Any recommendations for a watchmaker experienced with soldering on dial feet here in the US? I have heard of a few options to contend with this repair:

1. double sided tape
2. JB weld or similar epoxy bond
3. use of a specialized soldering machine that is commercially available

Each of the above options have their obvious pros and cons but only #3 appears the most "proper" long term repair. However, I'm not comfortable with a DIY.

 

I've had some discussions with my dial refinisher (International Dial) about soldering feet on dials. He has a nifty machine that aligns the feet in the proper spot and solders them on. But due to the heat involved, there is a chance the finish on the dial can be damaged, so the caveat has always been that I should be prepared to have the dial refinished if the original finish is disturbed during soldering.

I've had some limited success using glue to secure a broken foot to a dial. What I have done is place the foot partially in the movement, carefully added some glue to the top of the foot, and then lowered the dial onto it. Doing it with the foot in the movement helps to line the dial properly to the movement. Obviously, the risk is if you use too much glue, it can get onto the movement. As long as the movement isn't handled too much, it seems to do a pretty good job of keeping the dial aligned and in place, especially once it is cased. But usually if the dial needs to be removed later to service the movement, the foot will often break free of the dial again.

 

Glue/tape is hack work to put it bluntly. Soldering or laser welding are the proper fixes.

Cheers, Al