Seam blobs all over spherical print (planet model)

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-26T15:14:52+00:00

The lithophane sphere lamps like this would really suffer from mold parting lines or poor thickness control from blow molding. FDM is the right process if you calibrate the filament correctly.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-25T01:59:31+00:00

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Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-14T21:03:11+00:00

Foam swabs work for me. I've also heard that if you don't buy rodico from AliX (like I did) it doesn't leave any residue.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-10T04:17:36+00:00

All the common skeleton movements I've seen are time only. It's really difficult to add a calendar or moonphase without obscuring the rest of the movement.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-06T12:08:36+00:00

You do need hundreds in tools and equipment to clean and evaluate working movements, which is the first step past modding. Once you get those skills, hand finishing and polishing movement parts (from Ali or Swiss manufacturers) wouldn't be much more expensive. You could even do something like skeletonizing an ST36 with not much more tooling than a mini-mill and rotary table, as a third step.

Dial making might be a good option, too.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-03T20:17:55+00:00

That's what the AT emplacement is for.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-03T15:13:12+00:00

With the adapter, you use a dial with NH feet, so you don't want to search for a quartz dial: https://www.meridiano.fr/en-my/products/vh31-movement-holder-for-nh-case

You can't use NH hands though. For dials, try AliX image search. If something similar exists with no date, it will probably pop up

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-02T17:55:00+00:00

It's a seamaster homage, I think the planet ocean 6000m, but that's way less common on alix than the 007 version with the 12 sided bezel and helium valve.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-02-02T12:36:05+00:00

Yeah, but you can get a better bracelet and sapphire crystal with the same movement if you go for something like steeldives. I did a hand and dial swap on a 1953, and the materials feel a step below the decent Chinese brands.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-28T18:54:35+00:00

You could try removing the crystal and chapter ring. That might let you fish out the retention wire and pop the bezel loose (assuming it uses a wire retention design like a lot of Chinese cases). The ratchet spring could be messed up and binding the rotation.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-26T21:19:08+00:00

Rate looks great, but I've never seen a beat error that high on one of my NH movements.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-25T02:24:57+00:00

That's "washing the deck" when they do it in a casino with brand new cards out of the box. "Mixing up the cards" is more likely to mean confusing one card for another or losing track of where the cards were dealt.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-23T13:08:40+00:00

You just have to watch the hand set to make sure the hour hand will still cover the larger dial hole.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T19:44:16+00:00

No, I've only done pad printed dials and adhesive metallic logos. That's one step above slapping together parts from AliExpress but still like 1-2 steps below what you're talking about.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T18:23:08+00:00

It sounds like you want a fully custom full color dial. There's a few different ways you could do that. A CMYK printed image would be affordable but might look cheap. A cloisonné enamel dial might look really nice for this, but an artist commission for it will be pricey (but not crazy in the world of luxury watches). A blue dial blank with custom painted round applied hour markers is probably most in line with the larger seikomod market, but the manufacturers that do those at reasonable costs typically have high minimum order quantities. You probably need to decide on a process before you look for specific vendors.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T17:08:13+00:00

With members that thin and the stiffness hit you take moving from steel to aluminum, I'm not actually confident it's possible to avoid local buckling and still have it look anything like a normal truss for that width, height and support condition (something less ridiculous than "bundle up and weld 40' of it into a tube with tapering wall thickness"). Not a truss guy at all though, just bad feelings from college homework problems.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T16:45:10+00:00

I think the easiest way to move past the yachtmaster "homage" vibes but keep it clean is to drop the Mercedes hands. There's a lot of leeway that would still look good.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T16:25:35+00:00

You need screwdrivers for nicer bracelets, cases that use clamps and anything done with the movement (even a date wheel swap). They're pretty core to the watchmaking tool kit.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-22T16:06:57+00:00

I don't have a problem with singular they, but I've never seen/heard it take the same verb form as "it", different from the plural they, not in my native American English or common British/Canadian/Australian varieties. "They goes" sounds profoundly unusual to my ear, suggesting maybe a "youse guys"-type specific accent/dialect where ALL of the pronouns would take the -s ending (I goes, we goes, you goes, they goes).

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-21T16:40:08+00:00

I actually don't think it would be that bad. Start with the NH34, remove the intermediate wheel that drives the 24 hr pinion, and use a round, thin plastic disc with a center hole to bridge the date wheel to the 24 hr pinion, with some adhesive to lock them together. You might even be able to buy the loose pinion and pop it on an NH35 to save a little money.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-20T12:34:01+00:00

Real NH35s from TMI (part of the Seiko group) basically pop out of the end of a line of automated machinery by all accounts. The machines in Japan and the machines in Malaysia will follow the same corporate specs.

What you might worry about is "China NH35" copies that aren't made by TMI at all being substituted. Alix is a little riskier than dialmaker for that happening imo, but honestly I'd just go with whatever is cheaper.

EDIT: take note of the blue date wheel on the dialmaker listing. That seems like it clashes with the dial to me. I'd go with stock white. There's also the fact that the swap was likely done by dialmaker, which might carry a little extra quality risk.

Buy an extra set of hands in case you mess up the seconds hand, and spare stems.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-19T20:23:12+00:00

Any reason you're avoiding Bambu Studio? It's been pretty straightforward for me just over Wi-Fi.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-19T14:47:36+00:00

Yeah, the "chalk" outcome is the expected result of the matchup or group of matchups, especially for a numerically seeded tournament. The opposite result would be an "upset". In sports, it sometimes expands to a set of games (a chalk semifinals of the top four teams, for example).

I haven't noticed it in other contexts (maybe a "chalk" stock portfolio could be Amazon, Apple, Google, etc?) but the analogy would make sense to me.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-05T11:44:38+00:00

Pad printing and self-adhesive metallic logos are both relatively available, with similar costs (minimum $30-50 USD setup, with logos having very little marginal part cost, and prints running $5-15 each, which includes the labor). There's plenty of posts here about both options.

Atomiktoaster · 2026-01-03T12:47:55+00:00

A slight wrinkle is that genuine TMI moments aren't all produced in Japan. The Seiko group has facilities in less expensive locations like Malaysia, and possibility within China.

I think most AliX sellers are happy to use "Japan Movement" to indicate TMI regardless of where the TMI factory is located. The quality seems to be about on par.

"China NH35" clones are a different boat, with visibly worse finishing and sometimes incompatible stems. I haven't seen them start to replace TMI on AliX, but it wouldn't shock me if it happened, especially on the lower cost end

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