GO TO REPAIRS using RESIN
GO TO RESTORATIONS using ENAMEL
CLOCK & WATCH DIAL REPAIR & RESTORATION |
GO TO REPAIRS using RESIN
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GO TO RESTORATIONS using ENAMEL
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1/ enamels: are specialized
glasses - complex compounds of clear glass, metal oxides for colour,
and other materials which have been melted together. "Enamels" are also
objects (generally of metal eg copper, silver or gold) decorated with powdered glass and fired until the glass has become red-hot and melted to smoothness.
2/ synthetic resins: plastics, including the misleadingly-named "cold enamels", "cold-cast bronzes", "polymer clays" etc. 3/ repair: cosmetic and/or structural refurbishment using non-original materials - usually a resin system of some sort. 4/ restoration: replicating original appearance & structural integrity using substantially original materials & techniques. Fuller explanation below. |
PAYMENT OPTIONS
( PayPal buyers add 3.5% to total ) Additional Payment Options: International Bank transfer ( add bank charges ) Australia only: Direct Bank Deposit ( preferred ), Bank or Personal cheque, Australian Money Order. Click to EMAIL ME |
A free, no-obligation quotation for repair or restoration may be had by:
1/ emailing an unmodified .JPEG image scanned at 300 dpi of the piece to: allan@heywoodenamels.com Do not send .TIF .GIF or .DOC files please! 2/ snail-mailing a studio-quality photograph of at least 2x magnification of the piece 3/ or shipping the piece to me physically (preferred option) at: Allan Heywood Enamels 5 Montgomery Street Skipton Vic 3361 Australia Send only parts for repair ie empty cases (no movements) without hingepins, lenses etc N.B. Clients in countries other than Australia. It is essential that the Customs Declaration form specify that "the item is to be repaired and returned to owner". Items with a declared value of AUD 1,000.00 and above attract a set Customs Inspection Fee which is collected on behalf of the Australian Government by all shippers ( e.g. Fedex, UPS etc. ) and a customs brokerage handling fee as well as a 10% GST (Goods and Services Tax ) all of which must be paid prior to release of the item. The GST is calculated using the declared or insured value of the items. We don't accept delivery of any items on which fees of any sort are payable. In the event that any charges are due we'll notify you and, provided you make prior payment of the amount by Visa or M/C, will arrange payment on your behalf. Return of goods after repair will be by Express Courier International only. |
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I make a simple distinction between repair and restoration - what I mean when I say "enamel repair" is that some form of resin will be used either to patch or to completely reface a vitreous enamel dial. What I mean when I say "enamel restoration" is that I'll remove all the old vitreous enamel and replace it with new vitreous enamel. With few exceptions it's well-nigh impossible to acceptably patch damaged vitreous enamel dials with vitreous enamel. There are three main reasons for this. The market value of the dial is irrelevant. Firstly, to match the physico-chemical characteristics of the old enamel from among the dozens of white enamels available could take many hours of tests. If things like coefficient of expansion, elasticity, softening point, flow point etc aren't very similar then the enamels won't melt out smoothly, or if they do, will crack or distort the dial when cooled. Secondly, many dials had winding holes etc drilled, and in the case of (say) Regulator-type dials also the outer edge of the dial itself, ground, after all the other work on the dial was finished. This approach allowed a more even thickness of enamel on the dial and produced vertical sides on the hole and the dial the full thickness of the enamel. Attempting to re-enamel such a dial will mean that at red-heat (when the enamel melts) the area around the holes and on the edge of the dial will become thinner and rounded. However, some older or lower-quality dials had the holes drilled before the enamel was applied and fired and so already have a thinned-down, rounded shoulder (meniscus) on the holes because at red heat the enamel is the viscosity of honey and runs like any other liquid. This type of dial can often have the old damaged enamel removed and replaced with new vitreous enamel. The artwork can be reproduced in either a stoved-on synthetic resin or ceramic inks. The latter is a relatively expensive option but gives an essentially new vitreous enamel dial on the old base. Thirdly, the ceramic inks/paints used for the numerals, minute rings etc in a majority of cases soften and flow well below the flow point of the white base enamel - heating the dial to a temperature high enough to allow the old white enamel to flow to smoothness results in the numerals, minute rings etc sinking into the base coat causing at best some loss of definition or, more frequently, gross distortion of the numerals etc. Each dial is different and needs to be assessed on its individual merits. The processes that will be used to repair or restore a dial are not dictated by the value of the watch from which the dial came, but by what is possible and what will give the best end result. |
  
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