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mountainunder
·My view is that this is likely from water damage.
I learned a lot.📖
Thank you very much.
Lume Stabilization as preventative maintenance?
I learned a lot.📖
Thank you very much.
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watch_my_six
·It can be done, but has to be done carefully so extra stabilizer doesn't spread to the dial. It will often change the colour of the lume, making it slightly darker, and if the lume is very matte finished, it will probably look more shiny after.
In the attached image, you can see that the edges of the hour hand are slightly degraded (exaggerated by the reflection of light), as well as some minor age spots on multiple dial plots. (Edited: easier to see by opening in a new tab and zooming in). Perhaps more significantly, the plot at 1 o'clock is degrading at the edges as well, and the plot at 12 o'clock has whitened/lost a bit of the lume at the top. What do folks think?
Edited:
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerI check hands under a microscope to see if there are cracks or thin spots - if there are, I stabilize them. For dials, only if the lume is flaking.
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Domdiladoo
·My watchmaker always stabilized the hands of my older watches when in service. It is done even if no cracks are seen in the microscope. It is just as a prevention in case the watch is exposed to a shock strong enough to crack the lume on the hands. If done by a proper watchmaker , you can’t even tell….
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M'Bob
·What’s the best material and brand for lume stabilization? Is it pre-mixed, or does one have to prepare this binder material?
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photo500
·The best stuff available is from RC-Tritec but there are many many types of Binder all with specific purposes in mind. I'm only guessing but I think most would be using the Binder from the basic Bergeon lume kits that are readily available. Not sure if that is RC-Tritec, Bergeon don't specify who makes it. Anyway, when applied to the back of the hands, it shouldn't be noticeable but will definitely protect the lume.
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norb1967
·Sorry to resurrect this thread - however I wanted to ask if people ever do this for some of the 60s Omegas that have black painted or onyx indices, and as a result have black paint/material in the hands? Pic for context. I have a very clean watch and I wouldn’t like the material to come out and damage it, if this is a risk.
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norb1967
·Just wondering if anyone can input on this?
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140dave
·Yes, some have onyx or painted hands.
And some lume turns black with age.
And some lume turns black with age.
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gbesq
·Sorry to resurrect this thread - however I wanted to ask if people ever do this for some of the 60s Omegas that have black painted or onyx indices, and as a result have black paint/material in the hands? Pic for context. I have a very clean watch and I wouldn’t like the material to come out and damage it, if this is a risk.
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norb1967
·
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norb1967
·As an addition to my latest comment - I was looking at my constellation under a loupe, and I noticed what appears to be a crack in the black paint of the hour hand - would you recommend stabilising this?
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iamvr
·Sorry for reverting back to stabilizing lume on hands. I get the binder method from underneath part, but for that, the hands need to be removed in the first place. When my (careful) watchmaker removed the hands of my 145.012-67 for service, some lume broke off the hour hand (I still cry a little). He subsequently stabilized the lume from underneath to prevent any further lume loss.
Is there a way to secure the lume before removing the hands?
Is there a way to secure the lume before removing the hands?
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerSorry for reverting back to stabilizing lume on hands. I get the binder method from underneath part, but for that, the hands need to be removed in the first place. When my (careful) watchmaker removed the hands of my 145.012-67 for service, some lume broke off the hour hand (I still cry a little). He subsequently stabilized the lume from underneath to prevent any further lume loss.
Is there a way to secure the lume before removing the hands?
The binder could be applied to the top of the lume, but it would be difficult to do so without getting any on the painted surfaces of the hand. I also don't believe this would be as effective as applying it to the back of the hand - when you apply it to the back, you are stabilizing all of the lume on the hand, not just the visible portion, as you would be if you did it from the top.
The lume must have been in very bad shape for it to fall out when removing the hand...this is very unusual in my experience.
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iamvr
·The binder could be applied to the top of the lume, but it would be difficult to do so without getting any on the painted surfaces of the hand. I also don't believe this would be as effective as applying it to the back of the hand - when you apply it to the back, you are stabilizing all of the lume on the hand, not just the visible portion, as you would be if you did it from the top.
The lume must have been in very bad shape for it to fall out when removing the hand...this is very unusual in my experience.
Thanks for your reply, Al. That bit came off. Bad shape?
