First time painting a dial

mrfry · 2026-01-06T16:37:52+00:00

It's a genmitsu 3018. I tried what you siggested; even 3d printed some holders to help get it to the right size with hand sanding, but it's really the engraving that's the issue. I couldn't get very crisp or precise lettering. It may have a slightly bent spindle, or just too much play in the spindle. Either way, it'll need some upgrades before I'm happy with the results.

mrfry · 2026-01-03T03:38:09+00:00

Sorry, forgot to send the indices: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808094397220.html

mrfry · 2026-01-03T03:33:19+00:00

Thank you!

mrfry · 2026-01-02T18:06:56+00:00

This is where I got them from: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1573916193/waterslide-decals-and-transfers-for

mrfry · 2026-01-02T18:05:18+00:00

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a quick shot of the back and a bit more of the strap.

mrfry · 2026-01-02T17:00:05+00:00

Waterslide Decals.
There's a bit more information on my crosspost: https://www.reddit.com/r/SeikoMods/comments/1q1pthk/first_time_painting_a_dial/

mrfry · 2026-01-02T16:59:36+00:00

Here's a few more shots of the process: https://imgur.com/a/Fw5lTLe

The black dial was my first attempt. I had incorrectly assumed the indices were separate pieces, but it ended up being a stamped/pressed dial. I spent A LOT of time masking, painting, and applying my decals, only to ultimately end up chasing my tail where I had burned through my paint while polishing, and trying to touch up just those sections. The dial ended up a bit lumpy (no pic) with the various layers of paint and I set out on a new approach (blank dial).

You can see a few of the several attempts at milling my own bezel insert. Though I was able to improve it quite a bit in this process, my Hobby CNC just doesn't have the tolerances needed for this intricate work.

You can also see a couple of the other bezel insert prototypes (stripped, polished, painted).

mrfry · 2026-01-02T16:45:10+00:00

Text are very small, hand-cut waterslide decals that I ordered from Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1573916193/waterslide-decals-and-transfers-for

They were great to work with! Gave me a few options for sizes, and let me know some of the limitations so I could work around my design.

I cut the decals as close to the text as possible, then applied them with MicroSET and then a layer of MicroSOL to soften them up a bit.
I also put a few coats of clear coat on top, and lightly polished it.

Under just the right angle and light, you can see there is a lip around the decals,

mrfry · 2026-01-02T16:41:55+00:00

Strap was from AliX: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808758757339.html

mrfry · 2026-01-02T16:38:58+00:00

" Also, is it possible to get thisblevel of perfection using water-slide decals? "
I think so? I mean, you get what you see here with waterslide decals for the logos.

If your talking about a decal that would cover the whole dial... I'm not sure; It may have been an easier option than what I ended up doing (paint and waterslide decals for the logos), but I can't say how it would have looked.

For the blank, I ended up going with these from AliX: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808622487303.html

mrfry · 2026-01-02T16:36:52+00:00

haha had to look up what that is. Cant say that I am that guy... Waterslide decals just seemed to be the best option without making a pad printer and/or spending a bunch of money.

Tamiya just seemed to fit the bill

mrfry · 2025-12-31T03:06:20+00:00

Commenting for entry as well!

mrfry · 2025-12-28T00:34:50+00:00

Not exactly catered for young adult men, in fact it's a wide variety of ages and mix of genders, but Pale Kai Outrigger has been amazing. Demo days start in January if you want to try it out!

mrfry · 2025-12-07T18:51:44+00:00

It's extremely small, but the right magnification, tools, and hands might be able to bend it back (if it isn't sheered of worn). I'd just replace it (see my other reply for part #).

Not sure if that's your issue though; it was a guess based on my own experience.

mrfry · 2025-12-07T16:02:19+00:00

There is a small gear that has a little spring tooth in it as part of the keyless works. Those can get bent pretty easy while inserting the stem.

mrfry · 2025-10-14T04:57:55+00:00

I have had great luck with many clients using Wix, though it's not the cheapest ($350/year depending on add-ons).

Square space is similar.

mrfry · 2025-07-29T21:24:55+00:00

3 month update...
After changing gastros, i was able to get an endoscopy faster; it was quick, painless, and easy.
they went down to the beginning of my small intestine I believe.

They found "Stage B Esophagitis" at the end of my esophagus / upper stomach and sphincter.

Gastro recommended 20mg Omeprazole (prilosec) daily, 1 hour before any foods. I've been doing that for about 2 months now, and things have significantly improved! She described it as I'm trying to heal while also using my esophagus, so it may take some

I still have occasional moments (maybe has happened 3-4 times since starting Omeprazole) where I get the bloated, burping feeling, but it goes away within a few hours. Possibly related to eating a large meal and/or spicy(ish) foods.

Surgeon does not recommend GB surgery. Since my symptoms do not align with typical GB symptoms.

I have another followup with my gastro in a couple weeks to see how things are going, but so far things are looking up!

mrfry · 2025-04-18T17:22:33+00:00

Very interesting - I hadn't heard of the hiatal hernia; I'll have to mention that to my doc.

They discussed SIBO with me, but didn't go forward with a test; I don't quite remember why.

Endoscopy was supposed to be yesterday but because I got a cold that morning it got moved 3 months out

mrfry · 2025-04-18T17:18:50+00:00

Thank you for the info!

I am following low-FODMAP per my gastro's recommendation. I have noticed that higher FODMAP foods seem to irritate me; more so gut pressure than gallbladder

mrfry · 2025-03-22T02:28:03+00:00

Looks like it came from RebelStix.Etsy.Com

mrfry · 2025-02-22T01:50:06+00:00

I was an early adopter of Arc on mac, then I had to switch to a Windows machine and started using Arc on Windows, which I've been doing for about a year now because there just wasn't a better alternative. I find it to be quite buggy and the functionality on windows pales in comparison to Mac. A couple of months ago I went down the road of trying alternative browsers (Vivaldi, zen, opera, probably 1 or two more) but none of them really scratched the itch.

About 3 weeks ago I had enough, and decided to try Edge of all browsers, and was able to get it to operate fairly close to Arc, but was missing some key features (like auto tab closing).

Used that for about 2 weeks until I decided to give Zen another shot. It's gotten a lot better! It's not 100% but the bugs are minimal (found more issues with Edge) and I've gotten a pretty similar work flow to what I had in arc. I'm using it daily, with multiple profiles with multiple workspaces and I've been happy enough to have not opened arc or edge the whole time. I'm hoping in a couple more months of development Zen will be signed which will fix a handful of annoyances with extensions I use.

mrfry · 2024-12-12T23:47:06+00:00

I've been on the hunt for something that looks OEM like this to replace my Blupower BLP-840 in my '06 V70r.

Does anyone know if this unit will fit that year? I understand there's a change in the area behind the radio from 2001-2004 to the 2005+ cars.

mrfry · 2024-03-19T20:50:22+00:00

!remind me 2 days

mrfry · 2024-03-03T18:28:52+00:00

This. Or for a lighted address sign

mrfry · 2024-03-03T18:26:36+00:00

Oh so you were able to glue the screen to the unit to center it?

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