Jump to content

Restoring a case with without damaging paint


Recommended Posts

I am repairing a Vostok with a painted bezel (I think that is what it is called). The painted part is not separate from the case so any cleaning, polishing, or re-plating has the possibility of damaging it further. Any advice on working around this? My only thoughts are to try some durable table that I can stick on the paint and cut off the excess so as to mask it. I'm afraid this might damage it as well though.

20220617_181928.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My general advice on this one is leave it alone. Bezels typically are not restored. They are replaced or left alone.

Sometimes, we strive to restore a watch to new condition but often times, attempting to do that does not increase the watch's value at all. If the restore looks like an attempt to restore it more than an actual new watch, that is more distracting than just letting the watch be with all of its character lines.

I am sort of like an OCD type of person and I do not like anything misaligned or out of symmetry. I don't like stains or scratches. It has been hard for me to learn this principle. When I'm shopping for a watch, I generally stay away from the ones with badly stained dials or bezels, but sometimes, the stains and scuffs can be attractive, but you need to learn how to appreciate that aspect. I have slowly come around on this and gone against my natural tendency. Some of my restorations are very subtle, letting the marks remain but just taking much of the light wear marks away.

Of course, this is totally subjective and others will have their own opinion. This is just my humble opinion. I think your bezel looks ok as is. I also don't think there is any way you can make it look much better and I wouldn't use anything other than mild soap and warm water and a very soft brush or just my skin to clean it. Even then, that is risky as you don't want to flake off any of that pretty purple paint. Every time I've attempted to fix a dial or a bezel, I make it worse.

Just my two cents.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@HectorLooiYes, the chapter ring sits under the crystal. Here is a gold version of the same.image.thumb.png.bb62e95c21d42cc4f60e336c70ba687e.png

4 hours ago, Saldog said:

My general advice on this one is leave it alone. Bezels typically are not restored. They are replaced or left alone.

Sometimes, we strive to restore a watch to new condition but often times, attempting to do that does not increase the watch's value at all. If the restore looks like an attempt to restore it more than an actual new watch, that is more distracting than just letting the watch be with all of its character lines.

I am sort of like an OCD type of person and I do not like anything misaligned or out of symmetry. I don't like stains or scratches. It has been hard for me to learn this principle. When I'm shopping for a watch, I generally stay away from the ones with badly stained dials or bezels, but sometimes, the stains and scuffs can be attractive, but you need to learn how to appreciate that aspect. I have slowly come around on this and gone against my natural tendency. Some of my restorations are very subtle, letting the marks remain but just taking much of the light wear marks away.

Of course, this is totally subjective and others will have their own opinion. This is just my humble opinion. I think your bezel looks ok as is. I also don't think there is any way you can make it look much better and I wouldn't use anything other than mild soap and warm water and a very soft brush or just my skin to clean it. Even then, that is risky as you don't want to flake off any of that pretty purple paint. Every time I've attempted to fix a dial or a bezel, I make it worse.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for the advice! I don't have any plans on restoring the purple/blue paint and I am of the same mind in that I would rather not attempt to repaint this chapter ring at risk of drawing attention to it. The rest of the case is in pretty sorry shape. Lots off brass showing, very dirty, and very scratched up. I can clean it by hand with some peg wood but what can be done about the rubbed off plating without affecting the chapter rings? If there is no hope of polishing or re-plating, that's fine, but I would like to explore the options.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The chapter ring on the watch in the picture is the hash, minute marks around the dial. The 5 through 60 are also minute marks so they form part of the chapter ring, but on a separate ring, so that's why I called it a bezel, thinking it was an internal bezel. But, I think the definition of a bezel is one that is on a different scale than the chapter ring. For example, a Tachymeter ring is not a chapter ring. It doesn't rotate and sometimes is internal but also external. I would call that a bezel. A diver countdown ring is not a chapter ring, even though it is a minute scale. But it is rotatable, which makes it separate from the chapter ring. A minute marker that does not rotate I think should be called a chapter ring, so, I agree with Hector.

Both of these examples look nice and I hope you enjoy getting them looking as good as you can. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re-plating involves putting the case through a diluted acid bath, then through a nickel / chrome bath to electroplate it. Covering that chapter ring to prevent liquid ingress during this process will be a challenge. Maybe you lucky and you can put the glass back and case back. Find a way to seal the stem tube. Then you can plate the case, but understand you’ll have to spend time ensuring there’s no leaks so fluids can’t get to the chapter ring. I’ve done some DIY nickel plating so it’s something you can experiment with at home. Alternatively there’s a “wipe on” plating process you can try at home that doesn’t involve immersion in liquids, but basically dabbing an anode in plating solution and wiping it over the surface to be plated. I’ve never tried this method but I’ve seen is being done with ok results. Those are the only possible solutions I can think of

Edited by gbyleveldt
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

There are some special masks that you paint over the part to protect it during the electroplating process and then remove them using a solvent, I'm not sure if you can use them in this case but it's worth having a look at that, alternatevly I'v seen a guy covering a part with paraffin wax and ptrolium jelly but I think that's just video magic because plating solutions can get hot and melt the wax and the jelly away.

1 minute ago, Ammar said:

There are some special masks that you paint over the part to protect it during the electroplating process and then remove them using a solvent, I'm not sure if you can use them in this case but it's worth having a look at that, alternatevly I'v seen a guy covering a part with paraffin wax and ptrolium jelly but I think that's just video magic because plating solutions can get hot and melt the wax and the jelly away.

Wow I'm a couple of months late, do you have any updates? How did it go? I'm curious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • people be honest.... Swatch is evil for the watchmakers and repairers, BUT not everything in watches from Switzerland is from the Swatch-Group. As far as i know, Selitta got sacked by Swatch as a Movement-Assembler for them and they started to produce Movements in their own Name with slight Modifications. As far as i know, they sell Parts to the Market for their Movements. In most cases, if a ETA-Movement fails, it is a valid Option to replace it with a Selitta Movement, which i consider the Solution for this Mess with the Swatch-Group...... I have no Connection to anybody at Selitta, but being a Swiss-Guy, i still like to have Swiss-Made Watches, but not from the Swatch-Group.   ok ? regards, Ernst
    • Just one more greedy act by Swatch. They started a number of years ago here in the US..cutting off supplies to watchmakers that could build complications that many Swatch houses couldn't even touch. Old school masters who had gone through some of the most prestigious houses in the world. Otto Frei has some statements on their page about it. I tell all my customers to avoid new Swiss watches like the plague,..unless they just want an older one in their collection that still has some parts out on the market, or they have really deep pockets and don't mind waiting months and paying through the nose to get it back. Plenty of others to choose from..IE Seiko,..or other non-swiss brands Even a number of Chinese brands are catching up with the Swiss,..and I think that in time, their actions will be their downfall
    • Yes. If that's not what you are experiencing...start looking for something rubbing. A 1st guess is that one of the hands is rubbing against the hole in the center of the dial. Especially if you now have lower amplitude in face up/ face down positions.
    • Once a movement has the dial and hands put back and it is recased, would you expect the assembled watch to have the same amplitude as when the movement is in a movement holder and is without hands and dial? Thanks
    • C07641+ not sure what the "+" is for after the last digit.
×
×
  • Create New...