Cleaning a dial.

Sep 02, 2011,14:45 PM
 

Hi Friends.

 

  Last week, I bought a GL stepped dial coming with a chronometre 505 movement.and original hands. Looks like it's gold case was melted long time ago and this unit is like a hermit crab with no shell.

  Here it was

 

                                                

                        You can see  it's a 18K dial covered by a thin coat like varnish. After a long time, that coat has deteriorated and became a stuff like gum or tar or something very sticky and dirty

                                                 here's the 505 movement which is still running strong and in very good shape.

 

                                                 

 

     Today, I received it from the mailman and spent 3 hours to work on that and now, here it is.

 

                                                  

                                                 

                                                 

                                                 

                                                 

    All the dirty gum and tar were cleaned and gone, now I have a dial which is missing the original coat but looks nicer and shinnier. All the ridges of the steps are in perfect shape. No dents, no damage.

 

                                Certainly, I have a shell of this poor hermit crab to get into.

 

                                               

                                               

                                               

 

   and now, I have another de Luxe dial and the movement to put away somewhere.

 

                                               

 

  Don't ask me what stuff I used to clean away that gum and  leave the printings, the scripts intact. but.....there is exception, of course.

 

    Cheers  and thank you for looking.

 

   Hoi.

                                                

                                                    

 

                                                

                                              

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Comments: view entire thread

 

very nice

 
 By: eterna-fan : September 2nd, 2011-15:30
but, and perhaps this is a testament to your lovely photography, the 'before' picture seems have a rather pleasant patina! but i really can't argue with the cased up picture. it is a gorgeous watch.

It was my first thought, too.

 
 By: hoipolloi : September 2nd, 2011-15:49
Hi. It was my first thought to leave the patina the way it was, but after inpecting the dial, there were areas that the former owner had tried to clean but failed. There were lints sticked to the dial everywhere and that patina was not even at all....  

ahh,

 
 By: eterna-fan : September 2nd, 2011-15:58
i see what you're talking about. a fine decision then. and again, a lovely watch.

Looks great Hoi!

 
 By: kyle L : September 2nd, 2011-20:00
Maybe you can work some magic on my 2887-2?...  

It will look like this.

 
 By: hoipolloi : September 2nd, 2011-20:40
Hi Kyle, It will look like this. and you already know it's my 2887. Best...  

It is like magic!

 
 By: mac_omega : September 2nd, 2011-22:30
Hoi, you are really brave - what you dare! It also could have gone south... Would you please PM me the secret of your success - I think I have also some "candidates" kind regards erich

Hoi, you never cease to amaze me

 
 By: aroma : September 3rd, 2011-01:35
Well done for having the courage to tackle it. What a beauty!! Cheers Andrew

Can you share some of the techniques you used...

 
 By: mrsnak : September 4th, 2011-10:03
..to clean the dial? This was such a good job you did. Is it possible to put a new coating down or would that have needed to have been done before the markers or printing were applied? I seem to recall that the coating is done before printing. If you don'... 

Ok, will tell you ;)

 
 By: hoipolloi : September 4th, 2011-11:55
Well, the magic stuff I used was .....Windex.....and it cleaned away only the old, dirty coating but left the printings intact. I used tiny toothpicks and wrapped a very small amount of cotton (from Q tips) around the tip of it. Do not soak it too wet, ju... 

One of mine

 
 By: cicindela : September 4th, 2011-18:44
Here is one of mine that I subjected to alternative cleaning process. Before After...  

And what was the "alternative" process?...

 
 By: mrsnak : September 5th, 2011-17:12
...now that you've teased us :...  

Thanks for the tips!

 
 By: mrsnak : September 5th, 2011-17:14
Want to try this on a couple old dials I have. Nothing to lose to try.

looks great! [nt]

 
 By: playtime : September 8th, 2011-07:57
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