Jump to content

Which watch lume to buy?

Tmuir

By Tmuir
in Tools & Equipment

 Share

Recommended Posts

Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

Posted
Posted

I'm about to place an order with Cousins to buy some tools and oils / greases and was thinking about buying a Bergeon green lume kit as I've got a few watches that are cheap enough for me to practice reluming on, but whilst doing some reading up on reluming hands today I came across a number of references Super Luminova with a few of them listing it as superior to the Bergeon Lume.

What does everyone here think?

Should I just buy the Bergeon Lume kit, or should I source from else where the Super Luminova lume kit?

Thanks

Tony

  • Like 1
WatchMaker Super WRT Addict

WatchMaker

Posted
Posted

Good topic Tony ... I was going to ask something similar as I need to re-lume some watch hands too but it's not something I've done before and there are various products out there.

I've noticed szbalogh's recent relume under the forum gallery which look super

 

Marc Distinguished Member

Marc

Posted
Posted

I just use acrylic matt lacquer as a binder. Cheap as you like and has never been challenging to use.

  • Like 4
Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks everyone. I got the response I was kind of expecting, everyone has their own preference and there is no one clear better lume.

I'll get the Bergeon lume since that is what Cousins sell and I will be placing an order with them tonight anyhow.

  • Like 1
ramrod Super WRT Addict

ramrod

Posted
Posted

i bought some lume from an ebay seller a while back. i am reasonably pleased with the lume quality, but the binder has an objectionable smell. chemical smells usually won't bother me, but this does. i hate working with it. what i've been thinking about using is UV activated nail polish. it won't harden until exposed to UV light - which is sunshine.

 

  • Like 1
szbalogh Super WRT Addict

szbalogh

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ramrod said:

 what i've been thinking about using is UV activated nail polish. it won't harden until exposed to UV light - which is sunshine.

Tried all. Nitrocellulose nail polish, UV nail polish and akrylic lacquer. All are good but the nitrocellulose nail polish is convenient to use. 

 

4 hours ago, Tmuir said:

I'll get the Bergeon lume since that is what Cousins sell and I will be placing an order with them tonight anyhow.

Never bought a branded (expensive) lume paint but it would be nice to see a side-by-side comparison of sample spots made with the same binders and solvents in the same amounts. I have brought my relumed watch to a local watchmaker to compare its lume with a good lumed watch. It was a TAG Heuer F1. The initial brightness was about the same, but the most interesting would how the brightness changes with time. 

Could You or someone else make this comparison? I dont want to buy that expensive set just for this :)

  • Like 1
ro63rto Distinguished Member

ro63rto

Posted
Posted
Humbrol Matt or Satin model paint is what i use? Tried some acrylic paint but i think i dry out to fast?  



I emailed Humbrol a while back asking for a Matt lacquer that dried slowly.

They replied with this..

Humbrol AC5601 Modelcote 28ml Matt Cote.
Humbrol AC7501 Enamel Thinners 28ml.

My local model shops don't stock it so I never got round to try it.


Sent from my Honor 5c

RCDesign Member

RCDesign

Posted
Posted

I personally do not like the luminous powder from Bergeon that Cousins sell - It looks way to green in daylight - "mint green" instead of the white colour most powders have!

I use lume on routed watch dials and like it when the particles are 2-3µm instead of the standard 10µm - or the surface gets scratched in the process when making dials. The smaller particle size also makes reluming  hands much easier, so if you can - get a powder with a small particle size!

szbalogh Super WRT Addict

szbalogh

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, RCDesign said:

I use lume on routed watch dials and like it when the particles are 2-3µm instead of the standard 10µm - or the surface gets scratched in the process when making dials. The smaller particle size also makes reluming  hands much easier, so if you can - get a powder with a small particle size!

That is not true. The bigger the particles the brighter the lume at night. Moreover, particle size has a great impact. Yes it is harder to work with bigger particles, but if one gets to the appropriate mixture of binder, solvent and powder, then the result will be much much better. I have used the 30-70 µm batch. Ordered some sieves from the ebay to get four sizes batches. 

RCDesign Member

RCDesign

Posted
Posted
Quote

That is not true. The bigger the particles the brighter the lume at night. 

....and I never stated that smaller size had better lume - I do not know where you got that from!

BUT smaller particle sizes are much easier to work with, you get a better finish and in my case - it is crucial for getting the work done at all.

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, ro63rto said:

 


I emailed Humbrol a while back asking for a Matt lacquer that dried slowly.

They replied with this..

Humbrol AC5601 Modelcote 28ml Matt Cote.
Humbrol AC7501 Enamel Thinners 28ml.

My local model shops don't stock it so I never got round to try it.


Sent from my Honor 5c
 

 

Neither have i? Use this small cans? Not sure why they are packed in Sweden? Or why we in Sweden have special cans? Or if the paint are the same as in England or the rest of the world? DSC07647.JPGDSC07645.JPG

DSC07646.JPG

Edited by rogart63
  • 6 years later...
Waggy Distinguished Member

Waggy

Posted
Posted

I don't have a great deal of experience in luming hands, and am watching this thread closely to see which lume you guys recommend. Can anyone let me know where I could buy Super Luminova and the approx price, compared to the Bergeon?

On the subject of binder, I watched a YouTube video of the Nekkidwatchmaker (of course I can't find it now to supply a link) and he used a method where he used 50:50 mix of IPA glue (the white glue your kids use at school) and water as the binder. I tried it a few times with good results, the IPA dries clear so the final lume powder colour is unaffected. As IPA glue is "cheap as chips" its worth a try with some spare hands etc. to gauge the results for yourself, I would be keen to hear if anyone else has good results also.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

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.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Mathijs050
      Hello from the Netherlands

      By Mathijs050 · Posted

      Hi all, I am Mathijs from the Netherlands and I like to restore vintage watches and sometimes customize them. Hope to learn a thing or two here about movements and hope to restore a movement one day.   Cheers 
    • tonydagee
      Calendar work certina 25-651

      By tonydagee · Posted

      Hello all, just disassembling to service, but I can’t figure out the working of the calendar work…it’s not operational the jumper and spring are ok, but the operation of the driving wheel has me at a loss. I can’t see a cam to drive anything. Is something damaged or missing? Help please!
    • tIB
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By tIB · Posted

      Believe the relume (not a fan) was done a long time after the damage. 
    • Malocchio
      Unusual Seiko dial damage

      By Malocchio · Posted

      I can only think of some chemical reaction to reluming
    • nickelsilver
      A lathe with indexing that won't break the bank?

      By nickelsilver · Posted

      I have a little milling attachment for my WW lathe, but very rarely use it and not for wheel and pinion cutting. For that I use a small Sixis 101 milling machine. I normally do direct dividing, but sometimes have to do an odd count and use the universal index which also fits on the Sixis.   Back in the day when I didn't have a mill, I would cut gearing on my Schaublin 102. It has a universal dividing attachment which fits the back of the spindle. Both it and the one for the Sixis are 60:1 ratio, and with the set of 4  index plates I can do almost any division. When I've had to do a strange high count prime number, I print a disc with the needed division and just place the plunger on the dot. Any position error is reduced by a factor of 60 so still plenty accurate.   The machines are a mess in the pics as I'm in the process of making a batch of barrels for a wristwatch 🙃.   This is the Sixis. The head can also be placed vertically, as can the dividing spindle.   Dividing plates. The smaller ones fit another dividing spindle.   Universal divider for the Sixis. I put it together with parts from an odd Sixis spindle that takes w20 collets, like the Schaublin 102, and a dividing attachment from a Schaublin mill.     The dividing attachment for the 102. The gear fits in place of the handwheel at the back of the headstock.   And the little milling attachment for the WW lathe. I just set it on the slide rest to illustrate the size, you can see from the dust on it it really doesn't get used much. I think only when I change bearing in the head, to kiss the collet head seat (grinding wheel still in the milling attachment).
×
×
  • Create New...