

post-234-0-76743000-1433141282.png

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An old watchmaker once told me he used epoxy glue mixed with humbrol model paint on chips It does give a nice enamel type finish but like clockboy says colour match is tricky , I would imagine this is cheaper that the kit if you just wanted to have a little go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes should have mentioned this kit is approx. £40 but very little of the powder/resin mix is used per repair. The epoxy glue method might be worth a punt with very little cost involved.

I have not done one of these repairs for a long while. Just not practical considering the amount of time it takes to repair the dial & movement & the rewards are poor. Spending a week repairing a French clock & then making £20 profit is just dumb. But if a customer asks I can deliver but at a price alas !!!  

A quality pocket watch might be a different matter though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what happens at a dial refinishing service company. I've seen the before and after pictures - they're amazing!

I guess they have a wide variety of techniques to return a dial to new condition - but again - nothing on the internet

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have seen that too but as you say nothing on the net. They have technics that they keep to themselves & you can't blame them really it's their living. However the results I got were very good so I am not far off the mark on how they do it.

Experiment on an old dial there are plenty of them on the bay you might be surprised with your results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For enamel dials use white and black UV setting nail gel (much cheaper than the Cousins equivalent) all colours available to tint the white to a good match. Lots available on the web and on eBay. The cheapest solution for the UV lamp is the low power one sold for fake benk note detection. This will cure the gel in about 10 minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a dirty dial with hairlines you could make it look much better by buying some strong denture cleaner out of Boots. Undiluted, stick your dial in there and then rinse off. It acts like a cleaner and bleach and will help hide the hairlines.

NOTE : MAKE SURE THE DIAL DOES NOT HAVE ANY SURFACE PAINTING AND THE NUMBERS/TEXT ARE IN THE ENAMEL

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • I see what you mean. I must admit I’m not entirely comfortable with that but I can’t see a better method than what you suggest. I’d like to see something like this mirror with a short spike: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/mirror-for-observing-movements Place it on, push the spike on the post with one hand and release the stem with the other hand. Minor problem, it doesn’t exist.
    • Hope you mum keeps on mending. I was adamant that I was going to get myself going after my stroke. I was only 52. I still have a lot of life left to live. Some people give up. Some people don't let it beat them. Your mum sounds like one of the winners. 👍
    • Moved in. Now working out the best place to have things so moving around the room makes sense. The wooden movement testing rig may end up being suspended from the roof with some pulleys and ropes that I salvaged from some alfresco blinds that we replaced. I always seem to salvage things from things we scrap thinking, "I have an idea what I can use these for." I hope I'm not the only one that does that. My wife hates me for it. "What are you going to do with all this crap?" Anyway, here you go. If anyone has suggestions for workflow around a room, speak up. All Ideas are appreciated. The bench on wheels will carry either a laptop or my Samsung table for using with the little camera that is on the tripod for photos while dismantling etc. The small bar fridge in the corners going to have water etc in it and I might move the coffee maker from the kitchen out there as I am the only one that uses it. I want to get an ultrasonic cleaner so I may set up some sort of cleaning rig in front of the glass of the sliding door. Where the grandmother clock is currently standing. I'm hoping that I will be able to transition my working area, which is the table that the stool is sitting in front of, fairly easily between clocks and watches. I'll be doing my best to make sure that tools for each are separatedwhen stored. Logistics. I'll have a bit of wall space for being able to hang clocks if I find some that I wish to keep or hopefully at some time to be able to hang customer clocks for monitoring after servicing/repairs. The clock on the left in the blue pillow slip and the grandmother clock are earmarked for  Jarryd and his wife, Sara. He helped me move the benches in today. And then went on to tell me that ticking clocks drive him nuts. Who doesn't like the rhythmic ticking of a clock? I have a green pad for adding to the bench for a working surface. It is not a cutting mat or one of the Bergeon mats. It is actually a green desk writing mat. Was really cheap and will do exactly what I want, I think. I also have to get the sparkies back that put our new stove in to put some power points on the walls behind the benches. Hopefully this is all going to go well. I'm excited about it. It'll beat having to live out in the garage doing it. The other thing I have to do is cut a circle or square of plastic to go over the bouncing watch or clock part black hole in the middle of the floor. I would pretty much guarantee that anything that sproings off the bench would end up going straight down that drain. 😄      I think I have been on this forum about 4 years and still yet to really strike a blow. That's a bit sad isn't it. Signed up to Mark's watch course and have yet to buy the movement for working on. Have most of the tools I think I will need so now all just a matter of will.   I have to make a crank handle for my Joe Collins spring winder as well and some spring retaining tubes as I can't find where I can buy them. I will be salvaging (here I go again) the aluminium tubing from my old hang glider which I have to scrap as I can't fly anymore and it is too old to sell. All the aluminium tubing is aircraft grade so I am hoping it will be suitable for the winder. I have also been making a bushing tool and I have just worked out that it will work well with my Dremel stand. So another thing that I can turn into a working tool. Don't know if you guys have ever seen the ad about the guy that buys himself a new 4WD and the son says "We're going to need a bigger boat." So Liz is looking at all the stuff we have to get rid of and says "We're going to need a bigger bin." Really difficult to work out how big a Dempster bin we need. Sigh.
    • So leave off the seconds. Stand the movement on its edge, its the dial edge that rests on the pad ( either rubber or cork , something that wont slip ). Use a finger of your left hand to hold the movement upright,  right hand presses the release and flicks out the stem. I do it this way so i can see what I'm under a microscope. But you could hold the movement between two fingers of your left hand, its the right that has to manipulate the stem out by pushing the release and flicking out the stem with  right ring finger nail. Sounds more complicated than it actually is. I guess you could fix a push pin to something solid, then all you need to do is push the release against the pin, leaving your right hand completely free to pull the stem out.
    • Try putting everything back together and closing the back cover. I think one of the two springs has to contact the metal casing to ground the casing. So when you press the button, it will touch the contact on circuit board and close the circuit.
×
×
  • Create New...