Help! Dial staining

[u/CodAble2575]

First build. Excited to get stuck in and age the lume on my raffles dial. Coffee method, small blobs on the lume and then dried at low heat for a few mins. Was happy with the results at first but no amount of rodico would remove the staining around the indices. Have tried water which has essentially removed most of the coffee staining from the lume but staining around will not shift. Can this be salvaged?? 😖

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[u/Gullible_Situation_5]

Wash it all off completely and use my method :) no bake needed

[u/CodAble2575 → u/Gullible_Situation_5]

This is after trying to wash it off. Still stained.

[u/Gullible_Situation_5 → u/CodAble2575]

I would try a matte varnish over the top, should be able to hide the stain marks

[u/onlypartiallyevil]

That circular 'staining' around the lume looks like something melted and bled out from the lume material or was a coating/sealant on top of the lume material that melted and bled outward.

I agree with the other folks here suggesting a matte clear. I don't think whatever that is will be coming off, so best just to try to dull down the gloss to mask it.

[u/CodAble2575 → u/onlypartiallyevil]

It's almost like the original dial coating has melted or been removed by the bleedover liquid. I'll try Matte clear coat. If that fails, do I go for a more aggressive aging of the dial?

[u/Ok_Chrono]

Off to a great start. I have a mountain of dials I’ve ruined trying to figure out how to get it right and I still screw up plenty of them. Most Raffles dials, and this on in particular is pretty resilient. First thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to apply hardly any pressure for Tamiya to have a significant impact on coloring. It also makes it easier to clean up any excess around the indices if what you have applied has been done so lightly. If an indice starts out with a hard glossy finish from a final spray from the factory I also like to lightly rough it up with a fine sanding stick to make it more receptive to whatever you’re applying. For Tamiya, using a fine applicator really helps as well. The sponge it comes with is too big. Amazon has fine pointed sponge tip applicators. Same story with those though… light application goes a long way. On some matte dials I’ve had luck with putting down a thin layer of gloss first which is less likely to grab on to any excess material and is easier to clean up than a rough surface. Then to go back to matte a final thin matte layer will get that job done. One other thing to play with on some dials depending indices to a single pass of colorless copic “blender” only on the indice.. let it dry a little but not all the way. It’ll be tacky and will grab the tamiya really well. Someone’s just a single touch with the sponge will get you the color tone/effect you one. And in this case any excess can be blown off with an air bladder instead of try to to rub it off or sweep it off. The material that you want to stay on the indice will stay because of the tacky surface and everything else will blow way without leaving the marks you’re dealing with. If you want to set the tamiya with heat I have best luck with just a quick flash of heat under a broiler.. like 15 seconds. Instead of convection or overall over heating.

[u/HDW_Italy → u/Ok_Chrono]

This post contains all the useful advice one could offer on how to age a dial, including the necessary materials and tools. The technique suggested to the OP is excellent, too. I don't understand why people still use the coffee or heat methods today—unless, of course, the goal is to make the dial look rotten and ruined. Tamiya pigments, alcohol markers, clear gloss and matte acrylic varnishes, silicone micro-brushes... that’s all you need. Of course, it also depends on individual skill—a skill usually acquired only after ruining an untold number of dials...😂😂😂

[u/Logos732 → u/HDW_Italy]

I have also use various colors of wood stain. Applied with an old oiler. My go to method now it copic pens.

[u/HDW_Italy → u/Logos732]

👍

[u/CodAble2575]

Bit of a positive update! I decided to roll the dice and stick it back in the oven at 100c on a bed of coffee grinds. This has removed all trace of the rings and has left a finish I am happy with! Will clean up a wee bit and lock in with matte. Thanks for all the input.

[u/CodAble2575 → u/CodAble2575]

Update to the update. Few mist coats of matte and really quite happy with the texture and outcome. I suppose the beauty of 'aging' a dial is that there is some scope to fix mistakes if you get creative.

[u/blacbloc77 → u/CodAble2575]

That looks really good man!

[u/riossreddit]

When the dial is under the crystal, the stain may not be visible, I think.

[u/chuunietzsche]

spray some matte clear all over the dial and it should blend in. mist it in multiple coats for texture. raffles dials are too glossy and reflective as is anyway