# Before & After ✨



## mroatman

As a follow up to this post, I thought I'd share some before and after shots.

First, an introduction to the subject watch: an unusual steel Poljot in rather poor cosmetic condition, bought for €31/delivered:









In total, here is what I did:


Cleaned the case
Replaced the crystal
Replaced the stem (the original was about 0.5mm too long)
Cleaned the movement
Gently brushed surface dirt from the dial
Polished the hands and indices (some oxidation was impossible to remove)

And here are the results:

























Here is the movement before:









And after:

















As my watch budget has fallen precipitously in recent months, most of my purchases lately have been relatively cheap pieces in poor condition. I'll use this thread to show some other "before and afters" from time to time. Feel free to share your own.

Spasibo!


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## sideways2

Wowsers!!

Well done!!


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## ill-phill

That's PRO Level! Thanks for saving another one of those beauties


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## arogle1stus

Good job watch dude!!!
Do you live in Tallin?

Visited there while stayin with my son in Klaukkala, Fi. for 3 weeks.

X Traindriver Art


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## mroatman

Thanks, guys! Forgot to include a photo of the caseback with that oh-so-important "All Steel" designation....









And yes, I live in Tallinn ✌??


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## Sekondtime

Excellent job mroatman! Mroatman and I have discussed our techniques for restoring and our sense of satisfaction in doing this sort of restoration. I am constantly restoring Ruhlas. Probably two or three a week, sometimes more. However, I am rarely mindful to take before and after shots!

But here is a Ruhla Resurrection where I did photograph the results.

This is a blue dial Ruhla which had a completely cracked crystal, damaged hour hand, missing stem, crown, half missing movement and missing case back - but, the dial and the watch case itself were in superb condition. How they managed to survive, Heaven knows! But survive it did!

Before








After

I restored the hands using the Tippex Mouse technique, gave it a new crystal, found a donor movement, stem and crown and case back.

It now keeps excellent time and looks like new!














I also have a restored Thiel Ruhla Mickey Mouse pocket watch from the 1930s and a Slava Quartz that I should be able to find photos and post later.

Not all attempts at restoration are so successful. Some watches defy all attempts to restore them!

Sekondtime


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## schnurrp

Nice job, comrade Mroatman. Going by what you say you like to do you must have had a lot of fun.

I assume the difference between the dial color of your before and after pictures is a white balance problem and not the result of some "gentle brushing". If not, I want one of those brushes.

Real good idea for a thread.


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## AlaskaJohnboy

WOW great purchases, and YOU ROCK at cleaning them up!

I love that it's a Moscow Watch Factory movement too! Great piece of history!

Glad it'll live on!


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## Sekondtime

Here are a couple of Soviets for which I have before and after photos.

Slava Sports Quartz 3056A purchased for $10 including delivery.















After









A Pobeda from 1955

Before: I remembered half way through cleaning the dial to take a photo for the contact who sold me the watch.









After









And finally, another historic East German clockwork restoration project. All East German children knew the Sandmann and so did other East European nations. This clockwork Sandmann arrived with only one arm, no beard, matted hair, dirty clothes and a siezed clockwork movement. How could I leave him like that!









I had to rebuild a right arm using the left as a model, clean and lubricate the clockwork, make a beard, give him a bath and wash his clothes.

Here is the result in this video:






Sekondtime


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## bpmurray

Sekondtime said:


> A Pobeda from 1955
> 
> Before: I remembered half way through cleaning the dial to take a photo for the contact who sold me the watch.
> 
> View attachment 12577503
> 
> 
> After
> 
> View attachment 12577515


How did you clean this dial?


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## moorery2001

Congrats!! You did a great job!


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## Arizone

Awesome! Are you servicing the movements too or just a surface clean?


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## Sekondtime

bpmurray said:


> How did you clean this dial?









+






+


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## Sekondtime

Arizone said:


> Awesome! Are you servicing the movements too or just a surface clean?


Depends what it needs and the condition. For some, it is not worth servicing the movement.


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## Sansoni7

Great work my friend. Congrats.


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## MattBrace

Nice work Dash looks amazing, you mention "Cleaning the Movement" are you servicing or just surface cleaning?


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## Today

That's a very nice job. it looks great.Congrats


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## schnurrp

Sekondtime said:


> View attachment 12577757
> +
> View attachment 12577759
> +
> View attachment 12577761


+


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## Sekondtime

schnurrp said:


> +
> View attachment 12578245


That's exactly the right expression! It doesn't always work out.


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## antilucem

bpmurray said:


> How did you clean this dial?


Great stuff here.


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## JonS1967

Great restoration, Dash! And what an elegant classy piece. Just gorgeous. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Robotmensch

Sekondtime said:


> View attachment 12577757
> +
> View attachment 12577759
> +
> View attachment 12577761


So Q-tip, some lube, and some stilleben stuff?


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## Arizone

Sekondtime said:


> Depends what it needs and the condition. For some, it is not worth servicing the movement.


Asking Mroatman specifically, I didn't think he acquired such skill yet.


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## mroatman

Thanks all!



Arizone said:


> Awesome! Are you servicing the movements too or just a surface clean?





Sekondtime said:


> Depends what it needs and the condition. For some, it is not worth servicing the movement.





Arizone said:


> Asking Mroatman specifically, I didn't think he acquired such skill yet.


Technically speaking, I've "had" the skill since sometime last year. For three-hand movements and basic complications (calendar, date, automatic -- not chronographs), I can tear down and rebuild. But it usually ends in cursing, frustration, and at least one lost or broken part. So I usually do as Sekondtime suggests, only servicing when absolutely required, and even then usually leaving it to a pro.

Thing is, I really truly enjoy external restoration. I put a podcast on and can get lost in "watching" (as I call it) for eight hours or more without realizing it. Movement servicing feels more like a "have to" job for me. And when I can get a full service for under €10, there's no huge incentive for me to improve :/

For this Poljot in particular, the movement was running fine, so it was just a surface clean (you can probably see beneath the balance that the mainplate isn't completely ***** and span). I realize I risk brushing/blowing dust and grime further into the movement this way, but I can't stand to leave so much dirt right under my nose.



Sekondtime said:


> Mroatman and I have discussed our techniques for restoring and our sense of satisfaction in doing this sort of restoration.


A Ruhla Ressurection indeed! Well done!!



schnurrp said:


> I assume the difference between the dial color of your before and after pictures is a white balance problem and not the result of some "gentle brushing". If not, I want one of those brushes.


Ha! Yes, I think so.

I used a very-lightly-saliva-dampened Q-tip over the entire dial, but I don't think it really affected the color -- at least not like that Pobeda Sekondtime posted (holy cow!).

I had to edit the "after" image to balance the background to match the "before" shot. I thought that would level everything out, but I guess not.



Sekondtime said:


> And finally, another historic East German clockwork restoration project. All East German children knew the Sandmann and so did other East European nations. This clockwork Sandmann arrived with only one arm, no beard, matted hair, dirty clothes and a siezed clockwork movement. How could I leave him like that!


Amazing work once again.

This reminds me of this set of postcards I was recently offered. Check out the links below for more photos.

I passed on them as I'm really trying to rein in spending, but if anyone's interested, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the seller. Pretty cool stuff.

https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/55399/YBTNOWnYBYs.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553b7/2MFzr-4yErA.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553ad/tymNKa_vnU4.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553c1/asm7Qvw1RcE.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553cb/ejFWCnz7EZ4.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553d5/ywtM_L0XLaU.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553df/2JyIJIhKOhg.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/553a3/2uuut90Tq68.jpg
https://pp.userapi.com/c837325/v837325229/5538f/LQGY1CMWizw.jpg


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## Sekondtime

Robotmensch said:


> So Q-tip, some lube, and some stilleben stuff?


Cotton buds (Q-tip), Liquid hand soap as it is mild and non abrasive and clean fresh water which I portrayed as drinking water with a glass.

Cleaning dials depends on the dirt, the dial surface/paint finish, how the original paint finish adheres to the dial (sometimes, you can lift large flakes of paint from a dial where is has delaminated over time) and whether there is a discoloured clear lacquer over a colour paint layer. Beware also that lettering may also be prone to lifting with cleaning. Where possible try to clean around the lettering or if you are sure it is not going to lift just very lightly wipe with a microfibre cloth.

A proper inspection of the dial surface with a strong magnifying lens is essential and it is a good idea to try a very small sector of the dial first which is not going to be visible to check the suitability for cleaning.

I also find that hot breath on a cold dial and a very soft short pile microfibre cloth has excellent results on most colour lacquered dials.

The key is knowing when to stop or how far to go on. That comes with experience and one or two ruined dials!


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## Sekondtime

mroatman said:


> A Ruhla Ressurection indeed! Well done!!
> 
> Ha! Yes, I think so.
> 
> I used a very-lightly-saliva-dampened Q-tip over the entire dial, but I don't think it really affected the color -- at least not like that Pobeda Sekondtime posted (holy cow!).
> 
> I had to edit the "after" image to balance the background to match the "before" shot. I thought that would level everything out, but I guess not.
> 
> Amazing work once again.
> 
> This reminds me of this set of postcards I was recently offered. Check out the links below for more photos.
> 
> I passed on them as I'm really trying to rein in spending, but if anyone's interested, let me know and I'll put you in touch with the seller. Pretty cool stuff.
> 
> View attachment 12583919
> 
> 
> View attachment 12583921


The puppet/dolls in the postcards come across as a bit scary! Sandmann is cuter!

As for the Pobeda, I think I struck lucky. The dirt on the dial I think was nicotine stain. It was very tar like when removing it.


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## MattBrace

Before









After


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## mroatman

MattBrace said:


> Before
> After


Yeeeeeaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! 👏


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## DolleDolf

Some great restos here well done chaps!


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## callmev

salute! well done!


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## RFollia

Amazing work comrades!
And thank you for the dial cleaning tips/secrets>/techniques.
And how about indices/indexes polishing? Any tips would be welcome. On non-painted, non-chormed ones (originally polished, e.g. the raised indices in Vostok Amphibias) that have become dull through years of neglect, I had thought about using the mildest rubber in very soft motion along the index, but I would rather wait for wiser suggestions
Best regards and thank you


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## mroatman

RFollia said:


> Amazing work comrades!
> And thank you for the dial cleaning tips/secrets>/techniques.
> And how about indices/indexes polishing? Any tips would be welcome. On non-painted, non-chormed ones (originally polished, e.g. the raised indices in Vostok Amphibias) that have become dull through years of neglect, I had thought about using the mildest rubber in very soft motion along the index, but I would rather wait for wiser suggestions
> Best regards and thank you


Using tweezers, I tear off a tiny wad of polishing cloth (like this), then gently scrub that long the indices until desired shine is attained.

It's not abrasive enough to do serious damage -- but of course it won't remove oxidation either.


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## mroatman

A couple months back I found this unusual diver for $8.99/delivered. It has a rare(ish) 21-jewel export movement from Moscow.









It arrived in somewhat worse condition than I had expected, but was still partially revived after a clean/polish/relume.

Unfortunately, the seller misplaced the movement spacer. The case on this watch is totally unique, made in France; nothing I had on hand would work as a substitute. So I had to craft one of my own. That was a first for me.

















Before & After ✨


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## Stuey63

I love watches like that, with lots of patina. It's a beauty. All in this thread are.

I must get one myself (I'm a compulsive restorer of everything possible). I deliberately buy things like old cameras with brass showing even though I can buy not so worn versions of the same model.


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## mroatman

mroatman said:


> Unfortunately, the seller misplaced the movement spacer. The case on this watch is totally unique, made in France; nothing I had on hand would work as a substitute. So I had to craft one of my own. That was a first for me.


Forgot the internals. My solution for the movement spacer is imperfect, but it works...


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## Stuey63

I wonder if a thin slice of PVC water pipe might work as a spacer, suitably tidied up. Even if it was the wrong size, you could leave a slit in it at the stem and make it fit. It can also be softened in an oven at about 100 degrees C and reshaped.


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## mroatman

Stuey63 said:


> I wonder if a thin slice of PVC water pipe might work as a spacer, suitably tidied up. Even if it was the wrong size, you could leave a slit in it at the stem and make it fit. It can also be softened in an oven at about 100 degrees C and reshaped.


That's a great idea. I might look into that.

The only problem with this particular design is that the spacer needs to exert force both on the movement (inward pressure) and on the case (outward pressure). This keeps the movement stationary. Unless the pipe's thickness is precisely the same as the distance between the movement and the case (and it's a pretty big gap to fill, ~3mm?), it won't secure it firmly.

But thanks for a nice suggestion -- I'll keep playing around with possibilities ?


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## Sekondtime

mroatman said:


> That's a great idea. I might look into that.
> 
> The only problem with this particular design is that the spacer needs to exert force both on the movement (inward pressure) and on the case (outward pressure). This keeps the movement stationary. Unless the pipe's thickness is precisely the same as the distance between the movement and the case (and it's a pretty big gap to fill, ~3mm?), it won't secure it firmly.
> 
> But thanks for a nice suggestion -- I'll keep playing around with possibilities 


The spacer issue that mroatman outlines above is well illustrated by Ruhla watches.

There are a number of Ruhla spacers but these are the most common.





















As well as acting as a spacer the tabs on the spacer ring are the feature which provides the sprung pressure against the case back (as mroatman has said) which keeps the movement tight in the case. If you do not have a spacer or do not have the correct sprung pressure on the movement dial assembly through the tabs, the movement and dial will be loose. A loose movement means that the dial scrubs and scrapes against the inside of the case around the bezel. That is why you may see excessive wear on dials around the edges. Depending on the dial finish, those dials where the paint finish is quite thick or "plastic" and delaminates; the looseness causes greater damage and flaking.

The correct sprung pressure in the tabs also produces the effect of the case back "popping" off when you prize it off the case.

So, spacers are important but so too are the tabs and just enough sprung pressure.

Sekondtime


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## Kamburov

I've been looking for this thread for so long! Quite busy right now to upload previous stuff, but will post my latest.
Thanks to mroatman for pointing me the right direction!
The Vimpel I got fairly cheap a week or so ago:





























I couldn't fing an original low profile crystal to replace the old one, but decided to put on a Poljot de lux crystal till I get the proper one.
Stil good enough to enjoy the watch. Thanks for looking!
Ivan


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## drdas007

Great job!


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## Kamburov

So I backtracked my posts, and one of my first restorations was inspired by comrades mariomart and mroatman. This watch was the reason I finally registered in this forum after a long time just peaking in it.
I started with this:








and got to the one on the left. The one on the right was the model that originally started it all, and I bought it months later.


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## Kamburov

And it went on...


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## Kamburov

...and on...


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## Kamburov

and on ...






















and on...















and it's been a process of learning and great satisfaction.
It's also a pleasure sharing it with you. I don't really have anyone else to share it with 
Ivan


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## AlaskaJohnboy

I got my "3 more" identical Komandirskies. The best running was, of course in the worst shape. Scratch and dent all the way.

















So after a little polywatch it looked a lot better.









But the nicest watch, with a pristine face and perfect case, had a gasket that had turned to goop and movement that had no lube remaining.

















So I decided to switch the good movement into the best looking case. After prying out the movement spacer I took 90 minutes to carefully clean the gooped-gasket goop from the movement holder, case back and threads in the case with acetone; successfully avoiding getting acetone on the crystal.

Now I have a new blue Komandirskie again!

















And a couple others I'll slowly get working for my 2 boys when they get older. And my 3rd original (where I scratched the dial) so I'll franken-Vostok that one. All of them have the same blue-to-grey fading dial.
Or maybe I'll move them on. Don't know yet.

Thanks for reading! AlaskaJohnboy


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## schnurrp

I resisted posting this when the thread was started because the "restoration" was never completed but since it has been revived perhaps there's some interest in a restoration featuring re-plating with nickel:

Before, bought on etsy for $10/delvd:

View attachment kom1.jpg


After:

View attachment kom2.jpg


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## Kamburov

schnurrp said:


> ... a restoration featuring re-plating ...


Very cool, schnurrp! Re-plating has been in my wish list for a while. So far only considered buying a gold plating kit, as a fairly easy thing to do.
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> and on ...
> and it's been a process of learning and great satisfaction.
> It's also a pleasure sharing it with you. I don't really have anyone else to share it with
> Ivan


Well done! I am pleased you have shared your accomplishment with us all. Keep up the good work!

Sekontime


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## AlaskaJohnboy

schnurrp said:


> ....featuring re-plating with nickel:


WOW! That is impressive. Great work!


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## schnurrp

Kamburov said:


> Very cool, schnurrp! Re-plating has been in my wish list for a while. So far only considered buying a gold plating kit, as a fairly easy thing to do.
> Ivan


Thanks, comrade. Nothing could be easier than nickel-plating on brass. I looked at gold-plating, too, but the downside is that the solution is hard to find in small quantities and, if found, is still quite expensive.

https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/i-try-caswell-plating-kit-813682.html

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cHhRh02QnFuRhzAI2

Good luck if you decide to try.


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## Straight_time

schnurrp said:


> Thanks, comrade. Nothing could be easier than nickel-plating on brass.


Just out of curiosity - why nickel? Shouldn't be chrome the original finishing?

Nickel is also a known, proven cause of possible allergic reactions, whose severity may vary depending on an individual's sensibility; for this reason, here in the EU, its maximum content in items destined to skin contact -i.e. costume jewelry- is limited by law (btw, didn't you have issues in sourcing the nickel plating solution? Use of that product is restricted to professionals only here, and sale to private customers is not allowed).
I wonder, if items as small as earrings can already cause problems, what about a large watch case, heavily custom-plated? :think:


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## Kamburov

schnurrp said:


> Thanks, comrade. Nothing could be easier than nickel-plating on brass. I looked at gold-plating, too, but the downside is that the solution is hard to find in small quantities and, if found, is still quite expensive.
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/i-try-caswell-plating-kit-813682.html
> 
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/cHhRh02QnFuRhzAI2
> 
> Good luck if you decide to try.


Thanks, schnurrp, I will deffinately try it! I did some reverse electrolysis for stripping silver and gold plating, but preparing a solution is a bit complex. The ready gold solutions are a bit expensive, and I need to buy the pen tool for applying them. I've been looking for local contacts with people chrome plating car parts, so I can do a few watch cases, but no such service in my city. That should be the easiest way. 
I never thought of nickel-plating before your post.
Ivan


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## schnurrp

Straight_time said:


> Just out of curiosity - why nickel? Shouldn't be chrome the original finishing?
> 
> Nickel is also a known, proven cause of possible allergic reactions, whose severity may vary depending on an individual's sensibility; for this reason, here in the EU, its maximum content in items destined to skin contact -i.e. costume jewelry- is limited by law (btw, didn't you have issues in sourcing the nickel plating solution? Use of that product is restricted to professionals only here, and sale to private customers is not allowed).
> I wonder, if items as small as earrings can already cause problems, what about a large watch case, heavily custom-plated? :think:


Read about the two processes and it will be apparent. Nickel-plating is much easier.

This is the kit I used five years ago. It's gone up in price but still available with no warnings that I can see.


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## Kamburov

Bought this wreck of a watch by mistake. Case and dial turned out to be quite allright, so today I desided to give it a treatment. Now this pretty little watch is back in top form.
Replaced parts - ballance, fixing ring, stem/crown, hour minute hands (repainted).
Ivan


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## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Bought this wreck of a watch by mistake. Case and dial turned out to be quite allright, so today I desided to give it a treatment. Now this pretty little watch is back in top form.
> Replaced parts - ballance, fixing ring, stem/crown, hour minute hands (repainted).
> Ivan


Ivan, Looks nice!
What kind of band you gonna use for it?

It's be nice to find a vintage Soviet one...


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## Kamburov

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Ivan, Looks nice!
> What kind of band you gonna use for it?
> 
> It's be nice to find a vintage Soviet one...


Thanks, John! I doubt it will get much of a wrist time, so I'll leave as it is for now (on the bookshelve  ) . I have a few natos in case I decide taking it out, as they are easy to put on and come in different colours. This one has quite a clean and modern design, I think it will look good on just about anything. 
Ivan


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## schnurrp

Kamburov said:


> Bought this wreck of a watch by mistake. Case and dial turned out to be quite allright, so today I desided to give it a treatment. Now this pretty little watch is back in top form.
> Replaced parts - ballance, fixing ring, stem/crown, hour minute hands (repainted).
> Ivan
> 
> View attachment 13151229
> 
> View attachment 13151231
> 
> View attachment 13151233


Nice job, comrade, although I think the hands are a little short if you're going for complete authenticity: https://get.google.com/albumarchive.../AF1QipMI2PC94lT9YPd6fcickMZ-Oj64R1W0gnNCLeSX.


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## schnurrp

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, schnurrp, I will deffinately try it! I did some reverse electrolysis for stripping silver and gold plating, but preparing a solution is a bit complex. The ready gold solutions are a bit expensive, and I need to buy the pen tool for applying them. I've been looking for local contacts with people chrome plating car parts, so I can do a few watch cases, but no such service in my city. That should be the easiest way.
> I never thought of nickel-plating before your post.
> Ivan


Fortunately for me I like the warm color of nickel better than chrome so I have never looked into chrome plating seriously beyond a little reading. I believe someone had this company do some work for them and were happy: Replateit.com - Watch Case Restoration. They don't do chrome, only nickel and rhodium for that color. They also do watch hands.


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## Kamburov

schnurrp said:


> Nice job, comrade, although I think the hands are a little short if you're going for complete authenticity: https://get.google.com/albumarchive.../AF1QipMI2PC94lT9YPd6fcickMZ-Oj64R1W0gnNCLeSX.


Doh! Thanks, working on it! 
Ivan

There we go!


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## Straight_time

schnurrp said:


> This is the kit I used five years ago. It's gone up in price but still available with no warnings that I can see.


I presume there might be HUGE differencies between US and EU regulations... :think:


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## WatchEnthusiast

Very well done!


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## schnurrp

Straight_time said:


> I presume there might be HUGE differencies between US and EU regulations... :think:
> 
> View attachment 13151873
> 
> 
> View attachment 13151875


Whoa!


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## Sekondtime

schnurrp said:


> Whoa!


Schnurrp, show us the US instructions/warning notices. How different are they?


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## mroatman

Sekondtime said:


> Schnurrp, show us the US instructions/warning notices. How different are they?


No warning, just expensive shipping overseas: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plug-N-Pla...228481?hash=item58d812bc01:g:dW8AAOSwBnVW-ANM

I wonder how these kits would fare with EU customs....


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## mroatman

Kamburov said:


> The Vimpel I got fairly cheap a week or so ago:


Looks familiar 

Here's mine before/after restoration. I had to replace the crown, second hand, and crystal (it was an original, but badly crazed :-().

Like yours, mine suffered from staining at 3 o'clock -- I guess dust/moisture ingress was common at this location. But unlike you, I almost lost part of the '3' when cleaning that spot. As always, dial cleaning is definitely "at your own risk".









Thanks for reviving this thread, Ivan!


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## Kamburov

mroatman said:


> Thanks for reviving this thread, Ivan!


Actually, Dashiel, thanks to you for starting it in the first place! The restoration of the black lumed Vostok (you and mariomart, remember?) was the reason I signed in this forum. 
Excellent work you've done to the vimpel. I wouldn't notice a problem with the 3, but I guess you see it without even looking  Staring at a small point like that is deffinately a form of meditation. Finding an original crystal has been a problem for me so far.
Also sometimes I'm just so eager to dive in it, that I forget taking the "before" photos 
Ivan


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## mroatman

Kamburov said:


> Finding an original crystal has been a problem for me so far.


Not just you, unfortunately -- they're virtually impossible to source.

One technique I've been using lately for almost all watches (though it applies especially well to these thin 2009s) is to actually sand down the crystal to be thinner. It's really simple. Just place a piece of sandpaper (I use 600 grit) flat on a table (it's important that there are no bumps or grooves on the surface of the table) and lay the crystal face-up on top of the sandpaper. Then apply even pressure to the top of the crystal and rub in small circles.

It's important that the pressure is even or else the profile will end up lopsided (speaking from experience). My technique is to take my five fingertips and arrange them in a sort of upside-down Italian gesture (nessuna offesa intesa, compagni italiani!) then press firmly and rub. It takes a while, but eventually shaves off some height from the crystal (perhaps <600 grit would be more effective, but it's the coarsest sandpaper I have).

It's hard to explain, but easy to execute. Maybe this helps:









Here is the result on the above Vympel. The crystal I used for this project was one of those awful hi-dome models, almost as thick as the watch itself, but the final result looks pretty dang close to original.









I could have perhaps gone even 1/10mm further, but didn't want to have problems with hand clearance.


----------



## mroatman

Kamburov said:


> Also sometimes I'm just so eager to dive in it, that I forget taking the "before" photos


Me, too 

I almost always use seller photos for this reason exactly.


----------



## Kamburov

Certo che capisco  Thanks, I will most deffinately give it a try! The original one doesn't have a step around the frame of the crystal, I guess to keep as low profile as possible. Now that you said it, I'm like "how didn't I think of that before?" 
That's reverse engineering right there
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

On the subject of crystals...
The Poljot I bought recently on Ebay had this strange looking crystal on. An original mineral crystal made a really huge difference. 
Ivan


----------



## Bostok

My modest contribution to this topic, I'm sorry I didn't keep the seller's awful photo but this is before and after, with the original bracelet:


























I wear the watch occasionally, it's a very comfortable and good looking model IMO.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Saturday night watch-fixit' time! 
It'll be a big post, all in-one so let's get to it!

Komandirskie #3 clean-up, a Soviet bracelet re-sizing, and another Soviet bracelet missing parts.

Komandirskie #3 clean-up. First some before pics...



















































Now here it is after a toothbrush and some soapy water.
This one has worked hard and had a hot supper, more than once.






























And after some polywatch on the crystal!
I got all but 3 major scratches on the crystal.

View attachment 13171239










Check out the vintage crazing on the dial! Look at that cracked-dial-pattern and overall patina!

Thanks for watching.

And a final few of it on the re-sized Soviet bracelet. Talk about real vintage!
The bracelet does not have a "part number" rather its price is stamped on it.
I think it was 5 rubles 15 kopeks. (Please correct me if i am wrong)






























Thanks!
AlaskaJohnboy

PS I'll do the other Soviet bracelet in a different forum, as it needs a few links and is not a "b4 and after,' .


----------



## Kamburov

Nice one, John! This is so much fun, isn't it? These scratches at 6 are deeper, but can do them too. Komandirskie 2mm and especially amphybia 3mm crystals can take some DIY polishing. What I do is use 3-4 small grain water sandpapers and toothpaste. Toothpaste is for final finish (polish), 2000 sandpaper before the paste (lightest scratches), 1500 paper (slightly deeper scratches), 1200 paper for deeper scrtaches. I do have 1000 paper somewhere, but I don't usually use it. I do it in steps starting with the 1200 to get the biggest gaps even, and then I buil up to 2000 before the final polish. I drop some water on it during sanding for better results. The final toothpaste polish makes it like new.
In the beginning I used toothpaste only, but it took forever for bigger scrtaches. A good quality small grain sandpaper does the magic. I always have a 2000 grain sheet close by.
If you get a chance try it out on a random watch and see for yourself, but take out the besel first, if it has one. 
It shortens the time for polishing, and gives you more time to just stare at the watch 
Ivan


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Nice one, John! This is so much fun, isn't it? These scratches at 6 are deeper, but can do them too. Komandirskie 2mm and especially amphybia 3mm crystals can take some DIY polishing. What I do is use 3-4 small grain water sandpapers and toothpaste. Toothpaste is for final finish (polish), 2000 sandpaper before the paste (lightest scratches), 1500 paper (slightly deeper scratches), 1200 paper for deeper scrtaches. I do have 1000 paper somewhere, but I don't usually use it. I do it in steps starting with the 1200 to get the biggest gaps even, and then I buil up to 2000 before the final polish. I drop some water on it during sanding for better results. The final toothpaste polish makes it like new.
> In the beginning I used toothpaste only, but it took forever for bigger scrtaches. A good quality small grain sandpaper does the magic. I always have a 2000 grain sheet close by.
> If you get a chance try it out on a random watch and see for yourself, but take out the besel first, if it has one.
> It shortens the time for polishing, and gives you more time to just stare at the watch
> Ivan


Ivan,

Thanks for the tips! I may use them in the future.
As for this guy? I like him the way he is. Nice, but with a trace of his past.

And you're right. This is kinda fun. This is the easy part.
I have 2 more waiting till I have a few evenings in a row. They need a take-apart...


----------



## Kamburov

A lovely Kirovskie that I got for less than $15 delivered. The crown is probably replaced, but everything else seems to be correct, it's also in excellent working condition. I bid with bigger sum but nobody seemed to care about it. 
I disassembled and cleaned it with good care. The printing was too good and crisp to take a big risk, but still managed to remove the yellow stuff without spoiling it. Some small traces of thumb prints were too stubborn to dissapear, but they are visible only on a macro photo. Enough is enough, and less is more.
Ivan


----------



## kev80e

This was looking neglected and unloved on ebay , so I gave it a good clean, think it's happier now.


----------



## audiomagnate

kev80e said:


> This was looking neglected and unloved on ebay , so I gave it a good clean, think it's happier now.


That is nothing short of amazing. I'm about to try removing fifty years of "patina" (Soviet nicotine?) from my new Vympel. Any suggestions? All I know about is Polident and lemon juice, which are both on my shopping list.


----------



## audiomagnate

kev80e said:


> This was looking neglected and unloved on ebay , so I gave it a good clean, think it's happier now.


That is nothing short of amazing. I'm about to try removing fifty years of "patina" (Soviet nicotine?) from my new Vympel. Any suggestions? All I know about is Polident and lemon juice, which are both on my shopping list. If Kamburov and/or mroatman want to chime in, all the merrier.


----------



## kev80e

audiomagnate said:


> That is nothing short of amazing. I'm about to try removing fifty years of "patina" (Soviet nicotine?) from my new Vympel. Any suggestions? All I know about is Polident and lemon juice, which are both on my shopping list. If Kamburov and/or mroatman want to chime in, all the merrier.


 I got a sonic cleaner for the case which is so much easier. Still had to finish it off but it was a lot quicker . I look forward to seeing your results.


----------



## mroatman

audiomagnate said:


> That is nothing short of amazing. I'm about to try removing fifty years of "patina" (Soviet nicotine?) from my new Vympel. Any suggestions? All I know about is Polident and lemon juice, which are both on my shopping list. If Kamburov and/or mroatman want to chime in, all the merrier.


Unfortunately, I don't think you're going to be able to clean that dial much without removing the beautiful Vympel printing -- which is the only thing that makes this dial rare.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate, I agree with mroatman on this one. The brown stuff is the transparent laquer layer that got brown with age and exposure to moisture and sun radiation. Yeah, probably some nicotine too. Cleaning the dial will mean removing that layer from dial surface. That will probably bring out the dial paint color and the hour markings' golden shine. Moisture can eat through the paint to the metal dial surface, usually forming bubbles or spots like the thumb marks on my kirovskie up the page. If there are no corrosion spots you can manage achieving a reasonably clear white dial, but the laquer layer is no more. It has to be done gently as even cotton can leave markings if swiped with force. 
Then we come to the printing. Fortunately it's not much on this dial (no hour and minute prints), but this iconic logo has very thin lines, and I can't even guess how it will respond to cleaning. Sometimes in my experiments it gets to the point when the dial is clean, and only the logo and jewel count are swimming in pools of brown. I sit there staring at it, wondering if he whole thing was a mistake from the beginning, but it's too late. Sometimes I'm quite lucky with the print. The print on the kirovskie was exellent, I saved every curve and spot, but 1. it was a $15 watch, and 2. I had a NOS dial (the reason I bought it) waiting to take it's place in it. Sometimes I'm not so lucky, and I wish I kept it in the original brown dirty condition.
Having said all that, I'll be honest with you, I would love getting my hands on this dial. I would pick a very small spot at "made in ussr" and see how it responds. You can use a sharp toothpick to clean the golden hour indentations (dipped slightly in your cleaner of choice). Wood won't scratch the golden surface, but careful not to force a slide and scratch the paint outside it. If you try cleaning them with cotton bud you may overdo the painted area around the markings. 
Whatever you decide, I'll be following this with great interest. I wish I could get this dial, but usually everything with vimpel on it comes with a good pricetag.
Good luck!
Ivan


----------



## pmwas

I have a Russian before and after 









That's beofre...

And after some work...









..the watch ticking again. Fast with a new hairspring, I'll have to work on the timing screws one day.
And a shame I don't have a better minute hand now.

















The case I only washed in cleaning fluid to bring back some gloss, I don't like polishing silver cases - you loose the details and the patina will be back soon anyway...









Interestingly - this is not a big Russian-Swiss Tobias, it's a small Russian-Swiss Tobias, a ladies model. Not so common anymore, I guess mnost have been scrapped or thrown away by today...


----------



## arogle1stus

Mroatman:
Swell job seeing new life breathed into a Polject.
Congrats. Do you live n or near Tallin?

X Traindriver Art


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> audiomagnate, I agree with mroatman on this one. The brown stuff is the transparent laquer layer that got brown with age and exposure to moisture and sun radiation. Yeah, probably some nicotine too. Cleaning the dial will mean removing that layer from dial surface. That will probably bring out the dial paint color and the hour markings' golden shine. Moisture can eat through the paint to the metal dial surface, usually forming bubbles or spots like the thumb marks on my kirovskie up the page. If there are no corrosion spots you can manage achieving a reasonably clear white dial, but the laquer layer is no more. It has to be done gently as even cotton can leave markings if swiped with force.
> Then we come to the printing. Fortunately it's not much on this dial (no hour and minute prints), but this iconic logo has very thin lines, and I can't even guess how it will respond to cleaning. Sometimes in my experiments it gets to the point when the dial is clean, and only the logo and jewel count are swimming in pools of brown. I sit there staring at it, wondering if he whole thing was a mistake from the beginning, but it's too late. Sometimes I'm quite lucky with the print. The print on the kirovskie was exellent, I saved every curve and spot, but 1. it was a $15 watch, and 2. I had a NOS dial (the reason I bought it) waiting to take it's place in it. Sometimes I'm not so lucky, and I wish I kept it in the original brown dirty condition.
> Having said all that, I'll be honest with you, I would love getting my hands on this dial. I would pick a very small spot at "made in ussr" and see how it responds. You can use a sharp toothpick to clean the golden hour indentations (dipped slightly in your cleaner of choice). Wood won't scratch the golden surface, but careful not to force a slide and scratch the paint outside it. If you try cleaning them with cotton bud you may overdo the painted area around the markings.
> Whatever you decide, I'll be following this with great interest. I wish I could get this dial, but usually everything with vimpel on it comes with a good pricetag.
> Good luck!
> Ivan


FWIW, I've read on Omega forums that re-laquering is no big deal.


----------



## mroatman

audiomagnate said:


> FWIW, I've read on Omega forums that re-laquering is no big deal.


But how would you reprint that cute little Vympel logo? The printing is what's precious there, and most at risk of getting damaged/ruined.


----------



## Kamburov

Kevin, there's the Poljot I was telling you about. It costed abot $40, and probably for a little bit more I could have got a better one (was told it's not that rare). If I waited, that is. Patience, however, is not my biggest virtue when it comes to wristwatches, so I got it especially for this thread, and the conversation we had about the 12,3,6,9 dials. 
The damage to the dial can be seen clearly - corrosion spots that have eaten through laquer and paint, reaching to the dial surface. Also corrosion on the hands through the gold plating. I cleaned it as much as I could, and the print took it quite well (no damage to it whatsoever). Corrosion is beyond repair.
What does that say about your Vimpel? Not nuch really, but there's what I think - If that yellow/brown stuff responds well to cleaning (if it falls easily, without too much soaking or swiping), you might be in luck. If it doesn't, then you shouldn't risk that logo. So you may try a small spot and see how hard it is to whiten it. 
Re-laquering may be easy, I don't know. I've never been interested in dial redoing. I may take off (clean), but don't add or apply stuff on it. Whith these things (as with many others) less is more. My idea is to highlight the original dial, not to make a new one. 
Hope this has been helpful, although I doubt it 
Ivan

PS: This annoying speck of dust at 6 has been hurting my eyes, but I can't be bothered taking new photos right now


----------



## audiomagnate

mroatman said:


> But how would you reprint that cute little Vympel logo? The printing is what's precious there, and most at risk of getting damaged/ruined.


I was assuming you could remove the oxidized/UV damaged lacquer without removing the logo.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> I was assuming you could remove the oxidized/UV damaged lacquer without removing the logo.


Guys, I'm currently the only bidder on this one. I will try to get it (under $10) for expeimental purposes. It's bad enough to sacrifice it for some valuable experience, and it has retained all the printing so it's perfect for this. Will keep you updated.
Ivan


----------



## audiomagnate

Perfect test specimen! Plus you get a true Vympel movement in the deal. Good luck. Don't be so sure you are the only bidder as I'm sure there are snipers in Bulgaria like everywhere else.


----------



## schnurrp

Kamburov said:


> Guys, I'm currently the only bidder on this one. I will try to get it (under $10) for expeimental purposes. It's bad enough to sacrifice it for some valuable experience, and it has retained all the printing so it's perfect for this. Will keep you updated.
> Ivan
> 
> View attachment 13207435
> 
> View attachment 13207437


That will not turn out well, comrade Ivan. My information and experience with dials from that time is that the printing was done on top of the lacquer.


----------



## Kamburov

schnurrp said:


> That will not turn out well, comrade Ivan. My information and experience with dials from that time is that the printing was done on top of the lacquer.


Thanks for the warning, schnurrp! If that's really the case then it's bad news for comrade audiomagnate and his dial. Now the cleaning operation sounds like a spine surgery. Done by a blind alcoholic in abstinence.
I guess the solution is somewhere in the world of chemistry. Sometimes I regret skipping those classes. 
Ivan


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> "Done by a blind alcoholic in abstinence."


That should work out well. But seriously folks, why on earth would they print OVER the lacquer? That makes no sense at all.


----------



## Kamburov

I guess it's a matter of sequence of the manufacturing process. First they get the dial templates and then they can print whatever they want on them, if there's a transitional branding process going on. I'm just trying to find some logic in this, but anything is possible in the soviet watch industry. 
I guess they never thought of us trying to restore those dials 60 years later. Very inconsiderate of them 
Ivan


----------



## mroatman

audiomagnate said:


> That should work out well. But seriously folks, why on earth would they print OVER the lacquer? That makes no sense at all.


I think it's because you'd want any branding/logos/graphics to appear on the surface of the dial, not beneath it. Just a guess.


----------



## Kamburov

I never took "before" pictures, so this is only "after". Not perfect restoration, but tried to keep it as authentic as possible. Not sure if this model is both in gold-plated and chromed version, will have to dig deeper in the catalogues.
Ivan


----------



## schnurrp

audiomagnate said:


> That should work out well. But seriously folks, why on earth would they print OVER the lacquer? That makes no sense at all.


I was told by comrade Seele that the lacquer provided the best surface for printing. Makes sense as it would fill and smooth and seal the surface of the dial.


----------



## audiomagnate

schnurrp said:


> audiomagnate said:
> 
> 
> 
> That should work out well. But seriously folks, why on earth would they print OVER the lacquer? That makes no sense at all.
> Why are we acting like this was ancient Egypt. I worked at a legendary HiFi company in the early 90s (Nakamichi) and have filled in the holes.
> [/QUOT
> 
> I was told by comrade Seele that the lacquer provided the best surface for printing. Makes sense as it would fill and smooth and seal the surface of the dial.
Click to expand...


----------



## Kamburov

There it is, the result of the Vympel dial experiment. No laquer layer left on it, but the print survived. To be honest I didn't push it too much, because at some point I felt it beginning to fade. The hour markers could not be cleaned well as there were rust spots, but some sparkle was still restored. 
So, it's nothing spectacular, but still a valuable practical lesson. 
Ivan


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Good job sir!!


----------



## mroatman

Kamburov said:


> There it is, the result of the Vympel dial experiment.


Wow! You are braver than I am. What was your technique?


----------



## audiomagnate

Fantastic!!!! Excellent work.


----------



## Kamburov

mroatman said:


> Wow! You are braver than I am. What was your technique?
> 
> View attachment 13223157


Thanks, Dashiell! Just now that you put them side by side I realised how big the difference is  
It's easy being brave on a $6 movement/stem/crown/dial. Oh, and one hour hand. Simply nothing to loose. I used my favourite phosphoric acid stuff on the printing (just tapping on it, almost no swiping), and some more aggressive stuff for the rest of it. With a lot of attention and care. The truth is that the print was just tough enough to take this much, and wouldn't take any more. There's a light yellowish hue on the logo area (the after pic) showing the moment that I had to stop. I could risk pushing on, but by that time the result was too good to just mess the whole thing. And I wouldn't make it as new anyway, so there was no point overdoing it.
I bought this only for this experiment, with no intention of putting a watch together, but if a beat up lonely old case shows up (highly unlikely), I may try it out.
Ivan


----------



## haha

No great restoration here, but some improvement thanks to two Monsters helping each other

Before














After


----------



## Kamburov

haha, that wristshot is fabulous! It's high time I get myself one of those slavas.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

haha said:


> No great restoration here, but some improvement thanks to two Monsters helping each other


The final result looks good. Well done! Many of the large Slavas can look a little tired but look good when they are cleaned and polished up.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> There it is, the result of the Vympel dial experiment. No laquer layer left on it, but the print survived. To be honest I didn't push it too much, because at some point I felt it beginning to fade. The hour markers could not be cleaned well as there were rust spots, but some sparkle was still restored.
> So, it's nothing spectacular, but still a valuable practical lesson.
> Ivan
> 
> View attachment 13220837


I can see by this photo that this Vympel has the same paint as early Pobedas which is quite tough. However, it is possible to wear through it if you try too hard. I think you got it right on this example with just enough cleaning. It would be good to see a completed watch when you find a case for it.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> I can see by this photo that this Vympel has the same paint as early Pobedas which is quite tough. However, it is possible to wear through it if you try too hard. I think you got it right on this example with just enough cleaning. It would be good to see a completed watch when you find a case for it.


Thanks, comrade! Well spotted, similarities extend to the silver paint models (as I will show on my next post). Exactly the same feel as the early pobedas. Very tough paint, and I didn't go gently about it. It's all about the print, and this simplistic design doesn't have much printing, at least no tiny minute markers. These are hell to clean arround on other watches.


----------



## Kamburov

Vimpel special for comrade audiomagnate!
Kevin, this is for you! I received it this evening and couldn't wait.
This Vimpel is a different siverish white paint dial. It responded the same way as the previous one. The corrosion spots could't be removed, but I think less visible after the clean.






















I also had a spare hour hand from my experimental vimpel








I didn't have a minute hand, so I used a Volna hand. Had to put a micro drop of glue, but if you find an original hands set, it will be an easy replacement. These a bit rusty but I just wanted to see how the complete watch will look. 






















Looks even better in person, but I'm just happy I didn't mess it up.
Ivan


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> Vimpel special for comrade audiomagnate!
> Kevin, this is for you! I received it this evening and couldn't wait.
> This Vimpel is a different siverish white paint dial. It responded the same way as the previous one. The corrosion spots could't be removed, but I think less visible after the clean.
> 
> I also had a spare hour hand from my experimental vimpel
> 
> I didn't have a minute hand, so I used a Volna hand. Had to put a micro drop of glue, but if you find an original hands set, it will be an easy replacement. These a bit rusty but I just wanted to see how the complete watch will look.
> 
> Looks even better in person, but I'm just happy I didn't mess it up.
> Ivan


Ivan...as we say in certain parts of the US, YOU DA MAN!!!! Seriously, I don't know what to say. I saw them earlier today on my phone I was grinning and LOLing in public so bad kids and their parents were thinking I was crazy, but seeing them on my computer screen they're so beautiful I'm overwhelmed. USPS says they're in Jamaica NY BTW! Thank you SO much, they're gorgeous.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> I don't know what to say. I saw them earlier today on my phone and was grinning and LOLing in public so bad kids were thinking I was crazy, but seeing them on my computer screen they're so beautiful I'm almost ready to cry. I'm overwhelmed. USPS says they're in Jamaica NY BTW!


Kev, your watches are safe and happily ticking  I guess you noticed a little change in the vostok too. 
They are indeed beautiful watches, can I keep them?  Just joking, I'll fly them back home next week.
The USPS probably tracked them to the last US post office, which is strange, most postal services track the packages to the point of receiving.
I'm very happy I didn't make things worse, as I never experimented on a watch that is not mine. 
Ivan


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> Kev, your watches are safe and happily ticking  I guess you noticed a little change in the vostok too.
> They are indeed beautiful watches, can I keep them?  Just joking, I'll fly them back home next week.
> The USPS probably tracked them to the last US post office, which is strange, most postal services track the packages to the point of receiving.
> I'm very happy I didn't make things worse, as I never experimented on a watch that is not mine.
> Ivan


RE the steel Vostok, I thought the bottom of the three was gone, was it covered with something or did you repaint it? I though that one was pretty much a lost cause.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> RE the steel Vostok, I thought the bottom of the three was gone, was it covered with something or did you repaint it? I though that one was pretty much a lost cause.


It was gone, fallen off. I did repaint it. It was a small part of the 3, it's not like drawing the whole number, so I took the liberty. It's not a Picasso, but you have to look through the magnifying glass to spot it.
I felt very artistic


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> haha, that wristshot is fabulous! It's high time I get myself one of those slavas.
> Ivan





Sekondtime said:


> The final result looks good. Well done! Many of the large Slavas can look a little tired but look good when they are cleaned and polished up.


Thank you !
Go for it Ivan, it's a fun watch to wear !
Among many other possibilities, i would classify soviet watches into 2 categories : those that look good when they look really used and tired (let's say they have a "nice patina" :-d) and those that need to look like new. This Slava definitely belongs to the second category ;-)


----------



## Kamburov

All for this:








This Amphybia was my first ever post in this forum. It's now reunited with it's dad.
Ivan


----------



## haha

Really impressive and beautiful result !!


----------



## mroatman

Kamburov said:


> This Amphybia was my first ever post in this forum. It's now reunited with it's dad.


Amazing restoration of a beautiful watch!

I still "need" this particular tank model...


----------



## skipvel

Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean old stained watch faces? (I mean successfully) Is the printing universally fragile? The reason for asking is that with a bunch of old dirty faces in my sock drawer I don't think I have the patience to be daubing them all in any kind of precise way. Thanks.


----------



## Kamburov

skipvel said:


> Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean old stained watch faces? (I mean successfully) Is the printing universally fragile? The reason for asking is that with a bunch of old dirty faces in my sock drawer I don't think I have the patience to be daubing them all in any kind of precise way. Thanks.


I do have one, and I haven't experimented with it (sertainly will, for the fun of it). To answer your question - the printing is usually very fragile. I'm not optimistic about it, and I will do it as an experiment "mythbusters" style. The ultrasonic does half of the job (if not less), the cleaning solition is the more important part of it, and I have no idea how to go about this. 
If I care about the dials I wouldn't try it, mainly because I have no control over the cleaning process. It's a "switch on and pray" situation, a lottery with just about the same chance of success.
Some older pocket watches porcelain dials may survive that, but more recent wrist watches are too fragile, especially the printing.
That's just my opinion, if I ever try it I will sure post here.



mroatman said:


> Amazing restoration of a beautiful watch!
> 
> I still "need" this particular tank model...


Thank you! If I spot a good oportunity, I will have you in mind!
Ivan


----------



## Usafwolfe

Wow excellent refurbs. They look fantastic and ready for another lifetime of service!


----------



## Kamburov

My watchmaker friend found me a NOS Kirovskie dial, like a month ago. Today I decided to spread all Kirovskie parts I had, with the vague intention of putting a watch together. I had 4 movements, 3 cases, and some other parts. 








Spent 3-4 hours replacing parts, back and front, and nothing seemed to work. 








Finally I got to a point when every part was cleaned and lubricated (including incablocks), and right then - bingo! It started hesitantly, but after 30 minutes it picked up speed and settled into normal function. I used the time to do some cleaning and polishing. Finally I put it all together and got this:















I'm not sure about the colour of the seconds hand, but golden was all I got. So far it's been keeping good time, but we'll see how that goes, may need some regulating.
I still consider this a time well spent.
Ivan


----------



## haha

I knew it. You're the one creating ALL these franken on sale on ebay !! You're the one reducing the number of soviet watches available by mixing several pieces together ! Shame on you !

...
Well, and congrats on another great restoration:-d


----------



## CrusadesOClock

skipvel said:


> Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean old stained watch faces? (I mean successfully) Is the printing universally fragile? The reason for asking is that with a bunch of old dirty faces in my sock drawer I don't think I have the patience to be daubing them all in any kind of precise way. Thanks.


I used an ultrasonic cleaner to rip dried stubborn ink from used tattoo tubes prior to them being put in the autoclave back when I used to tattoo. I don't personally think a printed dial would survive but maybe it depends on how much powder you put into the cleaner also


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> I'm not sure about the colour of the seconds hand, but golden was all I got.
> Ivan


The seller says this one is "completely original" and it has a gold second. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kirovskie-...493024?hash=item2aac9b6ae0:g:mVkAAOSw~gxZr4L6 
Great work as usual Ivan.


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> I knew it. You're the one creating ALL these franken on sale on ebay !! You're the one reducing the number of soviet watches available by mixing several pieces together ! Shame on you !
> 
> ...
> Well, and congrats on another great restoration:-d


Thanks! 
Shhh, keep it quiet  bussiness is good 
This is my second watch I put together. The first one was a Generalskie franken I did for myself some months ago















1. Generalskie case
2. Amphibia case back
3. Aftermarket besel
4. Salvaged and repaired 2416B SU
5. Komandirskie post soviet dial and hands
6. Added extra lume on dial and hands for practical reasons

And the funny thing is I can defranken it in no time (have an authentic generalskie dial), but I just like it so much like this.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

I was looking at this non working Poljot alarm being relisted for months. 








Finally decided to make a B&A on it. It was pretty bad, but turned out alright. Thought of reluming the hands, but finally left them as they were.















Also a small Pobeda for desert.


----------



## Sekondtime

Well, looking at all the good work being shown in this thread, I thought it was about time I posted a couple of before and after examples.

Now as I have mentioned on many occasions, jewels aren't everything. Ruhla calibre 24s demonstrate that you can have a perfectly good watch without jewels that lasts for decades without a service. However, there are Ruhla calibre 24s with Jewels, the Ruhla 24-42 for example, with 2 jewels and this is my first before and after.

(I must just say, other Ruhla jewelled movements are available! 4, 5, 7, 15 and 17 jewels in fact.)

*Ruhla 2 Jewel calibre 24 from 1974. *

I had this watch languishing in a box for about 6 years. I had almost forgotten all about it until I went search for a part for another watch I was working on. Then I noticed it again and realised I could do something with it and include it in this thread, hence I took photos. Ruhla 2 jewel movements were not made for very long and are rarer than the movement without jewels.

This is the watch:





















On inspection the movement was ok and just needed a clean and some fresh oil. I did have to adjust the lower jewel under the hairspring pivot. These are adjustable on a calibre 24 and can help take up any slack caused by moderate amounts of wear.

Notice the artificial jewel (grey colour) in the balance cock with shock protection. A non jewelled version is also shown.















The dial was too far gone. The watch had obviously had some condensation or water ingress at some point and this had affected the dial considerably. But, luckily I had a spare red 2 jewel dial. I didn't know it at the time, but I had obviously been keeping this for such an occasion. Here are the results.





















Unusual for a calibre 24 watch is the dust gasket on the back case cover. Most Ruhla calibre 24s do not have a dust gasket.









*Poljot 2456*

The second watch is a Poljot quartz with a 2456 7 jewel movement. There are the three that you can see in the movement photo below and another three at the other end of these pinions plus one further jewel in the stepper motor assembly. The same arrangement is also in the 2460.

Here is the before photo from the seller.









And after some detail cleaning and the removal and resetting of the crystal, here is the after photo.









However, this Poljot also has one more attribute. The case back has an engraving which signifies that the owner was presented with the watch in the mid to late 1980s for 25 years service in the Polish coal mining industry. This means the owner would have started his career in the coal mines around 1960.

























So, there is my contribution for the time being...until I finish some more!

Sekondtime


----------



## audiomagnate

Here's a before. I'm going to go super gentle on this (first do no harm) and just use a dampened watercolor brush. Wish me luck.
BTW, I've been on the lookout for a birth year watch for a couple months and when I went to clean this one I discovered I already had one (yeah, I'm old!).


----------



## Kamburov

Stunning results on the Ruhla and the quartz Poljot! Look like completely different watches. This is so rewarding!
Kevin, good luck with the Pobeda! This dial looks very promising, and pobedas in general are quite good for cleaning.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Stunning results on the Ruhla and the quartz Poljot! Look like completely different watches. This is so rewarding!
> Kevin, good luck with the Pobeda! This dial looks very promising, and pobedas in general are quite good for cleaning.
> Ivan


Thanks. Sometimes they come out better than expected.


----------



## Kamburov

Steel cased Poljots are always cool. I already had this model with latin print:








and the other day won an auction for the same model with the cyrillic print and Poljot logo 








It's not perfect and the crystal is not the original one, but that can be fixed in the future. So I worked with what I had, and had to take it apart and put it together twice, as it had problems with the winding/time setting mechanism. 















The dial and hands cleaned fine, the dots at 1 and 2 somewhat restored.








Case and crystal did relatively well too






















In the end I got this 








There's more to this story. While I was taking the "after" photos, my wife brought in this little guy (or a girl?) that she resqued from the street after a rain storm. 








It was wet and in shock, so she saved it from the cats, and brought it to me on the balcony to dry out. For those who don't know this is a common swift. One of the fastest flyers on the planet, and an unique bird that spends months in continuous flight, eating and sleeping on the go. You just don't see these guys on the ground, these are true fliers. Guess what I named it (not that it cares) 
Ivan


----------



## haha

Well, you must have named it Poljot or strela ?!

Is it me or is the latin dial sunburst, but not the cyrillic one ?


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Well, you must have named it Poljot or strela ?!
> 
> Is it me or is the latin dial sunburst, but not the cyrillic one ?


Yeah, I named it Polet  It took him an hour or two to get it together and fly away. Just left a little poop on my t-shirt. I didn't name that.

Your observation about the dials is absolutely correct. The cyrillic one is gloss black.
Ivan


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Yeah, I named it Polet  It took him an hour or two to get it together and fly away. Just left a little poop on my t-shirt. I didn't name that.
> 
> Your observation about the dials is absolutely correct. The cyrillic one is gloss black.
> Ivan


Nice farewell present from Polet :-d
And do you think the dial was originally like this or did someone paint it over ? It looks almost too new.


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> And do you think the dial was originally like this or did someone paint it over ? It looks almost too new.


Yes, I think it's original. It had some minor wear that I dealt with succesfully. Only the lume dots at 1 and 2 are not that bright green as the others, but I can live with that. With the cyrillic print seems to be a bit rarer than the latin.


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Yes, I think it's original. It had some minor wear that I dealt with succesfully. Only the lume dots at 1 and 2 are not that bright green as the others, but I can live with that. With the cyrillic print seems to be a bit rarer than the latin.


Great.

Here is mine by the way (well same case, different dial)


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Is it me or is the latin dial sunburst, but not the cyrillic one ?


Your question made me take them both out for observation. The export version I haven't opened yet as it was in excellent condition when I got it.
The dials seem to be exactly the same (black gloss) but under the light they both have this brushed effect. Which got me by surprise, as I didn't notice that when I worked on it under the magnifying glass. Check this out








So it's just a trick of the light. The print's language is the only difference.

These watches are really cool. I'm looking out for one like yours.


----------



## audiomagnate

I tried mroatman's crystal thinning trick and it did wonders for the look and feel of my Vympel. I used a Craftsman combination round stone instead of sandpaper.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> I tried mroatman's crystal thinning trick and it did wonders for the look and feel of my Vympel. I used a Craftsman combination round stone instead of sandpaper.


Very good result, Kev! It does look much better! :-!
If you have a spare crystal for experimenting, you can take it even further. Recently a comrade from the bulgarian forum did a well documented polishing of the same crystal. This was triggered by a discussion about your Vympel restoration, actually 
So these photos are the work of Misho "Seikosha" from Varna, and show how much polishing this crystal can take
















Misho took it to the extreme, and I was surprised that after this polishing there was still material left to cover the watch 
Still there it is, an excellent reference point. When I get the time I will try it too
Ivan


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> View attachment 13289533
> 
> 
> Very good result, Kev! It does look much better!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If you have a spare crystal for experimenting, you can take it even further. Recently a comrade from the bulgarian forum did a well documented polishing of the same crystal. This was triggered by a discussion about your Vympel restoration, actually
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So these photos are the work of Misho "Seikosha" from Varna, and show how much polishing this crystal can take
> 
> Misho took it to the extreme, and I was surprised that after this polishing there was still material left to cover the watch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Still there it is, an excellent reference point. When I get the time I will try it too
> Ivan


I can't take this particular crystal any further unfortunately. I had to stop when it started getting a little loose in the bezel. I can actually rotate it so I'm tempted too use a little UV glue to lock it in place. I'm only down to 7.6 mm and 6.5 is my goal, but even bit lower would be even cooler. What are Misho's Vympels measuring?
View attachment 13289533


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> I can't take this particular crystal any further unfortunately. I had to stop when it started getting a little loose in the bezel. I can actually rotate it so I'm tempted too use a little UV glue to lock it in place. I'm only down to 7.6 mm and 6.5 is my goal, but even bit lower would be even cooler. What are Misho's Vympels measuring?


I just checked again and I was wrong, it's probably different than your crystal. Actually he started with a bigger one at 33.98mm, quite bigger than the 32.60mm. Vympel bezel. By polishing he brought it to 32.86mm. and he managed fixing that without glue. 
So it's different situation, Kev, my bad.
No measurement of the end result hight. Looks low, though.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

Another 24h Raketa. This one costed me good $47 + $10 shipping from Ukraine. It had 3 obvious problems, visible from seller's photos:
1. Dirty dial
2. Wrong second hand
3. DIY replacement crystal















After cleaning and replacing the hand and crystal















Not the best deal in my life, but I'm quite happy with the watch I ended up with.
Ivan


----------



## haha

A little disappointing, the dirt on the crown doesn't let me enjoy the incredible work on the dial :--d


----------



## thewatchadude

Hi Kamburov, I also bought one like this--dial in worse shape and wrong replacement glass (can't post photo as I don't have it with me now). While I bought it to swap the mechanism with a non-functioning 24h marine one, I'd like to restore it anyway in the event that maybe one day I'll repair/have repaired the other mechanism. So could you please tell me where I can find an appropriate replacement glass?


----------



## Kamburov

thewatchadude said:


> Hi Kamburov, I also bought one like this--dial in worse shape and wrong replacement glass (can't post photo as I don't have it with me now). While I bought it to swap the mechanism with a non-functioning 24h marine one, I'd like to restore it anyway in the event that maybe one day I'll repair/have repaired the other mechanism. So could you please tell me where I can find an appropriate replacement glass?


I used the crystal of another 24h Raketa I'm restoring. The crystal I got it with was a DIY one, hot pressed sheet of plexiglass that was cut and glued to the besel. I swapped them, but I still need one crystal. I hope my local watch service will find one for me, or give an idea where to find one. I was on my way but got caught in a storm, so left it for another day. I have a friend that supplies me with crystals for the big zero cases, so I will check with him aswell. If I find something out, I will PM you.

Haha, well spotted, comrade! I got carried away and totally forgot about the crowns  How sloppy of me! 
Ivan


----------



## schnurrp

Kamburov said:


> I used the crystal of another 24h Raketa I'm restoring. The crystal I got it with was a DIY one, hot pressed sheet of plexiglass that was cut and glued to the besel. I swapped them, but I still need one crystal. I hope my local watch service will find one for me, or give an idea where to find one. I was on my way but got caught in a storm, so left it for another day. I have a friend that supplies me with crystals for the big zero cases, so I will check with him aswell. If I find something out, I will PM you.
> 
> Haha, well spotted, comrade! I got carried away and totally forgot about the crowns  How sloppy of me!
> Ivan


Ivan, I'm confused. Are you implying that "greenhouse" you show as the crystal is the authentic one? I don't think so. Second hand should be same color as other hands, no?









Your usual fantastic dial cleaning job. I wish I knew how you did that.


----------



## Kamburov

schnurrp said:


> Ivan, I'm confused. Are you implying that "greenhouse" you show as the crystal is the authentic one? I don't think so. Second hand should be same color as other hands, no?
> 
> Your usual fantastic dial cleaning job. I wish I knew how you did that.


No, scnurrp, just my ignorance, these are my first 24h. I just got both quite recently and today is the first day I actually took them out to familiarise with them, so I got a bit overexited. Both are ongoing defrankenzation projects. You are right, the second hand should be dark blue as the other hands, so I put a black one untill I find an authentic one (can't be bothered with sloppy repaint jobs).
I thought the other crystal is authentic, but now (after your post) I realise it's a replacement too. Now I'm looking out for more crystals.
This is the other one








I put the DIY crystal on it to keep it closed. It has the (I believe) original black gloss bezel that was badly worn down to the brass, so I just brushed it (it's still the original black underneath). I can't restore this one, a new crystal is all I can do about it. 
The other one, however, is on the way of a quite decent restoration, but as it turns out, couple of things to do before I get there. And after cleaning those crowns  
So any input and advice is valuable. So far I haven't found the proper crystals, only replacements that need to be polished down to the original profile. I've been looking for just one day, and I haven't exausted all my connections. We'll see how that goes. 
Hopefully I'll get to that "after" shot soon.
Ivan


----------



## Lukas Radziszewski

Hey. It is situation from a two years ago, but it was my most succesfull renovation. In the deepest part of big box of watch junk, I found a unique, white Kirovskije "Albino", the prototype and earliest model of 2408 I only know. Seller sold me that for symbolic money, he simply thought it was fake and also destroyed piece. He could think like that - it was looking horrible and "Albino" is highly rare piece. Everything was destroyed, no glass, central dial was absolutely destroyed, ring was teeth-yellow. Movement was dirty, but all wheels were fine. Still - it was a nightmare in agonal condition.

The problem with that watch, was to find original parts, that are hihly rare. As I had wrote in another article, "Albino" has everything different than standard Kirovskije. Also dial and case has different scale inside. So after a year of hunt, I found original white-brown Kirovskie, with legit, smaller dial, and better case. I also cleaned dirt from yellow ring, and it begun to be white/grey, with the same shade as dial. It took me two days, I knew that any mistake will cost me the most unique part - the white ring. 

In the end - I had took watch to the best watchmaker in my city, to make it work only on the original parts. Now it is a one of pearls in my collection.

Thank you!
Lukasz


----------



## Kamburov

Excellent job, Lukas! This is the prettiest crab Kirovskie I've seen! I always found them a bit too brutalist for my taste, but that albino may change my mind 
Ivan


----------



## Lukas Radziszewski

Thank you Ivan! I like it also so much, it is more minimalist maybe because in that watch, there is only spectrum between shades of grey and yellow colour.


----------



## Kamburov

Yes, the color palette makes the difference. 
Actually I do have a crab in restoration process. I need a good dial and a crown to get it finished.








While I wait, though...
Got a bag of broken watches yesterday. Probably a watch repair service rejects. It consisted of about 10-12 non-working men's watches, about 5-6 non-working women's and some cases, movements and other parts. Didn't take any "before" photos, although should have. Out of the pile I already have 7 working and cleaned watches.








I may continue working on some of them, but I can't do much more than this. 








The movement of the white face Raketa was too damaged for repair, so it got replaced. The same with the Orient. The others needed ballances, some needed case backs, the Luch is missing a rotor. The gold-plated Raketa (my favourite of the bunch) has a spot on the dial at 7, I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with it. 
Still, there are 2-3 watches in the pile waiting to be reborn. At least one Raketa and a Kama. 
Nothing spectacular, but I've been having a lot of fun the last 24 hours. 
Ivan


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Ok not really a "before and after" but an upgrade..
New strap for the blue Komandirskie.

A little grey to match the lower dial, with a hint of red to match the star. Courtesy of CheapNatoStraps too!


----------



## MattBrace

Kamburov said:


> Yes, the color palette makes the difference.
> Actually I do have a crab in restoration process. I need a good dial and a crown to get it finished.
> View attachment 13339777
> 
> 
> While I wait, though...
> Got a bag of broken watches yesterday. Probably a watch repair service rejects. It consisted of about 10-12 non-working men's watches, about 5-6 non-working women's and some cases, movements and other parts. Didn't take any "before" photos, although should have. Out of the pile I already have 7 working and cleaned watches.
> View attachment 13339797
> 
> 
> I may continue working on some of them, but I can't do much more than this.
> View attachment 13339811
> 
> 
> The movement of the white face Raketa was too damaged for repair, so it got replaced. The same with the Orient. The others needed ballances, some needed case backs, the Luch is missing a rotor. The gold-plated Raketa (my favourite of the bunch) has a spot on the dial at 7, I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with it.
> Still, there are 2-3 watches in the pile waiting to be reborn. At least one Raketa and a Kama.
> Nothing spectacular, but I've been having a lot of fun the last 24 hours.
> Ivan


Nice work Ivan,
Some great results there, always nice to bring a watch back from the scrap bin.
Cheers


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks, Matt! I spent about $75 on the pile, as I really wanted to save the 3 gold-plated cases (the restored Raketa and Vostok, and a Raketa case that, for some reason, is out of the picture). The other guy wanted to buy them three for melting, and I offered to buy the whole bag. I also spotted the perpetual calendar Orient, and I knew that if I restore it well, I will get my money back just from this one. There's also another vintage Orient out of the photo (the pile must've been bigger than what I posted here). The calendar Orient turned out very well (the original dial and day/year ring are excellent), so all the soviets may turn out to be a free bonus. I don't even count the women's soviets.

Now to get back to the Raketa 24h crystal. Just received a delivery of spare crystals and crowns, but no proper ctystal for it.








Still I put one on, so I can wear it








but this story is to be continued. Still searching.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

Last few weeks it's been all about Raketa for me. Won this at $7.50 on the Ebay, figured it will be good for spares if nothing else.








Tried to get it as close to this as possible. 












































Slightly better than what I started with. Not much to do about the case, though.
Ivan


----------



## haha

Just playing with sandpaper


----------



## thewatchadude

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, Matt! I spent about $75 on the pile, as I really wanted to save the 3 gold-plated cases (the restored Raketa and Vostok, and a Raketa case that, for some reason, is out of the picture). The other guy wanted to buy them three for melting, and I offered to buy the whole bag. I also spotted the perpetual calendar Orient, and I knew that if I restore it well, I will get my money back just from this one. There's also another vintage Orient out of the photo (the pile must've been bigger than what I posted here). The calendar Orient turned out very well (the original dial and day/year ring are excellent), so all the soviets may turn out to be a free bonus. I don't even count the women's soviets.
> 
> Now to get back to the Raketa 24h crystal. Just received a delivery of spare crystals and crowns, but no proper ctystal for it.
> View attachment 13343245
> 
> 
> Still I put one on, so I can wear it
> View attachment 13343249
> 
> 
> but this story is to be continued. Still searching.
> Ivan


I'm sorry to say it but that looks awful.
Please save this poor watch!


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Last few weeks it's been all about Raketa for me. Won this at $7.50 on the Ebay, figured it will be good for spares if nothing else.
> View attachment 13380963
> 
> 
> Tried to get it as close to this as possible.
> View attachment 13380965
> 
> 
> View attachment 13380967
> 
> View attachment 13380969
> 
> View attachment 13380971
> 
> View attachment 13380973
> 
> View attachment 13380975
> 
> 
> Slightly better than what I started with. Not much to do about the case, though.
> Ivan


Ivan,

How did you refill the black on the hands? What is your method and materials?

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

haha said:


> Just playing with sandpaper
> 
> View attachment 13436369


Look! Only I am supposed to do that to Ruhlas! Great job, well done!


----------



## haha

Sekondtime said:


> Look! Only I am supposed to do that to Ruhlas! Great job, well done!


And this is only the beginning ! I shall then reign upon the stainless steel Ruhla kingdom !!


----------



## Kamburov

thewatchadude said:


> I'm sorry to say it but that looks awful.
> Please save this poor watch!


Don't be sorry, you are absolutely right  It does look awful. I will deffinately try to save it, but that will require replacement parts. Unfortunatelu what is damaged, can't be repaired. Turned out original crystals are really hard to find, as are the black polished besels. Most my contacts (and I)have been silent lately (hollyday season), so I put it aside for now.



Sekondtime said:


> Ivan,
> 
> How did you refill the black on the hands? What is your method and materials?
> 
> Sekondtime


Black nail polish on this one. I clean the hands, then apply small nail polish drops with the tip of a needle (in the canal). I put a slightly exessive amount (so it bulges above) and leave it to dry. As it dries it shrinks (the stage you see on the pfoto). Then with some cotton on the tip of a toothpick, slightly soaked in nail polish remover (or 97% spirit), I remove the polish from the surface. Usually polishing the top side is enough, but sometimes I do the underside aswell. 
It's a fairly easy process, and the good part is, if you don't like the result you can easily clean and repeat. 
For the white colour I use acryllic paint, but any nail polish with the appropriate colour is good enough. Supereasy to work with.

Haha, this is an awesome job you've done on the Ruhla! Sekondtime's compliment says it all 

Ivan


----------



## MattBrace

Before








After


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Black nail polish on this one. I clean the hands, then apply small nail polish drops with the tip of a needle (in the canal). I put a slightly exessive amount (so it bulges above) and leave it to dry. As it dries it shrinks (the stage you see on the pfoto). Then with some cotton on the tip of a toothpick, slightly soaked in nail polish remover (or 97% spirit), I remove the polish from the surface. Usually polishing the top side is enough, but sometimes I do the underside aswell.
> It's a fairly easy process, and the good part is, if you don't like the result you can easily clean and repeat.
> For the white colour I use acryllic paint, but any nail polish with the appropriate colour is good enough. Supereasy to work with.
> 
> Haha, this is an awesome job you've done on the Ruhla! Sekondtime's compliment says it all
> 
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan. That's an interesting method. I will refer to this the next time I am faced with hands that require new black (or other colour) infill. Most of the ones I do require white infill for which I use the Tippex Mouse method with is very quick and easy. But occasionally, I need to do black.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Finally, after a new crystal/tension ring refit, I can post the B&A of the desert shield amphibia:
















Also my scuba dude got a crystal refit, and now I need to find an authentic silver second hand set to finish it. Still keep the original set, but it's in a quite bad condition.


----------



## Kamburov

Hi, guys! I admit I've been busy (and lazy) with the "before" photoshoots lately. Also most of my recent buys were from local antique shops, so no seller's photos either.
I'll post the results anyway.
That's a Moskva I got this morning, for $2 as a non working trash. A good movement clean got it going. It's running some minutes behind now, but that will be sorted. 
It was quite bad and rusty, but still had most (almost all) of it's lume. I was aware that it was probably radium, so tried to be cautious with it. Maybe in the future I'll have another go at it, but the lume was too fragile to continue.








Then there are the two brother Vostoks I cleaned simultaneously. Some rusty hands repainting was done too (the black one). Both have cracks on the crystals (almost invisible on the white one). One needs a crown replacement, but so far soo good. Both quite ordinary, but together they are nice pair. 








With the last one I got the best result, but I had to replace the crystal and crown. The dial cleaned very well, though.


----------



## audiomagnate

"...That's a Moskva I got this morning, for $2 as a non working trash. A good movement clean got it going. It's running some minutes behind now, but that will be sorted. 
It was quite bad and rusty, but still had most (almost all) of it's lume. I was aware that it was probably radium, so tried to be cautious with it. Maybe in the future I'll have another go at it, but the lume was too fragile to continue."

Can't you be sure it's radium if it glows without exposing it to light first?


----------



## audiomagnate

Double post.


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> Can't you be sure it's radium if it glows without exposing it to light first?


Don't know, really. Couldn't get a glow from the little thing. Under strong light only the hands somewhat glowed. The hour numbers couldn't be bothered. 
I'm not sure it's radium, just a guess. Decided to be cautious anyway, as with any 50s-60s watch with lume. 
Even if not radium, the lume of old watches like this is pretty fragile, so I prefer to keep it on, that overdo the cleaning. Can't make it like new anyway 
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> Can't you be sure it's radium if it glows without exposing it to light first?


Don't know, really. Couldn't get a glow from the little thing. Under strong light only the hands somewhat glowed. The hour numbers couldn't be bothered. 
I'm not sure it's radium, just a guess. Decided to be cautious anyway, as with any 50s-60s watch with lume. 
Even if not radium, the lume of old watches like this is pretty fragile, so I prefer to keep it on, that overdo the cleaning. Can't make it like new anyway 
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

I got my second scuba dude Neptune today. Looked quite worn, but with it's authentic parts. The hands had lost their lume, but I'm pretty sure that's the original hands set.






















Took it all apart for a good cleaning. Everything was stuck with dirt.






















Ok, so someone had changed the ballance. I consider that an easy replacement.
View attachment 13538711
















The dial had some of the hands' lume stuck on it. I just cleaned that, cleaned the hands and left everything as it was. 
View attachment 13538715









So there it is















Put next to my other Neptune (with replaced hands), you can see the colour transition of the scuba dude dial (dark blue-brown-gold). This one is already in the brown shade.


----------



## S.H.

(crown pulled on second picture)


----------



## Sekondtime

Here is another before and after. An Aseikon branded Ruhla calibre 24 from 1976 (April 5 to April 11, 1976 to be precise). What were you doing that week in 1976?

Here are the before shots. The watch was covered in thick crud around the crystal and the back.























The watch had probably suffered from condensation during the latter part of its life as the dial showed signs of having been wet at some point.









The crystal was in real need of replacement. I think originally it had a faceted crystal. It was certainly very thick but had obviously been polished down as it had probably received scatches and scrapes several time during its life. Here are a couple of profile images. You can see it is thick but like the surface of the sea!















The movement was absolutely fine. With a clean it was working perfectly and keeping time with practically no adjustment. This is what I like about Ruhlas. This week I have been working on two others. One from 1969 and another from 1972. Both are running very well with very limited attention from me. Not bad for nearly 50 years!

Here are s couple of after shots.















Sekondtime


----------



## EPK

Sekondtime said:


> Here is another before and after. An Aseikon branded Ruhla calibre 24 from 1976 (April 5 to April 11, 1976 to be precise). What were you doing that week in 1976?
> 
> Here are the before shots. The watch was covered in thick crud around the crystal and the back.
> 
> View attachment 13548335
> View attachment 13548337
> 
> 
> View attachment 13548339
> 
> 
> The watch had probably suffered from condensation during the latter part of its life as the dial showed signs of having been wet at some point.
> 
> View attachment 13548343
> 
> 
> The crystal was in real need of replacement. I think originally it had a faceted crystal. It was certainly very thick but had obviously been polished down as it had probably received scatches and scrapes several time during its life. Here are a couple of profile images. You can see it is thick but like the surface of the sea!
> 
> View attachment 13548359
> View attachment 13548363
> 
> 
> The movement was absolutely fine. With a clean it was working perfectly and keeping time with practically no adjustment. This is what I like about Ruhlas. This week I have been working on two others. One from 1969 and another from 1972. Both are running very well with very limited attention from me. Not bad for nearly 50 years!
> 
> Here are s couple of after shots.
> 
> View attachment 13548367
> View attachment 13548371
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


That looks fantastic. Well done sir.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## Sekondtime

EPK said:


> That looks fantastic. Well done sir.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Thanks. It is another Aseikon to add to my ever growing sub collection of Ruhla powered Aseikons!


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## Kamburov

Sekondtime, whenever you post a shot of your Ruhla collection there's always the wow efect 

Recently I bought a lot of parts for about $30. There were things I needed to complete a watch or two in it, but also about 9 working pieces for restoration. 








I finished a Kirovskie using a dial I was looking for, and restored a Volna using these








Also there was an Almaz in the pile. I still need a crown and second hands for the Volna and the Almaz, so these two are under construction.








Anyway, the reason for this post is the seemingly non interesting Poljot auto in the top right of the above photo. That's the "before"








I'm keeping this one in the collection, and the reason is at the back.








It's a bit difficult to take a good photo, but what it says is:
"From the Minister of People's Deffence, general Dobri Djurov,
for the good work, 1984"

Gen. Djurov was the commander of the "Chavdar" partisan squad (till 1944), and is the longest serving deffence minister, almost 29 years, till 1990. He had a major role in the ousting of Todor Jivkov as a leader of Bulgaria, thus effectivly ending the communist era in our country's history. 
How quickly times change.
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Sekondtime, whenever you post a shot of your Ruhla collection there's always the wow efect


Ivan, I might say the same about your restorations! And your interesting find; I can add to this with a Ruhla example.

Some years ago, I received an enquiry about a Ruhla watch via my website. The watch was a Ruhla Quartz Calibre 13-33. The owner was the son of Major General Kamen Petrov. Major General Petrov received the watch from Dobri Dzhurov - Minister of People's Defence Bulgaria in 1986. Major General Petrov's son kindly gave permission for the watch to be featured on my website.

Here are some photos of the Ruhla and Dobri Dzhurov from my Commemorative Ruhla webpage.





















Sekondtime


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## Kamburov

Very interesting! Gen. Dzhurov was among the top 3 most important persons in the Party and the country. As the army commander, maybe the most important person. My guess is he answered directly to Kremlin. 
Now generation as young as 10 years younger than me don't remember anything about this time period.
Didn't know ruhlas were presented by high officials in Bulgaria. Not surprised, though, DDR stuff was considered of very good quality in the eastern block. Higher than average.
Now when I think of it, quartz wathes were very fashionable at that time and Ruhla had very stylish designs.


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## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Very interesting! Gen. Dzhurov was among the top 3 most important persons in the Party and the country. As the army commander, maybe the most important person. My guess is he answered directly to Kremlin.
> Now generation as young as 10 years younger than me don't remember anything about this time period.
> Didn't know ruhlas were presented by high officials in Bulgaria. Not surprised, though, DDR stuff was considered of very good quality in the eastern block. Higher than average.
> Now when I think of it, quartz watches were very fashionable at that time and Ruhla had very stylish designs.


You are right, many young people I work with have no knowledge that just 30 years ago, we were faced with nuclear Armageddon and that you couldn't just jump on a plane and hop over to Budapest or holiday in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. Now they think that if they haven't had at least 3 foreign holidays a year they are hard done by.

I think East German products were considered higher quality within the eastern European nations and the USSR. East Germany was considered the top consumer economy within the communist states. So much so that I even came across a GDR television programme the other day online that was like watching one of the shopping channels on TV today. A whole programme was devoted to different types of electric kitchen whisks and their attachments! The Director of the People's Enterprise that made the whisks featured on the programme wearing his SED Party badge!

However, it is a surprise that the Bulgarian Defence Minister did not issue Bulgarian watches like the Bluetronic/Pravets.

https://www.watchuseek.com/f67/revi...n-digital-watch-brand-1975-1989-a-625266.html

Sekondtime


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## Kamburov

Guess the Ruhla was a present fit for a general, and the Poljot, although auto, for a lower ranking officer  DDR, Hungary, and Czecoslovakia were considered more western countries in the eastern block. They are in the heart of Europe afterall, deeply connected (culturally and economicly) with the neighbouring capitalist countries. DDR was still Germany and the others were in the Austro-Hungarian empire before that.
Funny you opened the subject about the bulgarian Buletronic. Last night I opened my Buletronic-20 for some service and cleaning, but didn't bother taking detailed photos. When I got it I didn't know about this thread, Dashiell told me about it much later. It wasn't too bad "before", but I will post the "after" anyway, as it is an excellent watch. The best in the Buletronic line. Also being issued for the delegates of the XII Communist Party congress in 1881 makes it extra special. Stainless steel case, and very stylish for a digital electronic watch.


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## Kamburov

Got this today, non working.








It's pretty bad, I know. First had to take kare of the mechanics. Ratchet spring from a donor, and it's actually working. Now when I write this it's even quite sharp.
Also found a donor vympel crown.








Now the cleaning part. Took it all apart, special attention to the dial.















So far so good. The last part looked impossible but I tried anyway. The crystal is the original but in very bad shape.








Tried to polish it as much as I could, but the thing started falling apart. Got it together like a broken pot, but not much I could do about it.








So that's it. Poljot de luxe crystal replacement tomorrow. Again.
Ivan


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## haha

Kamburov said:


> Got this today, non working.
> 
> Now the cleaning part. Took it all apart, special attention to the dial.
> 
> So far so good. The last part looked impossible but I tried anyway. The crystal is the original but in very bad shape.
> 
> Tried to polish it as much as I could, but the thing started falling apart. Got it together like a broken pot, but not much I could do about it.
> View attachment 13568323
> 
> 
> So that's it. Poljot de luxe crystal replacement tomorrow. Again.
> Ivan


Well, doctor, you did all you could do. The kid is going to lose his eye anyway, but fortunately, surgery can do miracles with replacement organs nowadays. He won't be as sharp, but he'll do just fine !!


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## scouser

Hi all, I have been part of this fraternity for a while now, im always amazed and thankful for all the advice and help I receive......

so this is just a huge thank you to Dash (mroatman) for the help he gave me to bring back a couple of classics to original order&#8230;..

He used his contacts to source the below parts, and I am very grateful&#8230;..they are my two prized timepeices!!!

First up is a Poljot 1960s era 'Strela' which had a cracked acrylic crystal by the 6 o'clock position&#8230;..

















Second is an 1980s era 'Okeah' which had an incorrect chronograph second hand and a worn Chronograph minute hand&#8230;..


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## scouser

double post deleated


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## EPK

@scouser , I love the Okeah. It's a bit out of my reach price wise. They're beautiful pieces. Well done!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## scouser

EPK said:


> @scouser , I love the Okeah. It's a bit out of my reach price wise. They're beautiful pieces. Well done!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Cheers comrade, I managed to get both of them with a price reduction because they where damaged/not original........keep looking, don't give up, there still available


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## Kamburov

Beautiful! Both exellent watches, congrats on the result! I'm jealous 
Still haven't played with 3133.
Ivan


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## Kamburov

Well, there we go. 






















There's the poljot I got the luch with


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## Kamburov

My first PRIM auto. Not perfect, but quite decent restoration. Opened, polished and cleaned inside out, second hand repainted.
Couple of spots remained, some scrathes too, but I love it. What surprised me, this a good size watch (37x40mm) and 20mm between lugs. 
When I find a good band for it I will actually wear it 
Ivan


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## Kamburov

This came with the prim, non working. Don't collect pocket watches, added it just for the fun (cheap, of course).
Mainspring barrel section cleaning and it works like a charm now. The crack in the crystal is beyond repair, but it's the original one, so I'll keep it on for now.






















This is one of two non working Thiels I got some time ago. Thanks to comrade Sekondtime for the advice back then! 
I got one of them working with near quartz accuracy (!!!). Almost every part of it has signs of time and wear, but (besides cleaning) I'll leave it tha way it is.


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## Kamburov

... aaand the last one (or 2-3) for today. 
Last week I was in Bratislava for a romantic trip with my wife. What a beautiful city!








Anyway. Didn't have much time for treasure hunting, but still managed to sneak in an antique shop. Very nice place, and the owner and his daughter (not sure) were very pleasant people. Of all the watches they showed me I picked the worse looking, cheapest and non working ones. Well, one was working. Dated 50, 52 and 54.








They are all working now, and one needs a crystal replacement. These pobedas are such an addiction.








Would love to go back there one day!
Ivan


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## EPK

Kamburov said:


> ... aaand the last one (or 2-3) for today.
> Last week I was in Bratislava for a romantic trip with my wife. What a beautiful city!
> View attachment 13605997
> 
> 
> Anyway. Didn't have much time for treasure hunting, but still managed to sneak in an antique shop. Very nice place, and the owner and his daughter (not sure) were very pleasant people. Of all the watches they showed me I picked the worse looking, cheapest and non working ones. Well, one was working. Dated 50, 52 and 54.
> View attachment 13606021
> 
> 
> They are all working now, and one needs a crystal replacement. These pobedas are such an addiction.
> View attachment 13606025
> 
> 
> Would love to go back there one day!
> Ivan


Those look great Ivan. I especially like the white dial with blue hands.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## haha

Kamburov said:


> ... aaand the last one (or 2-3) for today.
> Last week I was in Bratislava for a romantic trip with my wife. What a beautiful city!
> View attachment 13605997
> 
> 
> They are all working now, and one needs a crystal replacement. These pobedas are such an addiction.
> View attachment 13606025
> 
> 
> Would love to go back there one day!
> Ivan


I don't understand how you manage to save those dials which seem dead to me !!

How did you like Petržalka, my favorite part of the city ?


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## oldfox

Kamburov said:


> ... aaand the last one (or 2-3) for today.
> Last week I was in Bratislava for a romantic trip with my wife. What a beautiful city!
> View attachment 13605997
> 
> 
> Anyway. Didn't have much time for treasure hunting, but still managed to sneak in an antique shop. Very nice place, and the owner and his daughter (not sure) were very pleasant people. Of all the watches they showed me I picked the worse looking, cheapest and non working ones. Well, one was working. Dated 50, 52 and 54.
> View attachment 13606021
> 
> 
> They are all working now, and one needs a crystal replacement. These pobedas are such an addiction.
> View attachment 13606025
> 
> 
> Would love to go back there one day!
> Ivan


How you managed to clean the dials?


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## Kamburov

Thanks for your responses, guys!
I put a crystal on the last one, so there it is








That was the oldest (1950) and worse condition one (the first in the row of the "before"). Movement and case were also in worse condition. Still makes a hickup every now and then, I think it's the fork, or maybe the ballance. Will fix that.
That's a back shot - 54, 52 and 50.








This one's dial took a lot of phosphoric acid, more aggressive stuff and maditation like focus to clean it. The other two were much better. It looks like they are pretty bad, but most of it is actually the crystals. A little bit of rust transforming liquid (the mighty phosphoric acid stuff) did the trick, the rest of it was just pure water (damp cotton bud).
The gold hands one was the easiest. I got it for non working, and it turned out someone fixed the stem wrong. Just unscrewed it and screwed it in properly and all was good. Didn't even dissassemble it.

Haha, 







went that side of the river just once (when I took the previous photo), most of the time we spent on the other side. Had plans to explore it, also for the Tatras, also for .... Four days are just not enough. 
There will be a next time for sure.
Ivan


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## oldfox

Thanks for such a deep explanation. Phosphoric acid? I would never believe if one would say it to me before I read your post. Acid doesn't affect figures/lines and other colors of the dial?
What % of acid in solution must be and what does "maditation" means (meditation?).


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## Kamburov

oldfox said:


> Thanks for such a deep explanation. Phosphoric acid? I would never believe if one would say it to me before I read your post. Acid doesn't affect figures/lines and other colors of the dial?
> What % of acid in solution must be and what does "maditation" means (meditation?).


I've tried on my dials almost anything I have around the house. Even bleach  Two years ago I tried an antirust liquid I use at work. This one








I used it for rusted cases, but I tried it on dials (very gently) and it worked well, meaning not too aggressive to wipe everything away instantly as do other acids, even citric acid (lemon juice), or medical spirit. Other antirust stuff (like WD40) was still too aggressive and messy.
Later I bothered to read the label and found out the active ingredient is phosphoric acid. If overused it still may do damage, but on 60s soviets (quite tough dials) the effect is not instant, ant gave me a window of opportunity. So I take advantage of it.
The approach is very individual for each dial. On the toughest Pobeda I also used another magic chemical I adopted a year ago. A dry contact cleaner, for electronics








This one is aggressive (list of ingredients is too long), so I have to work very carefully arround the print. Sometimes just lightly tapping on the surface, instead of swiping.
This is where the "meditation" part happens  I focus on one small point under the magnifying glass, and forget about the rest of the world. Doing a simple thing, being "here and now" is my way of unwinding and resting from the otherwise stressful everyday life. It's kinda zen, and the main reason for having this as a hobby. 
It's the same when fixing a non working movement.

Pobedas, sportivnie, some old raketas, some volnas, etc., can take some rough cleaning. More modern soviet watches are more fragile in that aspect, although there are exeptions. Some modern Vostoks are quite tough too. 
Anyway, that green stuff has been a good friend, and has saved a lot of good watches. If you decide to experiment with it, know this - 1. It's poisonous, and spots from it on the clothes are impossible to wash, 2. It may leave an oily traces on the dial that will need to be wiped out, and 3. Just get a few old, damaged, no good dials and experiment with it, to see what it can or can't do. 
It's by no means a magic cleaner, but sometimes gets the job done.
Good luck if you try it!
Ivan

PS: Oh, and the pobedas you posted in the other thread are fabulous! I suspect you have some thoughts about the dials of the bottom two. If I get to clean another pobeda like this I will try to make more detailed photos of the process.


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## Dejekt

So jealous, you guys do such amazing work. I'm scared I would ruin them.


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## haha

Thanks for the pics and tips, Ivan !


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## oldfox

Kamburov said:


> PS: Oh, and the pobedas you posted in the other thread are fabulous! I suspect you have some thoughts about the dials of the bottom two. If I get to clean another pobeda like this I will try to make more detailed photos of the process.


Thanks! Yes, I was keen to try some clean up of these bottom pieces and just was scared to ruin it.

Some comrades at russian forum says that thay successfully used mouth rinse - the cheapest one.


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## Kamburov

Thanks for the tip, oldfox! I'm deffinately trying that. Haven't experimented much with alcalis, only that bleach I mentioned.
Ivan


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## Kamburov

Secondtime, I just saw an interesting add in a local selling site. It's advertised as a lot of 3 watches presented by the Minister of Peoples' Deffence, Gen. Dobri Dzurov. It's actually 2 of them, as the third is anniversary celebration stamped back. The other two are really signed gen. Dzurov.















I'll save you the closeups, one is signed "For the good work" (as mine) from 1975, the other is for eastern block armies' sports event, from 1981.
This, and other examples I've seen, lead me to the conclusion that the ministry of deffence's watch of choice (for awards, anyway) was Poljot. Which makes the Ruhla on your site truly a rare exeption. 
Ivan

PS: Forgot to mention that the pricetag is about $400, which is kinda ridiculous. Ok, they are nice watches, and interesting backs, but still...


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## PanKorop

Thanks for sharing... and thanks for the puzzle, as I had to guess:
- who was that Dzurov?
- what 1944 jubilee was celebrated?
- what cyrillic language gets 9 СЕПТЕМВРИ ?

Last one was the clue, proceeding by elimination from North to South...

You seem right about Poljot being the preferred brand for official gifts. GDR, I don’t know, but I remember seeing a pretty nice Poljot Signal given in Poland, for 25 years of work in the mines :shudder:
It was chrome, not gold-plated, so not given to some big shot...


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## Kamburov

PanKorop said:


> Thanks for sharing... and thanks for the puzzle, as I had to guess:
> - who was that Dzurov?
> - what 1944 jubilee was celebrated?
> - what cyrillic language gets 9 СЕПТЕМВРИ ?
> 
> Last one was the clue, proceeding by elimination from North to South...
> 
> You seem right about Poljot being the preferred brand for official gifts. GDR, I don't know, but I remember seeing a pretty nice Poljot Signal given in Poland, for 25 years of work in the mines :shudder:
> It was chrome, not gold-plated, so not given to some big shot...


 It was a short conversation with Secondtime couple of pages back (page 18)

https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/before-after-4552677-18.html

that was started by a gen. Dzhurov back Poljot I found in a junk pile of watches. Secondtime posted an interesting story about a gen. Dzhurov signed Ruhla that was presented to one gen. Petrov. Must've been a rare exeption of the Poljot tradition. You can check it out.
The 9th of September was the date communists took rule of Bulgaria, in what was effectivly a coup d'etat. It was celebrated as a day of liberation of the fascist regime. Each year we were parading, singing patriotic songs about partizan heroes and so on.

Also in relation of that topic I got my second Buletronic watch, wich happens to be the only bulgarian made wristwatch brand. I got a black dial one this time. It's a bit rough on the edges, and no congress edition this time, but still a cool watch.








Ivan


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Ok so I changed the aging and misbehaving movement in my original 1990 Komandirskie this summer.

It was my first mod, and after losing a calendar change spring i finally got it. Unfortunately, i messed up putting the hour hand back and it scored the dial in a circle at it's base. Not really noticeable unless you look with a loupe. Ok still worked...

That is until I realized the hour hand was loose and spinning. Some research showed maybe the hole was stretched. Ok. So I could try a few things to make the old hand fit...

Or go with newly lumed hands.

And today I got the hands on. Now 3 of my 4 blue-dial-red-star Komandirskies are up and running.

These 2 are older and have well patinated lume and original, now cracked, dials.

First the hands after the movement switch.








And then tonight after the new hands were installed.
Found a blue Seiko strap that fit too. 
The second is on a CheapestNatoStrap Kjsvarno(?) suede.


----------



## Kamburov

Komandirskis are always fun to play with  You obviously keep them in good condition. I still haven't figured a way to do a decent hands reluming. Maybe just can't find the proper lume for the job.
Ivan


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## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Komandirskis are always fun to play with  You obviously keep them in good condition. I still haven't figured a way to do a decent hands reluming. Maybe just can't find the proper lume for the job.
> Ivan


Thanks
I was gonna try to pick up some lume and put it on eventually. But I only get about 1 evening a month to do Watch work. too busy with other Family obligations, ya kno. (Currently waiting on a new mainspring for an old Ronda mvmd, and trying to find donor Timex with M25 movement in it.)


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Komandirskis are always fun to play with  You obviously keep them in good condition. I still haven't figured a way to do a decent hands reluming. Maybe just can't find the proper lume for the job.
> Ivan


Ivan,

Practice, practice, practice!

Maybe I can pass on some technical advice given to me when I enquired about hand painting with Herr Kamp from the Ruhla Watch and Clock Museum. Herr Kamp conferred with one of the women workers who used to do this particular job at the Ruhla factory. She told Herr Kamp this:

"With a pointed round wood, similar to a pencil, the tension lacquer is applied to the front of the hand and allowed to dry for approx. 2 hours on a horizontally lying wooden strip. Then the luminescent paint or another color paint was applied with a pointed brush."

Herr Kamp confirmed that this required much artisan skill and many years experience.

So, keep at it and one day you will perfect your skill!

You can see that this is the method used particularly when you look at the hands of a Ruhla Duoclock alarm clock. The gloss of the lacquer is evident with the lume behind it.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks a lot! Very interesting and much appreciated! I wasn't aware of this technique. Actually I never did any deeper of research related to my restoration hobby. Always went for the straight forward experiments with what I have in the house or in the nearest store, and trying to get the best results with it.
I certainly did some reluming experiments, but the results were not as good as I hoped for. There are two of them I posted earlier in the thread (I think)

























































Your advice will change my approach, and I still need to pick the right materials, or maybe a different way to use the materials I already have. 
I really wanted to do a good reluming job on the black face Thiel, but still lack the confidence to even try.
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

It looks as though the lume needs a thinner to make it easier to work with and apply. Do you know what the lume is composed of?


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> It looks as though the lume needs a thinner to make it easier to work with and apply. Do you know what the lume is composed of?


Yes, it's very thick, and no, I don't know what the proper thinner would be. It also dries quick, so I transfered it into closed plastic bag to preserve it. The manufacturer (bulgarian company) representative I spoke with said it should not be thinned, as it will lose it's lume qualities. Not that I usually listen to advice from sales people, but haven't experimented with it enough. Will call them again for advice, though. This is their base hunting/fishing lume and it is the strongest. The others are mixed with colours and are weaker (I got an orange one and it was very weak).
If I don't figure out this, I may experiment with their powder lume, that can be mixed with other stuff (transparent nail polish?) to achieve better results.
I'm willing to give then a chance as they are relatevly cheap and local (cheap and fast 24h delivery).
This is their site in EN
Luxnox Glow-in-the-Dark Paint Powder

I will get to the more expensive options eventually (quality imports), but still willing to get the most out of this.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

I didn't make "before" photos, or if I did I can't find them. I'll post it anyway. 
I got an UMF Ruhla as a bonus to a pile of mostly non working watches for spares. At home I was surprised to find out that it was an all stainless steel case model. I have a thing for those 
The other day, a friend of mine and a fanatic Ruhla collector (we met at the watchmaker again), gave me an old rusty UMF 2 movement to help with my restoration. 
It's in excellent working shape now, and I'm looking for another UMF 2 for my next restoration  This never ends.
The dial has lost it's "antimagnetic" print, which is a shame, I tried to save most of the rest. Comrade Sekondtime provided the catalogue references, so now I know the proper crown will be the final touch (found it without one).
Very stylish watch, wish the dial was better.


----------



## Pastextian

Awesome work, night and day difference


----------



## audiomagnate

Another transformation from Ivan:


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Yes, it's very thick, and no, I don't know what the proper thinner would be. It also dries quick, so I transfered it into closed plastic bag to preserve it. The manufacturer (bulgarian company) representative I spoke with said it should not be thinned, as it will lose it's lume qualities. Not that I usually listen to advice from sales people, but haven't experimented with it enough. Will call them again for advice, though. This is their base hunting/fishing lume and it is the strongest. The others are mixed with colours and are weaker (I got an orange one and it was very weak).
> If I don't figure out this, I may experiment with their powder lume, that can be mixed with other stuff (transparent nail polish?) to achieve better results.
> I'm willing to give then a chance as they are relatevly cheap and local (cheap and fast 24h delivery).
> This is their site in EN
> Luxnox Glow-in-the-Dark Paint Powder
> 
> I will get to the more expensive options eventually (quality imports), but still willing to get the most out of this.
> Ivan


Thanks for the link. I have had a look and I think the paint powder is something worth trying as it should mixed with a varnish. If you can get an equivalent to Rustins Clear Metal Lacquer (Blurb from their product: forms a protective film with excellent adhesion onto metal surface including Brass, Copper, Aluminium, Silver and other polished metals (not suitable for mild and stainless steel). It is guaranteed not to yellow or craze with age and Rustins Metal Lacquer will prevents metals from tarnishing = no more cleaning!) Rustins metal lacquer is quite thin and relatively quick drying. If it also doesn't yellow or craze, that is even better. A small bottle is quite cheap. Worth a try!

Sekondtime

Luxnox Glow-in-the-Dark Paint Powder - something new, something different!

Is there a paint that can be used on wood, on metal, on plastic, on concrete, on &#8230;.?

The answer to this question is - YES. But there is one condition, this has to be the Luxnox Glow-in-the-Dark Paint Powder, and we'll explain you how to use it. You have to buy transparent varnish for metal, concrete, glass or another type of transparent varnish depending on the surface you have decided to paint and to make glow in the dark. You first add our paint powder to the varnish at a ratio of 100 g of varnish to 33 g of glow-in-the-dark paint powder, then mix very well until you reach a homogeneous mixture. In the process of work the paint must be stirred all the time in order to prevent the paint powder from turning into sludge. Why we decided to offer our customers this product?


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks for your input! I have a plan for this now 
If this works it's going to be fun mixing colours to make it look like naturally aged lume. Somehow it always bothered me putting new Meranom hands (new greenish lume) on old amphibias (aged beige). 
Ivan


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## Kamburov

OK, this more for the "modifying..." thread, but I feel so cosy here so there we go 

A year ago I bought two vostoks from Ukraine, really cheap, combined shipping. One was komandirskie/generalskie 2416B auto for $17, so I threw in a franken I spotted to round the deal. It was a submarine komandirskie 2409 in a tonneau amphibia case. I simply needed the case. It was a long time ago and I could only find the thumbnail to show you.








Anyway. I found the propper case for it (bezel, caseback and all), and some months later I found a crown. Not the original crown model, but it fits well and I used the watch for around the house beater for a while.















Today I got it out and decided to have some fun with it. I've wanted to strip a komandirskie to the brass for a lomg time, so I got myself some acid, gloves, mask and goggles and played mad professor on my balcony. Also prepared a new crystal and a bronze tension ring for it.
I had some good fun for an hour or two and then all was ready for reassembling








So there it is






















Not exactly a restoration, but still different than what it was before 
Ivan

PS: Haven't finished with it, working on hands replacement or reluming, and maybe a bronzed crown, but got so excited about it I had to post this.


----------



## audiomagnate

Kamburov said:


> OK, this more for the "modifying..." thread, but I feel so cosy here so there we go ?
> 
> A year ago I bought two vostoks from Ukraine, really cheap, combined shipping. One was komandirskie/generalskie 2416B auto for $17, so I threw in a franken I spotted to round the deal. It was a submarine komandirskie 2409 in a tonneau amphibia case. I simply needed the case. It was a long time ago and I could only find the thumbnail to show you.
> View attachment 13626789
> 
> 
> Anyway. I found the propper case for it (bezel, caseback and all), and some months later I found a crown. Not the original crown model, but it fits well and I used the watch for around the house beater for a while.
> View attachment 13626809
> 
> View attachment 13626811
> 
> 
> Today I got it out and decided to have some fun with it. I've wanted to strip a komandirskie to the brass for a lomg time, so I got myself some acid, gloves, mask and goggles and played mad professor on my balcony. Also prepared a new crystal and a bronze tension ring for it.
> I had some good fun for an hour or two and then all was ready for reassembling
> View attachment 13626831
> 
> 
> So there it is
> View attachment 13626841
> 
> View attachment 13626843
> 
> View attachment 13626845
> 
> 
> Not exactly a restoration, but still different than what it was before ?
> Ivan


You restored it to what it looked like before it was electroplated. It looks great on that weathered strap.


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## Kamburov

Months ago I got these rhree non working Thiel/Ruhla watches (well, the UMF was kinda working).









I decided restoring them, as I find these particular models very stylish and beautiful. Also I used to have a military WWII Thiel that I sold years ago, as the offered price could not be refused. Kinda missed it.
I already posted the UMF Ruhla and one of the Tiels















and now I'm done with the last one. Thanks again to Secondtime for providing catalogs and advice!
There's the catalog page for the two Praezisa models









The movements of the Thiels and the UMF Ruhla (UMF 2) are very similar, major difference is the second hands position and the mechanics related to that. There are some other minor differences, but a lot of the parts seem interchangeable. At least looks that way. I'm impressed with these movements - solid, easy to work with and very accurate. Felt like working with vostoks.
So there it is, probably my favourite of the bunch
















For this one I had to buy a broken Thiel for using the crystal and hour hand ($10), and finally a non working movement with a healthy ballance ($5). The crown is a new vostok 24XX crown, but the old crowns were quite bad and not original anyway.

The other thing about the Thiels is their backs. They just age badly, to the blackened brass. No stainless steel backs here. So now I'm looking for a pair of good leather bands with pads.
Ivan


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## EPK

Great job Ivan. I really like the black dial. I wish I had a clue as to how to do what you've done although it seems like a slippery slope 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## audiomagnate

EPK said:


> Great job Ivan. I really like the black dial. I wish I had a clue as to how to do what you've done although it seems like a slippery slope 🙂
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


 He has been giving away some of his secrets in this very thread recently.


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## Sekondtime

Gut gemacht Genosse Kamburov!

This has made me realise that several of my Thiels have not yet made it to my webpage!

The two variants in this movement arrived at different times. The small seconds version was made from 1948 until 1963. The central seconds version started from 1959 until 1963. There are small differences in some of the parts used such as balances and shock protection among others.

Sekondtime


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## Kamburov

Thanks, EPK! The black military style one is a very cool watch. The one I sold years ago was a black military one from about 1942 (last days of Thiel brand, before communists took over?) and I was offered $140 for it. I think it was a short wehrmacht order and attracted attention among collectors. I'm keeping these, though. 
Audiomagnate is right, I have no secrets, just enjoy it a lot and experiment with anything. The only secret of mine is that I have a lot of cheap expendable material for experimenting. So when I move to a watch restoration I have a vague idea what to expect. I sometimes make a mess of it. I just don't post my failures here 
Thanks, Secondtime, for your valuable advice and help! Especially on the radium lume advice. The black one had a glass crystal that could not be polished (I couldn't anyway), so I found an acryllic Thiel for spares. Finding out how to polish glass is a future experiment. And yes, I noticed the UMF 2 shock protected ballance on both sub and central second hand. My Ruhla collector friend helped me with a movement for spares (umf 2, central second hand), so now I owe him one. It's been really hard finding UMF 2 movements, even broken for spares. 
Ivan


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## audiomagnate

It looks like the military ones have gone up in value. Ivan, are your spring bars soldered (welded?) in like these? https://www.ebay.com/itm/THIEL-UMF-...m=292784963506&_trksid=p2045573.c101006.m3226


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## Kamburov

audiomagnate said:


> It looks like the military ones have gone up in value. Ivan, are your spring bars soldered (welded?) in like these?


Yes, both are. The same brass worn casebacks too. 
I've seen this (bulgarian) seller's Thiels too. Noone else is offering any at the moment, so he can put any price he feels like. 
Is it realistic? I honestly don't know. 
The funny thing is, when I sold mine for $140 on Ebay (about 3 years ago), it was actually a bulgarian guy that bought it. As my watchmaker says "pleasure has no pricetag".
I personaly wouldn't pay that much for a 80 year old watch, though. Unless it's solid gold.
Ivan


----------



## thewatchadude

Not really a restoration, rather a reconstruction. It took me four frankens to build this Albatros--and I still need a fifth one to get the appropriate bezel.
I only have the "after", I didn't take photos of the initial "before" frankens.





Sorry for the quality of the photos, taken late at night.


----------



## Kamburov

My interest in the UMF 2 movement continued last week. I won this non working UMF Ruhla at about $2, and also a healthy ballance movement at $3.






















Used the ballance and the second hand from the donor and got myself a healthy vintage watch. It's well worn, but still a beauty. Dial cleaned relatively well, retaining all original print without any damage at all, including the "made in Germany". Crystal polished really well, and I believe the crown is the original one. 








I would deffinately enjoy wearing that on a good vintage leather strap.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

There goes my usual trash tinkering. A week ago I bought a lot of I don't know how many old watches for like $17 delivered. There's the foggy, out of focus seller's pic








It's been on a local auction site for months. What cought my eye was a Raketa that I miss in my collection, so I took a shot. There it is upon receiving.








Out of the lot I picked four watches for restoration, the rest went to the spares box. 








I'm almost done, and the Raketa needs a proper crown, but this one will do for now. May need some more crystals polishing, but I decided to post this anyway.
For the big Raketa I found an original crystal, and the other three had pretty good original crystals. Cases turned out to be in very good condition too, just very dirty.








I'll be keeping an eye to this seller.
Ivan


----------



## haha

Great job once again !
You couldn't save the Slavas and the Raketa TV ?


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Great job once again !
> You couldn't save the Slavas and the Raketa TV ?


Thanks! Eventually I will get back to them, but too much going on in my life right now. Unfortunately I don't make money doing this, otherwise I would do it all the time  But they will have their chance.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> There goes my usual trash tinkering. A week ago I bought a lot of I don't know how many old watches for like $17 delivered. There's the foggy, out of focus seller's pic
> View attachment 13695667
> 
> 
> It's been on a local auction site for months. What cought my eye was a Raketa that I miss in my collection, so I took a shot. There it is upon receiving.
> View attachment 13695669
> 
> 
> Out of the lot I picked four watches for restoration, the rest went to the spares box.
> View attachment 13695687
> 
> 
> I'm almost done, and the Raketa needs a proper crown, but this one will do for now. May need some more crystals polishing, but I decided to post this anyway.
> For the big Raketa I found an original crystal, and the other three had pretty good original crystals. Cases turned out to be in very good condition too, just very dirty.
> View attachment 13695685
> 
> on
> I'll be keeping an eye to this seller.
> Ivan


Well done Ivan! I love lots like this just to see what you can salvage. In some cases the dirt that has built up on the watch case can protect it from scratches. Occasionally, you get a really good watch in the batch unexpectedly.


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## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Well done Ivan! I love lots like this just to see what you can salvage. In some cases the dirt that has built up on the watch case can protect it from scratches. Occasionally, you get a really good watch in the batch unexpectedly.


Thanks, Secondtime! You are absolutely right, sometimes treasure is found in the dirt. It's actually more fun than buying the good condition watch. It's what got me in this hobby in the first place. And for that price it's a win-win situation. 
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

Following on from Ivan's UMF Ruhla last week here are some more. This post has watches, a bit of history and before and after.

First the watches and the history.

*Berlin Morning Post - Wednesday 17th June 1953*

Headline: *Emergency crisis in the East! Soviets shoot hard - First victims. Unlimited indignation against SED government - Chaos in East Berlin!*

These three black dial UMF Ruhla watches were all made about the time of the East German uprising in June 1953. These watches all contain Ruhla Start movements which were one of the main movements made by UMF Ruhla under the Soviet control of Avtovelo. Notice the three different case types. The one in the middle is a "Chronos" because of the central second hand.

















*
Before and After*

This first one was in quite good condition and I had not seen this case type before. The movement just needed a clean and re-oiling.















The Chronos required a little more intervention. The click spring needed replacing but once that was done along with a clean it functions perfectly. The watch is housed in the larger crab case.















The third UMF Ruhla is housed in a slightly smaller case with crab style lugs.















And here is the Start movement. You can see that this is a precursor to the famous UMF Calibre 24 which started production in 1963. However, the Start has a dual fixed balance cock bridge. The movement is also a heavier guage than the later calibre 24 and the dials are fixed to the movement with tabs rather than dial feet. All three case types have a fixed closed lug for the watch straps. It is difficult to find open end watch straps for this type of lug. So, conventional ones have been adapted to fit.









And now for a bit more history.

In the link below, you will see more photos of Berlin during the uprising of 1953. This was caused by the harsh post war conditions imposed on the East Germans by the Soviets and also by the unrelenting work requirement imposed on the people by the ruling SED party.

https://www.welt.de/geschichte/gallery117098062/Der-17-Juni-1953-in-Bildern.html

East Berliners against Soviet tanks. More photos in the link above.










Sekondtime


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## Kamburov

Beautiful work again! And thanks for the interesting history flashback! A reminder of how short human memory is. 
Ivan


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## Kamburov

Beautiful work again! And thanks for the interesting history flashback! A reminder of how short human memory is. 
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

More Ruhla before and after shots. Last time (above) it was the 1950s. This time we have moved on to the 1960s!

First is a 1964 black dial Ruhla calibre 24-32. This one was just over $10. I could see the dial and hands looked ok and I could sort out the case easily.















After cleaning the movement, polishing the crystal and case it now looks like this. The lugs on the case needed some straightening. You have to be very careful doing this as there is a weak point which could mean the lug snaps off.









Next it is 1966 and this classic 1960s Ruhla design which comes in cream or black and a variety of cases. The sellers photo on this one was a bit more obscure. I bought it on the basis of spare parts but on closer inspection, it was clear I could salvage the watch. It cost about $5.









After some cleaning and polishing and a new strap, it looks like this. The gold ring on the dial has suffered in places from oxidisation but it still looks quite good.









Lastly is a 1968 Ruhla calibre 24-32. It was sold as spares/repair as it had no crystal and the movement was not working. However, despite no crystal, I could see the dial and hands had survived quite well and it was worth saving. It was less than $10.















The movement was easy to sort. A new crystal and some polishing of the case together with a new watch strap and it looks almost new.









I really love Ruhlas from the 1960s and I have added these three to my extensive collection.

Also, I have a video to post soon related to 1960s Ruhlas and a bit of GDR music culture! Look out for it!

Sekondtime.


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## Kamburov

Beautiful job, always looking forward to your posts! My growing attraction to Ruhla is a direct result of this.
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful job, always looking forward to your posts! My growing attraction to Ruhla is a direct result of this.
> Ivan


Thanks. I am pleased someone else shares my love of Ruhlas!

Ruhla Rules!


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## Kamburov

Ilmost finished restoration of my brass experiment komandirskie. The restoration of dial and movement are not perfect, but good enough. Need a new mainspring for the 2416B RUS, now I have to wind it every 4-5 hours. Working fine otherwise.
Bought it as a non-working, no crown, rusty piece of junk, together with a non-working quartz raketa. Don't keep pictures of that time, all I could find was a thumbnail in my Ebay purchase history.








Can't see much, I know. The dial took some cleaning, but not perfect. The red rust spot in the center was just too tough. The 2416B RUS was rebuilt, some rusty parts replaced. The case I used for a brass stripping experiment that I showed a few posts ago. Also a new replacement crown. Anyway there it is









Now if you ask what happened to the antimagnetic red star/submarine dial 2409A, well, it went where it belongs - stainless steel 020 case with antimagnetic protection.
One of those belarussian bezels added for flavour.
The before is also just a thumbnail from the Ebay purchase history.

















I'm taking that one out for a walk.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Ilmost finished restoration of my brass experiment komandirskie. The restoration of dial and movement are not perfect, but good enough. Need a new mainspring for the 2416B RUS, now I have to wind it every 4-5 hours. Working fine otherwise.
> Bought it as a non-working, no crown, rusty piece of junk, together with a non-working quartz raketa. Don't keep pictures of that time, all I could find was a thumbnail in my Ebay purchase history.
> View attachment 13845463
> 
> 
> Can't see much, I know. The dial took some cleaning, but not perfect. The red rust spot in the center was just too tough. The 2416B RUS was rebuilt, some rusty parts replaced. The case I used for a brass stripping experiment that I showed a few posts ago. Also a new replacement crown. Anyway there it is
> 
> View attachment 13845473
> 
> 
> Now if you ask what happened to the antimagnetic red star/submarine dial 2409A, well, it went where it belongs - stainless steel 020 case with antimagnetic protection.
> One of those belarussian bezels added for flavour.
> The before is also just a thumbnail from the Ebay purchase history.
> 
> View attachment 13845527
> 
> 
> View attachment 13845493
> 
> 
> I'm taking that one out for a walk.
> Ivan


The second one looks superb! We can't yet comment on the first one you posted as the picture doesn't appear to be loading. Can you repost?


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## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> The second one looks superb! We can't yet comment on the first one you posted as the picture doesn't appear to be loading. Can you repost?


Thank you! 
Sure, reposting. It loads fine on my screen.
Before








After


----------



## EndeavourDK

Recently I picked up two 020 case CCCP Amphibians from eBay. Both ads had been on for quite some time, runners, reasonable low "Buy-it-now" & postage price. Both were screaming for TLC b-)

The first watch, with the CCCP white-Submarine, wasn't that bad, but due to the scratched crystal the condition of the dial was hard to judge. All seemed original, anti-magnetic shield included.
The movement was in desperate need of a service. I'm still not happy with the amplitude, but the draw & lock of the pallet-jewels seemed a bit too much. Since there is no calendar complication to power, I'll let it be; see what it does.
Cleaned the dirty dial, but that went nearly wrong. Started carefully with denatured alcohol and initially that seemed to go fine, until it didn't. It started dissolving the white paint, even ever so slight. Continued with demineralised water with a drop of soap. Another lesson learned o|
All was left as original, apart from the crystal and the bezel. I need to find either a source for the bezels with a lume-dot or find a way to do it myself :-s

The second watch, with CCCP blue/black Submarine, turned out to be much better than what I expected of it. The outside was pretty beaten-up and therefor it was a gamble-purchase. Also this watch was sitting on eBay for "ages", waiting patiently for the kind TLC-hand 
Again, I could left most of it original, a new crystal and a (bit out of place) re-lumed paddle second-hand. If I find an old (lume) second-hand, I'll change it out. The movement runs great too (I changed the Daily rate this morning slightly down) ;-)

I've some more unwanted "el-cheapo's" in the post .... all in desperate need of TLC


----------



## Kamburov

Congrats, comrade, you've done a beautiful job with these two amfibias! Excellent addition to my favourite thread in the forum.
I can sense you enjoy this  Giving a new life to old watches is a noble thing to do and I wish you luck!
Will be looking forward to your restorations!
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Congrats, comrade, you've done a beautiful job with these two amfibias! Excellent addition to my favourite thread in the forum.
> I can sense you enjoy this  Giving a new life to old watches is a noble thing to do and I wish you luck!
> Will be looking forward to your restorations!
> Ivan


Thank you for your compliments :-!

I've done already quite a few, on the British WRT-forum. Those were more in-depth, called "Walktroughs"; describing step-by-step what & how one did it, but more "movement-service" orientated.

Here are a few picks: 
- https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/6842-omega-861-speedmaster-mark-ii/
- https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/6189-poljot-31659-chronograph-service/
- https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/8074-molnija-3603-3602-anti-shock-rolex-1940s/

And yes, I thoroughly enjoy doing this :-! I love to get my hands "dirty" and to poke around in watches, each time a new challenge ..... or better; a new "Endeavour" :-d
It's indeed very awarding if one succeeds 

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to your, and others, new projects ! ;-)
Fascinating stuff !!


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## Kamburov

Wow, I must say I'm impressed! Glad you've turned your attention towards soviets aswel!


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Wow, I must say I'm impressed! Glad you've turned your attention towards soviets aswel!


It would be nice if some restorations were described in some more detail, with step-by-step pictures or a description how it was done. For example I like to learn how dial cleaning / restoring is done? How to create an "aged" lume so hour-markers and hands can be restored? How to make a lasting lume-dot on bezels? Etc, etc, etc ......

It would be nice to learn from each others experiences, the good and (perhaps more importantly) the bad ;-)

Perhaps this thread may be of interest when interested in DIY electrolytic plating (brush- & submerged-plating). Some of my projects turned out fine, others a bit less. Try & error and trying to improve ones skills ;-)
https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/3831-design-watch-plating-project/?page=0#comment-38566


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## Kamburov

Interesting thread indeed, will look into it! 
It's funny, I have the same working "chelsea" timepiece somewhere, and I always wondered what kind of watch it's a part of. Now I know it's supposed to be on a bracelet 
Ivan


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## Kamburov

A small collection of vintages. A little left to be done. Most notably - a seconds hand and crown for the Almaz and a seconds hand and a good caseback for the gold-plated Volna. May be a crown or two for the others too.
Some had to go through major repairs, the Almaz costed me two donor movements, but all are working fine now.
Ivan


----------



## TwentiethCenturyFox

Exceptionally well done!


----------



## Kamburov

Today, at lunch time I got this Slava 2427. 








It was non working, missing the seconds hand, and the crown turned freely without winding or setting. All else seemed to be in place. 
Not many soviet watches were produced with bracelets, even less with stainless steel bracelets, and none with bracelets that wide. I knew this type of Slava has some good following, and I didn't have one. Simple math.
I knew I had to open it from the front to fix that winding mechanism. It's a common issue I encounter with slavas. I managed to make it worse, though. Tried to straighten the seconds hand pin and I broke it. Now I had to open the back, all through the auto, to get to that wheel and replace it. Basicly I had to take the whole thing apart. Kind of annoying, as I had decided recently to stop repairing watches and stare through lenses. 
So there we go








There goes the new spare wheel. As soon as I had the bridge on I wound it, I dropped the thing on the table and it started working. That's a good thing, right?








Got the auto on...








... and it was time to turn it arround








The winding mechanism often fails me with slavas. The spring that holds the cylinder wheel often slips off, and then I have to do the things I'm doing right now. I guess there's a propper technical language to explain these things, but I can't be bothered right now. Anyway, I got it right, and I'm ready to but it all back















Now that everything is working fine (day/date changing and all) it's time to clean it up a bit, find a seconds hand and replace the crown.






















Couldn't find the model's propper hand so had to improvise until I get one. Couldn't be bothered with case polishing too, so there's the raw result





























Well, this thing feels heavy and solid. Now I know what you guys meant before!
It is deffinately a cool line of Slava models, and...man, that bracelet is huge! For a soviet watch, I mean.
Thanks for reading all this 
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Well done Ivan for sticking with it. It is always a pain when you think you've almost corrected a defect to discover something else or worse, cause something else yourself! I sometimes tackle the movement and then leave it a day or two before cleaning the case and crystal. Some crystals can take a lot of effort to get right.

Anyway, after that inspiration from Ivan, here a two of my latest that I have actually got before and after photos. A late 1950s Mayak and a 1981 Ruhla made between 23rd and 29th November.

First the Mayak. This watch had a damaged crystal and the movement was described as not working. I could see the potential since the dial and hands looked ok.

Here are the before photos:















The case back was caked in green gunge. In fact at one point I thought he case back and case back securing ring were one piece because green gunge had welded them together. You can see green gunge in the thread of the case back securing ring if you expand the photo above.

Here is just some of the debris I removed from the watch back.









I thought I would have to replace the balance spring or pivot but on inspection, it had just been tangled slightly and just needed cleaning and resetting.

Here you can see it after cleaning and resetting spinning like good'un. Notice too the absence of green gunge!















Here it is from the front with a new crystal.















And a clean case back









At the same time, I received a Ruhla which was pretty much in a similar state except the movement was working. In fact the movement needed minimal attention.

Here it is before. The movement just needed a clean.

View attachment 13881845








After cleaning and crystal polishing, it now looks like this. You can now see the graduated colour in the dial. The lume dots are all present and working perfectly.

In the background you can see some East German modular concrete buildings which are on Lenin Platz in East Berlin.





























Both watches work perfectly well and keep good time.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks for the compliments, Secondtime! As we disscussed before, a bad crystal and accumulated dirt on the case may hide and exeptional beauty underneath. I guess that means the shell did it's job well, protecting the watch inside. I love it when I spot a watch like that at a flea market or antique shop. Even the green gunge is a good thing, it's good to know noone opened it for a long, long time. 
Excellent result on both watches! I can't take my eyes from that Mayak, though, it's a stunning dial/hands combination! This may be the only copper Mayak dial, and it's so cool you got it in that condition. With some nice patina too. Congrats!
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks for the compliments, Secondtime! As we disscussed before, a bad crystal and accumulated dirt on the case may hide and exeptional beauty underneath. I guess that means the shell did it's job well, protecting the watch inside. I love it when I spot a watch like that at a flea market or antique shop. Even the green gunge is a good thing, it's good to know noone opened it for a long, long time.
> Excellent result on both watches! I can't take my eyes from that Mayak, though, it's a stunning dial/hands combination! This may be the only copper Mayak dial, and it's so cool you got it in that condition. With some nice patina too. Congrats!
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan. Yes the gunge probably does mean it had not been tampered with too much. I wonder what lurks in that green gunge. Plenty of dead skin and bacteria!

Here is the 1957 catalogue entry for the Mayak. The description refers to the colour as brass. It has blue steel minute, hour and seconds hands. Numbering is in black and the white rings is described as matt. I notice that Mroatman has an identical one on his website but I bet mine was cheaper at $13.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> I notice that Mroatman has an identical one on his website but I bet mine was cheaper at $13.


Yeah, I was well aware of Dashiell's example, and it may be just the light angle when taking the shot, but yours looked shinier 
I literally saw it in a new light from your post.
Ivan

PS: And let's be honest, that 60s catalogue has really crappy pictures, it doesn't do justice to the watches pictured in it.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Not such a stunning different result as Secondtime; but I manged to remove the lackluster and bring back some sparkling; ready for another round 
The movement was stripped, cleaned, oiled and adjusted. The dial was cleaned (denatured alcohol, not on the lume !!) and "polished" with cotton sticks.
Case & bezel polished, the surfaces of the hands carefully cleaned with Rodico and a new crystal inserted. I think I was the first to service this movement after it has left the factory. It all seemed pretty original and untouched.
Perhaps the 2409 movement may need some slight adjustment when worn on the wrist, but for a 30 year old .... it doesn't run too shabby b-)


----------



## Kamburov

Beautiful job and beautiful watch! This model cleanup was my first poster in this forum, and it's been my favourite 2409 since. I even keep it on the same green nato strap 
Very nice!
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful job and beautiful watch! This model cleanup was my first poster in this forum, and it's been my favourite 2409 since. I even keep it on the same green nato strap
> Very nice!
> Ivan


Yes, it's one of my favorites too ...... or is it two of my favorites too ? I'm getting old and confused :-s
Left original. Right a little less, but at least one can see what's going on during the night :-d


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## EndeavourDK

Not that long ago I reported in "What did you buy today?" my US$2 (ex.postage) scrapheap challenge. Well, the terrible looking none running Vostok Cadet arrived today.
What was under the "bonnet" I'll show you in a second, but for sure the crystal is totally shot. Seemingly somebody tried to polish it with a mechanical device (I can't say it out loud, but by the looks of it perhaps something like an angle grinder with a course 60 grit disk :-d ). Anyway, whole edges are ground off, gone forever.
Searching eBay for a new crystal yielded no results ...... has anybody some idea's? (of course, I'm not going to pay a fortune to restore a cadet, so a cheap solution is preferred ;-))
The hairspring was in a bit of a mess and off center, but balance showed signs of life ..... 

Without further ado, here is what was under the "bonnet";


----------



## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Not such a stunning different result as Secondtime; but I manged to remove the lackluster and bring back some sparkling; ready for another round
> The movement was stripped, cleaned, oiled and adjusted. The dial was cleaned (denatured alcohol, not on the lume !!) and "polished" with cotton sticks.
> Case & bezel polished, the surfaces of the hands carefully cleaned with Rodico and a new crystal inserted. I think I was the first to service this movement after it has left the factory. It all seemed pretty original and untouched.
> Perhaps the 2409 movement may need some slight adjustment when worn on the wrist, but for a 30 year old .... it doesn't run too shabby b-)


Excellent job! It is always nice to see such a transformation.

The cadet has potential as long as you can secure a reasonably priced crystal. Sometimes, you have to keep these ones in a drawer for months, sometimes longer before the right spare parts become available at the right price or through a donor watch. Good luck. Hopefully, we will see the results here in this thread.

Sekondtime


----------



## CrusadesOClock

EndeavourDK said:


> Not that long ago I reported in "What did you buy today?" my US$2 (ex.postage) scrapheap challenge. Well, the terrible looking none running Vostok Cadet arrived today.
> What was under the "bonnet" I'll show you in a second, but for sure the crystal is totally shot. Seemingly somebody tried to polish it with a mechanical device (I can't say it out loud, but by the looks of it perhaps something like an angle grinder with a course 60 grit disk :-d ). Anyway, whole edges are ground off, gone forever.
> Searching eBay for a new crystal yielded no results ...... has anybody some idea's? (of course, I'm not going to pay a fortune to restore a cadet, so a cheap solution is preferred ;-))
> The hairspring was in a bit of a mess and off center, but balance showed signs of life .....
> 
> Without further ado, here is what was under the "bonnet";


Is this the right one?

The listing is confusing, it says its 20mm (which I am guessing is the size of the cadet crystal) but then says it'll fit all komandirskies.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vostok-K...=item33fa161139:g:cVoAAOSw1rpcCPTp:rk:89:pf:0


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## Kamburov

CrusadesOClock said:


> Is this the right one?
> 
> The listing is confusing, it says its 20mm (which I am guessing is the size of the cadet crystal) but then says it'll fit all komandirskies.
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vostok-K...=item33fa161139:g:cVoAAOSw1rpcCPTp:rk:89:pf:0


No, not for cadet. The cadet crystal has a diameter of about 26mm (measured with my old ruler). The listing is for a classic komandirskie, and the 20m (?) is probably related to the thickness of it which is 2mm (amfibia is 3mm). 
Secondtime has a good point about the cadet's spare parts.
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Secondtime has a good point about the cadet's spare parts.
> Ivan


Next to the crystal, the bottom pivot of the balance staff was broken too. The main plate has a removable anti-shock setting which take another balance roller-table than a main-plate with a fixed setting. Currently I don't have a correct spare balance either, so indeed, best is to put the project in the freezer until a donor is found :roll:
I serviced the movement and it's fine up till the balance ..... The dial may be next to perfect once cleaned. Anyway, no hurry ..... more for a rainy day 
Thanks for all the help |>


----------



## Avidfan

CrusadesOClock said:


> The listing is confusing, it says its 20mm (which I am guessing is the size of the cadet crystal) but then says it'll fit all komandirskies.


Actually says 20m, which would be the WR for a modern Komandirskie classic in metres.


----------



## Kamburov

Ballance was broken, so had to replace that. Crystal from another vostok too. Hacking works well. Could use an even better crystal, but that will do for now.
Ivan


----------



## haha

Nice strap too, they really look great together !


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Nice strap too, they really look great together !


Thanks! I have two of those, and this one had a B&A treatment too ... with pig's fat ;-) 
Awaiting the wrath of the vegans now :roll:
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

I bought this vintage Poljot as it looked all authentic, including the crown. Well, also it was quite cheap.








The back was difficult to take off, and there was green-blue oxidation at the stem area that had almost fused the back to the case. In my book this is a good thing, as it means no intervention had taken place recently. The dial took some work, but I'm really happy with it. The nicotine yellow became white, the green at 3 also behaved well. No visible loss of print. 





























Now the real reason I bought it








1944-1969, 25 years from 9th of September.
The day the communist party took over, and Bulgaria was a kingdom no more. It became the People's Republic of Bulgaria. 
Cheers!
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I bought this vintage Poljot as it looked all authentic, including the crown. Well, also it was quite cheap.
> View attachment 13906657
> 
> 
> The back was difficult to take off, and there was green-blue oxidation at the stem area that had almost fused the back to the case. In my book this is a good thing, as it means no intervention had taken place recently. The dial took some work, but I'm really happy with it. The nicotine yellow became white, the green at 3 also behaved well. No visible loss of print.
> View attachment 13906667
> 
> View attachment 13906669
> 
> View attachment 13906673
> 
> View attachment 13906675
> 
> 
> Now the real reason I bought it
> View attachment 13906677
> 
> 
> 1944-1969, 25 years from 9th of September.
> The day the communist party took over, and Bulgaria was a kingdom no more. It became the People's Republic of Bulgaria.
> Cheers!
> Ivan


Another successful restoration! You are putting the pressure on me with your rate of work!

I think we need to grow some of that green-blue oxidation in a lab and see what is in it. I bet we are dicing with death with some super bug!

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Another successful restoration! You are putting the pressure on me with your rate of work!
> 
> I think we need to grow some of that green-blue oxidation in a lab and see what is in it. I bet we are dicing with death with some super bug!
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks, Sekondtime! I'm really, really trying not to buy watches lately, but these were opportunities I couldn't pass. That all authentic comemorative Poljot was $15, and only the 20 micron gold on it is worth that money. It's a mirracle the case hasn't been recycled yet, and the watch wasted. It would be such a shame for a piece of history like that. These were for high ranking party members only. Not super, super rare, but rare nevertheless.
I consider dealing with the green stuff to be one of my biggest restoration successes. The rust remover liquid (phosphoric acid) I use does miracles with it. The green spot just boils up and dissapears. What's left is much easier to clean. I'm thankful the print behind the date window survived the chenical reaction.
I will also share an observation about the crown of this watch. Maybe some of you are familiar with it, but I noticed it for the first time.
It looks quite normal at first glance








but it is actually made from three parts, with a spring in the middle.








Some day I may check my watches to look for another one. Anyone seen that before?
Ivan


----------



## 24h

Kamburov said:


> I bought this vintage Poljot as it looked all authentic, including the crown. Well, also it was quite cheap.
> 
> The back was difficult to take off, and there was green-blue oxidation at the stem area that had almost fused the back to the case. In my book this is a good thing, as it means no intervention had taken place recently. The dial took some work, but I'm really happy with it. The nicotine yellow became white, the green at 3 also behaved well. No visible loss of print.
> View attachment 13906667
> 
> 
> Now the real reason I bought it
> 
> 1944-1969, 25 years from 9th of September.
> The day the communist party took over, and Bulgaria was a kingdom no more. It became the People's Republic of Bulgaria.
> Cheers!
> Ivan


Looks great! Excellent job on the restoration


----------



## Utva_56

Kamburov said:


> I bought this vintage Poljot as it looked all authentic, including the crown. Well, also it was quite cheap.
> View attachment 13906657
> 
> 
> The back was difficult to take off, and there was green-blue oxidation at the stem area that had almost fused the back to the case. In my book this is a good thing, as it means no intervention had taken place recently. The dial took some work, but I'm really happy with it. The nicotine yellow became white, the green at 3 also behaved well. No visible loss of print.
> View attachment 13906667
> 
> View attachment 13906669
> 
> View attachment 13906673
> 
> View attachment 13906675
> 
> 
> Now the real reason I bought it
> View attachment 13906677
> 
> 
> 1944-1969, 25 years from 9th of September.
> The day the communist party took over, and Bulgaria was a kingdom no more. It became the People's Republic of Bulgaria.
> Cheers!
> Ivan


Hi Ivan ,
what procedure are you using to clean the dial?. I have one white dial ( cardi-vostok) and tried with rubber , but got fading effect.


----------



## Kamburov

Utva_56 said:


> Hi Ivan ,
> what procedure are you using to clean the dial?. I have one white dial ( cardi-vostok) and tried with rubber , but got fading effect.


Hi! It's easy to tell you what I use, more difficult to explain the technique I apply it with, and impossible to say if these will work on your dial.
My favourite cleaning liquid is a cheap rust transforming liquid I get from my local store. It's green in colour, and contains an active ingredient phosphoric acid 25%-35%. It deals well with accumulated old oxidations, but not too agressive to instantly wipe printing and paint. Less aggressive than lemon juice even. It really is my best discovery related to my restoration hobby. And a bottle of it costs less than a dollar. I've disscussed it with a lot of forum friends around the world, and it seems this particular stuff is only produced locally, as I haven't found an adequate alternative outside Bulgaria. Which puzzles me really.
I've developed a technique to applying it on dials, based on many experiments, but generally it works better on chemmical level (I apply, let it work, and soak it out), than mechanical (apply, then whipe the surface with it). Well, I might do some gentle wiping if I get the feel that the dial will take it. 
If I need to clean an important dial, I find a cheap wasted one, just to practice on it. Then I transfer the experience on the important one. 
I have no experience on Cardi-vostoks, but they are modern watches, and a white dial is always difficult to clean. It depends on the paints and laqueurs osed to produce it. It may well be impossible.
The vintage soviets are very good to clean, as the paints used are quite tough, and they take cleaning pretty well. A damaged modern white dial may be beyond repair, though. 
I wish I could be more helpful.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Hi! It's easy to tell you what I use, more difficult to explain the technique I apply it with, and impossible to say if these will work on your dial.
> My favourite cleaning liquid is a cheap rust transforming liquid I get from my local store. It's green in colour, and contains an active ingredient phosphoric acid 25%-35%. It deals well with accumulated old oxidations, but not too agressive to instantly wipe printing and paint. Less aggressive than lemon juice even. It really is my best discovery related to my restoration hobby. And a bottle of it costs less than a dollar. I've disscussed it with a lot of forum friends around the world, and it seems this particular stuff is only produced locally, as I haven't found an adequate alternative outside Bulgaria. Which puzzles me really.
> I've developed a technique to applying it on dials, based on many experiments, but generally it works better on chemmical level (I apply, let it work, and soak it out), than mechanical (apply, then whipe the surface with it). Well, I might do some gentle wiping if I get the feel that the dial will take it.
> If I need to clean an important dial, I find a cheap wasted one, just to practice on it. Then I transfer the experience on the important one.
> I have no experience on Cardi-vostoks, but they are modern watches, and a white dial is always difficult to clean. It depends on the paints and laqueurs osed to produce it. It may well be impossible.
> The vintage soviets are very good to clean, as the paints used are quite tough, and they take cleaning pretty well. A damaged modern white dial may be beyond repair, though.
> I wish I could be more helpful.
> Ivan


Ivan, I am sure you posted a photo of your magic Bulgarian green solution before when dial cleaning was discussed on a previous thread a couple of years ago. And, I think we found that there wasn't anything directly comparable available in other countries although I think I found something similar in the UK for rust removal.

I have had a look for the thread but cannot locate it. Can you search for it based on the name of the Bulgarian product?

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Ivan, I am sure you posted a photo of your magic Bulgarian green solution before when dial cleaning was discussed on a previous thread a couple of years ago. And, I think we found that there wasn't anything directly comparable available in other countries although I think I found something similar in the UK for rust removal.
> 
> I have had a look for the thread but cannot locate it. Can you search for it based on the name of the Bulgarian product?
> 
> Sekondtime


I google searched it and saw some that should be similar, or very close to it. The most accurate term used is "rust converter", wich literaly is also the bulgarian term printed on the bottle:









You can see how the phosphoric acid rust converter looks like. The rust converter is used for metal primer before painting - "...chemically changes the rust (iron oxide) into iron phosphate. The surface produced is an inert, hard and grayish, which will serve as a firm base for paint."

There's one that is potentially similar, I think in Australia:
Septone - Rust Treatments - Rust Converter 500mL

This one has the same color, it seems:
Septone - Rust Treatments - Rust Converter 500mL

As for UK, it seems most phosphor acid rust converters are 45% solution, and I can't see the color of the liquid. The one I use is 25%-35%, and I don't know what difference 10-15% higher concentration will make. 
Also they seem to be sold in big bottles. Guess they didn't think someone would use it for wristwatches ;-)

I also guess import/export of such products is tightly controlled, but they seem to be widely produced all over the world and available in local stores.
Its use for metal primer may give you an idea where to look. It should be fairly cheap, and can also use it for other things in the yard or in the garrage.

One other thing, it's best for old vintage watches, as it works on the oxidations accumulated through the years. It's not an universal cleaning liquid, and may not be suitable for more modern watches. 
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I google searched it and saw some that should be similar, or very close to it. The most accurate term used is "rust converter", wich literaly is also the bulgarian term printed on the bottle:
> 
> View attachment 13910887
> 
> 
> You can see how the phosphoric acid rust converter looks like. The rust converter is used for metal primer before painting - "...chemically changes the rust (iron oxide) into iron phosphate. The surface produced is an inert, hard and grayish, which will serve as a firm base for paint."
> 
> There's one that is potentially similar, I think in Australia:
> Septone - Rust Treatments - Rust Converter 500mL
> 
> This one has the same color, it seems:
> Septone - Rust Treatments - Rust Converter 500mL
> 
> As for UK, it seems most phosphor acid rust converters are 45% solution, and I can't see the color of the liquid. The one I use is 25%-35%, and I don't know what difference 10-15% higher concentration will make.
> Also they seem to be sold in big bottles. Guess they didn't think someone would use it for wristwatches ;-)
> 
> I also guess import/export of such products is tightly controlled, but they seem to be widely produced all over the world and available in local stores.
> Its use for metal primer may give you an idea where to look. It should be fairly cheap, and can also use it for other things in the yard or in the garrage.
> 
> One other thing, it's best for old vintage watches, as it works on the oxidations accumulated through the years. It's not an universal cleaning liquid, and may not be suitable for more modern watches.
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan. Having taken a look with the information above, yes, it does appear to be only sold in large containers here for the automotive repair industry but phosphoric acid can be used for other purposes like flushing water systems and in cheese making! As for the dilution, there is a 45% solution available. It can be further diluted with water. All the containers advise caution in terms of skin, eyes and breathing of fumes.

An alternative may be to use acetic acid crystals in a solution. This is sold as a descaler and is commonly available. The PH value is slightly less than Phosphoric acid but it dissolves not only polar compounds such as inorganic salts and sugars, but also non-polar compounds such as oils as well as polar solutes according to Wikipedia. It may be worth experimenting.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Thanks Ivan. Having taken a look with the information above, yes, it does appear to be only sold in large containers here for the automotive repair industry but phosphoric acid can be used for other purposes like flushing water systems and in cheese making! As for the dilution, there is a 45% solution available. It can be further diluted with water. All the containers advise caution in terms of skin, eyes and breathing of fumes.
> 
> An alternative may be to use acetic acid crystals in a solution. This is sold as a descaler and is commonly available. The PH value is slightly less than Phosphoric acid but it dissolves not only polar compounds such as inorganic salts and sugars, but also non-polar compounds such as oils as well as polar solutes according to Wikipedia. It may be worth experimenting.
> 
> Sekondtime


The chemical reaction with rust does release bad fumes, and my friends that use it on metal constructions or autoparts complain of it. I use it in very small quantities, on the tip of a toothpick with little cotton on it, so it's relatively safe. The few times I put heavily rusted watches in it the reaction was quite strong (bubbles and all) and smell was quite bad. I don't do that anymore, if it's badly rusted, then it's gone. 
Handling the 40% hydrochloric acid (brass stripping experiment) was far more dangerous. 
Also I don't know what other ingredients are present in the solution I use, as there is a transparrent oily residue sometimes that I have to clean with dry cotton or soft cotton cloth.
Besides its quality dealing with oxides (cleaning patina and the brown nicotine like layer), the most surprising quality was an entirely different one. Surprisingly some dial print survives it better than it survives other cleaning solutions (acids or bases). When I signed in this forum I heard about lemon juice (citric acid). Tried it and found it's still far too aggressive than the rust converter.
Its effect is most visible on old copper dials. Works like magic. Hopefully the print is strong, though. 
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Thanks Ivan. Having taken a look with the information above, yes, it does appear to be only sold in large containers here for the automotive repair industry but phosphoric acid can be used for other purposes like flushing water systems and in cheese making! As for the dilution, there is a 45% solution available. It can be further diluted with water. All the containers advise caution in terms of skin, eyes and breathing of fumes.
> 
> An alternative may be to use acetic acid crystals in a solution. This is sold as a descaler and is commonly available. The PH value is slightly less than Phosphoric acid but it dissolves not only polar compounds such as inorganic salts and sugars, but also non-polar compounds such as oils as well as polar solutes according to Wikipedia. It may be worth experimenting.
> 
> Sekondtime


The chemical reaction with rust does release bad fumes, and my friends that use it on metal constructions or autoparts complain of it. I use it in very small quantities, on the tip of a toothpick with little cotton on it, so it's relatively safe. The few times I put heavily rusted watches in it the reaction was quite strong (bubbles and all) and smell was quite bad. I don't do that anymore, if it's badly rusted, then it's gone. 
Handling the 40% hydrochloric acid (brass stripping experiment) was far more dangerous. 
Also I don't know what other ingredients are present in the solution I use, as there is a transparrent oily residue sometimes that I have to clean with dry cotton or soft cotton cloth.
Besides its quality dealing with oxides (cleaning patina and the brown nicotine like layer), the most surprising quality was an entirely different one. Surprisingly some dial print survives it better than it survives other cleaning solutions (acids or bases). When I signed in this forum I heard about lemon juice (citric acid). Tried it and found it's still far too aggressive than the rust converter.
Its effect is most visible on old copper dials. Works like magic. Hopefully the print is strong, though. 
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

I've seen this watch featuring as being "rare", just not sure where?
Just listed on eBay for the person interested and perhaps likes a challenge ?; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KIROVSKI...item3d8440a5c6:g:BbIAAOSwEYpb6o-Y:rk:150:pf:0


----------



## EndeavourDK

This morning I did (for me) a very interesting project. A few years back I was discussing Superluminova with Sergey (Favinov). Instead of the expensive Superluminova he recommended me to start with the lume-set below. Not as expensive as Superluminova, but still pricey; I think it was around €35. It consist of two bottles milky alike binding fluid and a small bottle of lume powder. Unfortunately I can't find it back on the internet and forgot the name of it :-(
It works really well, it is bright, retains the light very long and "easy" to apply. I've re-lumed many hands with it .......... however, it is clear to see that the hands are freshly re-lumed.

These days my interest is more towards the old Soviet watches, so there is a need for a "matching" lume; hands / dial.
I've done an experiment with soaking a dried re-lumed hand overnight in a strong tea solution. That didn't yield the right result, the metal of the hand had started rusting and the discoloring of the lume was superficial.

A through and through coloring of the lume mix would be nice and this morning I experimented with adding a tiny grain of dried instant coffee to a droplet of the binding fluid. It just needs a tiny grain to achieve a strong discoloring of the fluid. Then I added & mixed the lume powder and did my first attempt. Probably I mixed a bit too long and the binding fluid became slightly too thick, resulting in a poor job, but this is about the results of the coloring.

The first picture shows the lume-set. I've done already about 30 hand-sets and the bottles are still "full" ...... so still many sets to go.

The second picture is from the hands; the top hand has the original CCCP lume, the middle hand is done with the coffee-lume and the bottom hand is re-lumed with the original mix.
Obviously, the lume on the second hand is poorly done and needs redoing. 

Like to hear what the experts think of the idea and the results :think:


----------



## Sekondtime

An excellent experiment and I think you have done very well. The coffee grain experiment appears to be very close to the original aged USSR hand. Hands from different watches will have a slight colour variation from watch to watch depending on where t has been over time. The more tries you have at matching different colour variations the more expert you will become at matching the colours exactly. 

I am sure that I have seen/read somewhere about colour dyes that you mix with lume.

Sekondtime


----------



## EndeavourDK

Sekondtime said:


> An excellent experiment and I think you have done very well. The coffee grain experiment appears to be very close to the original aged USSR hand. Hands from different watches will have a slight color variation from watch to watch depending on where t has been over time. The more tries you have at matching different color variations the more expert you will become at matching the colours exactly.
> 
> I am sure that I have seen/read somewhere about color dyes that you mix with lume.
> 
> Sekondtime


Yes, I've been reading about dyes too, but they aren't cheap. As written, it takes only a very little coffee grain to get a big color difference. My first coffee / binding fluid mix was way too dark. I discarded that and took an even a smaller grain. The lume on this original CCCP hand has become dark and therefor, with more luck than wisdom, my 2nd coffee-lume mix ended up pretty close.
The size of the coffee grain I used the 2nd time had the size of less than a screw of the Vostok 2414 keyless works or that of a screw in the cover-plate of the calendar-works. Obviously the amount of binding fluid mixed is of influence. 
When the original lume hasn't aged / discolored that much, one needs even less coffee. In a way, if one brings the binding fluid just "off-white" that would make in most cases the combination hands/dial already plausible. That's in my perception already sufficient; this is much better than a pure white re-lumed hand, which stick out like a sore thumb, or attempting to get an exact match think: ?)

Coffee powder, at least in these small amounts, comes very cheap and the coffee grain seems to dissolve completely. It doesn't seem to alter the properties of the binding fluid and it provides a through & through color in the mix. As additional bonus, the lume-mix starts to smell actually good and last-but-not-least with these small amounts of coffee required; you don't need to ask the wife's permission ! :-d :-d :-d

Tonight I'll have a look what the coffee has done to the lume properties :think:
If the hand lights up bright, I'll continue with my experiment and redo the "test-hand" with a even smaller coffee grain, just enough to bring the binding fluid mix "off-white".

We'll see what happens, but initial attempts seem promising ;-)


----------



## ANZAC56

I am in awe of you guys and those resurrections. There are some interesting watches out there. Thank you!


----------



## Kamburov

Excellent lume job, EndeavourDK! Can't wait to try it out myself. 
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Did a little test last night. The picture was taken just after the light source (a flashlight) was removed. The both two top hands (a hour & minute hand) were treated with the coffee-lume. The coffee-lume minute-hand has already been shown in the hands comparison picture above.
The hand on the bottom is the same "pure-lume" relumed hand.
As you can see, the hands treated with coffee-lume are radiating a different light and the untreated hand appears brighter. An hour later this difference became less (the camera failed to pick up the faint light and therefore was unable to focus :-(). At around 03:00 all hands appeared to radiated the same amount of light.

This concludes my test and the results appear good enough to try this method out on some watches. Long term results ..... we have to wait and see ...

Hopefully for us all another tool / idea in the restoration / tinkering toolbox ;-) 

Looking forward to other suggestions / idea's and share knowledge / experiments / results etc :-!


----------



## Sekondtime

The results look very promising. The control example is too bright in my opinion for a vintage watch restoration anyway and would look artificial. So the coffee-lumed hands seem to be the perfect match. 

The longevity of the coffee-lumed hands is just another part of the experiment. I did a similar thing with the tippex-mouse method of infilling hands which had originally had a thin "wipe" of white paint. So far several years on, the tippex-mouse method seems to have worked well.

We are just like mad scientists!

Sekondtime


----------



## EndeavourDK

Sekondtime said:


> We are just like mad scientists!
> Sekondtime


I would rather like to say: "necessity is the mother of invention" 

and thanks for the Tippex-mouse idea :-!


----------



## 24h

I wonder what the acidity of the coffee does to the lume/binder/hand over time.


----------



## EndeavourDK

24h said:


> I wonder what the acidity of the coffee does to the lume/binder/hand over time.


Googling reveals that the PH of blend coffee is around 4.7. I've no idea what the PH of the binding fluid is. Judging the amount of coffee compared to the amount of binding fluid, I would assume that the net result won't be that far off from the PH of the binding fluid.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Here I like to share my first "real" coffee lume-job on hands of a Komandirkie. While puling the hands for servicing the 2414 movement, a part of the minute-hand lume fell off. 
I serviced the movement, cleaned the case and re-conditioned the original CCCP leather strap (a Komandirskie which was issued around the '90s in Italie).
Today I decided to re-lume the hands (and some extra) and take pictures of the job in order to share my experiences. Unfortunately my camera decided to play games with the white-balance and exposure, so the colors and exposure are all over the place. On top of that, which makes my report and picture sequence even more messy, I did three luming attemps. By the first attempt the lume color was too light, the second too dark and the third attempt was about as good as I could get it ..... but not to my satisfaction.

First picture is of the hands being scraped clean and I collected the lume for color reference.

The second picture is my Lume setup. Two strips of Rodico with the hands pinned in between. What I learned is that (as usual :roll preparation is the key. The hands have to be horizontal, so the lume doesn't run to the low-side, well secured, so that they don't move during luming and the opening in the hands has to be fully free, so the lume doesn't pull against the Rodico by its capillary forces. Also the Rodico has to have a flat bottom to aid stability. A tea spoon with some coffee grains. An old crystal for mixing and an oiler. Instead of picking the coffee grains up with tweezers, I found that wetting the oiler with some binding-fluid and then pick up some coffee grains with the wet oiler works better. The coffee needs to be well mixed in the binding fluid and small parts can be presses fine against the inner-rim of the crystal. I found it hard to make the correct judgement on how much coffee to mix to obtain the right color. Once the binding fluid gets darker, it gets harder to judge whether it gets (much) darker after adding some more coffee; hence my three attempts. To the right the old lume for color reference.
The lume solution / mix has to have a viscosity such that it starts sticking, or a small amount / droplet stays on the oiler.
First "wet" the metal-edge around the opening of the hand, then take a bigger droplet on the oiler and pull across the hand, from one side to the other, closing the opening. The lume may pull back on its own, take some more lume and pull it close. Once nicely pulled closed, resist your temptation and keep off !!

The third and fourth picture is an attempt to show the end result. As said, my camera was playing up and the fourth picture was taken by my microscope, which has blue LED-lights ..... that wasn't a great help to show the colors either.

The last picture of the hands installed on the watch. As you can see, the problem with coffee lume is that the lume gets darker, brownish. The old lume however, as you can compare with the hour lume-dots, has turned darker and more brown/yellowish.
This color I couldn't mimic with the coffee trick :-(

Perhaps the next time I have to add some curry or Kurkuma powder :-d

So, yes the hands became off-white and towards the old lume, but I'm not fully happy with the end result ....... in this case! There may be occasions whereby coffee will do the trick ?

Anyway, these were my experiences, some do's & don'ts and I hope it adds to the learning curve ....... ;-)


----------



## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Here I like to share my first "real" coffee lume-job on hands of a Komandirkie. While puling the hands for servicing the 2414 movement, a part of the minute-hand lume fell off.
> I serviced the movement, cleaned the case and re-conditioned the original CCCP leather strap (a Komandirskie which was issued around the '90s in Italie).
> Today I decided to re-lume the hands (and some extra) and take pictures of the job in order to share my experiences. Unfortunately my camera decided to play games with the white-balance and exposure, so the colors and exposure are all over the place. On top of that, which makes my report and picture sequence even more messy, I did three luming attemps. By the first attempt the lume color was too light, the second too dark and the third attempt was about as good as I could get it ..... but not to my satisfaction.
> 
> First picture is of the hands being scraped clean and I collected the lume for color reference.
> 
> The second picture is my Lume setup. Two strips of Rodico with the hands pinned in between. What I learned is that (as usual :roll preparation is the key. The hands have to be horizontal, so the lume doesn't run to the low-side, well secured, so that they don't move during luming and the opening in the hands has to be fully free, so the lume doesn't pull against the Rodico by its capillary forces. Also the Rodico has to have a flat bottom to aid stability. A tea spoon with some coffee grains. An old crystal for mixing and an oiler. Instead of picking the coffee grains up with tweezers, I found that wetting the oiler with some binding-fluid and then pick up some coffee grains with the wet oiler works better. The coffee needs to be well mixed in the binding fluid and small parts can be presses fine against the inner-rim of the crystal. I found it hard to make the correct judgement on how much coffee to mix to obtain the right color. Once the binding fluid gets darker, it gets harder to judge whether it gets (much) darker after adding some more coffee; hence my three attempts. To the right the old lume for color reference.
> The lume solution / mix has to have a viscosity such that it starts sticking, or a small amount / droplet stays on the oiler.
> First "wet" the metal-edge around the opening of the hand, then take a bigger droplet on the oiler and pull across the hand, from one side to the other, closing the opening. The lume may pull back on its own, take some more lume and pull it close. Once nicely pulled closed, resist your temptation and keep off !!
> 
> The third and fourth picture is an attempt to show the end result. As said, my camera was playing up and the fourth picture was taken by my microscope, which has blue LED-lights ..... that wasn't a great help to show the colors either.
> 
> The last picture of the hands installed on the watch. As you can see, the problem with coffee lume is that the lume gets darker, brownish. The old lume however, as you can compare with the hour lume-dots, has turned darker and more brown/yellowish.
> This color I couldn't mimic with the coffee trick :-(
> 
> Perhaps the next time I have to add some curry or Kurkuma powder :-d
> 
> So, yes the hands became off-white and towards the old lume, but I'm not fully happy with the end result ....... in this case! There may be occasions whereby coffee will do the trick ?
> 
> Anyway, these were my experiences, some do's & don'ts and I hope it adds to the learning curve ....... ;-)


Excellent write up EndeavourDK. It seems to work very well and I appreciate you taking the time to write up this account with details of the technique used. It is always useful to know the small details.


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## EndeavourDK

Sekondtime said:


> Excellent write up EndeavourDK. It seems to work very well and I appreciate you taking the time to write up this account with details of the technique used. It is always useful to know the small details.


Thank you :-!

Yes, I like to share information so we can all learn; the good and (perhaps more importantly) the bad or failures.
The WRT-forum (Watch-Repair-Talk) they have a special thread called "Walk throughs", where projects like these, or servicing a watch from A-Z were described. Unfortunate that thread has become fully cluttered and very good information has snowed under with all kinds of BS. Moderators do have to be really on top of it to keep that thread "clean". If kept clean, it's a very rich recourse / database for everybody to read, to learn and to enjoy.

Information like this, and info from others, about re-luming or other interesting / educational material sinks slowly away under, in this case, a general thread header, hard to be found again. I haven't found a "Walkthrough"-thread on WUS. If there is one, or we would make one, I could transfer some of my WRT write-ups to that thread. But as said, moderators have to keep that thread clean and I don't know WUS well enough who can do this, or is willing to do that and keeps doing that?

Anyway, the good news is that the watch was a pleasure to look at during the night. At least an "old" lume which actually works very well !  I hardly caught any sleep last night :-d :-d :-d


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## Kamburov

EndeavourDK, your posts have been inspiring! Been too busy lately to participate and experiment, but thank you for keeping this excellent thread alive and kicking!
Can't wait to find some time for reluming excercises 
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

I have seen a Vostok Paratrooper (VDV) Komandirskie, which I believe is a genuine issue, but not often seen on the market. When two mint NOS VDV dials turned up, it was for me a sign to create that watch from all genuine components. The challenge and fun was that it required nearly all the watch-skills I have learned so far.
Picture #1, taken of the internet, shows the watch which I was after and believe to be a genuine issue.
Picture #2 the mint NOS VDV dial.

The housing (picture #3) was found in a Franken watch. It had a copper-color bezel & case and therefore needed to be re-plated. First a night in HCL, thereafter some fine polishing and through the re-plating process (picture#4). I do have chrome, but that is no high-gloss, so it became nickel instead.

The crystal had, unlike with the modern Komandirskie cases, a tension ring. So far I haven't been able to source NOS Komandirskie crystals with a groove for the tension ring. One can use the Amphibian crystals, but they are 3mm thick vs the 2mm of a genuine Komandirskie crystall. So the original crystal had to be saved and polished. I use "case-mandrels" and an electrical drill to speed up the process.

The bezel had to be re-plated and subsequently colored in. A system which works for me is using spray paint (picture #5). A small amount of paint in a plastic container and with a fine brush filling the numbers / holes till the brim. The thinner will evaporate leaving a nice layer of pigments on the bottom. If some paint runs over / is spilled over the top, wait about 5-6 hours for the paint to sink in the number / hole before removing the excess on top. I used terpetine or white-spirit on a cloth tightly wrapped around a finger tip, so only the top-edge is cleaned and not touching the paint inside.

As for luming the hands (picture #6); to match the color with the dial hour lume-dots, next to the instant coffee grains to achieve the "browning", I now discovered that the ink-filling of a yellow color-ball pen does an excellent job to bring in the required "yellow-aging". One needs, just like with the coffee, only very tiny amounts. The combined two colors do mimic a wide range of aged lume colors. The amount of each color has be empirically established ........ :think: :-d
In this case, since the dial was in such a great condition, only very little of both were required to achieve a match. However, it needed some coloring as pure white lume was an obvious mismatch. 

Obviously a whole 2414 movement had to be stripped, cleaned, oiled, assembled and adjusted.

Picture #7 the end result. One could call it a Franken, but it is build with original parts from the correct period. It currently runs about +5 s/d and it looks better than on the picture. 

Anyway, see for yourself


----------



## Sekondtime

It has taken me some time to get around to posting a comment but well done EndeavourDK; the result has integrity.

I think the enamelling of the colours on the bezel has worked well. It is interesting to see your plating baths and electrodes. Maybe you could run through the process and materials for us?

I will be posting the results of a citric acid test in the next couple of days. I am just putting together some of the photos and text.

Sekondtime


----------



## EndeavourDK

Sekondtime said:


> It has taken me some time to get around to posting a comment but well done EndeavourDK; the result has integrity.
> 
> I think the enamelling of the colours on the bezel has worked well. It is interesting to see your plating baths and electrodes. Maybe you could run through the process and materials for us?
> 
> I will be posting the results of a citric acid test in the next couple of days. I am just putting together some of the photos and text.
> 
> Sekondtime


Thank you and sure; a few years back I wrote my plating "endeavour" down in a thread on the "Watch Repair Talk" (WRT)-forum. It has become a bit of a long thread, but it contains the whole journey and "tons" of information.
Enjoy: https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/3831-design-watch-plating-project


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## Kamburov

EneavourDK, I too have been too busy lately to post, but I've been admiring your restortions, attention to detail and pro approach, and most importantly - beautiful results. 
Thanks for sharing your work, comrade!
Ivan


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## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Thank you and sure; a few years back I wrote my plating "endeavour" down in a thread on the "Watch Repair Talk" (WRT)-forum. It has become a bit of a long thread, but it contains the whole journey and "tons" of information.
> Enjoy: https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/3831-design-watch-plating-project


Wow! That plating process was quite a journey. Lot's of experimentation but fascinating. I admire your persistence.

Thanks.

Sekondtime


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## Sekondtime

*The Citric Acid Experiments*

Following Kamburov's experiments with his green magic liquid available in Bulgaria some time ago in this thread, I said that I was going to try citric acid. So, over the last few months, I found some suitable candidates on which to experiment.

Citric acid is a weak organic acid that has the chemical formula C6H8O7. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. Commercially available citric acid is produced chemically.









Citric Acid has a variety of uses such as descaling kettles, irons and coffee machines etc, and sterilising. It is also used in food preparation to make things taste tangier and in wine making it is used to adjust acidity. It is even used in cosmetics.

*
Experiment No. 1 - Ruhla Dial*









The dial was discoloured around the top right quarter and on investigation this was probably the result of rust and water staining. You can see the staining around the entire edge of the dial in particular and also inside the watch case itself.















Using citric acid crystals in a warm water solution (Quantity: just enough crystals to cover the bottom of a spray can cap) I dipped a cotton bud in the solution, squeezed out the excess and rubbed/rolled over the dial. I kept doing this for quite a while until I could see the dirt and staining reduce. This is the result immediately after this process.









Notice that the dial has a bit of a sheen to it. This is probably the effect of the citric acid solution removing a very thin surface layer of paint from the dial but not enough to do any damage. The important thing is that is did not remove the numbering and wording on the dial. I was cleaning it for a good ten minutes or more so, it would take a lot of time to start to affect the printed numbers etc. However, Ruhla dials are more robust than most. I think there are some dials which would not accept the same amount of work.

The hands on this watch were painted black (see above) but these were in poor condition; probably as a result of the moisture. So, I dipped them into a cold solution of citric acid to see what effect it would have. I left them longer than intended (about 10-15 minutes) as I was reassembling another movement. The result was the complete removal of the black paint. But, they were now ready for repainting with no effort on my part!









*Experiment No. 2*

A 1965 Ruhla Calibre 24 watch case. This Ruhla watch was cheap as chips and was sold as not working. I thought it would be good for spares but on inspection, the dial and the movement were in very good condition. The movement was indeed working fine. So, I decided to restore it instead. The case was a prime candidate for a citric acid experiment. The gold plating was entirely worn away and the case is brass which tarnishes. Seller's photos.















Once disassembled, the watch case looked like this. The particles are the worst of the corrosion and gunk that I removed by hand. But there was an awful lot more in the crevices and corners of the case as well as the overall tarnish.









Again, I used a solution of citric acid with hot water (just off the boil) and dipped the watch case into it for 15 minutes. This is the result. You can see that it is now "golden" but not shiny. The citric acid has removed the gunk from all the crevices of the watch case. I was impressed!









Next, I used Brasso wadding to shine the watch case.









I was impressed with how quickly and how much the citric acid had removed the oxidation and dirt from the watch case and with just a light polish, it looks like new. The results on the back of the watch case are much better than expected and this is often one of the most difficult places to clean conventionally.









This is the finished product.





















So, would I use citric acid solution again? Definitely, for the right job! It is also cheap, readily available and if used properly, not harmful.

Sekondtime


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## EndeavourDK

Fantastic results :-!
I've still got lots of citric acid, used for making elderberry juice. Have to give it a try. If it's good for a watch, it must be good for me .... or was it the other way around ? :-d

Thanks for sharing !!!!


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## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Fantastic results :-!
> I've still got lots of citric acid, used for making elderberry juice. Have to give it a try. If it's good for a watch, it must be good for me .... or was it the other way around ? :-d
> 
> Thanks for sharing !!!!


Thanks. I have a couple more Ruhlas lined up for the same treatment.

It will be interesting to see what results you get.


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## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Fantastic results :-!
> I've still got lots of citric acid, used for making elderberry juice. Have to give it a try. If it's good for a watch, it must be good for me .... or was it the other way around ? :-d
> 
> Thanks for sharing !!!!


Thanks. I have a couple more Ruhlas lined up for the same treatment.

It will be interesting to see what results you get.


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## Kamburov

I'll use this thread to upload some pics for EndeavourDK.

The date albatros dial I started with








and the restored complete watch I ended up with








Another restored amfibia, that I like for the good readability of the dial. It also started as a dial only, a present from a russian Ebay seller. I had the rest in my spares box.














I ordered a new date dial version (31j) for a new modded combo, that will be more appropriate for the amfibia modding thread. We'll see how that goes.
Ivan


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## Kotsov

One of the best threads ever.


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## jimzilla

First pic is befour next three is after


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## thewatchadude

Nice work, but I think this would fare better in the Mod thread. This one looks more like being about refurbishment than customization.


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## EndeavourDK

thewatchadude said:


> Nice work, but I think this would fare better in the Mod thread. This one looks more like being about refurbishment than customization.


Second that ;-)

The idea of this thread, as I understood it, is more to show the watch in it's original (poor) state / condition and the *same* watch but than being restored to, or best to its old glory. Without or preferably with comments how it was done; the tips & tricks so to speak


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## Kamburov

A sniper dial amfibia model I spotted for about $20-$22 delivered, with original bracelet. I like the sniper dials, so decided to have fun with it.








there's the 020481 model variation that's closest to the one I got.








Relumed the tip of the hour hand (thanks to EndeavourDK fot the instant coffe tip!). Not my best job, not my worst either. The dial has been "repaired" by a previous owner with a black marker at some point, and under certain light angle I can see the spots. It's not that bad, and I can live with it. Cleaned it as much as I could, and even found a bezel as on the calendar photo. 
Oh! Cleaned and repaired the bracelet too, so here it is


----------



## EndeavourDK

My apologies for the crappy pictures, but I hope they convey the idea :think:
For luming hands, what at the moment works very well for me is the following lume set;

Picture #1; starting from the top
- the binding fluid, 
- an old oiler
- the lume powder
- a yellow roller-pen
- mixing "bowl", a big word for an old crystal 
- some (preferably the smallest grains, "dust" is even better) instant coffee.

Picture #2; the no-brand yellow roller-pen (ball-point)
Picture #3; I took the inner-tube out and cut the empty part off. Now I can dip the oiler in the yellow ink / substance. I my case just a very tiny amount of ink is needed to color the binding fluid.

Prepare the hands; wedged with either ends, back-side up, horizontally between two rolls of Rodico.

Step 1: A small amount of the binding fluid in the mixing "bowl".
Step 2: Dip the clean oiler in the yellow pen ink, only a very small amount is required; just wetting the tip.
Step 3: Mix the yellow ink through the binding fluid and compare to the lume hour-dots on the dial. Too light, add some more. Too yellow, discard the fluid and start over again.
Step 4: When the "yellow-ish" is correct, pick (if needed) with the wet oiler a *very* tiny grain of coffee. Mix well. Add some more if required. Too dark and discard the whole mix ...... start over again.
Once the binding fluid color is correct, add enough lume-powder until the fluid / lume-powder mix starts to "stick" to the oiler; i.e. when lifting the oiler out, a small droplet starts to stick to the end. The trick is to find the right "viscosity". Too thin and due to the fluid surface-tension the mix keeps retracting when trying to close the gap, too thick and the mix won't "flow" equally.
First "wet" the metal around the edges of the hand. Take one bigger droplet and start on one side of the hand, pulling the gap close. At first the fluid-mix may retract. It may take a few droplets to pull the whole gap close. Once nicely, equally and smoothly closed ...... KEEP OFF !! Don't keep going back and forwards. Let the lume dry.

It's the usual "Try & Error" until you get the hang of it .... :-d

Suc6 :-!


----------



## mr_grey

My humble effort. 








Polyglass on the glass and water+Q-tip on the face nice new canvas strap and it instantly became my daily wearer









now only to figure out how to get clearer photos of my watches :-s


----------



## haha

Better ?









Nice work ! What about the bezel ?


----------



## EndeavourDK

mr_grey said:


> My humble effort
> Polyglass on the glass and water+Q-tip on the face nice new canvas strap and it instantly became my daily wearer
> now only to figure out how to get clearer photos of my watches :-s


Good start !
Now to re-lume the hands. People have successfully "re-lumed" (more for visual effect) these cadet hands by sticking the old fashion white correction-tape on the backside of the hands. Not useful during the night, but it looks pretty "as if" 

Having said this, as it is now is not bad either ...... you decide :-!

Suc6 ;-)


----------



## mr_grey

haha said:


> Better ?
> 
> View attachment 14273291
> 
> 
> Nice work ! What about the bezel ?


I cleaned the gunk out of the bezel with en exacto blade and polished it as best I could with an emery cloth.

Not sure what else can be done.

The hands don't look like they can be relumed they are hollow and the number markings are all just shiny metal.

Sent from my moto g(6) plus using Tapatalk


----------



## EndeavourDK

mr_grey said:


> The hands don't look like they can be relumed they are hollow and the number markings are all just shiny metal.


The hand are "hollow" so a luminous paste can be applied on the backside of the hands which than "shines" through the opening in the hands. Like in the pictures below, which I picked off the internet, the hands are lumed but the dial not. Your dial is fine and supposed to be like it is. Perhaps some cadets came with no lume on their hands, but I suspect the lume, or paint, has come off through the years or it has been removed.
As said, if you like the watch as it is, not to worry and just enjoy it :-!
With or without lume on the hands, the watch will run the same and give you the same time :-d


----------



## EndeavourDK

With a little touch and the lume of the hour-hand came off as well, so all the hands had to be re-lumed. The old lume was very creamy yellowish.
Of course to get the new lume 100% identical and to fake the real aging color is very hard, but I like to think that with the coffee- & yellow-ink trick one can get reasonably close ..... :think:
Pictures before & after are take under scrutinizing light .....
BTW, reading the word "Anti-magnetic" & "17-jewels" one could think that the picture is a bit blur, but the letters are printed slightly "double" :roll:


----------



## psco78

EndeavourDK said:


> With a little touch and the lume of the hour-hand came off as well, so all the hands had to be re-lumed. The old lume was very creamy yellowish.
> Of course to get the new lume 100% identical and to fake the real aging color is very hard, but I like to think that with the coffee- & yellow-ink trick one can get reasonably close ..... :think:
> Pictures before & after are take under scrutinizing light .....
> BTW, reading the word "Anti-magnetic" & "17-jewels" one could think that the picture is a bit blur, but the letters are printed slightly "double" :roll:


That's nicely done! The colour of the hands fits the original lume pips quite well.
Do you notice a lot of difference in lume intensity between the old and new?


----------



## EndeavourDK

psco78 said:


> That's nicely done! The colour of the hands fits the original lume pips quite well.
> Do you notice a lot of difference in lume intensity between the old and new?


Thank you ;-) 
Yes, obviously the dial stays "death", but the hands perform during the night very well :-!


----------



## EndeavourDK

I've been postponing doing this since I didn't quite know how to and there isn't much information on YouTube about mixing old-color lume and applying it on a flat dial either. A while ago I received a tip from comrade Kamburov to use Embossing pens which I ordered from our Chinese eBay friends.
I had an old dial with some hour lume dots missing or chipped off and I took all the remaining lume off, leaving the white dots which seems to be underneath the lume on more dials.
To avoid any color differences between the hour-dots lume color and the color of the hands, I prepared a set of (in this case Komandirskie, the dial came out of a type 33 Komandirskie housing) hands as well. With the setup ready (dial on some Rodico for stability) I mixed the "Soviet-color" lume-slurry, consisting of the binding fluid, yellow ink, instant coffee and the white lume powder.
Applying the lume on the hands, as per described earlier in this thread, using an old oiler.
Which embossing ball size to use is hard to recommend. First and foremost it depends on the size of the original lume-dots and secondly on the thickness of the lume-slurry. It's one of those try & error things. I've been practicing on an old dial first to get a rough idea and in this case I've been using the two mid-range ball sizes. Just after applying the lume-dot, it is very easy to wipe the lume off and retry if not happy with the looks of it (I should have redone the dot at the hour mark "1")
I'm still not happy with the colors I can achieve. The yellow ink is too much "Neon"-yellow and I need to find something more "beige yellow". So the results below aren't going to be used, but are more to show my first "endeavour" ;-)
I'm sure that if I can get the color right and with some more practice, re-luming a dial (plus the associated hands) is doable ......
Also, for the hands you want a lume-slurry which flows, but perhaps a slightly thicker slurry (by just waiting for the slurry to thicken) for the hour dots to give them some more "body" and get a more defined edge ...... it all requires more practice and more try & error ....

Picture #1: all prepared.
Picture #2: lume applied.
Picture #3: Dial & hands.
Picture #4: The embossing pens which I used with the silicone grips.


----------



## Odessa200

Nicely done!


----------



## Odessa200

Nothing special but still let me share what I've got. Picked this Rubin for 5.50$. As you can see the dial is beyond repair (at least beyond my skills







). Given this is somewhat rare watch I decided to at least do what I can. Hands are cleaned and painted with my wife's nail polish. Color is Ok but this is what she has. I am not buying a diff one ?. Not sure what was on the hands before. Something purple???

Inside as you can see the movement was held with 2 fragments of the plastic wire insulation. I had put a proper bracket. It is missing 1 'leg' but will do for now.

Movement is surprisingly strong. Keeps time. 
I did a cleaning and oiling. Keyless work had a few teeth missing (cause the cannon pinion was clogged with dirt and very tight) so had to replace 1 cog. Now it is smooooth....

I do have a question what this watch should have a shockproof balance or not. In the catalog it is NOT mentioned, but the image in the catalog looks like with the incablock. What do you say?

Given the condition of the watch and the price I paid, I am happy. At least for now.


----------



## Kamburov

Good job! Considering the "before" condition. You're right, the dial is beyond repair. 
I don't know what year they started producing the shockproof ballance, but this one was probably a non shockproof originally.
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Good job! Considering the "before" condition. You're right, the dial is beyond repair.
> I don't know what year they started producing the shockproof ballance, but this one was probably a non shockproof originally.
> Ivan


Yep. I have a few broken Saturns coming. Will swap a balance from there so will have 2604 as in catalog


----------



## Sekondtime

Excellent work Odessa200. I think that considering the cost and state of the original, your restoration is both sympathetic and realistic. Maybe one day, you will find a better dial. 

What did you soak the hands in to clean them?

Sekondtime


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## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Excellent work Odessa200. I think that considering the cost and state of the original, your restoration is both sympathetic and realistic. Maybe one day, you will find a better dial.
> 
> What did you soak the hands in to clean them?
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks for the kind words. I always try to do as little as possible. It looks better in this vintage state that may if you overdo cleaning.

1st I used rubbing alcohol. That is what diluted that blue ink or something. Then I used nail polish remover.


----------



## Sekondtime

This is a recently acquired Ruhla calibre 24 made which was made between 27th April - 3rd May 1964. The dial was somewhat discoloured and so it became another candidate for some citric acid solution treatment.

Before (left), After (Right)









The finished product. The background is from a book which was a promotional book for the 15th Anniversary of the GDR in 1964. The article is entitled "Order at our border". This was less than three years since the Berlin wall was built. The photo shows US Vice President Richard Nixon having his passport examined by an East German Border Guard as he crosses into East Berlin to meet ordinary GDR Citizens. There is more information about Richard Nixon's visits to East Berlin on the Richard Nixon Foundation Website: https://www.nixonfoundation.org/2014/09/berlin-agreement/





















View attachment 14390111
View attachment 14390115


Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> This is a recently acquired Ruhla calibre 24 made which was made between 27th April - 3rd May 1964. The dial was somewhat discoloured and so it became another candidate for some citric acid solution treatment.
> 
> Before (left), After (Right)
> 
> View attachment 14390073
> 
> 
> The finished product. The background is from a book which was a promotional book for the 15th Anniversary of the GDR in 1964. The article is entitled "Order at our border". This was less than three years since the Berlin wall was built. The photo shows US Vice President Richard Nixon having his passport examined by an East German Border Guard as he crosses into East Berlin to meet ordinary GDR Citizens. There is more information about Richard Nixon's visits to East Berlin on the Richard Nixon Foundation Website: https://www.nixonfoundation.org/2014/09/berlin-agreement/
> 
> Sekondtime


Ausgezeichnet! The things you do with Ruhla 
You got that result with citric acid? This dial took it quite well!
Very stylish model! What time did they start signing "made in DDR" instead of Germany?
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> This is a recently acquired Ruhla calibre 24 made which was made between 27th April - 3rd May 1964. The dial was somewhat discoloured and so it became another candidate for some citric acid solution treatment.
> 
> Before (left), After (Right)
> 
> View attachment 14390073
> 
> 
> The finished product. The background is from a book which was a promotional book for the 15th Anniversary of the GDR in 1964. The article is entitled "Order at our border". This was less than three years since the Berlin wall was built. The photo shows US Vice President Richard Nixon having his passport examined by an East German Border Guard as he crosses into East Berlin to meet ordinary GDR Citizens. There is more information about Richard Nixon's visits to East Berlin on the Richard Nixon Foundation Website: https://www.nixonfoundation.org/2014/09/berlin-agreement/
> 
> View attachment 14390077
> View attachment 14390101
> 
> 
> View attachment 14390107
> View attachment 14390111
> View attachment 14390115
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


This is fantastic! Please teach me, Master!
How do I do that? How much? How long? What kind of dials? Any tip is appreciated!!!


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Ausgezeichnet! The things you do with Ruhla
> You got that result with citric acid? This dial took it quite well!
> Very stylish model! What time did they start signing "made in DDR" instead of Germany?
> Ivan


Danke Genosse Ivan!

Yes, this result was through the use of a citric acid solution. It doesn't take a lot of citric acid crystals or time to get the result. About 10 to 15 minutes work.

The wording changed from "Made in Germany" to "Made in GDR" in 1973 when the GDR was recognised by the United Nations.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> This is fantastic! Please teach me, Master!
> How do I do that? How much? How long? What kind of dials? Any tip is appreciated!!!


Thank you Odessa200. This is actually a relatively new process inspired by Kamburov's magic green liquid. There was no magic green liquid readily available here so I looked for an alternative.

There are more details about technique and quantities in the following post in this thread.

https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/before-after-4552677-post49075355.html#post49075355

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is fantastic! Please teach me, Master!
> How do I do that? How much? How long? What kind of dials? Any tip is appreciated!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you Odessa200. This is actually a relatively new process inspired by Kamburov's magic green liquid. There was no magic green liquid readily available here so I looked for an alternative.
> 
> There are more details about technique and quantities in the following post in this thread.
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/before-after-4552677-post49075355.html#post49075355
> 
> Sekondtime
Click to expand...

Thanks! Will give it a try one day!


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Danke Genosse Ivan!
> 
> Yes, this result was through the use of a citric acid solution. It doesn't take a lot of citric acid crystals or time to get the result. About 10 to 15 minutes work.
> 
> The wording changed from "Made in Germany" to "Made in GDR" in 1973 when the GDR was recognised by the United Nations.
> 
> Sekondtime


I guess it's a matter of proportions and technique, and you obviously got it just right! When I experimented with it, I must have poured too many crystals, and the solution was too strong. It was a fail for me, glad you made it work. 
A clean design, white dial like this is always a good challenge, but also very rewarding when you achieve a result like this. The Ruhla dial seems to be of excellent quality, to allow for such a clean without any loss of print or paint. 
I didn't know DDR got printed so late!


----------



## thewatchadude

Sekondtime said:


> Danke Genosse Ivan!
> 
> Yes, this result was through the use of a citric acid solution. It doesn't take a lot of citric acid crystals or time to get the result. About 10 to 15 minutes work.
> 
> The wording changed from "Made in Germany" to "Made in GDR" in 1973 when the GDR was recognised by the United Nations.
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks a lot, this is the answer to the big question I had regarding my Ruhla :



So produced at some point up until 1973 and a true Eastern Bloc watch. Very happy to get confirmation of that!


----------



## Sekondtime

thewatchadude said:


> Thanks a lot, this is the answer to the big question I had regarding my Ruhla :
> 
> 
> 
> So produced at some point up until 1973 and a true Eastern Bloc watch. Very happy to get confirmation of that!


Pleased to have solved your question! These waterproof watches were made for a short period around 1969/1970. I have one too.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I guess it's a matter of proportions and technique, and you obviously got it just right! When I experimented with it, I must have poured too many crystals, and the solution was too strong. It was a fail for me, glad you made it work.
> A clean design, white dial like this is always a good challenge, but also very rewarding when you achieve a result like this. The Ruhla dial seems to be of excellent quality, to allow for such a clean without any loss of print or paint.
> I didn't know DDR got printed so late!


You only need a very small amount of the citric acid crystals in a small container. I use a spray can lid. To illustrate the quantity I use, see below:

Amount of crystals: just enough to half cover the bottom of the lid.









Diameter of the lid is 5cms









Height of the lid is 4.5cms









Only fill to about half way with warm water. Allow the crystals to dissolve. Use a cotton bud to apply the solution to the dial by gently rubbing it across the dial. This is enough to do several dials.

However, as a word of caution, using this method will not be suitable for all dials just those with particular paint finishes. There is no guarantee that the numeral or minute markings will not be affected by such cleaning. It will all depend on the original paint, how it was applied at the factory and how the markings were applied. For example, markings that were applied using transfers will probably not be suitable for this method.

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

A few days I had posted that I got a few old watches for cheap but in bad state. Today I am happy to report that one of them is back in service. The watch was super dirty as you can see. This is the gasoline after soaking the movement parts in it. And the paper where the parts were siting before cleaning 🙂

After the service I have 0.7 secs beat error (that I an not bothered about) and +- a few secs depending on position. I am happy. 

On the outside, after I scrubbed the dirt off, the watch looks nicely vintage. It is heavily used, loss of chrome, etc. but given it is 10$ purchase I like it. What do you say?


----------



## Sekondtime

Bravo! I think that's brilliant for $10. I think it retains just the right amount of vintage patina.

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Bravo! I think that's brilliant for $10. I think it retains just the right amount of vintage patina.
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks. You are too kind 🙂


----------



## Sekondtime

This is just a brief before and after of a MIR 17B alarm clock which was made in the 1st quarter of 1961. I acquired the clock for the modest sum of $12 delivered.

As you can see from the before photos, there was not much paint on the casing or the bell casing at the back. Both should have the pearl/marble effect paint finish. There were still some traces of it inside the bell casing and under the alarm button on the top.





















Having disassembled the clock, I hunted around for some materials to paint the case. I first painted the case black and then put some light coats of a metallic copper over the top. This has the effect of darkening the copper colour slightly which was the colour I was trying to achieve. The bell casing is painted a Champagne colour. I think the two go together.

They are not authentic colours but I though the clock was a little too far gone for an authentic restoration. It has some lume missing on the minute hand and the two feet are odd, one white, one cream and slightly different sizes. So, I felt it would benefit from a tidying up.

Here it is after some paintwork.





















The movement works perfectly and keeps time. The alarm mechanism was working but not engaging when the hour hand met the alarm hand. A slight adjustment and lots of testing solved that problem.

Sekondtime


----------



## SunnyOrange

Sekondtime said:


> This is just a brief before and after of a MIR 17B alarm clock which was made in the 1st quarter of 1961. I acquired the clock for the modest sum of $12 delivered.
> 
> As you can see from the before photos, there was not much paint on the casing or the bell casing at the back. Both should have the pearl/marble effect paint finish. There were still some traces of it inside the bell casing and under the alarm button on the top.
> 
> Having disassembled the clock, I hunted around for some materials to paint the case. *I first painted the case black and then put some light coats of a metallic copper over the top. This has the effect of darkening the copper colour slightly which was the colour I was trying to achieve.* The bell casing is painted a Champagne colour. I think the two go together.


Bravo, it's amazing! As I have many clocks, and some of them not in very good condition, you gave me great idea!

This 'trick' with darkening copper works, and gives much better, non-monotonous effect. These colours do go together.



Sekondtime said:


> *They are not authentic colours but I though the clock was a little too far gone for an authentic restoration.* It has some lume missing on the minute hand and the two feet are odd, one white, one cream and slightly different sizes. So, I felt it would benefit from a tidying up.
> 
> Here it is after some paintwork.
> 
> The movement works perfectly and keeps time. The alarm mechanism was working but not engaging when the hour hand met the alarm hand. A slight adjustment and lots of testing solved that problem.
> 
> Sekondtime


Not only that it looks preserved now, it is an evidence of your artistic work as well. 

May not be authentic look, but everything is better than how it was when you bought it.


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> This is just a brief before and after of a MIR 17B alarm clock which was made in the 1st quarter of 1961. I acquired the clock for the modest sum of $12 delivered.
> 
> As you can see from the before photos, there was not much paint on the casing or the bell casing at the back. Both should have the pearl/marble effect paint finish. There were still some traces of it inside the bell casing and under the alarm button on the top.
> 
> View attachment 14428633
> View attachment 14428635
> View attachment 14428637
> 
> 
> Having disassembled the clock, I hunted around for some materials to paint the case. I first painted the case black and then put some light coats of a metallic copper over the top. This has the effect of darkening the copper colour slightly which was the colour I was trying to achieve. The bell casing is painted a Champagne colour. I think the two go together.
> 
> They are not authentic colours but I though the clock was a little too far gone for an authentic restoration. It has some lume missing on the minute hand and the two feet are odd, one white, one cream and slightly different sizes. So, I felt it would benefit from a tidying up.
> 
> Here it is after some paintwork.
> 
> View attachment 14428651
> View attachment 14428653
> View attachment 14428655
> 
> 
> The movement works perfectly and keeps time. The alarm mechanism was working but not engaging when the hour hand met the alarm hand. A slight adjustment and lots of testing solved that problem.
> 
> Sekondtime


This is sooooo cool. Once in a while I am thinking about starting clocks collection but I manage to control myself. For now. But this is soooo cool.


----------



## Kamburov

Beautiful restorations, comrades!
Odessa, that is a very nice military looking watch. I'm still missing a zvezda Pobeda in my collection.
Secondtime, this is a jawdropping, crafty restoration! Aren't the doved mirs connected to the youth festival Dashiell is so fond of?








his example
https://mroatman.wixsite.com/watches-of-the-ussr/mir?lightbox=dataItem-immwu441

Looks like you had some quality time restoring that clock!
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

SunnyOrange said:


> Bravo, it's amazing! As I have many clocks, and some of them not in very good condition, you gave me great idea!
> 
> This 'trick' with darkening copper works, and gives much better, non-monotonous effect. These colours do go together.
> 
> Not only that it looks preserved now, it is an evidence of your artistic work as well.
> 
> May not be authentic look, but everything is better than how it was when you bought it.


Thank you SunnyOrange! It is good to know that my colour sense is working well!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> This is sooooo cool. Once in a while I am thinking about starting clocks collection but I manage to control myself. For now. But this is soooo cool.


Thanks Odessa200. I think that shortly, I am about to shove some temptation your way. I am preparing a new page for my Sekondtime website that may be of interest to you.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful restorations, comrades!
> Odessa, that is a very nice military looking watch. I'm still missing a zvezda Pobeda in my collection.
> Secondtime, this is a jawdropping, crafty restoration! Aren't the doved mirs connected to the youth festival Dashiell is so fond with?
> View attachment 14429409
> 
> 
> his example
> https://mroatman.wixsite.com/watches-of-the-ussr/mir?lightbox=dataItem-immwu441
> 
> Looks like you had some quality time restoring that clock!
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan. Surprisingly, it actually took a very short time to do. The longest part was sorting out the alarm mechanism.

I think you are probably right about the MIRs being connected with the Youth Festival. Dashiell's example looks like one of the first from 1957. It's a pity we can't see the casing or the bell casing to see what colour it is.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Haven't posted for a long time, but you, guys, are inspiring. 
I got a small pile of junk this morning for about $10. An antique shop friend got them during the last week. 








Got them for the Mayak, obviously, the other two I can use for parts.






















I wasn't planning cleaning the dial, as I liked it the way it was. Then minutes later I noticed a spot on it. Appeared from nowhere. I must have dropped a small drop of some cleaning liquid on it, and it dried and left a mark. Now I had to go all the way. Not at all happy about it.
The result isn't perfect. Actually it's far from my best restorations, but still a cool looking little Mayak. 








It got reunited with it's brothers in the collection.

The Polot was working, but rotor was snapped off, so it went in the spares box. The Zim, though, was a nice surprise. It turned out it's actually a Sportivnie, with a replaced dial. The 17j hacking movement was working perfectly, hacking and all. Broken seconds hand pin, which is quite common. So fragile these things.








Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Haven't posted for a long time, but you, guys, are inspiring.
> I got a small pile of junk this morning for about $10. An antique shop friend got them during the last week.
> View attachment 14430409
> 
> 
> Got them for the Mayak, obviously, the other two I can use for parts.
> View attachment 14430413
> 
> View attachment 14430415
> 
> View attachment 14430417
> 
> 
> I wasn't planning cleaning the dial, as I liked it the way it was. Then minutes later I noticed a spot on it. Appeared from nowhere. I must have dropped a small drop of some cleaning liquid on it, and it dried and left a mark. Now I had to go all the way. Not at all happy about it.
> The result isn't perfect. Actually it's far from my best restorations, but still a cool looking little Mayak.
> View attachment 14430421
> 
> 
> It got reunited with it's brothers in the collection.
> 
> The Polot was working, but rotor was snapped off, so it went in the spares box. The Zim, though, was a nice surprise. It turned out it's actually a Sportivnie, with a replaced dial. The 17j hacking movement was working perfectly, hacking and all. Broken seconds hand pin, which is quite common. So fragile these things.
> View attachment 14430429
> 
> 
> Ivan


Not bad at all! And for 10$!!!!


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is sooooo cool. Once in a while I am thinking about starting clocks collection but I manage to control myself. For now. But this is soooo cool.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Odessa200. I think that shortly, I am about to shove some temptation your way. I am preparing a new page for my Sekondtime website that may be of interest to you.
Click to expand...

Waiting for it.... 🙂

Btw, I got a bunch of used hands for clocks and alarms. Want them? Drop me a PM. If you are in USA can ship them your way fast.


----------



## Odessa200

Sometime back I had posted that I got a Luch. I was hesitant to buy it cause the description was weird, watch was dirty, etc. But the fact that it had an original strap suggested it is all original and the price of 33 gbps convinced me. And I am glad. Very glad. Got it today. All original. Nothing was done to it. Ever. Gilding is intact. 
Some dirt, during the shipment, found its way to the dial but I just blew it off. So far I just cleaned it a bit. Original strap is off. Sorry. I like authenticity but this strap is rather dated, a bit used and faded.... will keep it for collection. For now put on a new vintage black strap. What do you say? Am I lucky or what? 🙂


----------



## Kamburov

Some vostoks from the past weeks.
The first is actually a defrankenzation...






















... but the other one was built from almost a scratch. Seller pics:















In reality it wasn't better. Even Frida was sceptic about it. 








To tell you the truth, it took almost all my 119 spares. Finding authentic spares for a tonneau amfibia was not easy at all, especially 2209 crowns and crystals. Had to put new hour/minute hands untill I find authentic ones, or relume the old ones.








The original crystal was too cracked. Managed to find an authentic one in a better condition. Still cracked, but not that much. Really like how it blends with the bezel, so cool. Put some silicone for a perfect seal, and this vintage dude is ready for a test shallow dive.















Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Sometime back I had posted that I got a Luch. I was hesitant to buy it cause the description was weird, watch was dirty, etc. But the fact that it had an original strap suggested it is all original and the price of 33 gbps convinced me. And I am glad. Very glad. Got it today. All original. Nothing was done to it. Ever. Gilding is intact.
> Some dirt, during the shipment, found its way to the dial but I just blew it off. So far I just cleaned it a bit. Original strap is off. Sorry. I like authenticity but this strap is rather dated, a bit used and faded.... will keep it for collection. For now put on a new vintage black strap. What do you say? Am I lucky or what? &#55357;&#56898;


That's one exeptionally good deal! Striking watch, congrats! Yeah, there's some luck you got there, but you kept your eyes open, and made a good decision.
These elegant 2209 are timeless.
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Some vostoks from the past weeks.
> The first is actually a defrankenzation...
> View attachment 14430433
> 
> View attachment 14430435
> 
> View attachment 14430437
> 
> 
> ... but the other one was built from almost a scratch. Seller pics:
> View attachment 14430439
> 
> View attachment 14430441
> 
> 
> In reality it wasn't better. Even Frida was sceptic about it.
> View attachment 14430455
> 
> 
> To tell you the truth, it took almost all my 119 spares. Finding authentic spares for a tonneau amfibia was not easy at all, especially 2209 crowns and crystals. Had to put new hour/minute hands untill I find authentic ones, or relume the old ones.
> View attachment 14430453
> 
> 
> The original crystal was too cracked. Managed to find an authentic one in a better condition. Still cracked, but not that much. Really like how it blends with the bezel, so cool. Put some silicone for a perfect seal, and this vintage dude is ready for a test shallow dive.
> View attachment 14430475
> 
> View attachment 14430477
> 
> 
> Ivan


Yeaaaa, 2 more watches are back from the trash can... Not bad!


----------



## SunnyOrange

Kamburov said:


> Haven't posted for a long time, but you, guys, are inspiring.
> I got a small pile of junk this morning for about $10. An antique shop friend got them during the last week.
> 
> Got them for the Mayak, obviously, the other two I can use for parts.
> 
> I wasn't planning cleaning the dial, as I liked it the way it was. Then minutes later I noticed a spot on it. Appeared from nowhere. I must have dropped a small drop of some cleaning liquid on it, and it dried and left a mark. Now I had to go all the way. Not at all happy about it.
> The result isn't perfect. Actually it's far from my best restorations, but still a cool looking little Mayak.
> 
> It got reunited with it's brothers in the collection.
> 
> The Polot was working, but rotor was snapped off, so it went in the spares box. The Zim, though, was a nice surprise. It turned out it's actually a Sportivnie, with a replaced dial. The 17j hacking movement was working perfectly, hacking and all. Broken seconds hand pin, which is quite common. So fragile these things.
> 
> Ivan


You guys did some amazing job!!!

I just love this Mayak, dial is fantastic, second hand, good find! It's not as common in collections as other more popular brands, and that brings pleasure to own.

A nice guy started a thread recently in Vintage & Pocket Watches forum, you can check out his before & after work at the bottom of the page, he says that he uses some *spray paint for chrome cases*. And I thought his watch was a lost case!

This is a link :

https://www.watchuseek.com/f11/what-i-got-free-yesterday-5017747-2.html

P.S. Check his wonderful Raketa on first page!


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Some vostoks from the past weeks.
> The first is actually a defrankenzation...
> View attachment 14430433
> 
> View attachment 14430435
> 
> View attachment 14430437
> 
> 
> ... but the other one was built from almost a scratch. Seller pics:
> View attachment 14430439
> 
> View attachment 14430441
> 
> 
> In reality it wasn't better. Even Frida was sceptic about it.
> View attachment 14430455
> 
> 
> To tell you the truth, it took almost all my 119 spares. Finding authentic spares for a tonneau amfibia was not easy at all, especially 2209 crowns and crystals. Had to put new hour/minute hands untill I find authentic ones, or relume the old ones.
> View attachment 14430453
> 
> 
> The original crystal was too cracked. Managed to find an authentic one in a better condition. Still cracked, but not that much. Really like how it blends with the bezel, so cool. Put some silicone for a perfect seal, and this vintage dude is ready for a test shallow dive.
> View attachment 14430475
> 
> View attachment 14430477
> 
> 
> Ivan


Both successful accomplishments. Well done! I am interested in the strap you have on the amphibia. Is it new or repurposed?


----------



## SunnyOrange

Kamburov said:


> Some vostoks from the past weeks.
> The first is actually a *defrankenzation*...
> 
> ... but the other one was built from almost a scratch. Seller pics:
> 
> In reality it wasn't better. Even Frida was sceptic about it.
> View attachment 14430455
> 
> 
> To tell you the truth, it took almost all my 119 spares. Finding authentic spares for a tonneau amfibia was not easy at all, especially 2209 crowns and crystals. Had to put new hour/minute hands untill I find authentic ones, or relume the old ones.
> 
> The original crystal was too cracked. Managed to find an authentic one in a better condition. Still cracked, but not that much. Really like how it blends with the bezel, so cool. Put some silicone for a perfect seal, and this vintage dude is ready for a test shallow dive.
> 
> Ivan


Oh so so cute! Frida knew this wasn't going to be easy task! ;-)

It turned out great, congratulations!


----------



## Sekondtime

SunnyOrange said:


> You guys did some amazing job!!!
> 
> I just love this Mayak, dial is fantastic, second hand, good find! It's not as common in collections as other more popular brands, and that brings pleasure to own.
> 
> A nice guy started a thread recently in Vintage & Pocket Watches forum, you can check out his before & after work at the bottom of the page, he says that he uses some *spray paint for chrome cases*. And I thought his watch was a lost case!
> 
> This is a link :
> 
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f11/what-i-got-free-yesterday-5017747-2.html
> 
> P.S. Check his wonderful Raketa on first page!


Seconded. The Mayak looks good.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Both successful accomplishments. Well done! I am interested in the strap you have on the amphibia. Is it new or repurposed?


Thanks! The bracelet is a vintage 18mm one. I honestly don't remember how I got it. It has "100% stainless steel" on the lock. I have a whole pile of bracelets, that accumulated in the past years (many soviet), but I don't use them, just throw them in a box. Only recently I started taking some out, like these raketas
View attachment 14430699

View attachment 14430701


I think the 119 case goes well with a bracelet that's wider than the 18mm lugs. So for these I pick the vintage bracelets that I "feel" match the style of the case.
View attachment 14430795


I have a feeling both bracelets started their life on japanese watches, though.
Ivan


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Seconded. The Mayak looks good.


Thank you all, I appreciate it! Yes, I like the watch a lot too. I just got a bit annoyed with this clean, because when a dial is very, very dirty, I can't clean the print well and it stays in darker, non cleaned islands. I like it when I can't tell it's been cleaned. Don't dwell on small things like that though 
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks! The bracelet is a vintage 18mm one. I honestly don't remember how I got it. It has "100% stainless steel" on the lock. I have a whole pile of bracelets, that accumulated in the past years (many soviet), but I don't use them, just throw them in a box. Only recently I started taking some out, like these raketas
> View attachment 14430699
> 
> View attachment 14430701
> 
> 
> I think the 119 case goes well with a bracelet that's wider than the 18mm lugs. So for these I pick the vintage bracelets that I "feel" match the style of the case.
> View attachment 14430795
> 
> 
> I have a feeling both bracelets started their life on japanese watches, though.
> Ivan


Ah, I see. It looks very similar to this one on one of my Ruhlas. This type of bracelet is supposed to be "Seiko" style. It is my favourite type of steel bracelet.


----------



## AaParker

Not as spectacular as most of the transformations on here, but I think it looks better.  Mostly used mineral oil and a tiny bit of soapy water. 
Before









After


----------



## haha

Don't be modest, it's an impressive result !


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Not as spectacular as most of the transformations on here, but I think it looks better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mostly used mineral oil and a tiny bit of soapy water.
> Before
> 
> View attachment 14435263
> 
> 
> After
> 
> View attachment 14435265


Wowowowow! Fantastic results!


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Don't be modest, it's an impressive result !


Exactly my first reaction too 

Really impressive, and a really nice watch too! You too a chance there, but it paid back!
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

AaParker said:


> Not as spectacular as most of the transformations on here, but I think it looks better.  Mostly used mineral oil and a tiny bit of soapy water.
> Before
> 
> View attachment 14435263
> 
> 
> After
> 
> View attachment 14435265


Excellent work!


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

AaParker said:


> Not as spectacular as most of the transformations on here, but I think it looks better.  Mostly used mineral oil and a tiny bit of soapy water.
> Before
> 
> View attachment 14435263
> 
> 
> After
> 
> View attachment 14435265


Wow! i gotta remember that.. mineral oil and soapy water. I have a few watches with similar discoloration, so when I rebuild them I'll try it.
Good work!!


----------



## Odessa200

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> AaParker said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not as spectacular as most of the transformations on here, but I think it looks better.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mostly used mineral oil and a tiny bit of soapy water.
> Before
> 
> View attachment 14435263
> 
> 
> After
> 
> View attachment 14435265
> 
> 
> 
> Wow! i gotta remember that.. mineral oil and soapy water. I have a few watches with similar discoloration, so when I rebuild them I'll try it.
> Good work!!
Click to expand...

I use just soapy water. What is the technic with the oil? Before? After? In the soapy water?


----------



## AaParker

Duplicate


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> I use just soapy water. What is the technic with the oil? Before? After? In the soapy water?


I used cotton swabs to apply mineral oil first then remove. That got rid of most everything, and then a little soapy water on the stubborn areas. . I've tried just soapy water, but I may have been overly aggressive and removed the lacquer. Using mineral oil forces me to slow down. I read about using it here and on the vintage forum.


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I use just soapy water. What is the technic with the oil? Before? After? In the soapy water?
> 
> 
> 
> I used cotton swabs to apply mineral oil first then remove. That got rid of most everything, and then a little soapy water on the stubborn areas.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> . I've tried just soapy water, but I may have been overly aggressive and removed the lacquer. Using mineral oil forces me to slow down. I read about using it here and on the vintage forum.
Click to expand...

Thanks!!!!


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> This is just a brief before and after of a MIR 17B alarm clock which was made in the 1st quarter of 1961. I acquired the clock for the modest sum of $12 delivered.
> 
> As you can see from the before photos, there was not much paint on the casing or the bell casing at the back. Both should have the pearl/marble effect paint finish. There were still some traces of it inside the bell casing and under the alarm button on the top.
> 
> View attachment 14428633
> View attachment 14428635
> View attachment 14428637
> 
> 
> Having disassembled the clock, I hunted around for some materials to paint the case. I first painted the case black and then put some light coats of a metallic copper over the top. This has the effect of darkening the copper colour slightly which was the colour I was trying to achieve. The bell casing is painted a Champagne colour. I think the two go together.
> 
> They are not authentic colours but I though the clock was a little too far gone for an authentic restoration. It has some lume missing on the minute hand and the two feet are odd, one white, one cream and slightly different sizes. So, I felt it would benefit from a tidying up.
> 
> Here it is after some paintwork.
> 
> View attachment 14428651
> View attachment 14428653
> View attachment 14428655
> 
> 
> The movement works perfectly and keeps time. The alarm mechanism was working but not engaging when the hour hand met the alarm hand. A slight adjustment and lots of testing solved that problem.
> 
> Sekondtime


Just saw this in a local site, for under $10. I'm being tempted 






















I didn't realise it's so small. I like that.
Ivan


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

AaParker said:


> I used cotton swabs to apply mineral oil first then remove. That got rid of most everything, and then a little soapy water on the stubborn areas. . I've tried just soapy water, but I may have been overly aggressive and removed the lacquer. Using mineral oil forces me to slow down. I read about using it here and on the vintage forum.


Same here. I used soapy water and took off some minute parkers and the "A" in Bulova on my Dad's 1953 President. I think Mineral Oil would have been more effective, and thus needed less pressure.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Just saw this in a local site, for under $10. I'm being tempted
> View attachment 14437075
> 
> View attachment 14437081
> 
> View attachment 14437083
> 
> 
> I didn't realise it's so small. I like that.
> Ivan


Try it! the insides are dead simple. I have two similar Slavas for my boys.
Yours is a nice classic...


----------



## Kamburov

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Try it! the insides are dead simple. I have two similar Slavas for my boys.
> Yours is a nice classic...


Thanks, I will  I ordered it 5 minutes after I posted. 
I'm not worried about the movement, but yeah, I was wondering about dismantling the case. Hopefully I won't brake or bend something. 
This is going to be a different kind of fun.
Ivan


----------



## AaParker

I went ahead and tried my hand at cleaning the gold Kirovskie. I'm glad I did! I'm much happier with it now! 

Before








After


----------



## haha

Congrats. Another great job on a very complicated kind of dial !


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, I will  I ordered it 5 minutes after I posted.
> I'm not worried about the movement, but yeah, I was wondering about dismantling the case. Hopefully I won't brake or bend something.
> This is going to be a different kind of fun.
> Ivan


I knew you would order it! Disassembling the case is very easy. It can be done in 2 minutes.

Looking forward to seeing a revitalised MIR clock.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

I got the Mir clock this morning, and since it's a day off work started planning some quality time with it. On my way home I received a phone call from the post office that changed my plans for the day. 
A week ago, while sitting bored at home, I became curious about the antimagnetic Raketa, so I got on the Ebay and bought the two cheapest antimagnetic ones that looked authentic. The first was $12, non working for parts/repair, but had the right attributes.















There's the obvious problem with the ballance and a missing seconds hand, but that's ok.
After I bought this one I thought "What if this is beyond repair? It will be so unsatisfying!", so I bought the next cheapest thing I saw for $20








Much better dial, right? My satisfaction was double protected now.

Anyway, the call from the post office was for collecting the first one. At home I took it apart to make a list of the problems and missing parts.








Problems:
1. The ballance, suprisingly, turned out to be ok. The regulating things (terminology not my strongest area) have got unhooked from the ballance bridge, so I just gently put them back on. No twisting or bending on the ballance spring. Cool!
2. The movement still not working, so I took it all apart, just to find out there's a jewel missing on the pallet fork (there's some terminology). Replaced it, cleaned the rest and put it back together. It's alive!
3. Dial had a broken foot, so that got superglued back on








4. Missing seconds hand. That got sorted too








5. The crystal fell apart when I took it off, but I managed to find a good original replacement. The advantage of piling so much junk over the years.

After having a good lunch, while waiting for the dial glue and hands paint to dry...








...I put everything back together, and








It's loosing a minute in two hours, but I haven't done a propper regulation yet. I can't do anything else about the dial, though. It's what it is, and I still like it. Another one back from the dead.
The other one has a better potential, and I had a good practice now.
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Not a "before & After" I was hoping for, but at least now it's done.
This 1969 Komandirskie was "none-runner", that is to say it ran for a few seconds and stopped again. It all seemed original and for $20 I didn't mind giving it a go.
I was hoping for that I was able to remove some on the "stain" on the dial, but after having tried soapy water, Zippo lighter fluid and citric acid it became pretty evident that the discoloring was underneath the lacquer and was caused by natural aging.
The gold-plated case was briefly (1 minute) dipped in an ammonia solution and the ammonia took the lackluster away. The crystal could be saved by polishing.
The 2214 movement (with hacking feature) was very dirty and the hairspring quite deformed. Cleaned the movement and sorted out the hairspring. However even after 3x disassembling, cleaning and pegging of the jewels and pivots I couldn't get the amplitude above the 200 degrees. The exit-pallet of the pallet-fork had a deep draw, causing an amplitude loss while unlocking by the balance. Tried many other forks and swapped the original fork for one with a less deep draw, but still the amplitude is not to write home about .....:roll: Perhaps in time it will creep up a bit more :think:

Anyway; Mr.Voevoda's watch, which he received in 1969 for his achievements from the commanders of military unit 62957 has been brought back to life  What is left is to find a nice leather strap to compliment the watch and to give it some wrist time b-)

Two pictures before, followed by two after shots and the current timegrapher screen with dial up;


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> I got the Mir clock this morning, and since it's a day off work started planning some quality time with it. On my way home I received a phone call from the post office that changed my plans for the day.
> A week ago, while sitting bored at home, I became curious about the antimagnetic Raketa, so I got on the Ebay and bought the two cheapest antimagnetic ones that looked authentic. The first was $12, non working for parts/repair, but had the right attributes.
> View attachment 14442151
> 
> View attachment 14442153
> 
> 
> There's the obvious problem with the ballance and a missing seconds hand, but that's ok.
> After I bought this one I thought "What if this is beyond repair? It will be so unsatisfying!", so I bought the next cheapest thing I saw for $20
> View attachment 14442161
> 
> 
> Much better dial, right? My satisfaction was double protected now.
> 
> Anyway, the call from the post office was for collecting the first one. At home I took it apart to make a list of the problems and missing parts.
> View attachment 14442165
> 
> 
> Problems:
> 1. The ballance, suprisingly, turned out to be ok. The regulating things (terminology not my strongest area) have got unhooked from the ballance bridge, so I just gently put them back on. No twisting or bending on the ballance spring. Cool!
> 2. The movement still not working, so I took it all apart, just to find out there's a jewel missing on the pallet fork (there's some terminology). Replaced it, cleaned the rest and put it back together. It's alive!
> 3. Dial had a broken foot, so that got superglued back on
> View attachment 14442195
> 
> 
> 4. Missing seconds hand. That got sorted too
> View attachment 14442199
> 
> 
> 5. The crystal fell apart when I took it off, but I managed to find a good original replacement. The advantage of piling so much junk over the years.
> 
> After having a good lunch, while waiting for the dial glue and hands paint to dry...
> View attachment 14442217
> 
> 
> ...I put everything back together, and
> View attachment 14442225
> 
> 
> It's loosing a minute in two hours, but I haven't done a propper regulation yet. I can't do anything else about the dial, though. It's what it is, and I still like it. Another one back from the dead.
> The other one has a better potential, and I had a good practice now.
> Ivan


Nice vintage look! I would try to 'age' the new paint on the hands a bit to better match the dial. But that is just me...


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Nice vintage look! I would try to 'age' the new paint on the hands a bit to better match the dial. But that is just me...


Thanks, Odessa! It's not just you, thought of giving them EndeavourDK's instant cofee treatment too  When cleaning the dial the white looked white enough to skip the step. It's after I posted here I and took the watch out to the groceries, that I noticed the difference. The acryllic paint I use is very easy to redo. Not doday, though, I'm having a drink now 
EndeavourDK, that's a very nice Komandirskie! Nevermind the spot, it's just the way it aged, and it adds to the uniqueness of the watch. Did you try another ballance, or you are sure it's the fork?
Ivan


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> Not a "before & After" I was hoping for, but at least now it's done.
> This 1969 Komandirskie was "none-runner", that is to say it ran for a few seconds and stopped again. It all seemed original and for $20 I didn't mind giving it a go.
> I was hoping for that I was able to remove some on the "stain" on the dial, but after having tried soapy water, Zippo lighter fluid and citric acid it became pretty evident that the discoloring was underneath the lacquer and was caused by natural aging.
> The gold-plated case was briefly (1 minute) dipped in an ammonia solution and the ammonia took the lackluster away. The crystal could be saved by polishing.
> The 2214 movement (with hacking feature) was very dirty and the hairspring quite deformed. Cleaned the movement and sorted out the hairspring. However even after 3x disassembling, cleaning and pegging of the jewels and pivots I couldn't get the amplitude above the 200 degrees. The exit-pallet of the pallet-fork had a deep draw, causing an amplitude loss while unlocking by the balance. Tried many other forks and swapped the original fork for one with a less deep draw, but still the amplitude is not to write home about .....:roll: Perhaps in time it will creep up a bit more :think:
> 
> Anyway; Mr.Voevoda's watch, which he received in 1969 for his achievements from the commanders of military unit 62957 has been brought back to life  What is left is to find a nice leather strap to compliment the watch and to give it some wrist time b-)
> 
> Two pictures before, followed by two after shots and the current timegrapher screen with dial up;


That looks great! Nice job. You mentioned using an ammonia solution and the ammonia took the lackluster away. What percent ammonia to water did you use? Thanks.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> EndeavourDK, that's a very nice Komandirskie! Nevermind the spot, it's just the way it aged, and it adds to the uniqueness of the watch. Did you try another ballance, or you are sure it's the fork?
> Ivan


It would have been nice to have brighten up the dial a bit, but since it is all natural aged, I quite like it ..... there is none dial alike 
No, I haven't tried another balance yet and if possible I like to keep the original. I for sure wasn't happy with the draw & lock, which is now with the new fork better. I'll leave the watch (which was assembled today) running and see what it does, also tonight during the date-change period. If it gets though the 24hrs okay, and the timekeeping is reasonable, I may just leave it. Another variable to throw into the amplitude-equation is the strength (or the lack of it) of the old & tired mainspring (which age is 50 years to date).



AaParker said:


> That looks great! Nice job. You mentioned using an ammonia solution and the ammonia took the lackluster away. What percent ammonia to water did you use? Thanks.


Hmmm, that went by eyeballing. I used distilled water and poured some ammonia in it. I would guesstimate 5 to 10% at the most :roll:


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> It would have been nice to have brighten up the dial a bit, but since it is all natural aged, I quite like it ..... there is none dial alike
> No, I haven't tried another balance yet and if possible I like to keep the original. I for sure wasn't happy with the draw & lock, which is now with the new fork better. I'll leave the watch (which was assembled today) running and see what it does, also tonight during the date-change period. If it gets though the 24hrs okay, and the timekeeping is reasonable, I may just leave it. Another variable to throw into the amplitude-equation is the strength (or the lack of it) of the old & tired mainspring.
> 
> Hmmm, that went by eyeballing. I used distilled water and poured some ammonia in it. I would guesstimate 5 to 10% at the most :roll:


Thank you!


----------



## Kamburov

There's the second one. What I hoped to be fibres on the dial, turned out to be spots. The dial is burned to purple, and I like that. No repairs on this one, only cleaning, second hand/crown replacing, and hands painting. Used some instant coffe this time


----------



## EndeavourDK

You are going for it Ivan, great jobs :-!

Today I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry .....

I bought 2x Komandirskies from comrade BPmurray, both needed repair and some hands had to be sorted out.
After finishing the 1969 Komandirskie yesterday I decided to start on the first Komandiskie with the triangles lume. The broken movement was stripped and the parts put in a cleaning fluid for overnight soaking.
There was something wrong with the dial lacquer layer. On the sides it had gone dark, it contained over the whole dial a lot of fibers and the lacquer was put over the lume-markers. The 3AKA3 MO CCCP on the bottom edge was mostly missing giving me the overall impression that somebody in the past has had a go at this dial.
It would be nice if I could remove the old lacquer layer and put a new one on ..... an endeavour I've never done before :roll:
Consulted the internet how they removed a varnish layer on old oil-paintings and white spirit (turpentine) was one of the solvents they used.

For experimental reasons I keep some scrap dials and started with a dirty brown dial. To my big surprise it worked really well !! The lacquer layer dissolved slowly, very controlled & nicely without dissolving any of the markings or the underlying color. The end-result was truly stunning !
Could I repeat the same process on the Komandirskie dial?
I started carefully on the edges and the process seemed to behave the same. It takes time for the lacquer to dissolved and after carefully trying around the edges I decided to wet the whole dial. The lacquer came off in the same way as with the other dial but suddenly I noticed that the markings were fainting away. I rinsed the dial with soapy water and now I'm not sure whether I'm looking at a bare metal dial-blank with everything (apart from the lume) removed (o|) or at a dial with still the original color on it :-s
There is still some lacquer around the lume-edges.
The hour-markings and lettering are still there but much less pronounced.
In the 4th picture to Komandirskie dial happend to be in the picture together with the end result of the first trial-dial. 
Not sure what to make of it ....... did I sr*w this dial up ?? Any thoughts ...... :think:


----------



## Odessa200

EndeavourDK said:


> You are going for it Ivan, great jobs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry .....
> 
> I bought 2x Komandirskies from comrade BPmurray, both needed repair and some hands had to be sorted out.
> After finishing the 1969 Komandirskie yesterday I decided to start on the first Komandiskie with the triangles lume. The broken movement was stripped and the parts put in a cleaning fluid for overnight soaking.
> There was something wrong with the dial lacquer layer. On the sides it had gone dark, it contained over the whole dial a lot of fibers and the lacquer was put over the lume-markers. The 3AKA3 MO CCCP on the bottom edge was mostly missing giving me the overall impression that somebody in the past has had a go at this dial.
> It would be nice if I could remove the old lacquer layer and put a new one on ..... an endeavour I've never done before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Consulted the internet how they removed a varnish layer on old oil-paintings and white spirit (turpentine) was one of the solvents they used.
> 
> For experimental reasons I keep some scrap dials and started with a dirty brown dial. To my big surprise it worked really well !! The lacquer layer dissolved slowly, very controlled & nicely without dissolving any of the markings or the underlying color. The end-result was truly stunning !
> Could I repeat the same process on the Komandirskie dial?
> I started carefully on the edges and the process seemed to behave the same. It takes time for the lacquer to dissolved and after carefully trying around the edges I decided to wet the whole dial. The lacquer came off in the same way as with the other dial but suddenly I noticed that the markings were fainting away. I rinsed the dial with soapy water and now I'm not sure whether I'm looking at a bare metal dial-blank with everything (apart from the lume) removed (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) or at a dial with still the original color on it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There is still some lacquer around the lume-edges.
> The hour-markings and lettering are still there but much less pronounced.
> In the 4th picture to Komandirskie dial happend to be in the picture together with the end result of the first trial-dial.
> Not sure what to make of it ....... did I sr*w this dial up ?? Any thoughts ......


Is it possible that these dials do not have the paint layer: just the dark lacquer (that you took off)?


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Is it possible that these dials do not have the paint layer: just the dark lacquer (that you took off)?


Perhaps, I've no idea :think: Though the "darkness" has stayed about the same .....


----------



## Kamburov

EndeavourDK said:


> You are going for it Ivan, great jobs :-!
> 
> Today I'm not sure whether to laugh or to cry .....
> 
> I bought 2x Komandirskies from comrade BPmurray, both needed repair and some hands had to be sorted out.
> After finishing the 1969 Komandirskie yesterday I decided to start on the first Komandiskie with the triangles lume. The broken movement was stripped and the parts put in a cleaning fluid for overnight soaking.
> There was something wrong with the dial lacquer layer. On the sides it had gone dark, it contained over the whole dial a lot of fibers and the lacquer was put over the lume-markers. The 3AKA3 MO CCCP on the bottom edge was mostly missing giving me the overall impression that somebody in the past has had a go at this dial.
> It would be nice if I could remove the old lacquer layer and put a new one on ..... an endeavour I've never done before :roll:
> Consulted the internet how they removed a varnish layer on old oil-paintings and white spirit (turpentine) was one of the solvents they used.
> 
> For experimental reasons I keep some scrap dials and started with a dirty brown dial. To my big surprise it worked really well !! The lacquer layer dissolved slowly, very controlled & nicely without dissolving any of the markings or the underlying color. The end-result was truly stunning !
> Could I repeat the same process on the Komandirskie dial?
> I started carefully on the edges and the process seemed to behave the same. It takes time for the lacquer to dissolved and after carefully trying around the edges I decided to wet the whole dial. The lacquer came off in the same way as with the other dial but suddenly I noticed that the markings were fainting away. I rinsed the dial with soapy water and now I'm not sure whether I'm looking at a bare metal dial-blank with everything (apart from the lume) removed (o|) or at a dial with still the original color on it :-s
> There is still some lacquer around the lume-edges.
> The hour-markings and lettering are still there but much less pronounced.
> In the 4th picture to Komandirskie dial happend to be in the picture together with the end result of the first trial-dial.
> Not sure what to make of it ....... did I sr*w this dial up ?? Any thoughts ...... :think:


Turpentine? That's a new one! Looks very promising!
I have a good (bulgarian) friend doing professional restoration in Italy. She works in the Vatican and other high profile sites. We've never talked about restoration stuff, but maybe I should reach out. I may learn something from the real professionals 
Anyway, back to the dials. On the first one you were obviously very careful and the result is spectacular! This gave you confidence and when doing the second one you changed the application technique, and that led to a change in the result. So wat was different:
1. The dial - even if both a similar vostok production, there may be differences in the materials used, the age and exposure to the elements. So they may react differently to the same process.
2. The technique - quantity matters, or "quantity increase leads to quality change". I think that when I apply a cleaning substance to a dial, there is a "time window" that is long enough to take the laquer and short enough not to take the print. When I do it bit by bit I control this time window. When I go full on, and do the whole dial at once, most of it goes out of the time window and this area gets overdone. The markers on the dial are not less pronounced, some of the paint is gone. The spots that have been on the shade of the paint are more pronounced (light) than the rest of the dial that has been burnt by the sun. 
It's still a cool dial, and it will have a long life in your posession, I'm sure. My advice is - anything different, you should try it on a spare first. No matter how small that change seems. 
It's not a total damage, as some of mine  Still a very good dial and watch. 
Thanks for bringing the subject up, as there's a fundamental truth, that restoration nerds like us learn the hard way - there's no magic dial cleaning liquid, as there is no philosopher's stone. As there's no chemical that kills only the mosquitos and spares the bees.
I will deffinately try the turpentine, thanks for the tip! I lerned a great deal from you, and I know how that knowledge builds up - the hard way 
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Turpentine? That's a new one! Looks very promising!
> I have a good (bulgarian) friend doing professional restoration in Italy. She works in the Vatican and other high profile sites. We've never talked about restoration stuff, but maybe I should reach out. I may learn something from the real professionals
> Anyway, back to the dials. On the first one you were obviously very careful and the result is spectacular! This gave you confidence and when doing the second one you changed the application technique, and that led to a change in the result. So wat was different:
> 1. The dial - even if both a similar vostok production, there may be differences in the materials used, the age and exposure to the elements. So they may react differently to the same process.
> 2. The technique - quantity matters, or "quantity increase leads to quality change". I think that when I apply a cleaning substance to a dial, there is a "time window" that is long enough to take the laquer and short enough not to take the print. When I do it bit by bit I control this time window. When I go full on, and do the whole dial at once, most of it goes out of the time window and this area gets overdone. The markers on the dial are not less pronounced, some of the paint is gone. The spots that have been on the shade of the paint are more pronounced (light) than the rest of the dial that has been burnt by the sun.
> It's still a cool dial, and it will have a long life in your posession, I'm sure. My advice is - anything different, you should try it on a spare first. No matter how small that change seems.
> It's not a total damage, as some of mine  Still a very good dial and watch.
> Thanks for bringing the subject up, as there's a fundamental truth, that restoration nerds like us learn the hard way - there's no magic dial cleaning liquid, as there is no philosopher's stone. As there's no chemical that kills only the mosquitos and spares the bees.
> I will deffinately try the turpentine, thanks for the tip! I lerned a great deal from you, and I know how that knowledge builds up - the hard way
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan for the support and tips :-!

Yes, I wanted to bring this up first to show that not every restoration attempt ends up in a happy ending (there is a thin line between a hero and a zero :-d) and secondly so we can all learn. It would be nice if you can ask your restoration friend as they deal with all sorts of paint & other problems. I doubt it very much if their first choice would be turpentine on a Vatican painting, I'm sure they have far more sophisticated stuff. They also do a thoroughly research on small samples before they attempt anything.
I don't think that I changed my procedure the 2nd time that much. I also whetted the first dial at some point. Admitting, after the first results I was getting a bit smug but that has now quickly changed back to the tail between my legs ....
Yes, I am aware the every dial can react differently, hence my initial testing around the edge of the 2nd dial .... it all seemed to react the same .... 
Whether I took some paint off the Komandirskie dial? Looking at the color on the cotton buds it appears not, they all seem to have just the lacquer color.

I was now wondering what would happen if I continue to clean the dial around the lume markers and than apply a layer of lacquer :think:
Turpentine doesn't seem to affect the lume and now I'm so far in, I may just as well finish the job.
Perhaps a new lacquer layer may brighten things somewhat up again :think:

Anyway, I knew already that dial restoration is an art and is not the be learned in a small 20-page book with "three easy lessons". That has been (again) confirmed 

Will post the results in due time; whatever they may turn out to be ........ ;-)


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> There's the second one. What I hoped to be fibres on the dial, turned out to be spots. The dial is burned to purple, and I like that. No repairs on this one, only cleaning, second hand/crown replacing, and hands painting. Used some instant coffe this time


Keep it out of the sun or the purple will turn brown and fade. This was the fate of so many similar colour Sekondas.

Excellent work again.


----------



## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> Thanks Ivan for the support and tips :-!
> 
> Yes, I wanted to bring this up first to show that not every restoration attempt ends up in a happy ending (there is a thin line between a hero and a zero :-d) and secondly so we can all learn. It would be nice if you can ask your restoration friend as they deal with all sorts of paint & other problems. I doubt it very much if their first choice would be turpentine on a Vatican painting, I'm sure they have far more sophisticated stuff. They also do a thoroughly research on small samples before they attempt anything.
> I don't think that I changed my procedure the 2nd time that much. I also whetted the first dial at some point. Admitting, after the first results I was getting a bit smug but that has now quickly changed back to the tail between my legs ....
> Yes, I am aware the every dial can react differently, hence my initial testing around the edge of the 2nd dial .... it all seemed to react the same ....
> Whether I took some paint off the Komandirskie dial? Looking at the color on the cotton buds it appears not, they all seem to have just the lacquer color.
> 
> I was now wondering what would happen if I continue to clean the dial around the lume markers and than apply a layer of lacquer :think:
> Turpentine doesn't seem to affect the lume and now I'm so far in, I may just as well finish the job.
> Perhaps a new lacquer layer may brighten things somewhat up again :think:
> 
> Anyway, I knew already that dial restoration is an art and is not the be learned in a small 20-page book with "three easy lessons". That has been (again) confirmed
> 
> Will post the results in due time; whatever they may turn out to be ........ ;-)


I think the underlying colour had already deteriorated on the second dial which is probably why the results don't seem to be as dramatic as the first one. The first one was a good result and so it was worth having a go on the other dial. Dial restoration...you win some, you lose some!

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Keep it out of the sun or the purple will turn brown and fade. This was the fate of so many similar colour Sekondas.
> 
> Excellent work again.


They didn't get it right with that blue dye, these soviets, didn't they? That's why I got two  one to collection, one for fun. 
Thanks, Secondtime! 
EndeavourDK, I wish you all the good luck and looking forward to your posts! You asked once for advice on these komandirskie, and I never got arround to writing back with a decent advice. Sorry about that! Seems you are more familliar with the stuff than I ever was  One thing I'm sure about is that this lume is resiliant enough to take punishment. I cleaned the top surface with a dry contact cleaner and it took it well. Cleaned just the top without doing damage, as the dry contact cleaner evapourates quickly without leaving a trace. It is a very strong cleaner, but with a very short working time window. 
I have accepted that with restorations there's a limit to the things we can do, but you've been pushing it beyond. 
The reason I hang around here is the good company of you, guys, otherwise I wouldn't even bother taking all those photos. Also, even though I sometimes keep in touch with the OP outside the forum, I sure miss his presence here. Keeping his thread alive is one of the best things in this forum.
Ivan


----------



## AaParker

A very minor before and after. Mostly a thank you to the forum for letting me know how to open the Moskva so I could get the dirt off the crystal. It was driving me crazy! As my mother used to say that would be a short trip, but still, thank you!

Before:








After:








I also wanted to thank EndeavourDK for posting. We certainly don't know what the difference in the dials were, just the luck of the draw, I guess. But you inspired me to finish a project I had abandoned. I was cleaning a Poljot and I'm pretty sure I took the lacquer off, or maybe the lacquer was already mostly off, using just the most gentle pressure. I believe the dial should be more of a honey color like Mr. Oatman's example, but it is silver now. I couldn't find an example of a silver dialed one so I can only assume it got down to the base so I abandoned it. But it's still a good and useful watch, and I am going to finish it, and wear it, and enjoy it. Thank you! 

Example Poljot: 








Before:









After (and when I gave up, still more to do)


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> A very minor before and after. Mostly a thank you to the forum for letting me know how to open the Moskva so I could get the dirt off the crystal. It was driving me crazy! As my mother used to say that would be a short trip, but still, thank you!
> 
> Before:
> View attachment 14448129
> 
> 
> After:
> View attachment 14448131
> 
> 
> I also wanted to thank EndeavourDK for posting. We certainly don't know what the difference in the dials were, just the luck of the draw, I guess. But you inspired me to finish a project I had abandoned. I was cleaning a Poljot and I'm pretty sure I took the lacquer off, or maybe the lacquer was already mostly off, using just the most gentle pressure. I believe the dial should be more of a honey color like Mr. Oatman's example, but it is silver now. I couldn't find an example of a silver dialed one so I can only assume it got down to the base so I abandoned it. But it's still a good and useful watch, and I am going to finish it, and wear it, and enjoy it. Thank you!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Example Poljot:
> View attachment 14448135
> 
> 
> Before:
> 
> View attachment 14448137
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 14448139


Not bad! I have this Poljot. Here is the photo for the additional color reference. It is a bit of honey color.


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Not bad! I have this Poljot. Here is the photo for the additional color reference. It is a bit of honey color.


Thank you! That's a great watch you have. I do like it more with the honey color. A bit more clean up on mine , and it should be good to go. Oh, and I have been thinking a bit more about the hands on the Moskva. I really think it's a typo in the catalog. Do you? I think blued hands would show up darker in the picture, and there's no known example that fits the description. It also makes me smile to think that 59 years ago there was a possible typographical error that we are still discussing today!


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not bad! I have this Poljot. Here is the photo for the additional color reference. It is a bit of honey color.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! That's a great watch you have. I do like it more with the honey color. A bit more clean up on mine , and it should be good to go. Oh, and I have been thinking a bit more about the hands on the Moskva. I really think it's a typo in the catalog. Do you? I think blued hands would show up darker in the picture, and there's no known example that fits the description. It also makes me smile to think that 59 years ago there was a possible typographical error that we are still discussing today!
Click to expand...

Possible. Every such Moscow I was had golden hands 🙂


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> I knew you would order it! Disassembling the case is very easy. It can be done in 2 minutes.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing a revitalised MIR clock.
> 
> Sekondtime


You were rignt, taking it apart was quite easy. I did so, and then cleaned and polished every single part (yeah, even the alarm hand). Movement is in perfect condition, so I didn't touch that. Painted the hands with some lume+green acryllic paint, to mach the green triangle markers. The lume was for practical reasons, I thought it would be cool seing the time during night. While polishing I was thinking about the colour I would paint the case. The original has been what you call in english "mother of pearl", there was some left on the shady parts of the back case. I really can't duplicate that, so decided on cream or white.
And then I decided to put it together before painting, just to give myself more time to think. I liked the polished version so much, I'm going to keep it that way for a while, just so I can enjoy it.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> You were rignt, taking it apart was quite easy. I did so, and then cleaned and polished every single part (yeah, even the alarm hand). Movement is in perfect condition, so I didn't touch that. Painted the hands with some lume+green acryllic paint, to mach the green triangle markers. The lume was for practical reasons, I thought it would be cool seing the time during night. While polishing I was thinking about the colour I would paint the case. The original has been what you call in english "mother of pearl", there was some left on the shady parts of the back case. I really can't duplicate that, so decided on cream or white.
> And then I decided to put it together before painting, just to give myself more time to think. I liked the polished version so much, I'm going to keep it that way for a while, just so I can enjoy it.
> Ivan
> View attachment 14450261
> 
> View attachment 14450263


A five day turnaround from purchase to presentation is impressive. I really need to re-lume the minute hand on my MIR clock as well.

You would need to lacquer the casing if you are going to keep the polished look.

You see, I knew you really wanted to have a go at one of these!

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> A five day turnaround from purchase to presentation is impressive. I really need to re-lume the minute hand on my MIR clock as well.
> 
> You would need to lacquer the casing if you are going to keep the polished look.
> 
> You see, I knew you really wanted to have a go at one of these!
> 
> Sekondtime


I didn't know this is so much fun, but your restoration was inspiring 
I will put some coating eventually, but I was impressed by the solid steel frame of this little watch. It could take some serious buffing! Also impressed by the construction, it's like five easy steps to dissassemble and put back together! Almost like AK-47.
With the reluming I took an easy short cut. There's a pic








It's actually an idea you gave me some time ago. Instead of "base" laquer layer I tried a transparent sticky tape, that I cut with the scalpel. The hands are big enough to take it, and the bed is solid enough to take some filling. I left it there, as I was afraid if I pull it out I'll pull the filling with it.
I think I could reproduce the original filling (there were small pieces left on the hands), but opted for something different, when I realised I can't restore the original look.
It's a national holiday in Bugaria today, so I had the time on my hands. It's good that my wife has hobbies too, so there's no conflict there 
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Just cleaned outside and polished a bit. Cleaned and oiled inside as well. I have posted this watch before as a strange one. The crystal is an experimental one or someone’s creativity. What I can say, based on the dirt/stains inside and outside of the crystal that I can see in the microscope, the crystal was set in place decades ago. I keep this one just as an odd ball 🙂 even used it for a day once...


----------



## Kamburov

I remeber your post, and that is one crazy (deffinately unique) dial 
It's worth keeping.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I didn't know this is so much fun, but your restoration was inspiring
> I will put some coating eventually, but I was impressed by the solid steel frame of this little watch. It could take some serious buffing! Also impressed by the construction, it's like five easy steps to dissassemble and put back together! Almost like AK-47.
> With the reluming I took an easy short cut. There's a pic
> View attachment 14451351
> 
> 
> It's actually an idea you gave me some time ago. Instead of "base" laquer layer I tried a transparent sticky tape, that I cut with the scalpel. The hands are big enough to take it, and the bed is solid enough to take some filling. I left it there, as I was afraid if I pull it out I'll pull the filling with it.
> I think I could reproduce the original filling (there were small pieces left on the hands), but opted for something different, when I realised I can't restore the original look.
> It's a national holiday in Bugaria today, so I had the time on my hands. It's good that my wife has hobbies too, so there's no conflict there
> Ivan


I think I am inspired to have a go at the hands on my MIR now!


----------



## thewatchadude

Could someone adress me to a re-luming tuto please? Seeing all your posts is very inspiring!


----------



## EndeavourDK

thewatchadude said:


> Could someone adress me to a re-luming tuto please? Seeing all your posts is very inspiring!


The basic setup with seemingly just white lume;

Part one of two; 



Part two of two;


----------



## Odessa200

Hi guys. Need your advise. Got this old Saturn mainly for practicing... dirty inside out. First 3 photos show exterior, the movement before cleaning and the dial before. 
Serviced movement to the best of my ability and got it moving just fine. Left it at +2 secs face up and +3 face down. Remarkably good positional error: a few secs between each position. Beat error 4.4 but this is not adjustable balance so I left it as it. Not bothered but it in this case. Now,
the dial was quite dirty with green rust around the perimeter. Had to be cleaned. Cleaning took away the lacquer around the edge cause it was quite damaged to begin with. You can see what I had end up with. All the black text and gold marks staying put. But the dial now is partially white partially yellowish. For now I have decided to keep it as is. You can see the end result. Questions: should I have left the dial as it was (dirty)? Should I finish it bu removing all lacquer and getting it to be white? The watch is quite beat up outside and a white dial will stand out... Should I keep it as is cause this beaten watch has a beaten (but somewhat clean) dial? 
Please share your thought. Thanks!

And what is the lift angle on these? 44?


----------



## Kamburov

I can't say about the regulation, there are much better experts here than me. 
About the dial, though. You've done a teriffic job so far! And you've been walking a tight rope on this one. The golden parts are so tough, they can take all the cleaning in the world, but the print is quite fragile. I think you found out about that between 6 and 4. The Saturn and second markers may not take it well. Your work so far proves that it's doable, with the right amount of care and precission. You've done successfully most of the minute markers. What have you been using so far?


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> I can't say about the regulation, there are much better experts here than me.
> About the dial, though. You've done a teriffic job so far! And you've been walking a tight rope on this one. The golden parts are so tough, they can take all the cleaning in the world, but the print is quite fragile. I think you found out about that between 6 and 4. The Saturn and second markers may not take it well. Your work so far proves that it's doable, with the right amount of care and precission. You've done successfully most of the minute markers. What have you been using so far?


Soap, water and my finger 🙂
I think I will keep it as is for now. This is not in a Collectable state anyway... maybe one day I score a better dial and a right crystal. Maybe not... given that I paid 9$ for this including shipping I am quite happy 🙂
Thanks for your kind words!


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Soap, water and my finger ��
> I think I will keep it as is for now. This is not in a Collectable state anyway... maybe one day I score a better dial and a right crystal. Maybe not... given that I paid 9$ for this including shipping I am quite happy ��
> Thanks for your kind words!


$9? Wow, nice! You can't find these in better condition nowerdays. Compared to what's out there, this is one very good find! It doesn't get better than that 

PS: Yeah, finding a good dial, without a pricey watch attached to it is gonna be tough


----------



## Matt_Bored_O

.
Just curious:

Has anyone tried Hydrogen Peroxide to clean a dial?

I have heard that some have used it to restore old enamel dials. The paint was not harmed.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Hi guys. Need your advise. Got this old Saturn mainly for practicing... dirty inside out. First 3 photos show exterior, the movement before cleaning and the dial before.
> Serviced movement to the best of my ability and got it moving just fine. Left it at +2 secs face up and +3 face down. Remarkably good positional error: a few secs between each position. Beat error 4.4 but this is not adjustable balance so I left it as it. Not bothered but it in this case. Now,
> the dial was quite dirty with green rust around the perimeter. Had to be cleaned. Cleaning took away the lacquer around the edge cause it was quite damaged to begin with. You can see what I had end up with. All the black text and gold marks staying put. But the dial now is partially white partially yellowish. For now I have decided to keep it as is. You can see the end result. Questions: should I have left the dial as it was (dirty)? Should I finish it bu removing all lacquer and getting it to be white? The watch is quite beat up outside and a white dial will stand out... Should I keep it as is cause this beaten watch has a beaten (but somewhat clean) dial?
> Please share your thought. Thanks!
> 
> And what is the lift angle on these? 44?


I too think that you've done a great job :-!
As for the dial, as you can read a few post back, there is a thin line between a hero and a zero. The dial in its current state is very presentable.
I ordered last week some transparent *water-based* varnish, again as I found out the hard-way transparent nail-lacquer didn't work .... at all! The arcetone in it (stupid me :rodekaart) made swift work of the paint-layer on a trial dial o|
Will let the forum know how water-based varnish performs.

As for the beat-error; it doesn't harm the movement, it only affect the time-keeping. Since the positional error seems very good, why bother? No idea about the lifting angle and the amplitude isn't the highest in the world, but remember the strength (or the lack of it) of the main-spring is a variable in the amplitude equation and if the watch makes it through all the motions in 24 hrs, I guess you are fine too


----------



## Odessa200

EndeavourDK said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi guys. Need your advise. Got this old Saturn mainly for practicing... dirty inside out. First 3 photos show exterior, the movement before cleaning and the dial before.
> Serviced movement to the best of my ability and got it moving just fine. Left it at +2 secs face up and +3 face down. Remarkably good positional error: a few secs between each position. Beat error 4.4 but this is not adjustable balance so I left it as it. Not bothered but it in this case. Now,
> the dial was quite dirty with green rust around the perimeter. Had to be cleaned. Cleaning took away the lacquer around the edge cause it was quite damaged to begin with. You can see what I had end up with. All the black text and gold marks staying put. But the dial now is partially white partially yellowish. For now I have decided to keep it as is. You can see the end result. Questions: should I have left the dial as it was (dirty)? Should I finish it bu removing all lacquer and getting it to be white? The watch is quite beat up outside and a white dial will stand out... Should I keep it as is cause this beaten watch has a beaten (but somewhat clean) dial?
> Please share your thought. Thanks!
> 
> And what is the lift angle on these? 44?
> 
> 
> 
> I too think that you've done a great job
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As for the dial, as you can read a few post back, there is a thin line between a hero and a zero. The dial in its current state is very presentable.
> I ordered last week some transparent *water-based* varnish, again as I found out the hard-way transparent nail-lacquer didn't work .... at all! The arcetone in it (stupid me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) made swift work of the paint-layer on a trial dial
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Will let the forum know how water-based varnish performs.
> 
> As for the beat-error; it doesn't harm the movement, it only affect the time-keeping. Since the positional error seems very good, why bother? No idea about the lifting angle and the amplitude isn't the highest in the world, but remember the strength (or the lack of it) of the main-spring is a variable in the amplitude equation and if the watch makes it through all the motions in 24 hrs, I guess you are fine too
Click to expand...

Agree on the beat error. On a balance w/o the error regulation, if ai see a decent precision and decent positional error, I leave it as is. Trying to fiddle with it, with my skills may have an adverse effect 🙂 Yes, amplitude is a bit low given the spring age, etc but even after 12 h I see same amplitude. It does not drop. And in my experience, above 220 or so is enough to keep these watches running on my wrist.

I have thought about using the nail polish 🙂 my wife gave me a whole bag of old bottles... good that you warned us. Let us know bout your other experiments!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Soap, water and my finger 🙂
> I think I will keep it as is for now. This is not in a Collectable state anyway... maybe one day I score a better dial and a right crystal. Maybe not... given that I paid 9$ for this including shipping I am quite happy 🙂
> Thanks for your kind words!


I think you did remarkably well to get the dial to look as good as you did especially considering the original condition. And you can't beat the price. I have a similar Mayak before and after coming up in a minute for the same price.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Two more before and after examples for you to view.

Firstly a Mayak which I managed to acquire for $4.30 delivered (albeit with some other watches). This one was going to be a bit of a gamble because I was not sure if the discolouration on the dial was just dirt or corrosion or what exactly. Some of it was oil as there was an abundance of oil under the dial. Also, whether the movement was good or not was also a gamble. However, the hands looked in very good condition.









After some citric acid treatment; more than usual in this instance, I managed to getting to look like this:















There is still some stubborn discolouration but I feared that any more work on the dial would ruin it. I would not say it is the best clean that I have achieved but I am pretty pleased considering what it was like before and the type of dirt/damage. It actually looks better in real life than in the photos. The movement proved to be ok and works well. It keeps good time. I am not sure if the movement is authentic though.









I think this is the catalogue entry from 1960 although it has different hands in the picture.








Next is Sekonda branded Poljot 2614B. I managed to get this for just less than $9 including the Sekonda box. The hands had cracked and the date mechanism was reported not working. Otherwise, it just looked a little bit dirty.









It was easy to restore the hands which I have documented on this thread before. The movement was working well but the lever to set the date mechanism proved a bit time consuming. Firstly, trying to find the right position for the lever and secondly, getting it set with the spring correctly. I think someone had been there before me and changed the position of the spring. I cannot say that I find date setting mechanism easy or fun to do in most watches except a Ruhla. Give me a Ruhla any day. They are a cinch!

Here is the result:






























There are still bargains to be had out there (but not as frequent as there used to be!)

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Two more before and after examples for you to view.
> 
> Firstly a Mayak which I managed to acquire for $4.30 delivered (albeit with some other watches). This one was going to be a bit of a gamble because I was not sure if the discolouration on the dial was just dirt or corrosion or what exactly. Some of it was oil as there was an abundance of oil under the dial. Also, whether the movement was good or not was also a gamble. However, the hands looked in very good condition.
> 
> View attachment 14461231
> 
> 
> After some citric acid treatment; more than usual in this instance, I managed to getting to look like this:
> 
> View attachment 14461235
> View attachment 14461241
> 
> 
> There is still some stubborn discolouration but I feared that any more work on the dial would ruin it. I would not say it is the best clean that I have achieved but I am pretty pleased considering what it was like before and the type of dirt/damage. It actually looks better in real life than in the photos. The movement proved to be ok and works well. It keeps good time. I am not sure if the movement is authentic though.
> 
> View attachment 14461259
> 
> 
> I think this is the catalogue entry from 1960 although it has different hands in the picture.
> View attachment 14461261
> 
> 
> Next is Sekonda branded Poljot 2614B. I managed to get this for just less than $9 including the Sekonda box. The hands had cracked and the date mechanism was reported not working. Otherwise, it just looked a little bit dirty.
> 
> View attachment 14461279
> 
> 
> It was easy to restore the hands which I have documented on this thread before. The movement was working well but the lever to set the date mechanism proved a bit time consuming. Firstly, trying to find the right position for the lever and secondly, getting it set with the spring correctly. I think someone had been there before me and changed the position of the spring. I cannot say that I find date setting mechanism easy or fun to do in most watches except a Ruhla. Give me a Ruhla any day. They are a cinch!
> 
> Here is the result:
> 
> View attachment 14461291
> 
> View attachment 14461297
> 
> View attachment 14461299
> 
> View attachment 14461303
> 
> 
> There are still bargains to be had out there (but not as frequent as there used to be!)
> 
> Sekondtime


This is super great. I have a long way to go...

I have opened up another Saturn and thinking about the dial. It is aged but evenly. It also has all the lume dots intact. I am tempted to leave it as is. Will do movement and then decide. Will post a photo tomorrow to solicit your opinion.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime, posts like this is why I love this thread! Master work, as always. This Mayak dial looks like a very tough job. The result is better than I expected looking at the first pic. Looks impossible without wiping out everything on it. 
And about the date complication - if I had a penny for every tiny spring that flew away from my sight ... 
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Just before doe now. Shall I try to clean this dial up? Its quite nicely aged all around. Same one under 2 different lights. I do not want to rub it and risk losing the lume dots. Maybe citric acid with a cotton swab? Thanks!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Just before doe now. Shall I try to clean this dial up? Its quite nicely aged all around. Same one under 2 different lights. I do not want to rub it and risk losing the lume dots. Maybe citric acid with a cotton swab? Thanks!


I think you may get a cleaner dial with a citric acid solution lightly applied. However, I think the lume dots will be quite fragile because of the age of the dial and because they are so small. Note that the black minute marks and the wording on these dials is not as robust as a Ruhla dial. So, caution is advised. Work around these where possible. I find a high magnification eye loupe essential when doing this work.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Sekondtime, posts like this is why I love this thread! Master work, as always. This Mayak dial looks like a very tough job. The result is better than I expected looking at the first pic. Looks impossible without wiping out everything on it.
> And about the date complication - if I had a penny for every tiny spring that flew away from my sight ...
> Ivan


Thanks Ivan. I think the Mayak dial was the toughest so far. I think the dark marks on the dial were cause by some sort of old oil in finger print marks which had congealed and ingrained itself into the paint. It was really stubborn. I worked around the minute marks and the wording as best I could so, it is not perfect but better than it was.

Ah, pinging springs! Just where on earth do they end up?!


----------



## AaParker

Sekondtime said:


> Two more before and after examples for you to view.
> 
> Firstly a Mayak which I managed to acquire for $4.30 delivered (albeit with some other watches). This one was going to be a bit of a gamble because I was not sure if the discolouration on the dial was just dirt or corrosion or what exactly. Some of it was oil as there was an abundance of oil under the dial. Also, whether the movement was good or not was also a gamble. However, the hands looked in very good condition.
> 
> After some citric acid treatment; more than usual in this instance, I managed to getting to look like this:
> 
> There is still some stubborn discolouration but I feared that any more work on the dial would ruin it. I would not say it is the best clean that I have achieved but I am pretty pleased considering what it was like before and the type of dirt/damage. It actually looks better in real life than in the photos. The movement proved to be ok and works well. It keeps good time. I am not sure if the movement is authentic though.
> 
> I think this is the catalogue entry from 1960 although it has different hands in the picture.
> 
> Next is Sekonda branded Poljot 2614B. I managed to get this for just less than $9 including the Sekonda box. The hands had cracked and the date mechanism was reported not working. Otherwise, it just looked a little bit dirty.
> 
> It was easy to restore the hands which I have documented on this thread before. The movement was working well but the lever to set the date mechanism proved a bit time consuming. Firstly, trying to find the right position for the lever and secondly, getting it set with the spring correctly. I think someone had been there before me and changed the position of the spring. I cannot say that I find date setting mechanism easy or fun to do in most watches except a Ruhla. Give me a Ruhla any day. They are a cinch!
> 
> Here is the result:
> 
> There are still bargains to be had out there (but not as frequent as there used to be!)
> 
> Sekondtime


This looks great!!! I think an embossed dial would be very hard to clean with all the ridges, but it looks much better. The Seconda looks wonderful as well. I'm curious why you think the movement might be replaced. I have one I just got and it seems to have the same movement, but I'm really terrible at spotting things.









I'm not sure I'm going to attempt to clean up the Mayak because the lettering on the dial is not so great and the case is missing a bit of the gilding. I might just take the hands and use them to replace the hands on the Raketa I have that I think would be a correct match. Thoughts?

Mayak dial









Case








Raketa








And while working on the Russia last night, just a bit of polish and dial clean up, I think I may have stumbled on a secret for a good restoration: Start with a black dial!


----------



## Odessa200

Here you go guys.... finished the 2nd Saturn I got for 14$. This is what I had and the final result. I am quite happy. This is what I did:
1) movement was not working at all. After service precision is great. Left it at +5-8 secs in all positions. Great positional stability. Amplitude 290. Beat error 0.7. 
2) dial: end up lightly watching it with soap and a brush. Got it a bit whiter. Good for me. 
3) cleaned the case and a bit polished the crystal. 

What do you think? 2 photos are before and 2 after.


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa, you are becomming quite a specialist on the saturns  I still haven't had the chance to play with them. Exellent work! I don't think a better result is possible. These dials are really quite old, and to be honest, I like when they are clean, but retain the signs of their age. You've done it nicely.
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Odessa, you are becomming quite a specialist on the saturns
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I still haven't had the chance to play with them. Exellent work! I don't think a better result is possible. These dials are really quite old, and to be honest, I like when they are clean, but retain the signs of their age. You've done it nicely.
> Ivan


Thanks Kamburov! Agree. I like them aged especially on an aged watch. But even with my glasses on I cannot read the calendar w/o the correct crystal that has a magnifier... O well, one day I will find a bunch of old crystals for these 🙂


----------



## SunnyOrange

Sekondtime said:


> I think you may get a cleaner dial with a *citric acid solution* lightly applied. However, I think the lume dots will be quite fragile because of the age of the dial and because they are so small. Note that the black minute marks and the wording on these dials is not as robust as a Ruhla dial. So, caution is advised. Work around these where possible. I find a high magnification eye loupe essential when doing this work.
> 
> Sekondtime


This is fantastic idea, Sekondtime. Probably works well on stubborn stains and marks on the dial. I'm thinking of using it on my Ladies' Hamilton watch, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea; should I unscrew the stem and crown, and then not to be able to put back properly (happened to me 2-3 times...)


----------



## Sekondtime

AaParker said:


> This looks great!!! I think an embossed dial would be very hard to clean with all the ridges, but it looks much better. The Seconda looks wonderful as well. I'm curious why you think the movement might be replaced. I have one I just got and it seems to have the same movement, but I'm really terrible at spotting things.


Excellent work. I have a couple of black dial watches to look at next.

As for the movement. I wondered if one of the bridges had been replaced. I am not as familiar with watches from the 50s and 60s (except Ruhla of course). Maybe it is ok, in which case hurrah!

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Odessa, you are becomming quite a specialist on the saturns  I still haven't had the chance to play with them. Exellent work! I don't think a better result is possible. These dials are really quite old, and to be honest, I like when they are clean, but retain the signs of their age. You've done it nicely.
> Ivan


Seconded! It retains its authenticity!


----------



## ajf

Only browsed a few posts in this thread, but really impressed with what is achieved.
Makes me look at older watches in a different light when I see them listed.

One question, where do you source replacement crystals?
Will they be originals or more generic closest fit ones?


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

ajf said:


> Only browsed a few posts in this thread, but really impressed with what is achieved.
> Makes me look at older watches in a different light when I see them listed.
> 
> One question, where do you source replacement crystals?
> Will they be originals or more generic closest fit ones?


Yes and Yes. Depends on the watch and crystal


----------



## Odessa200

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> ajf said:
> 
> 
> 
> Only browsed a few posts in this thread, but really impressed with what is achieved.
> Makes me look at older watches in a different light when I see them listed.
> 
> One question, where do you source replacement crystals?
> Will they be originals or more generic closest fit ones?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes and Yes. Depends on the watch and crystal
Click to expand...

Crystals are hard. Good thing: most Soviet and Russian watches are quite cheap so getting donors is my number one source.


----------



## Kamburov

ajf said:


> Only browsed a few posts in this thread, but really impressed with what is achieved.
> Makes me look at older watches in a different light when I see them listed.
> 
> One question, where do you source replacement crystals?
> Will they be originals or more generic closest fit ones?


I try to find original ones. Bought a few watches just for the healthy crystal or hands. 
Used some acryllic replacements, have a watch guy that supplies some, but that's last resort. I keep some watches with cracked crystals, just cause they are the originals.
It's difficult, that's for sure.
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

ajf said:


> Only browsed a few posts in this thread, but really impressed with what is achieved.
> Makes me look at older watches in a different light when I see them listed.
> 
> One question, where do you source replacement crystals?
> Will they be originals or more generic closest fit ones?





Kamburov said:


> I try to find original ones. Bought a few watches just for the healthy crystal or hands.
> Used some acryllic replacements, have a watch guy that supplies some, but that's last resort. I keep some watches with cracked crystals, just cause they are the originals.
> It's difficult, that's for sure.
> Ivan


If I can find a donor watch for the crystal then that is what will usually fit best. For Ruhlas it can be very difficult because a lot of Ruhlas have extra high dome crystals (XHD). These are next to impossible to find a supply of and if you do, they cost quite a lot (often more than the watch is worth). And the sizes are in restricted supply too.

I have a supply of newer acrylic crystals and several years ago, I managed to acquire a set of older unused crystals. But, I have mostly worked my way through the majority of the useful sizes now.

I also do as Ivan does. If the crystal has just a small crack or an unobtrusive hairline crack, I will keep it as it not worth the effort, expense and authenticity to change it.

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

I need a hand to finish this one. Literally.
Got it as non working, but I like to play with copper dials, so I'm always up for a challenge.















Broken ballance and a missing click spring, took my last spares.








Then the fun part - the dial. After some treatment with the so called "Kamburov's green stuff"  , I got to this















Skipping some steps ang jump to the crystal. It was a subject of the last conversation, and you can see I had to scrape the dird out with a blade. It was so thick.








So in the end I have a Pobeda one hander, untill I find a minute hand that is.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I need a hand to finish this one. Literally.
> Got it as non working, but I like to play with copper dials, so I'm always up for a challenge.
> View attachment 14471087
> 
> View attachment 14471091
> 
> 
> Broken ballance and a missing click spring, took my last spares.
> View attachment 14471109
> 
> 
> Then the fun part - the dial. After some treatment with the so called "Kamburov's green stuff"  , I got to this
> View attachment 14471115
> 
> View attachment 14471117
> 
> 
> Skipping some steps ang jump to the crystal. It was a subject of the last conversation, and you can see I had to scrape the dird out with a blade. It was so thick.
> View attachment 14471163
> 
> 
> So in the end I have a Pobeda one hander, untill I find a minute hand that is.
> View attachment 14471171


Well, you have certainly brightened up the dial. It is surprising how the markings remain unaffected by the cleaning. The crystal has come up well considering how hard to shift the dirt was.

I have looked through the 1957 catalogue which shows the different hands for Pobedas and I cannot see this style. Are you sure it is original to the watch?

Sekondtime


----------



## haha

This looks quite similar b-)
https://mroatman.wixsite.com/watches-of-the-ussr/pobeda?lightbox=dataItem-imu7wi2f


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Kamburov said:
> 
> 
> 
> I need a hand to finish this one. Literally.
> Got it as non working, but I like to play with copper dials, so I'm always up for a challenge.
> View attachment 14471087
> 
> View attachment 14471091
> 
> 
> Broken ballance and a missing click spring, took my last spares.
> View attachment 14471109
> 
> 
> Then the fun part - the dial. After some treatment with the so called "Kamburov's green stuff"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , I got to this
> View attachment 14471115
> 
> View attachment 14471117
> 
> 
> Skipping some steps ang jump to the crystal. It was a subject of the last conversation, and you can see I had to scrape the dird out with a blade. It was so thick.
> View attachment 14471163
> 
> 
> So in the end I have a Pobeda one hander, untill I find a minute hand that is.
> View attachment 14471171
> 
> 
> 
> Well, you have certainly brightened up the dial. It is surprising how the markings remain unaffected by the cleaning. The crystal has come up well considering how hard to shift the dirt was.
> 
> I have looked through the 1957 catalogue which shows the different hands for Pobedas and I cannot see this style. Are you sure it is original to the watch?
> 
> Sekondtime
Click to expand...

Agree. Another nicely saved watch!


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks Secontime, haha an Odessa! Yes, I believe it's the same model as Dashiell's. The lume's gone brown with age. 
 Secondtime, actually we disscussed it year ago, in a thread that sparked my first copper pobeda experiment, and there's the catalogue entry that Dash posted
https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/cleaning-1955-podeba-copper-dial-4709471-2.html
This experiment is throwback to this disscussion. Comrade kinaed also showed a nice example, so when I saw it for $5, my hands got itchy.
I just remembered that about the same time I posted a set of hands like these to a comrade from the forum for his pobeda restoration. He hasn't been active in the forum since then, and I sencerely hope everything is good with him. Would love to see his restoration.
I plan eventually painting the hands with instant coffee brown lume, to match the dots. So it's to be continued ...


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks Secontime, haha an Odessa! Yes, I believe it's the same model as Dashiell's. The lume's gone brown with age.
> Secondtime, actually we disscussed it year ago, in a thread that sparked my first copper pobeda experiment, and there's the catalogue entry that Dash posted
> https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/cleaning-1955-podeba-copper-dial-4709471-2.html
> This experiment is throwback to this disscussion. Comrade kinaed also showed a nice example, so when I saw it for $5, my hands got itchy.
> I just remembered that about the same time I posted a set of hands like these to a comrade from the forum for his pobeda restoration. He hasn't been active in the forum since then, and I sencerely hope everything is good with him. Would love to see his restoration.
> I plan eventually painting the hands with instant coffee brown lume, to match the dots. So it's to be continued ...


Ah yes, now I remember that thread. I look forward to seeing the relumed hands.


----------



## Kamburov

Since my wife left for her BMC training in Italy in the morning, I've been sitting alone at home with nothing to do. Also it's Sunday.
I was going through my pobeda spares, and find out there's enough spare stuff to restore one complete watch. Chose this one, dated 3-55, as it had the best preserved dial. 
It happened so spontaneous, that I took no "before" pictures. Sorry bout that.








Also found another 3-55 dated movement with a healthy ballance, but with broken second hand pin, so I used that. Also found a seconds hand (hope its the right one), and a cool mushroom crown.















It's been working exellently, so I'm spending the rest of the day wearing this beauty.
Ivan


----------



## AaParker

Worked on making another Kirovskie a bit more presentable.

Before:

















After:


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Since my wife left for her BMC training in Italy in the morning, I've been sitting alone at home with nothing to do. Also it's Sunday.
> I was going through my pobeda spares, and find out there's enough spare stuff to restore one complete watch. Chose this one, dated 3-55, as it had the best preserved dial.
> It happened so spontaneous, that I took no "before" pictures. Sorry bout that.
> View attachment 14473621
> 
> 
> Also found another 3-55 dated movement with a healthy ballance, but with broken second hand pin, so I used that. Also found a seconds hand (hope its the right one), and a cool mushroom crown.
> View attachment 14473623
> 
> View attachment 14473625
> 
> 
> It's been working exellently, so I'm spending the rest of the day wearing this beauty.
> Ivan
> 
> View attachment 14473629


Lovely vintage one!!!


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Worked on making another Kirovskie a bit more presentable.
> 
> Before:
> 
> View attachment 14473663
> 
> 
> View attachment 14473665
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 14473667


I have same watch and also the dial may use some cleaning. But somehow each time I think about cleaning it I end up not doing it. I like the dirty look on this one ?

But you did a nice job making it look much cleaner. I will think again about doing same ?


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks, Odessa!
That is one exellently executed dial cleanup on the Kirovskie! Very bright end resut!
Hugo is such a cool dog


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, Odessa!
> That is one exellently executed dial cleanup on the Kirovskie! Very bright end resut!
> Hugo is such a cool dog


O was going to 'how do you know my dog's name?' Till I zoomed the photo ?


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Luch 3055. Before & After. ;-)


----------



## AaParker

-WhiteLion- said:


> Luch 3055. Before & After. ;-)
> 
> View attachment 14479099
> 
> 
> View attachment 14479101
> 
> 
> View attachment 14479109


It's such a good-looking watch, and your efforts made it look fantastic!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*AaParker*,
many thanks. You are very kind to me. But this is a usual work. ;-)


----------



## -WhiteLion-

One more project. Poljot 3050. Before & After. ;-)


----------



## SunnyOrange

-WhiteLion- said:


> One more project. Poljot 3050. Before & After. ;-)


Amazing work, WhiteLion, especially how you cleaned the movement! :-!


----------



## Odessa200

SunnyOrange said:


> -WhiteLion- said:
> 
> 
> 
> One more project. Poljot 3050. Before & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing work, WhiteLion, especially how you cleaned the movement!
Click to expand...

Is this the same movement?


----------



## Odessa200

SunnyOrange said:


> -WhiteLion- said:
> 
> 
> 
> One more project. Poljot 3050. Before & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing work, WhiteLion, especially how you cleaned the movement!
Click to expand...

Is this the same movement? If same then you did great job soldering contacts, I see some parts are replaced... Mow the watch looks good and probably works great!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*SunnyOrange*,
thank you so much for appreciating my modest efforts. I am very pleased. ;-)

*Odessa200*,
many thanks. Yes, of course, this is the same movement. Some parts were installed due to the fact that they were not there, some parts were replaced, some parts were cleaned, some parts were soldered. In general, I always do everything that is necessary to restore the ideal working state of a particular instance. As much as possible, I also try to improve / refresh the look of the watch.

Something like this. ;-)

I have many repaired / restored watches. I showed already some of them in another thread.

You can see my signature. It should explain some things.


----------



## Kamburov

-WhiteLion- said:


> One more project. Poljot 3050. Before & After. ;-)


You are being modest, this is some spectcular work! The ourside clean and polish is what the eyes will see, but the qurtz repair job is nothing short of amaizing! Bravo, comrade!
I have a couple of non working quartz, never considered attempting repirs, but this is so inspirational, I my consider venturing into new (for me) territory 
Ivan


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Ivan*,
many thanks for high evaluating my work. But it's hard for me to somehow treat the repair of quartz in a special way. The fact is that since childhood I have been fond of electronics and are friends with a soldering iron. I am an electronic engineer by education and for many years I was engaged in the repair of consumer electronics in a service center. Therefore, when my passion for electronic watches woke up, I simply transferred my knowledge and experience to this area.
As elsewhere, here has its own specifics and nuances. It happens that finicky specimens come across. This is especially true for 3055 with balance wheel. The mechanism is complex. And if for a quartz watch with step motor the availability of a working printed circuit board is, roughly speaking, the third part of success. That the same for 3055 - this is about the fourth or even fifth part. And to bring the PCB of 3055 into working condition is much more complicated than, for example, PCB of 3050 or 3056. 

I think that bringing a couple of non working quartz watches back to life and learning something new for yourself is a very good idea. 

In conclusion, the one more restored Luch 3055. Before & After. ;-)

Best regards,
Sergey.


----------



## Kamburov

Beautiful Luch again! Also these models have very nice dials! 
I will deffinately try myself with quartz at some point. I even got a bunch today for experiments. And not only that.
I spent about $200 on a lot of watches for restoration today. I don't know how many (more than 150), but the bag weighted more than 4 kg. This is going to be the mother of all restoration projects I ever committed to.








There's almost everything in this, including a random Poljot and Seiko chronograps. And other cool stuff.
























This is going to be a challenge, but I figured restoring just 10-15 of these was worth spending the cash. Most importantly I will have a lot of fun playing with movements I've never played before. 
There's also a vintage steel case Zenith, that I will service for the friend that sold the lot to me, so that will be interesting too. He just kept the Zenith and a Certina, and passed the rest to me. 
I simply don't know where to start from. Very conusing 
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful Luch again! Also these models have very nice dials!
> I will deffinately try myself with quartz at some point. I even got a bunch today for experiments. And not only that.
> I spent about $200 on a lot of watches for restoration today. I don't know how many (more than 150), but the bag weighted more than 4 kg. This is going to be the mother of all restoration projects I ever committed to.
> View attachment 14482775
> 
> 
> There's almost everything in this, including a random Poljot and Seiko chronograps. And other cool stuff.
> View attachment 14482791
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482793
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482795
> 
> 
> This is going to be a challenge, but I figured restoring just 10-15 of these was worth spending the cash. Most importantly I will have a lot of fun playing with movements I've never played before.
> There's also a vintage steel case Zenith, that I will service for the friend that sold the lot to me, so that will be interesting too. He just kept the Zenith and a Certina, and passed the rest to me.
> I simply don't know where to start from. Very conusing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ivan


OMG. This can last a life time 🙂. For sure a great deal. Enjoy it!


----------



## AaParker

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful Luch again! Also these models have very nice dials!
> I will deffinately try myself with quartz at some point. I even got a bunch today for experiments. And not only that.
> I spent about $200 on a lot of watches for restoration today. I don't know how many (more than 150), but the bag weighted more than 4 kg. This is going to be the mother of all restoration projects I ever committed to.
> View attachment 14482775
> 
> 
> There's almost everything in this, including a random Poljot and Seiko chronograps. And other cool stuff.
> View attachment 14482791
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482793
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482795
> 
> 
> This is going to be a challenge, but I figured restoring just 10-15 of these was worth spending the cash. Most importantly I will have a lot of fun playing with movements I've never played before.
> There's also a vintage steel case Zenith, that I will service for the friend that sold the lot to me, so that will be interesting too. He just kept the Zenith and a Certina, and passed the rest to me.
> I simply don't know where to start from. Very conusing
> Ivan


Congratulations! But, I have to say, in my head I imagine a scene where you were just asked to go to the market for milk and eggs!  So many choices of where to begin!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Ivan*,
I also join in the congratulations. This is a great catch! |>

I think you need to start with the watch that you like best. ;-)

Good luck,
Sergey.


----------



## thewatchadude

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful Luch again! Also these models have very nice dials!
> I will deffinately try myself with quartz at some point. I even got a bunch today for experiments. And not only that.
> I spent about $200 on a lot of watches for restoration today. I don't know how many (more than 150), but the bag weighted more than 4 kg. This is going to be the mother of all restoration projects I ever committed to.
> View attachment 14482775
> 
> 
> There's almost everything in this, including a random Poljot and Seiko chronograps. And other cool stuff.
> View attachment 14482791
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482793
> 
> 
> View attachment 14482795
> 
> 
> This is going to be a challenge, but I figured restoring just 10-15 of these was worth spending the cash. Most importantly I will have a lot of fun playing with movements I've never played before.
> There's also a vintage steel case Zenith, that I will service for the friend that sold the lot to me, so that will be interesting too. He just kept the Zenith and a Certina, and passed the rest to me.
> I simply don't know where to start from. Very conusing
> Ivan


If it was about money, only three of the watches you're showing in first picture would more than repay the investment once restored!
But no doubt it's not about money, you've clearly shown it along all your great posts on the forum.


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks for the nice words, comrades! This reaally is good fun. Sure, it's not about the money, I keep most my restorations. When I spend the time with them I get emotinally attached. On the financial side, in this pile there are at least 20 good soviet watches, more ordinary models that I'm not interested with, or I lready have. There are also some good swiss movements, a good Gub Glashutte, a good Atlantic watch with 2 spare cases, etc. I mean, I have enough good stuff to sell, even at symbolic prices, to return most of the investment. 
So I'm deffinately not selling the chronos, or 24h raketa, or the vostoks, or some other interesting soviet things 
Now about those, some good and some bad news. The Seiko 6139 is running (seamingly) well, as are some of the soviets. I got them in better shape, but all are still ongoing projects








I will be spending more time with them for repairs, but cosmetically they are full of potential. The 6139 has a keyless work glitch, also need to order a seconds hand for it. I'm not sure it zeroes right, and the movement is too big of a challenge for me. 
The bad news is the 3133. It's dead and rusty. It's been filled with water and rust has fused some of its insides together. Only fit for spares. It also has serious problems cosmetically. 
I still made a good watch out of it, as I had a good 3133 specially for an occasion like this, but I'm still dissapointed about it. 















On the bright side, I have 3133 donor for spares now 
For now my biggest challenge seems to be the 6139 , but I guess that's for another forum. 
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Thanks for the nice words, comrades! This reaally is good fun. Sure, it's not about the money, I keep most my restorations. When I spend the time with them I get emotinally attached. On the financial side, in this pile there are at least 20 good soviet watches, more ordinary models that I'm not interested with, or I lready have. There are also some good swiss movements, a good Gub Glashutte, a good Atlantic watch with 2 spare cases, etc. I mean, I have enough good stuff to sell, even at symbolic prices, to return most of the investment.
> So I'm deffinately not selling the chronos, or 24h raketa, or the vostoks, or some other interesting soviet things
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now about those, some good and some bad news. The Seiko 6139 is running (seamingly) well, as are some of the soviets. I got them in better shape, but all are still ongoing projects
> View attachment 14486643
> 
> 
> I will be spending more time with them for repairs, but cosmetically they are full of potential. The 6139 has a keyless work glitch, also need to order a seconds hand for it. I'm not sure it zeroes right, and the movement is too big of a challenge for me.
> The bad news is the 3133. It's dead and rusty. It's been filled with water and rust has fused some of its insides together. Only fit for spares. It also has serious problems cosmetically.
> I still made a good watch out of it, as I had a good 3133 specially for an occasion like this, but I'm still dissapointed about it.
> View attachment 14486675
> 
> View attachment 14486677
> 
> 
> On the bright side, I have 3133 donor for spares now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> For now my biggest challenge seems to be the 6139 , but I guess that's for another forum.
> Ivan


If I get so many watches to take care of I would get super stressed 🙂. Which one do 1st, what 2nd?.... Good luck!


----------



## Odessa200

I took another gamble and, I think, scored once more! So here it goes. Spotted this Poljot De Lux 2209. Price is probably 25% from the market price. Condition is horrible. Very filthy. On the 1st photo you see what I bought. My biggest concern was the green spots on the lugs. I was thinking that the gilding is gone and this is some kind of the green rust. Ask the seller but got strange and super vague answer that the watch is not perfect, used, and that it was loved. Anyway, given the price I figured that the worst case I would get a bunch of spare parts. When I got it a few days later (from UK by the way) 1st thing for me was to check the lugs. What I found still a mystery for me. What the ...? The spaces in the pins go in the strap were full of some green paste. Like a dried up play dough. Maybe the old owner was a school teacher? 🙂. 2nd photo shows the situation. And that is only what came out naturally. The strap had more inside. 
Aside from this the rest was not that bad. Scratched crystal, a bit of dirt on the case, a few specs of dust under the crystal (original crystal! ). Movement was relatively clean. 
You can see the polishing progression and the final product. Put it on a vintage lizard band. I am quite happy. What do you say?


----------



## SunnyOrange

Odessa200 said:


> I took another gamble and, I think, scored once more! So here it goes. Spotted this Poljot De Lux 2209. Price is probably 25% from the market price. Condition is horrible. Very filthy. On the 1st photo you see what I bought. My biggest concern was the green spots on the lugs. I was thinking that the gilding is gone and this is some kind of the green rust. Ask the seller but got strange and super vague answer that the watch is not perfect, used, and that it was loved. Anyway, given the price I figured that the worst case I would get a bunch of spare parts. When I got it a few days later (from UK by the way) 1st thing for me was to check the lugs. What I found still a mystery for me. What the ...? The spaces in the pins go in the strap were full of some green paste. Like a dried up play dough. Maybe the old owner was a school teacher? 🙂. 2nd photo shows the situation. And that is only what came out naturally. The strap had more inside.
> Aside from this the rest was not that bad. Scratched crystal, a bit of dirt on the case, a few specs of dust under the crystal (original crystal! ). Movement was relatively clean.
> You can see the polishing progression and the final product. Put it on a vintage lizard band. I am quite happy. What do you say?


From heavily worn out (with all dirt collected over the years) you made it like new! Great job!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> I took another gamble and, I think, scored once more! So here it goes. Spotted this Poljot De Lux 2209. Price is probably 25% from the market price. Condition is horrible. Very filthy. On the 1st photo you see what I bought. My biggest concern was the green spots on the lugs. I was thinking that the gilding is gone and this is some kind of the green rust. Ask the seller but got strange and super vague answer that the watch is not perfect, used, and that it was loved. Anyway, given the price I figured that the worst case I would get a bunch of spare parts. When I got it a few days later (from UK by the way) 1st thing for me was to check the lugs. What I found still a mystery for me. What the ...? The spaces in the pins go in the strap were full of some green paste. Like a dried up play dough. Maybe the old owner was a school teacher? 🙂. 2nd photo shows the situation. And that is only what came out naturally. The strap had more inside.
> Aside from this the rest was not that bad. Scratched crystal, a bit of dirt on the case, a few specs of dust under the crystal (original crystal! ). Movement was relatively clean.
> You can see the polishing progression and the final product. Put it on a vintage lizard band. I am quite happy. What do you say?


That looks fantastic!


----------



## EndeavourDK

A while ago I bought this "wonderful" 11-jewels Slava clock (picture#1); supposedly "cleaned & oiled" and keeping good time. It didn't take long or the gremlins started jumping all over me.
The nice gold-paint on the back came off and the minute-hand had a least a 5-minute play, depending on in which position the clock was held. A look inside revealed a dirty movement with some oil in the jewels. Cleaned & oiled the clock and thereafter it ran for about 16 hrs :-( 
Upon closer inspection the main spring barrel was pretty worn and under torque severely out-of-line (picture#2). This caused a lot of friction between the teeth of the barrel and the teeth of the center-wheel. The biggest wear was in the hole of main spring barrel cover. With no spare parts on hand to replace the barrel-cover, the hole in it had to be made smaller to fit the arbor. I managed to find a steel-washer with the exact ID to fit the OD of the arbor. With the hole in the barrel-cover slightly bigger than the ID of the washer and to center both holes precisely, I ground a taper on a steel rod and placed the cover and the washer on the rod, aligning both precisely (picture#3). To avoid touching the lined-up setup during hard-soldering, I put some S-39 in between and some hard-solder shavings on top (picture#4). Heated with a butane-torch from underneath and soldered both parts. After cleaning up, greasing and fitting, the main-spring barrel sits now parallel to the main-plate (picture#6) and all seems to run much more smooth. The movement is currently under test to see if it makes 24hrs or more  
Hopefully one gremlin down ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

EndeavourDK said:


> A while ago I bought this "wonderful" 11-jewels Slava clock (picture#1); supposedly "cleaned & oiled" and keeping good time. It didn't take long or the gremlins started jumping all over me.
> The nice gold-paint on the back came off and the minute-hand had a least a 5-minute play, depending on in which position the clock was held. A look inside revealed a dirty movement with some oil in the jewels. Cleaned & oiled the clock and thereafter it ran for about 16 hrs
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Upon closer inspection the main spring barrel was pretty worn and under torque severely out-of-line (picture#2). This caused a lot of friction between the teeth of the barrel and the teeth of the center-wheel. The biggest wear was in the hole of main spring barrel cover. With no spare parts on hand to replace the barrel-cover, the hole in it had to be made smaller to fit the arbor. I managed to find a steel-washer with the exact ID to fit the OD of the arbor. With the hole in the barrel-cover slightly bigger than the ID of the washer and to center both holes precisely, I ground a taper on a steel rod and placed the cover and the washer on the rod, aligning both precisely (picture#3). To avoid touching the lined-up setup during hard-soldering, I put some S-39 in between both items and some hard-solder shavings on top (picture#4). Heated with a butane-torch from underneath and soldered both parts. After cleaning up, greasing and fitting, the main-spring barrel sits now parallel to the main-plate (picture#6) and all seems to run much more smooth. The movement is currently under test to see if it makes 24hrs or more
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hopefully one gremlin down


Nice. This is a next level for me. Or maybe a few levels up 🙂. I got 2 of these a few days ago. Did not get them. One to restore and anther for parts if needed. If I am lucky I may end up with both working 🙂 or none 🙂


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Nice. This is a next level for me. Or maybe a few levels up &#55357;&#56898;. I got 2 of these a few days ago. Did not get them. One to restore and anther for parts if needed. If I am lucky I may end up with both working &#55357;&#56898; or none &#55357;&#56898;


I was surprised how quiet this movement ran. I was expecting the old fashion two-bells alarm-clock tick-tock, keeping you awake whole night and scaring the life out of you when the alarm went off. Out of fear, often one was already awake to switch the alarm off before it had a chance to go off


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Today I have completed all work on the repair / restore of one more quartz Poljot 3050. Before & After. ;-)

























Now they are together.


----------



## cybernaut1

Very nice! I'm loving these restorations.


----------



## SunnyOrange

-WhiteLion- said:


> Today I have completed all work on the repair / restore of one more quartz Poljot 3050. Before & After. ;-)
> 
> Now they are together.


Great, Sergey, they look like new now!

It seems like only logo on two watches looks little different, everything else is the same. What I find interesting, is the position of the crown, I haven't seen it before!

Probably more comfortable for hand, than bulging crown.


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*SunnyOrange*,
many thanks.

You are very attentive. I had not paid attention to this before. But now I saw these differences in the logo designs. They are actually different. 

As for the position of the crown, I can not say anything. It does not interfere me when it is located at 3 o'clock position and bulging. It does not interfere me when it is located at 4 o'clock position and recessed. I think this is such a design decision. ;-)


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Deleted. Double post.


----------



## Odessa200

Not the most impressive restoration but still sharing with you. I wanted to get this watch for my wife for a while. Could not find anything that is restorable. Obviously the movement 1601 is not a problem. But the dial is hard to find. Finally I was able to find 2! One in better shape that the other. Both movements alive. The better dial was sitting on a less perfect movement so swapped them. Now, I have 1 to present and the other one for parts. Here is before and after. I hope you can tell which one is before and which one is after 🙂 what was done:
1) cleaned the case
2) cleaned and oiled movement
3) washed the dial just a bit
4) polished the crystal
5) put new strap. Ready to present.


P.s. Btw, if anyone like this watch, there is one on ebay (not mine 🙂 ). When it rains it pours... as soon as I got mine this showed up. Too late for me...


----------



## SunnyOrange

Odessa200 said:


> Not the most impressive restoration but still sharing with you. I wanted to get this watch for my wife for a while. Could not find anything that is restorable. Obviously the movement 1601 is not a problem. But the dial is hard to find. Finally I was able to find 2! One in better shape that the other. Both movements alive. The better dial was sitting on a less perfect movement so swapped them. Now, I have 1 to present and the other one for parts. Here is before and after. I hope you can tell which one is before and which one is after &#55357;&#56898; what was done:
> 1) cleaned the case
> 2) cleaned and oiled movement
> 3) washed the dial just a bit
> 4) polished the crystal
> 5) put new strap. Ready to present.
> 
> P.s. Btw, if anyone like this watch, there is alone on ebay (not mine &#55357;&#56898; ). When it rains it pours... as soon as I got mine this showed up. Too late for me...


Nice one, real watch for the Lady, and very good work! The strap colour suits skating figure, all good match. 
I'm sure your wife will like it!

I wish my husband liked watches... just a little, to share some interest, but no... :-|

P.S. Post number 667, just to get away from number of the beast...


----------



## Odessa200

SunnyOrange said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not the most impressive restoration but still sharing with you. I wanted to get this watch for my wife for a while. Could not find anything that is restorable. Obviously the movement 1601 is not a problem. But the dial is hard to find. Finally I was able to find 2! One in better shape that the other. Both movements alive. The better dial was sitting on a less perfect movement so swapped them. Now, I have 1 to present and the other one for parts. Here is before and after. I hope you can tell which one is before and which one is after �� what was done:
> 1) cleaned the case
> 2) cleaned and oiled movement
> 3) washed the dial just a bit
> 4) polished the crystal
> 5) put new strap. Ready to present.
> 
> P.s. Btw, if anyone like this watch, there is alone on ebay (not mine �� ). When it rains it pours... as soon as I got mine this showed up. Too late for me...
> 
> 
> 
> Nice one, real watch for the Lady, and very good work! The strap colour suits skating figure, all good match.
> I'm sure your wife will like it!
> 
> I wish my husband liked watches... just a little, to share some interest, but no...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S. Post number 667, just to get away from number of the beast...
Click to expand...

Thank you SunnyOrange! The husband's love of watches has drawbacks. All these time we spent with them... I am sure your husband has his great qualities!


----------



## SunnyOrange

Odessa200 said:


> Thank you SunnyOrange! The husband's love of watches has drawbacks. All these time we spent with them... I am sure your husband has his great qualities!


I know, and I'm sure many wives go nuts when watch collecting goes out of control, plus time spent, etc. But almost every hobby has this in common. 
The best is to share a hobby (we share cycling, music, etc., but not watches...)


----------



## EndeavourDK

My little project is finished b-)

As written a little while ago, the clock had some hidden Gremlins; the wear on the mainspring barrel being the biggest. After repair, the movement ran fine for over 24 hrs. The sellers applied "gold"-paint came off by just looking at it and the minute hand had so its own idea where to position itself. That has all been sorted out. Not having any decent gold-paint, I opted for black spray-paint. Lumed the hands with "aged"-color lume and assembled the clock.
The 2nd Moscow Watch Factory clock is now decently cleaned, repaired, freshly oiled and ready to start a 2nd round.
A nice addition on my watch working desk


----------



## thewatchadude

Odessa200 said:


> I took another gamble and, I think, scored once more! So here it goes. Spotted this Poljot De Lux 2209. Price is probably 25% from the market price. Condition is horrible. Very filthy. On the 1st photo you see what I bought. My biggest concern was the green spots on the lugs. I was thinking that the gilding is gone and this is some kind of the green rust. Ask the seller but got strange and super vague answer that the watch is not perfect, used, and that it was loved. Anyway, given the price I figured that the worst case I would get a bunch of spare parts. When I got it a few days later (from UK by the way) 1st thing for me was to check the lugs. What I found still a mystery for me. What the ...? The spaces in the pins go in the strap were full of some green paste. Like a dried up play dough. Maybe the old owner was a school teacher? 🙂. 2nd photo shows the situation. And that is only what came out naturally. The strap had more inside.
> Aside from this the rest was not that bad. Scratched crystal, a bit of dirt on the case, a few specs of dust under the crystal (original crystal! ). Movement was relatively clean.
> You can see the polishing progression and the final product. Put it on a vintage lizard band. I am quite happy. What do you say?


I bought an old Troika last year and there was a lot of such greenish stuff at the lugs as well as over the back. Someone explained me it was an amalgamation of dust and sweat with some natural chemical reaction... Quite disgusting but then we can be so proud when looking at the cleaned watches!


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## Kamburov

This place is becomming even more awesome! The best read for me on WUS. 
I've been restoring stuff from the big pile I got last week, and have a few ready. Posting two that were ok as cosmetic condition, but needed repairs. Repairs were nothing serious too, had the parts that needed replacing - mainsprings, clicks, stuff like that.
Ivan


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Quartz Slava 3050 with rare purple dial. Before & After. ;-)


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## Kamburov

-WhiteLion- said:


> Quartz Slava 3050 with rare purple dial. Before & After. ;-)


Аbsolutely magnificent!


----------



## Matt_Bored_O

-WhiteLion- said:


> Quartz Slava 3050 with rare purple dial. Before & After. ;-)
> 
> View attachment 14494261


Beautiful restoration. Love the purple dial.

You must write for us a tutorial of Soviet quartz repair.

You appear to be our resident expert.


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## -WhiteLion-

*Kamburov*, *Matt_Bored_O*,
many thanks, guys. In fact this is a very beautiful watch. ;-)


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## Kamburov

WhiteLion, where have you been all this time  I think the forum has been missing a good expert on the soviet quartz. I have only one working - a slava. I also have 2-3 non working but I've given up on them. Just don't have your skills. I think what what you are doing is very cool.
I've been salvaging watches from the pile I bought last week, and sometimes the least obvious watches give me much joy.
There's a simple Raketa I didn't even notice until today.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> WhiteLion, where have you been all this time  I think the forum has been missing a good expert on the soviet quartz. I have only one working - a slava. I also have 2-3 non working but I've given up on them. Just don't have your skills. I think what what you are doing is very cool.
> I've been salvaging watches from the pile I bought last week, and sometimes the least obvious watches give me much joy.
> There's a simple Raketa I didn't even notice until today.
> View attachment 14496145
> 
> View attachment 14496147
> 
> View attachment 14496149


I agree, a quartz tutorial from Whitelion would be good.

This Raketa must have been a very satisfying transformation. Excellent work as always!

Sekondtime


----------



## RedFroggy

You brought that one from the dead . It's a beautiful watch .
The Komandirskie also looks good .
Congrats Ivan !!



Kamburov said:


> I've been salvaging watches from the pile I bought last week, and sometimes the least obvious watches give me much joy.
> There's a simple Raketa I didn't even notice until today.
> View attachment 14496149


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> I agree, a quartz tutorial from Whitelion would be good.
> 
> This Raketa must have been a very satisfying transformation. Excellent work as always!
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks, comrade! 
It's a holiday weekend, and I've been home alone (not counting Frida the cat). So I've been having the time of my life with these little ticking things 
True, sometimes the not so obvious watches give me a lot of joy. Like this Kama, that somehow just happened















Otherwise the bigger guys are doing fine too















There's been a lot of repairs on both. Good thing the soviets produced a lot of stuff, so I can use spares as much as I need 
Ivan


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, comrade!
> It's a holiday weekend, and I've been home alone (not counting Frida the cat). So I've been having the time of my life with these little ticking things
> True, sometimes the not so obvious watches give me a lot of joy. Like this Kama, that somehow just happened
> View attachment 14496201
> 
> View attachment 14496203
> 
> 
> Otherwise the bigger guys are doing fine too
> View attachment 14496207
> 
> View attachment 14496209
> 
> 
> There's been a lot of repairs on both. Good thing the soviets produced a lot of stuff, so I can use spares as much as I need
> Ivan


Bravo! You must have a lot of spare parts. You seem to be able to conjure up parts for many different watches.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> Bravo! You must have a lot of spare parts. You seem to be able to conjure up parts for many different watches.


Thanks! Yeah, it's ridiculous, the amount of spares I've accumulated over the years. 
The Kama needed hands, second hand weel (broken pin) and a click spring. The crown is worn but it's the original one.
The Raketa looks awfull on the before pic, but actually all the parts were in the case. Original crystal deserves a mention. Dial feet and seconds hand were broken, so that took some effort.
Replaced the crown, but I kinda regret it, so may return the original one.
Ivan


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Ivan*,
Raketa and Kama - excellent work. Well done! ;-)



Kamburov said:


> WhiteLion, where have you been all this time  I think the forum has been missing a good expert on the soviet quartz. I have only one working - a slava. I also have 2-3 non working but I've given up on them. Just don't have your skills. I think what what you are doing is very cool.


Generally speaking, I have long been here. Here is my thread. Therefore I did not appear here suddenly out of nowhere. 

Unfortunately, there are not so many lovers of Soviet quartz (despite the fact that there are quite a lot of good, interesting and beautiful watches). So I feel like a little black sheep here. But it is not important. I like to do what I do. Everything else is little things. ;-)

With your permission, another project of mine, another Luch 3055.

At first, because of the dial, this instance seemed to me hopeless for restore. But I managed to bring the dial to normal appearance. Then everything was easier. All casing elements were washed. I also painted the hands and installed crystal. Of course, the mechanism was repaired, serviced and tuned.

Before (seller's photos) & After. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

All excellent and impressive work WhiteLion :-! I had no idea that some of these quartz watches had such elaborate and fine detailed dials.
Do you buy them always in working condition or some broken? And if broken what's the success rate in getting the electronics back to work?
I do a bit electronics as a hobby as well and reading all your post I'm getting tempted to have a go ...... :roll:


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*EndeavourDK*, many thanks. ;-)

I think you underestimate Soviet quartz watches. They have always been designed and made soundly. And detailing the appearance was not less thought out than that of a mechanical watches.

Almost always, all the watches that I buy are inoperative. It does not matter to me. I make purchases using completely different criteria. ;-)
And if we talk separately about Luch 3055, then if it is not properly serviced, the necessary work is not done with the electronic module, and it is not set up correctly, this watch can be called "in working condition" only conditionally. For me, this is always just a set of details for the next successful project Luch 3055. 

I think you can easily try to apply your skills in electronics and in quartz watches. Why not? In this way, you can combine hobby for watches with hobby for electronics. I think it will be very cool. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

Intriguing, very intriguing ....... I'm tempting to pull the trigger on this one ($25 incl shipping). Non-working. It clearly has had battery leakage; salvageable ?


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*EndeavourDK*,
you put me in an awkward position. I would definitely save, repair and restore this Luch 3055. But I do not know your skills. Therefore, I can't guarantee that you will do it. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

-WhiteLion- said:


> *EndeavourDK*,
> you put me in an awkward position. I would definitely save, repair and restore this Luch 3055. But I do not know your skills. Therefore, I can't guarantee that you will do it. ;-)


Thank you for your answer ;-) I don't know my own skills either, so we'll have to see ..... Just now I agreed with the seller for $20 including shipping, but something went wrong with the eBay payment. Awaiting till that's sorted and I'll have a new project ..... hopefully to be continued


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*EndeavourDK*,
$20 for this Luch 3055 is a good price for ebay. And let this project become successful for you. ;-)


----------



## SunnyOrange

-WhiteLion- said:


> Generally speaking, I have long been here. Here is my thread. Therefore I did not appear here suddenly out of nowhere.
> 
> Unfortunately, there are not so many lovers of Soviet quartz (despite the fact that there are quite a lot of good, interesting and beautiful watches). So I feel like a little black sheep here. But it is not important. I like to do what I do. Everything else is little things. ;-)
> 
> With your permission, another project of mine, another Luch 3055.
> 
> At first, because of the dial, this instance seemed to me hopeless for restore. But I managed to bring the dial to normal appearance. Then everything was easier. All casing elements were washed. I also painted the hands and installed crystal. Of course, the mechanism was repaired, serviced and tuned.


Thank you Sergey, for showing us your thread, it's what this forum needs! And to have a record of your amazing work and beautiful pieces - they are Soviet watches as well, and certainly your posts have piqued our interest in quartz watches!

It's good that you returned (some great members who have contributed a lot in past on WUS, have disappeared), and therefore some valuable threads are forgotten as well (despite interesting and popular subject they hold - I know this is also inevitable). Luckily this didn't happen to yours.

Your work on Luch is impressive, now I go back to Russian Quartz thread! :-!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*SunnyOrange*,
thank you very much for your kind words. I am very touched.

I like to give watches a second life. As far as possible I will continue to do so and I will show here some of my work. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

-WhiteLion- said:


> *SunnyOrange*,
> thank you very much for your kind words. I am very touched.
> 
> I like to give watches a second life. As far as possible I will continue to do so and I will show here some of my work. ;-)


The eBay money transaction has been completed, now the waiting game starts. As I mentioned way earlier in this thread, it would be nice if people would show/explain more what they have done and how it's done; the success stories and (perhaps even more educative) the failures, so we all can learn.
Since people have asked WhiteLion for "how it's done" with these electronic watches and since this Luch 3055 is my very first electronic watch (I'm at the same level as the most of us), I could make a "Walk through" with pictures, text about my actions/proceedings, questions which arise and hopefully with the participation of all comrades bring this project to a successful end (or as a minimum bring an introduction/learning for all of us)? This to me would be an interesting "endeavour" for everybody interested :think:

Is this an idea?
In this thread or in another (new) thread?

Hope to hear your thoughts .....


----------



## thewatchadude

I don't think I'm gonna move to quartz watches, though many of them have a very interesting design. However I'm sure an "how to" thread would be very useful for those wanting to do the move, and very interesting also for those who won't like me. My advice would be to set up a specific thread for the technical aspects of the work, rather than use a more generic one where the technical part could get lost among the (superb) pictures.


----------



## Sekondtime

EndeavourDK said:


> The eBay money transaction has been completed, now the waiting game starts. As I mentioned way earlier in this thread, it would be nice if people would show/explain more what they have done and how it's done; the success stories and (perhaps even more educative) the failures, so we all can learn.
> Since people have asked WhiteLion for "how it's done" with these electronic watches and since this Luch 3055 is my very first electronic watch (I'm at the same level as the most of us), I could make a "Walk through" with pictures, text about my actions/proceedings, questions which arise and hopefully with the participation of all comrades bring this project to a successful end (or as a minimum bring an introduction/learning for all of us)? This to me would be an interesting "endeavour" for everybody interested :think:
> 
> Is this an idea?
> In this thread or in another (new) thread?
> 
> Hope to hear your thoughts .....


If there is clearly a before and after view of the result of the work done, then it would belong in this thread. This includes the technical steps taken if these contributed towards the final result. Even if the result was not considered successful; it is still a before and after.

If it was a stand alone technical tutorial then that would be better in a separate thread which would be easier to locate for future reference.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Here are two more $4.30 delivered watches both of which have received only a modest input.

First is a black dial Mayak. 16 Jewel 2603. This Mayak has a larger dial and case compared to most designs from this period - the case is 35mm across including crown. Other watches of this period are around 30mm.

Here is it before









The watch was not working but only required a cleaning. The crystal was intact but needed a polish. The small seconds hand was missing and the dial was dirty. The dial has a very strange finish. At first I wondered if it had been repainted but I have since found others with exactly the same finish. Plus the numbers and the logo printing are all authentic on closer inspection.

Here is a close up of the dial finish.









The hands were very rust pitted but all I have done with these is given them a dry clean and removed most of the rust. I did not take them any further for fear of affecting the gold colour finish.

Here it is after completion:



























There is one thing that I cannot find and that is a catalogue entry. I think this watch dates from the mid to late 1950s to about 1960. It also comes in a round case but there are very few Mayaks listed in the catalogues that I have.

Next is a small ZIM for the same price. The white dial had grubby marks and some corrosion. I think that moisture must have got in and sat under the crystal for some time at some point. I used the citric acid method on this one.

Here is the before photo:









All I did was some light cleaning, sorting out the movement (the hairspring was tangled slightly) and resetting the hands. Both the ZIM and the Mayak keep good time. Here is the result.

The Russian text reads, "When wages are spent on this, retribution is inevitable!" - hopefully not in my case for $4.30!

























Two more to add to the collection!

Sekondtime.


----------



## Kamburov

Good job! I don't see that Mayak case very often. Very modern for it's time. Slava used a very similar design, many years later.


----------



## EPK

Sekondtime said:


> Here are two more $4.30 delivered watches both of which have received only a modest input.
> 
> First is a black dial Mayak. 16 Jewel 2603. This Mayak has a larger dial and case compared to most designs from this period - the case is 35mm across including crown. Other watches of this period are around 30mm.
> 
> Here is it before
> 
> View attachment 14501213
> 
> 
> The watch was not working but only required a cleaning. The crystal was intact but needed a polish. The small seconds hand was missing and the dial was dirty. The dial has a very strange finish. At first I wondered if it had been repainted but I have since found others with exactly the same finish. Plus the numbers and the logo printing are all authentic on closer inspection.
> 
> Here is a close up of the dial finish.
> 
> View attachment 14501215
> 
> 
> The hands were very rust pitted but all I have done with these is given them a dry clean and removed most of the rust. I did not take them any further for fear of affecting the gold colour finish.
> 
> Here it is after completion:
> 
> View attachment 14501219
> View attachment 14501221
> View attachment 14501223
> View attachment 14501225
> 
> 
> There is one thing that I cannot find and that is a catalogue entry. I think this watch dates from the mid to late 1950s to about 1960. It also comes in a round case but there are very few Mayaks listed in the catalogues that I have.
> 
> Next is a small ZIM for the same price. The white dial had grubby marks and some corrosion. I think that moisture must have got in and sat under the crystal for some time at some point. I used the citric acid method on this one.
> 
> Here is the before photo:
> 
> View attachment 14501235
> 
> 
> All I did was some light cleaning, sorting out the movement (the hairspring was tangled slightly) and resetting the hands. Both the ZIM and the Mayak keep good time. Here is the result.
> 
> The Russian text reads, "When wages are spent on this, retribution is inevitable!" - hopefully not in my case for $4.30!
> 
> View attachment 14501237
> 
> 
> View attachment 14501239
> 
> 
> View attachment 14501241
> 
> 
> Two more to add to the collection!
> 
> Sekondtime.


Wow! I'm in awe what you and others can do .

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


----------



## AaParker

Sekondtime said:


> Here are two more $4.30 delivered watches both of which have received only a modest input.
> 
> First is a black dial Mayak. 16 Jewel 2603. This Mayak has a larger dial and case compared to most designs from this period - the case is 35mm across including crown. Other watches of this period are around 30mm.
> 
> Here is it before
> 
> View attachment 14501213
> 
> 
> The watch was not working but only required a cleaning. The crystal was intact but needed a polish. The small seconds hand was missing and the dial was dirty. The dial has a very strange finish. At first I wondered if it had been repainted but I have since found others with exactly the same finish. Plus the numbers and the logo printing are all authentic on closer inspection.
> 
> Here is a close up of the dial finish.
> 
> View attachment 14501215
> 
> 
> The hands were very rust pitted but all I have done with these is given them a dry clean and removed most of the rust. I did not take them any further for fear of affecting the gold colour finish.
> 
> Here it is after completion:
> 
> View attachment 14501219
> View attachment 14501221
> View attachment 14501223
> View attachment 14501225
> 
> 
> There is one thing that I cannot find and that is a catalogue entry. I think this watch dates from the mid to late 1950s to about 1960. It also comes in a round case but there are very few Mayaks listed in the catalogues that I have.
> 
> Next is a small ZIM for the same price. The white dial had grubby marks and some corrosion. I think that moisture must have got in and sat under the crystal for some time at some point. I used the citric acid method on this one.
> 
> Here is the before photo:
> 
> View attachment 14501235
> 
> 
> All I did was some light cleaning, sorting out the movement (the hairspring was tangled slightly) and resetting the hands. Both the ZIM and the Mayak keep good time. Here is the result.
> 
> The Russian text reads, "When wages are spent on this, retribution is inevitable!" - hopefully not in my case for $4.30!
> 
> View attachment 14501237
> 
> 
> View attachment 14501239
> 
> 
> View attachment 14501241
> 
> 
> Two more to add to the collection!
> 
> Sekondtime.


Great work as usual! Thank you for posting a close-up shot of the Mayak dial. It's so interesting that the dial finish has a pebbled texture to it. I can't say that I've seen that before. Also, the ZIM came out very nicely. With the citric acid treatment, do you also have to use a cotton swab or cloth to remove more that just the excess moisture or does the treatment leave it that clean without scrubbing?


----------



## Sekondtime

AaParker said:


> Great work as usual! Thank you for posting a close-up shot of the Mayak dial. It's so interesting that the dial finish has a pebbled texture to it. I can't say that I've seen that before. Also, the ZIM came out very nicely. With the citric acid treatment, do you also have to use a cotton swab or cloth to remove more that just the excess moisture or does the treatment leave it that clean without scrubbing?


Thank you AaParker. The dial texture is intriguing. It looks like there was a paint effect applied to the dial which failed and crazed and was then over-painted with black. However, the number markings and logo etc are all authentic and applied on top so it must have been done at the factory. Also, there are many examples of the same dial with the same finish.

As for the citric acid treatment. Dip a cotton bud (q-tip) into the citric acid solution and squeeze excess solution from the cotton bud and then rub the cotton bud over the dial. You may need to concentrate on one small part or one half (depending on the dirt/discolouration) before moving onto another part of the dial. Keep doing that until you see an improvement. The trick is to recognise when you have reached the right point. Have a dry fine microfibre cloth to hand to mop up any excess solution left on the dial from the cotton bud. You can get through 4 or five double ended cotton buds per dial depending on the stubbornness of the dirt. Basically, it is a bit like the cleaning an art restorer does to a painting but a little more vigorous!

Hope that helps!

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Good job! I don't see that Mayak case very often. Very modern for it's time. Slava used a very similar design, many years later.


Thanks. I knew I had seen that shape somewhere before. When you have seen this Mayak before, did they have the same dial or a different design?

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

EPK said:


> Wow! I'm in awe what you and others can do .
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


That's very kind of you. We all share our knowledge to give you the opportunity to have a go yourself if you wanted to.

Sekondtime


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Restored one more Slava 3056A. This time with a rare blue dial. 

Before (seller's photo) & After. ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

-WhiteLion- said:


> Restored one more Slava 3056A. This time with a rare blue dial.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before (seller's photo) & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504799
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504801
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504803
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504805
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504807
> 
> 
> View attachment 14504809


Nice. I think soon I will be ready to get 1st quartz watch after looking at these!


----------



## Odessa200

Got this one with lose screws in keyless (obviously as non runner). Fixed the movement, oiled, polished crystal. Done.


----------



## Odessa200

And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing 😌 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong 💪! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing &#55357;&#56844; 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong &#55357;&#56490;! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!


It's gleaming! Yes, clock springs can be lethal! Perhaps now you need a baby Raketa alarm clock with a watch movement.

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing �� 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong ��! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!
> 
> 
> 
> It's gleaming! Yes, clock springs can be lethal! Perhaps now you need a baby Raketa alarm clock with a watch movement.
> 
> Sekondtime
Click to expand...

Already got one. Will arrive in a few weeks with the rest of my purchases 🙂


----------



## fliegerchrono

Odessa200 said:


> And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing &#55357;&#56844; 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong &#55357;&#56490;! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!


That back is impressibe!


----------



## fliegerchrono

Odessa200 said:


> And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing 😌 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong 💪! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!


That back is impressibe!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

This is not 2209. This is the quartz Luch 2356 in the same slim case. 

Before (seller's photo) & After. ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

fliegerchrono said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> And here is my 1st Alarm job. Got this as not running and not ringing ? 1966! All original as far as I can tell. Now it is back in business. I am scared of these springs!!! I am used to wrist watches. These are big and strong ?! Anyway, not much of the visual difference between before and after (just cleaner) but the main result: it works now!
> 
> 
> 
> That back is impressibe!
Click to expand...

Indeed! It does make the alarm sound quieter. 
And given that you need to take it off daily to wind the watch it was frequently misplaced. But these are quite common. 2 more coming my way. One as a donor and another to be repaired.



-WhiteLion- said:


> This is not 2209. This is the quartz Luch 2356 in the same slim case.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before (seller's photo) & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508295
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508297
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508299
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508301
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508305
> 
> 
> View attachment 14508307


As usual a nice job! I will be polishing one crystal tomorrow as well. ?


----------



## -WhiteLion-

I came across such Raketa 2356. This watch has infrequent design. Therefore it was especially interesting to me in giving this watch a second life. But I didn't know, how this project would end. 

Before & After. ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

Another restoration complete and I am happy. The watch turned out fine and it is an interesting one! It is a watch that was given to the communist party leaders in 1967 commemorating 50 years of revolution. This one belonged to Lazurenko who was in charge of Lviv and Zhotomir communists. Got it cheep in bad cosmetic and non working conditions. It was my first time doing this caliber. Luckily for me all it needed was a cleaning and oiling. Polished the crystal and the case a bot as well. The watch started moving right away and quite precisely. Happy day! Below is the 2 before photos and then the end result. Plus some photos of that time how the celebration happened and a pin commemorating same. Enjoy 😉.


----------



## Odessa200

-WhiteLion- said:


> I came across such Raketa 2356. This watch has infrequent design. Therefore it was especially interesting to me in giving this watch a second life. But I didn't know, how this project would end.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510535
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510537
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510539
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510541
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510543
> 
> 
> View attachment 14510545


Haven't seen this before. Nice one!


----------



## SunnyOrange

-WhiteLion- said:


> I came across such Raketa 2356. This watch has infrequent design. Therefore it was especially interesting to me in giving this watch a second life. But I didn't know, how this project would end.
> 
> Before & After. ;-)


I knew I had it somewhere... It's probably the only Russian quartz I have. Same movement, just the writings on the dial are not in Cyrillic. I wonder if they were destined to be in bad condition - mine has no crown, has cracks and I would be surprised if it worked...

















P.S. Your work is fantastic!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*SunnyOrange*,
yes, an interesting instance. The same version of the external design, but the dial in English. In general, to bring the mechanism in working condition is not a problem. But for everything else need donor.

P.S. Thank you for your kind words. ;-)


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Another restoration complete and I am happy. The watch turned out fine and it is an interesting one! It is a watch that was given to the communist party leaders in 1967 commemorating 50 years of revolution. This one belonged to Lazurenko who was in charge of Lviv and Zhotomir communists. Got it cheep in bad cosmetic and non working conditions. It was my first time doing this caliber. Luckily for me all it needed was a cleaning and oiling. Polished the crystal and the case a bot as well. The watch started moving right away and quite precisely. Happy day! Below is the 2 before photos and then the end result. Plus some photos of that time how the celebration happened and a pin commemorating same. Enjoy &#55357;&#56841;.


Another interesting watch which is better off for your ownership of it! The watch case is in good condition considering it is now 50+ years old itself.


----------



## Sekondtime

SunnyOrange said:


> I knew I had it somewhere... It's probably the only Russian quartz I have. Same movement, just the writings on the dial are not in Cyrillic. I wonder if they were destined to be in bad condition - mine has no crown, has cracks and I would be surprised if it worked...
> 
> P.S. Your work is fantastic!


Yes, Whitelion is a dab hand at watch restoration!

I have one of these Raketa too. I had only recently acquired it and had not seen one before. Mine has a greyish silver dial. There is a Ruhla quartz with the same style of case in that they both have the screw plate around the crystal. I think the Ruhla design is more successful than the Raketa.















Sekondtime


----------



## SunnyOrange

Sekondtime said:


> Yes, Whitelion is a dab hand at watch restoration!
> 
> I have one of these Raketa too. I had only recently acquired it and had not seen one before. Mine has a greyish silver dial. There is a Ruhla quartz with the same style of case in that they both have the screw plate around the crystal. I think the Ruhla design is more successful than the Raketa.
> 
> View attachment 14512843
> View attachment 14512849
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


This grey-silver dial is fantastic! And your dial is also different, has "Raketa" on it, and not a logo like Sergey's and mine.
I like Ruhla too, I didn't know Ruhla made such cases, I guess this is common in quartz watches production.


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Sekondtime*,
many thanks. However, nothing so special. I just always try to pay attention to even the smallest details. Because it is precisely from them that something whole consists.

Yes, it seems that such Raketa exists in two versions of the external design. Plus few variants for inscriptions.









I do not presume to judge which variant of design is more successful - Raketa or Ruhla. But I know for sure that the Rocket does not have any water protection either from above, or from the crown, or from below. There are no nowhere gaskets or any other solutions to this. I think this is a very big construction flaw.

I also have a silvery variant in my collection. I showed it earlier in *this thread:* *here* and *here*. ;-)

Depending on the location of the light source, the watch looks a little different.


----------



## Sekondtime

-WhiteLion- said:


> *Sekondtime*,
> many thanks. However, nothing so special. I just always try to pay attention to even the smallest details. Because it is precisely from them that something whole consists.
> 
> Yes, it seems that such Raketa exists in two versions of the external design. Plus few variants for inscriptions.
> 
> View attachment 14513579
> 
> 
> I do not presume to judge which variant of design is more successful - Raketa or Ruhla. But I know for sure that the Rocket does not have any water protection either from above, or from the crown, or from below. There are no nowhere gaskets or any other solutions to this. I think this is a very big construction flaw.
> 
> I also have a silvery variant in my collection. I showed it earlier in *this thread:* *here* and *here*. ;-)
> 
> Depending on the location of the light source, the watch looks a little different.
> 
> View attachment 14513715
> 
> 
> View attachment 14513711
> 
> 
> View attachment 14513713


Your silver dial Raketa has better printed logo, numbers and minute marks compared to mine. The printing on my dial is very poor.

Many of the Ruhla quartz did have some rubber gaskets under the case back and some did have gaskets on the crowns and crystals too. However, I don't think they were that effective against moisture. They were better protection against dust.


----------



## Sekondtime

SunnyOrange said:


> This grey-silver dial is fantastic! And your dial is also different, has "Raketa" on it, and not a logo like Sergey's and mine.
> I like Ruhla too, I didn't know Ruhla made such cases, I guess this is common in quartz watches production.


Thanks SunnyOrange. I think this case design was quite common amongst watch manufactures at this time. I am sure that somewhere I have a Swiss made watch with the same type of design.


----------



## Kamburov

A stage in the restoration of the 3133. Waiting for a rotating bezel from Italy, but this is how it is at the moment.
The one I got in the pile of broken watches 








Sadly, the watch was heavily rusted in the central area. it's been submurged in water and left like that for a long time. The movement is not usable. Ballance staff and pallet fork were fused together by rust. Restortion of the movement is impossible, damage is total. Too many parts to be replaced. 








Cosmeticly it's a bad damage too. Water has damaged the bezel, and portion of it just desintegrated upon opening. Hour hand lume has melted on the dial and stuck with it. Damage from the water on the dial at 5. 








So this is how it is at the moment. Got a healthy, time period relevant 3133 (I hope) and I enjoy a well working watch.








Things to do:
1. Waiting for a healthy bezel from Italy.
2. Need to do a better reluming of the hour hand

That's about it. Dial damage at 5 is beyond repair. Maybe I can clean it a bit more.
Ivan


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Sorry, this is me again. One more Slava 3056 after repaire / restore. 

Before (seller's photo) & After. ;-)


----------



## Sekondtime

Great dial on that Slava. I have not seen that one before. Excellent work as always Whitelion.


----------



## Kamburov

Wow, such a beautiful Slava! I didn't know I've been missing on so many gems untill you started posting here. Extraordinary! The best soviet surprise lately!


----------



## haha

Same for me.
Very nice case and dial !


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Sekondtime*, *Kamburov*, *haha*, many thanks. ;-)

Yes, such a dial comes across infrequently. I was dealing with three instances. With what I showed, and with two others that I showed earlier in *this thread*.


----------



## Kamburov

-WhiteLion- said:


> *Sekondtime*, *Kamburov*, *haha*, many thanks. ;-)
> 
> Yes, such a dial comes across infrequently. I was dealing with three instances. With what I showed, and with two others that I showed earlier in *this thread*.
> 
> View attachment 14518781
> 
> 
> View attachment 14518783
> 
> 
> View attachment 14518785


The blue one is also a chameleon! Nice!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

One more Sekonda (Luch) 2356. Before (seller's photo) & After. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

Received my Luch 3055 today and my high hopes to make a nice walk-through and a successful restoration were quickly dashed. While stripping and taking photos, I noticed some heavy scores on the electrical coil (which is situated between the two balance wheels) and a broken horn of the pallet-fork. Most likely somebody tried to rotate the balance with no understanding and using the wrong tools, ruining the coil in the process :-| How the pallet-fork horn got damaged is still a bit unclear to me, the pallet-fork pivots were fine :think: 
I was hoping for servicing the mechanical part and some interesting electrical problem(s) to solve, but sadly these two parts are beyond repair.
It's not going to be with this one .....
Sorry folks :-(


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> Received my Luch 3055 today and my high hopes to make a nice walk-through and a successful restoration were quickly dashed. While stripping and taking photos, I noticed some heavy scores on the electrical coil (which is situated between the two balance wheels) and a broken horn of the pallet-fork. Most likely somebody tried to rotate the balance with no understanding and using the wrong tools, ruining the coil in the process :-| How the pallet-fork horn got damaged is still a bit unclear to me, the pallet-fork pivots were fine :think:
> I was hoping for servicing the mechanical part and some interesting electrical problem(s) to solve, but sadly these two parts are beyond repair.
> It's not going to be with this one .....
> Sorry folks :-(


That's too bad. Could you maybe find one with a bad dial for cheap and fix that one and do a dial swap or are these all integrated as one unit?


----------



## EndeavourDK

AaParker said:


> That's too bad. Could you maybe find one with a bad dial for cheap and fix that one and do a dial swap or are these all integrated as one unit?


The watch is build-up in the good old-fashion way; out of elements. An electronic part, a transition zone from electric -> mechanical (coil & (driving)"balance"-wheel) and the mechanical part; by the looks of it all the parts are replaceable by a similar donor watch. The trick lays in the word "cheap" and has the "cheap" what my watch needs?. I guess it can be one of those drawer projects or learn from it, perhaps make somebody else happy with the good parts and move on. The battery acid damage, as shown on the pictures a few pages back, turned out to be more superficial. Perhaps the initial cause was a metal fatigue failure of the (not driving, but by the "electrical" balance wheel (against the in time increasing upstream mechanical friction) driven! ) pallet fork horn; a duration design flaw ? :think: 
Improper human intervention did the rest. 
Today I will probe with my oscilloscope if there is life in the electronic unit and if yes, that would a least be something ;-)

Edit; probed the electronic circuitry with my oscilloscope but could not find any pulse nor a crystal frequency. One side of the 2x windings coil measures 1.261 kΩ and the other side infinity. Probed the circuitry with & without coil. It seems like that all the fatal organs of the patient have failed :-( ...... time to prepare the burial proceedings and move on ............


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*EndeavourDK*,
dont be upset. You spent some money. In addition, external this watch is in good condition. And there is a chance to bring this Luch back to a full life. I came across with more worse exemplars. ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

-WhiteLion- said:


> *EndeavourDK*,
> dont be upset. You spent some money. In addition, external this watch is in good condition. And there is a chance to bring this Luch back to a full life. I came across with more worse exemplars. ;-)


I just couldn't close the lid on the coffin and did the "foam-on-the-lips" perseverance. 
And ....... I've found some life; a 32.7 kHz (crystal) and a 8Hz pulse (28,800 BPH)
For sure, I can't bring the coil and pallet fork back to life, but this could be a start :think:


----------



## Odessa200

Got this 2416 de lux for 50$. I consider this is a bargain. The watch is close to new. A bit damage on the dial around the central hole. The price was low, I guess, cause the watch was not working that well. It had the Second hand stutter! Just like the infamous Vostok stutter issue. But this movement is drastically different. Anyway. On the timegrapher I saw a bit low amplitude. Nothing else. Serviced it today. This is the 2nd time I do this movement and happy to say that I dis not took any photos and was able to put all back together by memory. The end result: a bit better amplitude. Lower beat error and, the more importantly, no more stuttering (that would drive me nuts). This is the measurement right after the service. I would imagine after a few days it can improve a bit as the oil redistribute. Need to polish off a few scratches on the crystal and the case but I am tired and just want to rest a bit this Sunday evening. What do you say? 2 before and 2 after photos.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Nice work and nice watch Odessa200 :-!

I hope I'll reach a positive conclusion with my electronic Luch 3055 patient as well. I'll give it one more try and hopefully this $16 (incl. postage) donor will have all the fatal organs I need :think:

Luctor et emergo ?


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Got this 2416 de lux for 50$. I consider this is a bargain. The watch is close to new. A bit damage on the dial around the central hole. The price was low, I guess, cause the watch was not working that well. It had the Second hand stutter! Just like the infamous Vostok stutter issue. But this movement is drastically different. Anyway. On the timegrapher I saw a bit low amplitude. Nothing else. Serviced it today. This is the 2nd time I do this movement and happy to say that I dis not took any photos and was able to put all back together by memory. The end result: a bit better amplitude. Lower beat error and, the more importantly, no more stuttering (that would drive me nuts). This is the measurement right after the service. I would imagine after a few days it can improve a bit as the oil redistribute. Need to polish off a few scratches on the crystal and the case but I am tired and just want to rest a bit this Sunday evening. What do you say? 2 before and 2 after photos.


Another great job, Odessa. I think $50 was a very good deal for a very nice watch!


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> Nice work and nice watch Odessa200 :-!
> 
> I hope I'll reach a positive conclusion with my electronic Luch 3055 patient as well. I'll give it one more try and hopefully this $16 (incl. postage) donor will have all the fatal organs I need :think:
> 
> Luctor et emergo ?


Good luck with the donor watch! I hope the transplant is a success, Dr. EndeavourDK.


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Came across one more quartz Slava 3050 with a rare purple dial. Now this project is completed. 

As usual, the mechanism was fully serviced and brought into working condition. Accuracy within ±0.1 s/day. As much as possible, the look has been refreshed.
This model has a very beautiful dial and glass, which has a faceting from the inside. However, all this is difficult to convey in photos.

So, Before...
























& After. ;-)


----------



## Kamburov

Final stages of my chronograph adventure.
The 3133 and 6139 from the pile 








are both running well, keeping good time








The 3133 had a total damage, sadly. The dial damage is beyond repair, and I could do a better job reluming the hour hand. I could do a better job installing the sweep second hand too. 
Oh, well, it will be revisited. Couldn't wait wearing it.








The Seiko was a nice surprise. Got it working in no time, nothing broken. Opened the front to do minor repairs on the keyless works, then opened the back to explore the chrono mechanics. Suprisingly user friendly and easy to work with. Thought there is a problem with the chrono zeroing, but that was the pushers. Then the hads were slipping on their pins. 
Now it's all good, hopefully.








More things to order - pusher springs and a new crystal. Anyone polished a hardlex?
Replaced the hands, but keep the original ones if I decide to put them back.








Hopefully will be continued ...
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Final stages of my chronograph adventure.
> The 3133 and 6139 from the pile
> View attachment 14532529
> 
> 
> are both running well, keeping good time
> View attachment 14532535
> 
> 
> The 3133 had a total damage, sadly. The dial damage is beyond repair, and I could do a better job reluming the hour hand. I could do a better job installing the sweep second hand too.
> Oh, well, it will be revisited. Couldn't wait wearing it.
> View attachment 14532537
> 
> 
> The Seiko was a nice surprise. Got it working in no time, nothing broken. Opened the front to do minor repairs on the keyless works, then opened the back to explore the chrono mechanics. Suprisingly user friendly and easy to work with. Thought there is a problem with the chrono zeroing, but that was the pushers. Then the hads were slipping on their pins.
> Now it's all good, hopefully.
> View attachment 14532545
> 
> 
> More things to order - pusher springs and a new crystal. Anyone polished a hardlex?
> Replaced the hands, but keep the original ones if I decide to put them back.
> View attachment 14532551
> 
> 
> Hopefully will be continued ...
> Ivan


Your results are great.... mine are mixed today. Got this old Albatros for a few $ a while back. It had 130 amplitude and could barely keep time. So today was the day I decided to clean this one up. Took it apart, put the case with the crystal in the rubbing alcohol as I frequently do with the dirty cases, and worked on the movement. When I looked the the case in some tine I saw that the crystal is all cracked!!!! What happened? Is that the tension ring that caused that? Alcohol? Why?

Good news is that the movement is quite new and no defects. After service all as expected: decent amplitude amd the watch keeps good time.

Bad news, I now need a new crystal ? the opd one was scratched but I am sure I would be able to polish it. O well... alcohol is dangerous!!! ?


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Your results are great.... mine are mixed today. Got this old Albatros for a few $ a while back. It had 130 amplitude and could barely keep time. So today was the day I decided to clean this one up. Took it apart, put the case with the crystal in the rubbing alcohol as I frequently do with the dirty cases, and worked on the movement. When I looked the the case in some tine I saw that the crystal is all cracked!!!! What happened? Is that the tension ring that caused that? Alcohol? Why?


Interesting that with the crystal; haven't seen that before but I also don't used alcohol to clean the case/crystal. I may well be a combination of the alcohol and the crystal being brittle / cracked due to age. These old crystals do literately "crack-up" in time.

Thanks for highlighting and sharing the problem :-!

BTW, looks like an Amphibian 470 case ....


----------



## Odessa200

EndeavourDK said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Your results are great.... mine are mixed today. Got this old Albatros for a few $ a while back. It had 130 amplitude and could barely keep time. So today was the day I decided to clean this one up. Took it apart, put the case with the crystal in the rubbing alcohol as I frequently do with the dirty cases, and worked on the movement. When I looked the the case in some tine I saw that the crystal is all cracked!!!! What happened? Is that the tension ring that caused that? Alcohol? Why?
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting that with the crystal; haven't seen that before but I also don't used alcohol to clean the case/crystal. I may well be a combination of the alcohol and the crystal being brittle / cracked due to age. These old crystals do literately "crack-up" in time.
Click to expand...

Yes, i had used this method on many watched. Many older than this. Old Pobedas from 50s and 60s. Just trying to sanitize the case and fake all human waste from it. Never this result. I would suspect it is a combination of old age, thick crystal that lost its flexibility and the tension ring. Now let me go look for a new crystal 🙂


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> Interesting that with the crystal; haven't seen that before but I also don't used alcohol to clean the case/crystal. I may well be a combination of the alcohol and the crystal being brittle / cracked due to age. These old crystals do literately "crack-up" in time.
> 
> Thanks for highlighting and sharing the problem :-!
> 
> BTW, looks like an Amphibian 470 case ....


From: https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/alcohol-acrylic-crystals-do-not-mix-1049854.html

This was interesting.

A partial list of chemicals and acrylic's resistance to them. R = resistant, LR = limited resistance, N = nonresistant


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> EndeavourDK said:
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting that with the crystal; haven't seen that before but I also don't used alcohol to clean the case/crystal. I may well be a combination of the alcohol and the crystal being brittle / cracked due to age. These old crystals do literately "crack-up" in time.
> 
> Thanks for highlighting and sharing the problem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, looks like an Amphibian 470 case ....
> 
> 
> 
> From: https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/alcohol-acrylic-crystals-do-not-mix-1049854.html
> 
> This was interesting.
> 
> A partial list of chemicals and acrylic's resistance to them. R = resistant, LR = limited resistance, N = nonresistant
> 
> View attachment 14533171
Click to expand...

Wow. Now we found a fatal flow in all Soviet watches. If a Comrade has his watch on the same hand that he uses to drink his vodka shots, he is risking to damage his watch if he spills some of the vodka on them. ?. Need to be careful ?


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Yes, i had used this method on many watched. Many older than this. Old Pobedas from 50s and 60s. Just trying to sanitize the case and fake all human waste from it. Never this result. I would suspect it is a combination of old age, thick crystal that lost its flexibility and the tension ring. Now let me go look for a new crystal 🙂


Well, your watch is now brand spanking sanitized :-d New crystal is easy, the normal Amphibian crystal will fit in a 470 case.

Interesting list AaParker ....... indeed Odessa200, be careful with spilling your home-made Vodka


----------



## Avidfan

EndeavourDK said:


> BTW, looks like an Amphibian 470 case....


I'd say it's a post-Soviet 270 Amphibia case ;-)


----------



## EndeavourDK

Avidfan said:


> I'd say it's a post-Soviet 270 Amphibia case ;-)


Hmmm :think: ........ interesting ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

Avidfan said:


> EndeavourDK said:
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, looks like an Amphibian 470 case....
> 
> 
> 
> I'd say it's a post-Soviet 270 Amphibia case
Click to expand...




EndeavourDK said:


> Avidfan said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'd say it's a post-Soviet 270 Amphibia case
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmmm
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ........ interesting
Click to expand...

Can you explain to us mortals the difference? If there is a size difference than it is easy to check. Also, is it possible it is from the Transition time?


----------



## Avidfan

Odessa200 said:


> Can you explain to us mortals the difference? If there is a size difference than it is easy to check. Also, is it possible it is from the Transition time?


Here's the forum thread on the 270 case:https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/mystery-vostok-octagonal-case-not470-looks-lot-like-100-but-has-18mm-lugs-2505754.html the 470 case is Soviet and can easily be found in the usual catalogues and is of quite a different shape....

But I've not seen a 270 with a Soviet-era passport as yet, unless another comrade has one :think:


----------



## Odessa200

Avidfan said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Can you explain to us mortals the difference? If there is a size difference than it is easy to check. Also, is it possible it is from the Transition time?
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the forum thread on the 270 case:https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/myst...s-lot-like-100-but-has-18mm-lugs-2505754.html the 470 case is Soviet and can easily be found in the usual catalogues and is of quite a different shape....
> 
> But I've not seen a 270 with a Soviet-era passport as yet, unless another comrade has one
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, 270 case.

Btw, this is what the watch looks now. Should I go for a super beater look? 🙂. Even with the cracks all over the watch looks Ok in my opinion. I had ordered a few crystals already. Will see in a month when I get them 🙂


----------



## Avidfan

Odessa200 said:


> Thanks. Yes, 270 case.
> 
> Btw, this is what the watch looks now. Should I go for a super beater look? 🙂. Even with the cracks all over the watch looks Ok in my opinion. I had ordered a few crystals already. Will see in a month when I get them 🙂


No :-d it needs a new crystal, it would look even better with a little paint on the bezel... (a type not often seen btw)


----------



## Odessa200

Avidfan said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. Yes, 270 case.
> 
> Btw, this is what the watch looks now. Should I go for a super beater look? 🙂. Even with the cracks all over the watch looks Ok in my opinion. I had ordered a few crystals already. Will see in a month when I get them 🙂
> 
> 
> 
> No
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it needs a new crystal, it would look even better with a little paint on the bezel... (a type not often seen btw)
Click to expand...

Tried the paint. Did not like it. My red looks pink and black is reddish 🙂. I have a 50 year old hands staining set. Removed the paint. Maybe will do it later with something else. Anyway, order for 3 crystals is placed. Thanks for your moral support team!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Wow. Now we found a fatal flow in all Soviet watches. If a Comrade has his watch on the same hand that he uses to drink his vodka shots, he is risking to damage his watch if he spills some of the vodka on them. 🙂. Need to be careful 🙂


Ha, ha! That's funny...a Russian spill his vodka?!


----------



## EndeavourDK

Avidfan said:


> Here's the forum thread on the 270 case:https://www.watchuseek.com/f10/mystery-vostok-octagonal-case-not470-looks-lot-like-100-but-has-18mm-lugs-2505754.html the 470 case is Soviet and can easily be found in the usual catalogues and is of quite a different shape....
> 
> But I've not seen a 270 with a Soviet-era passport as yet, unless another comrade has one :think:


Sorry, totally my fault ..... I knew the case number ended on 70, sadly I was only a few hundred off ...... :roll:


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Restored Elektronika 59B.

Some time ago, I received this rare watch for repair / restore. The mechanical part of this watch was in non working condition. The electronic part worked, but there were problems with the indication. 
After repair with this watch everything is fine. The mechanical and electronic parts work great. As far as possible, was refreshed appearance. ;-)

Before.
















Between.








After.
























Several parts that were replaced during the repair process.


----------



## AaParker

-WhiteLion- said:


> Restored Elektronika 59B.
> 
> Some time ago, I received this rare watch for repair / restore. The mechanical part of this watch was in non working condition. The electronic part worked, but there were problems with the indication.
> After repair with this watch everything is fine. The mechanical and electronic parts work great. As far as possible, was refreshed appearance. ;-)
> 
> Before.
> View attachment 14538947
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538949
> 
> 
> Between.
> View attachment 14538951
> 
> 
> After.
> View attachment 14538953
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538955
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538957
> 
> 
> Several parts that were replaced during the repair process.
> View attachment 14538959


Like all of your restorations, this one looks fantastic. I do not think I have ever seen that dial before! It looks like 24 hour on the digital. That is really useful! I have to admit, your work has got me looking at Soviet quartz movements in an entirely different way. They are very stylish. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> -WhiteLion- said:
> 
> 
> 
> Restored Elektronika 59B.
> 
> Some time ago, I received this rare watch for repair / restore. The mechanical part of this watch was in non working condition. The electronic part worked, but there were problems with the indication.
> After repair with this watch everything is fine. The mechanical and electronic parts work great. As far as possible, was refreshed appearance.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before.
> View attachment 14538947
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538949
> 
> 
> Between.
> View attachment 14538951
> 
> 
> After.
> View attachment 14538953
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538955
> 
> 
> View attachment 14538957
> 
> 
> Several parts that were replaced during the repair process.
> View attachment 14538959
> 
> 
> 
> Like all of your restorations, this one looks fantastic. I do not think I have ever seen that dial before! It looks like 24 hour on the digital. That is really useful! I have to admit, your work has got me looking at Soviet quartz movements in an entirely different way. They are very stylish. Thank you for sharing.
Click to expand...

Second that! I have a few hundreds of mechanicals. Now started alarms. Maybe quartz will be next 🙂


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*AaParker*, many thanks. You are very kind to me. ;-)

Yes, this model uses a 24-hour format for displaying time on the LCD. In addition, this model has an alarm, hourly time signal, stopwatch, timer, calendar and backlight. The analog part is synchronized with the digital.

*Odessa200*, why not?

Especially, if you are friends with a soldering iron, you can determine the malfunction of the electronic part, restore the operation of the stepper motor, coil, replace the quartz or chip, etc.


----------



## SunnyOrange

AaParker said:


> Like all of your restorations, this one looks fantastic. I do not think I have ever seen that dial before! It looks like 24 hour on the digital. That is really useful! *I have to admit, your work has got me looking at Soviet quartz movements in an entirely different way. They are very stylish.* Thank you for sharing.


Me too! I agree with all you wrote, AaParker!

This is perfect job, Sergey, I really like this rare watch!

It reminded me of one watch I have (sorry it's not Russian, but Japan made), named "Piratron". I still haven't put the battery to check if it's working; I find it too 'manly' for me to wear.


----------



## Odessa200

-WhiteLion- said:


> *AaParker*, many thanks. You are very kind to me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, this model uses a 24-hour format for displaying time on the LCD. In addition, this model has an alarm, hourly time signal, stopwatch, timer, calendar and backlight. The analog part is synchronized with the digital.
> 
> *Odessa200*, why not?
> 
> Especially, if you are friends with a soldering iron, you can determine the malfunction of the electronic part, restore the operation of the stepper motor, coil, replace the quartz or chip, etc.


I can solder. All my youth was building disco lights and other cool things. Back then in the 80s in USSR we could not buy simple things as a disco lights. The once that changes the color based on the music beat and frequency. But I had lost all the knowledge. Given that I am a mechanic engineer, understanding a mechanical watch is easy for me. But the electronic part will require a lot of studying. Maybe one day...


----------



## AaParker

SunnyOrange said:


> Me too! I agree with all you wrote, AaParker!
> 
> This is perfect job, Sergey, I really like this rare watch!
> 
> It reminded me of one watch I have (sorry it's not Russian, but Japan made), named "Piratron". I still haven't put the battery to check if it's working; I find it too 'manly' for me to wear.
> 
> View attachment 14541465


I like it. You should wear it anyway! Isn't that a piranha on it? How many chances in life do we have to wear a watch with a piranha on it? If you were in a long queue and you showed people the watch, you could probably get to the front in no time!


----------



## SunnyOrange

AaParker said:


> I like it. You should wear it anyway! Isn't that a piranha on it? How many chances in life do we have to wear a watch with a piranha on it? If you were in a long queue and you showed people the watch, you could probably get to the front in no time!


Well spotted, now I see the teeth, it indeed is piranha! Good idea!!!


----------



## -WhiteLion-

I want to show here a very rare quartz Slava 2360 (with Date calendar). An interesting feature of this model is that it actually uses the 2350 mechanism (with Day / Date calendar), but instead of a disk with the designation of days of the week, an empty disk is used (photo 3). 

Before & After. ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

-WhiteLion- said:


> I want to show here a very rare quartz Slava 2360 (with Date calendar). An interesting feature of this model is that it actually uses the 2350 mechanism (with Day / Date calendar), but instead of a disk with the designation of days of the week, an empty disk is used (photo 3).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Before & After.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553443
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553445
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553467
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553447
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553449
> 
> 
> View attachment 14553451


 Nice one. When was it made?


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Odessa200*,
yes, you are right. This is nice watch with an unusual design. In addition, this is perhaps the first Slava watch with a calendar in caliber 23xx that I met. Usually, the watch Slava is characterized by the use of caliber 2356, without a calendar.

Apparently, this watch was made in the second half of the 80s. Most likely, a more accurate date can be determined by marking on quartz. But I do not want to disassemble this watch again. ;-)


----------



## Odessa200

Avidfan said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. Yes, 270 case.
> 
> Btw, this is what the watch looks now. Should I go for a super beater look? 🙂. Even with the cracks all over the watch looks Ok in my opinion. I had ordered a few crystals already. Will see in a month when I get them 🙂
> 
> 
> 
> No
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it needs a new crystal, it would look even better with a little paint on the bezel... (a type not often seen btw)
Click to expand...

Mission accomplished. Got old Soviet crystals. Transported the tension ring from the old crystal to the new one and installed it. Now the watch is serviced and has a new crystal. Bezel is still old one. Maybe one day I will get a new one. Before and after shots.


----------



## Avidfan

Odessa200 said:


> Mission accomplished. Got old Soviet crystals. Transported the tension ring from the old crystal to the new one and installed it. Now the watch is serviced and has a new crystal. Bezel is still old one. Maybe one day I will get a new one. Before and after shots.


Looks much better! :-!


----------



## SunnyOrange

Odessa200 said:


> Mission accomplished. Got old Soviet crystals. Transported the tension ring from the old crystal to the new one and installed it. Now the watch is serviced and has a new crystal. Bezel is still old one. Maybe one day I will get a new one. Before and after shots.


Like new, and the strap is perfect! :-!


----------



## EndeavourDK

Odessa200 said:


> Mission accomplished. Got old Soviet crystals. Transported the tension ring from the old crystal to the new one and installed it. Now the watch is serviced and has a new crystal. Bezel is still old one. Maybe one day I will get a new one. Before and after shots.


I wouldn't dismiss that (Komandirskie?) bezel too fast ..... those are much less common than the standard dot-dash ..... ;-)
The watch looks good on that strap !


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Mission accomplished. Got old Soviet crystals. Transported the tension ring from the old crystal to the new one and installed it. Now the watch is serviced and has a new crystal. Bezel is still old one. Maybe one day I will get a new one. Before and after shots.


A fantastic job! And I agree with others who have commented: the strap complements the watch perfectly!


----------



## Odessa200

Thank you friends! Yep, happy with the strap and the bezel as well 🙂


----------



## Odessa200

Almost 1 month and no posts????? I thought something happened to the thread cause I could not find it on the top. Anyhow.... got this sad looking Kirovskie and do not regret. Only a few mins of work between before and after. What do you say?


----------



## elsoldemayo

An absolute beauty!!


----------



## SinanjuStein

Odessa200 said:


> Almost 1 month and no posts????? I thought something happened to the thread cause I could not find it on the top. Anyhow.... got this sad looking Kirovskie and do not regret. Only a few mins of work between before and after. What do you say?


That's quite the makeover for a few minutes of work.


----------



## SunnyOrange

Perfect! I really like the case, it looks so shiny and elegant now. :-!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Almost 1 month and no posts????? I thought something happened to the thread cause I could not find it on the top. Anyhow.... got this sad looking Kirovskie and do not regret. Only a few mins of work between before and after. What do you say?


A great job on a really fantastic Kirovskie!


----------



## Odessa200

elsoldemayo said:


> An absolute beauty!!





SinanjuStein said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Almost 1 month and no posts????? I thought something happened to the thread cause I could not find it on the top. Anyhow.... got this sad looking Kirovskie and do not regret. Only a few mins of work between before and after. What do you say?
> 
> 
> 
> That's quite the makeover for a few minutes of work.
Click to expand...




SunnyOrange said:


> Perfect! I really like the case, it looks so shiny and elegant now.





AaParker said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Almost 1 month and no posts????? I thought something happened to the thread cause I could not find it on the top. Anyhow.... got this sad looking Kirovskie and do not regret. Only a few mins of work between before and after. What do you say?
> 
> 
> 
> A great job on a really fantastic Kirovskie!
Click to expand...

Thank you friends! It took me about an hour or so. Took it apart and cleaned the case. Then polished the crystal with the sand papers. I figured I'd better leave some imperfections because the watch is used and I like the vintage patina on the dial. Somehow I managed to get 2 gilded Kirovskie recently. This one with light dial and another one is in the mail with black dial... will be a nice couple.


----------



## Odessa200

Playing with paint and coffee (for color) 🙂


----------



## Kamburov

After my first 3133 restoration ...








... I got some spare parts left and some experience gained. So after some inspiring conversations with comrade EndeavourDK (and his Mir Station 3133 restoration) I decided to have another go. 
First I got this parts watch, with a badly broken 31659






















and a non working 3133 movement from the 80s (I think). Not too familiar with the 3133 production timeline.








The two costed me about $100, and I figured I'll be able to make one good watch, using the parts I got left from the first one. I also got an extra hour hand replacement for the first 3133 (my reluming wasn't the best). 
Things worked reasonably well, and I slowly started assembling a working 3133. Learned a lot of valuable lessons in the process, most notably the chrono setup and it's calibtation screws. The ballance needed some shims inserted, in order to get it going. Had to improvise with some slava shims, can't spare $30-$40 for original ones. Prices for 3133 spares are crazy. 
Anyway, in the end I got a well working movement, so I moved on to the case. My watchmaker friend got me some new crowns, pushers (steel) and a crystal. The winding crown didn't fit, but the rest fitted perfectly. Restored the dial, as much as I could. Used another similar (badly damaged) dial to lift 4 hour markers and fit them onto this one. Also relumed 3 of its original markers (not very well, will have to relume in the future).
I had the watch assembled and ready, I was so happy. 
Then I decided to give the 4th wheel a little push and its pin snapped. I had just quit cigarettes, and it took all my willpower not to start again. The only part of the whole movement I couldn't afford breaking. 
The only part I could find on the bay was more than $60, so I bid on a non working 3133 parts watch instead. Seller stated the watch is "blocked". Won it at about $60, and a week later I had it on my desk. It didn't work, but I noticed a small piece of brass under the second hand wheel (yeah, the same 4th wheel), so I shook it out by tapping the watch on the desk. The movement started ticking happily. I decided using the whole movement, than transfering the wheel. I had already broken one escape wheel, didn't want to risk another.
Finally I got my watch. I managed to spoil the chrono hands from so many times fitting them on and then taking them off. So this is the result before I find hands replacements, or EndeavourDK post result from his Loctite experiment 















I'm certainly enjoyng it as it is now, but it is to be continued 
Oh, and I have a 3133 that needs a 4th wheel for a full restoration.
Ivan


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> After my first 3133 restoration ...
> View attachment 14633905
> 
> 
> ... I got some spare parts left and some experience gained. So after some inspiring conversations with comrade EndeavourDK (and his Mir Station 3133 restoration) I decided to have another go.
> First I got this parts watch, with a badly broken 31659
> View attachment 14633913
> 
> View attachment 14633915
> 
> View attachment 14633919
> 
> 
> and a non working 3133 movement from the 80s (I think). Not too familiar with the 3133 production timeline.
> View attachment 14633757
> 
> 
> The two costed me about $100, and I figured I'll be able to make one good watch, using the parts I got left from the first one. I also got an extra hour hand replacement for the first 3133 (my reluming wasn't the best).
> Things worked reasonably well, and I slowly started assembling a working 3133. Learned a lot of valuable lessons in the process, most notably the chrono setup and it's calibtation screws. The ballance needed some shims inserted, in order to get it going. Had to improvise with some slava shims, can't spare $30-$40 for original ones. Prices for 3133 spares are crazy.
> Anyway, in the end I got a well working movement, so I moved on to the case. My watchmaker friend got me some new crowns, pushers (steel) and a crystal. The winding crown didn't fit, but the rest fitted perfectly. Restored the dial, as much as I could. Used another similar (badly damaged) dial to lift 4 hour markers and fit them onto this one. Also relumed 3 of its original markers (not very well, will have to relume in the future).
> I had the watch assembled and ready, I was so happy.
> Then I decided to give the 4th wheel a little push and its pin snapped. I had just quit cigarettes, and it took all my willpower not to start again. The only part of the whole movement I couldn't afford breaking.
> The only part I could find on the bay was more than $60, so I bid on a non working 3133 parts watch instead. Seller stated the watch is "blocked". Won it at about $60, and a week later I had it on my desk. It didn't work, but I noticed a small piece of brass under the second hand wheel (yeah, the same 4th wheel), so I shook it out by tapping the watch on the desk. The movement started ticking happily. I decided using the whole movement, than transfering the wheel. I had already broken one escape wheel, didn't want to risk another.
> Finally I got my watch. I managed to spoil the chrono hands from so many times fitting them on and then taking them off. So this is the result before I find hands replacements, or EndeavourDK post result from his Loctite experiment
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14633805
> 
> View attachment 14633807
> 
> 
> I'm certainly enjoyng it as it is now, but it is to be continued
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, and I have a 3133 that needs a 4th wheel for a full restoration.
> Ivan


Wow. So many learning lessons and a lot of experience. Not a perfect watch at this time but a huge improvement. I am still staying away from 3133s.... maybe one day when I get spares cheep. Keep us posted on the progress!


----------



## EndeavourDK

Very nicely done Ivan :-!

Enjoy the watch until you've gained even more experience. Just like I had/have with the chrono seconds recorder hand, it was left in the drawer (for over 2 years) till I had some new idea's and gained more experience.
Now you have done this watch to the best with your current capabilities, so enjoy it !! It looks very nice :-!

BTW, I don't lift the drive-wheel which sits on top of the 4th wheel. I just let it be there and take / clean / reassemble / oil the whole assembly. Too risky ... as you have "noticed" (too :-d I ruined a 4th wheel of one of my first trainers, a Landeron 48. A lesson learned).


----------



## SunnyOrange

Bravo Ivan, this was no easy task, you went through whole adventure and the result is amazing! 


P.S. Congrats on quitting smoking and not falling into temptation. :-!


----------



## Kamburov

Well, I decided to go for the Loctite experiment myself  
It worked. Both chrono hands are behaving well. Not my prettiest restoration, but considering the state of the original parts I'm happy with the result.








So there they are, my first 3133 experimental restorations








I still have 3 hour markers for reluming and one crown for replacing, but this is close enough.


----------



## AaParker

Kamburov said:


> Well, I decided to go for the Loctite experiment myself
> It worked. Both chrono hands are behaving well. Not my prettiest restoration, but considering the state of the original parts I'm happy with the result.
> View attachment 14638525
> 
> 
> So there they are, my first 3133 experimental restorations
> View attachment 14638537
> 
> 
> I still have 3 hour markers for reluming and one crown for replacing, but this is close enough.


Well done. A very impressive result!


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Well, I decided to go for the Loctite experiment myself
> It worked. Both chrono hands are behaving well


Hej, that's cheeky ....... :rodekaart ;-)
Well, the good news is that you were the first guinea pig to try it out :-d

Did you first apply the Loctite and than put the bushing on the hand, or did you put the Loctite around the bushing while installed? Which type of Loctite did you use?

Well done !


----------



## Kamburov

EndeavourDK said:


> Hej, that's cheeky ....... :rodekaart ;-)
> Well, the good news is that you were the first guinea pig to try it out :-d
> 
> Did you first apply the Loctite and than put the bushing on the hand, or did you put the Loctite around the bushing while installed? Which type of Loctite did you use?
> 
> Well done !


Couldn't help it, my friend 
Had a day off, so I got this one from the shop downstairs








Used a needle to apply a tiny micro-drop on top of the pin. Then fixed the hand on it, with a lot of care about its positioning, ofcourse. Wanted to get it right the first time. 
Waited about 10 minutes, and then gave it some really aggressive start/stop/zero testing. So far so good. At least it hasn't fallen off yet. 
Just to add, the hand was all over the place when I tried to fit it the other day. Too many times on and off.
I used a really, really tiny amount of the glue. I wanted to give myself a good chance of refitting it in the future, so tried to not overdo it.
Ivan


----------



## EndeavourDK

Very interesting :-!

I didn't go for the Loctite super glue as I thought one wouldn't have enough time to manipulate the bushing on the hand (arrow/needle), but apparently one has .....
The Loctite 648 I bought doesn't do anything within the first 10 minutes and the total curing time to 100% is 6 days.

I'm pretty sure Loctite doesn't make rubbish super glue, so you may have a winner ! ;-)
Now we have to wait for my Loctite 648 to come in and than wait another 6 days for the results ..... testing patience, patience and again patience ......... it's all about "time" :-d

Good job :-!


----------



## AaParker

I worked on a Zvezda and a Luch. Mostly just knocking some grime off and polishing. I think they look a little better.

Before:

















After:

















Before:

















After: Still needs a low profile crystal









I've had some luck using a computer cleaning tool with a silicone tip for working on the watch dial. It is very soft and no chance of scratching.


----------



## Kamburov

Good work on good vintage watches! That silicone tool is a clever idea, will have to try getting one. I also have four computers at home anyway


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> I worked on a Zvezda and a Luch. Mostly just knocking some grime off and polishing. I think they look a little better.
> 
> Before:
> 
> View attachment 14652713
> 
> 
> View attachment 14652715
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 14652717
> 
> 
> View attachment 14652719
> 
> 
> Before:
> 
> View attachment 14652721
> 
> 
> View attachment 14652725
> 
> 
> After: Still needs a low profile crystal
> 
> View attachment 14652729
> 
> 
> I've had some luck using a computer cleaning tool with a silicone tip for working on the watch dial. It is very soft and no chance of scratching.
> 
> View attachment 14652737


Not bad!!!! Love them. Was working on a Luch as well. What do you do with this tool?


----------



## Odessa200

Here is mine before and after for today. Cleaned and polished Luch.


----------



## pump 19

Re: Cleaning tool OXO Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush







;

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-El...+silicone+cleaning+tool&qid=1574619957&sr=8-2

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...acat=0&_odkw=computer+cleaning+tool+silicone+


----------



## Odessa200

Thanks. Ordered!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Not bad!!!! Love them. Was working on a Luch as well. What do you do with this tool?


Since I clean the dial with mineral oil, I use it to very precisely control how much oil I put on an area. Cotton swabs work okay, but this lets me target a specific area if there is only one spot on the dial that needs to be cleaned. Also I'm able to work on raised indices and relief dials with good control. And, unlike a toothpick, no chance of scratching the dial!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Here is mine before and after for today. Cleaned and polished Luch.


Fantastic! Great job on a beautiful watch!


----------



## AaParker

pump 19 said:


> Re: Cleaning tool OXO Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush
> 
> View attachment 14652925
> ;
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-El...+silicone+cleaning+tool&qid=1574619957&sr=8-2
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...acat=0&_odkw=computer+cleaning+tool+silicone+


That's it exactly!


----------



## Odessa200

Hi Comrades. What are my best options to clean a dial like this? These fingerprints drive me crazy. Somehow I am thinking above the mentioned above mineral oil. Anyone tried cleaning one like this? Thanks!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Hi Comrades. What are my best options to clean a dial like this? These fingerprints drive me crazy. Somehow I am thinking above the mentioned above mineral oil. Anyone tried cleaning one like this? Thanks!


Hmm...first I would try hot breath and a fine microfibre cloth. I would hope it is just dirt. My fear is that it has compromised the lacquer on this dial and therefore, your options after my first suggestion would be limited.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

In 1965, the GDR was 16 years old and this was the year this UMF Ruhla watch was produced. In fact this watch was produced between 15th and the 19th of March 1965. When I saw the watch, I noticed the broken crystal and the tarnished case but the dial was good. So, the other issues could be sorted out.















However on looking at the movement, there were further issues:

Click spring missing. In fact half of it emerged later as it had obviously snapped.
The seconds wheel was missing from the movement
The date was changing every 6 hours! It turned out that the spring piece which acts against the date wheel cog was snapped and missing.
The crown and stem release screw was siezed - very unusual on a Ruhla.















The other problem was the dirt. You can see that there is a build up of dirt under the time winding transfer cogs.









So after a bit of citric acid cleaning and searching through some spare parts and fitting a new crystal and period strap, here is the finished watch. I could not reproduce the date bubble as on the original crystal as the originals are XHD and these are almost impossible to find and expensive (the watch itself was only $10). The next best High Dome crystals do not have enough clearance. The original bubbles were formed in the crystal and so do not foul the path of the second hand.



























Notice the balance cock and regulator. These are the earlier versions. Within a couple of years, these had both changed design. This is one of the ways to spot if you have a later movement in an earlier design case/dial combination.















Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Comrades. What are my best options to clean a dial like this? These fingerprints drive me crazy. Somehow I am thinking above the mentioned above mineral oil. Anyone tried cleaning one like this? Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm...first I would try hot breath and a fine microfibre cloth. I would hope it is just dirt. My fear is that it has compromised the lacquer on this dial and therefore, your options after my first suggestion would be limited.
> 
> Sekondtime
Click to expand...

I am afraid of this as well. If the lacquer is deteriorated than this is it. If I get some time this weekend will take a look under a microscope. Will try worm water and soft cloth. Fingers crossed.


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> In 1965, the GDR was 16 years old and this was the year this UMF Ruhla watch was produced. In fact this watch was produced between 15th and the 19th of March 1965. When I saw the watch, I noticed the broken crystal and the tarnished case but the dial was good. So, the other issues could be sorted out.
> 
> View attachment 14663123
> View attachment 14663125
> 
> 
> However on looking at the movement, there were further issues:
> 
> Click spring missing. In fact half of it emerged later as it had obviously snapped.
> The seconds wheel was missing from the movement
> The date was changing every 6 hours! It turned out that the spring piece which acts against the date wheel cog was snapped and missing.
> The crown and stem release screw was siezed - very unusual on a Ruhla.
> 
> View attachment 14663127
> View attachment 14663129
> 
> 
> The other problem was the dirt. You can see that there is a build up of dirt under the time winding transfer cogs.
> 
> View attachment 14663133
> 
> 
> So after a bit of citric acid cleaning and searching through some spare parts and fitting a new crystal and period strap, here is the finished watch. I could not reproduce the date bubble as on the original crystal as the originals are XHD and these are almost impossible to find and expensive (the watch itself was only $10). The next best High Dome crystals do not have enough clearance. The original bubbles were formed in the crystal and so do not foul the path of the second hand.
> 
> View attachment 14663135
> View attachment 14663137
> View attachment 14663139
> View attachment 14663141
> 
> 
> Notice the balance cock and regulator. These are the earlier versions. Within a couple of years, these had both changed design. This is one of the ways to spot if you have a later movement in an earlier design case/dial combination.
> 
> View attachment 14663143
> View attachment 14663145
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


Interesting... thanks for sharing.


----------



## RedFroggy

A most interesting post & congratulations .... 
I am amazed . A truly gorgeous watch back from the dead !!



Sekondtime said:


> In 1965, the GDR was 16 years old and this was the year this UMF Ruhla watch was produced. In fact this watch was produced between 15th and the 19th of March 1965.
> 
> View attachment 14663145


----------



## Sekondtime

RedFroggy said:


> A most interesting post & congratulations ....
> I am amazed . A truly gorgeous watch back from the dead !!





Odessa200 said:


> Interesting... thanks for sharing.


Thanks Redfroggy and Odessa200. I am pleased you found of interest. I forgot to post this image of the date wheel and how dirty it was. Luckily it was only dirt and was cleaned of without too much trouble.









Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Here you go. Water did nothing. This is mostly deteriorated lacquer. Used oil to clean all the dirt I could lift and decided to call it ‘done’ before I go too far. Was able to remove the dirt around the center of the dial. Not the beat watch in my collection but the Record movement is nice and strong and the case is not bad. So will keep it for now. Opinions?


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Here you go. Water did nothing. This is mostly deteriorated lacquer. Used oil to clean all the dirt I could lift and decided to call it 'done' before I go too far. Was able to remove the dirt around the center of the dial. Not the beat watch in my collection but the Record movement is nice and strong and the case is not bad. So will keep it for now. Opinions?


It certainly looks better particularly in the centre. I think you have done the best job possible It was limited what you could achieve because it is a lacquered dial. It almost has a mother of pearl effect in the second photo!


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here you go. Water did nothing. This is mostly deteriorated lacquer. Used oil to clean all the dirt I could lift and decided to call it 'done' before I go too far. Was able to remove the dirt around the center of the dial. Not the beat watch in my collection but the Record movement is nice and strong and the case is not bad. So will keep it for now. Opinions?
> 
> 
> 
> It certainly looks better particularly in the centre. I think you have done the best job possible It was limited what you could achieve because it is a lacquered dial. It almost has a mother of pearl effect in the second photo!
Click to expand...

Thanks Comrade!


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

*Re: Before & After ✨ Long Raketa story...*

Today I finished my Raketa 20 year commemorative Magnitagorsky Komsomol submarine watch.

At least it is somehow celebrating 20 years of something. 
Anyone know what the KPϕ is for?

The best I can get is from a US ARMY 1957 USA-Soviet acronym book.

KPϕ = KOMMYTATOP TAHKA = switchboard KSF

If that means anything to anyone lemme know.

















Otherwise this is about a watch.

It is a Raketa 2609.HA (high accuracy?) movement. It's nice with shock protection on the balance and on the escape wheel pivots!

Here is the before. 
-The side by the stem was rusty, but the balance worked.
--Took out the balance, and stripped as much as would come off. Stuck was 1 barrel bridge screw and 1 of the 2 teensy-tiny dial foot screws.
--carefyly soaked the 2 affected crews and areas with penetrating oil. Tried every now and again I would test them. Finally after 3 weeks I was ready to take a dremel tool and cut the plate to get the dial out.






























BUT...
With some persuasion from bigger pliers and screwdrivers I got the dial free...
AND the barrel screw...
And the barrel bridge screw.

Now it was apart.
And internal examination showed the dead parts: barrel bridge & screws, barrel winding gear, and seconds wheel.

**Good news* much of the rest was salvageable! interestingly enough, the barrel was in beautiful shape. The mainspring was nice, and the inside was shiny and smooth. It was in better shape than my donor movement.

Speaking of the donor- it was a nice Raketa as well, with good markings and in very nice condition. It had dial mounting screws, and no rust. It just needed a good cleaning.
















So I cleaned them both, keeping the parts separated. Afterwards I scrubbed the old mainplate with a toothpick and some Flitz cleaner and it cleaned up verrrry nicely.

Then rebuilt it with the best parts from both watches. A few hi lights I can remember:
-- Barrel off the rusted watch-- the inside was almost pristine, shiny and unscratched.
--Bridges and most wheels from the donor movement. The donor had beveled bridges, so they look different, but function very nicely.
--Original pallet fork
--Original movement balance. Ironically it the cock was a bit worn looking, but the balance, and parts that count, were much much nicer in condition. Yes the balance cock doesn't match the plates off the donor movement, but it works better!

I shined up the strap, cleaned up the case, bezel, rotating ring and back cover. I put it all together and the watch just ticks and ticks.
So far after 3 days on the desk it is averaging -3.4 seconds per day. Really good!

Thanks for lettin me ramble. 
And thanks in advance for any information about this one.

I'll be putting it up for sale here soon, so keep your eyes out.


----------



## EndeavourDK

@ AlaskaJohnboy;

Very well done and I can really appreciate these extended before & afters, with more details how it's done and perhaps tips & lessons learned. Next to the enjoyment of seeing a watch being salvaged, this is also how we can benefit & learn.
Rust is detrimental to any movement, but you managed to turn this one around and obtained a splendid result; very well done :-!


----------



## thewatchadude

*Re: Before & After ✨ Long Raketa story...*



AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Today I finished my Raketa 20 year commemorative Magnitagorsky Komsomol submarine watch.
> 
> At least it is somehow celebrating 20 years of something.
> Anyone know what the KPϕ is for?
> 
> The best I can get is from a US ARMY 1957 USA-Soviet acronym book.
> 
> KPϕ = KOMMYTATOP TAHKA = switchboard KSF
> 
> If that means anything to anyone lemme know.
> 
> View attachment 14673557
> 
> 
> View attachment 14673559
> 
> 
> Otherwise this is about a watch.
> 
> It is a Raketa 2609.HA (high accuracy?) movement. It's nice with shock protection on the balance and on the escape wheel pivots!
> 
> Here is the before.
> -The side by the stem was rusty, but the balance worked.
> --Took out the balance, and stripped as much as would come off. Stuck was 1 barrel bridge screw and 1 of the 2 teensy-tiny dial foot screws.
> --carefyly soaked the 2 affected crews and areas with penetrating oil. Tried every now and again I would test them. Finally after 3 weeks I was ready to take a dremel tool and cut the plate to get the dial out.
> 
> View attachment 14673615
> 
> View attachment 14673609
> 
> View attachment 14673611
> 
> View attachment 14673613
> 
> 
> BUT...
> With some persuasion from bigger pliers and screwdrivers I got the dial free...
> AND the barrel screw...
> And the barrel bridge screw.
> 
> Now it was apart.
> And internal examination showed the dead parts: barrel bridge & screws, barrel winding gear, and seconds wheel.
> 
> **Good news* much of the rest was salvageable! interestingly enough, the barrel was in beautiful shape. The mainspring was nice, and the inside was shiny and smooth. It was in better shape than my donor movement.
> 
> Speaking of the donor- it was a nice Raketa as well, with good markings and in very nice condition. It had dial mounting screws, and no rust. It just needed a good cleaning.
> 
> View attachment 14673619
> 
> View attachment 14673621
> 
> 
> So I cleaned them both, keeping the parts separated. Afterwards I scrubbed the old mainplate with a toothpick and some Flitz cleaner and it cleaned up verrrry nicely.
> 
> Then rebuilt it with the best parts from both watches. A few hi lights I can remember:
> -- Barrel off the rusted watch-- the inside was almost pristine, shiny and unscratched.
> --Bridges and most wheels from the donor movement. The donor had beveled bridges, so they look different, but function very nicely.
> --Original pallet fork
> --Original movement balance. Ironically it the cock was a bit worn looking, but the balance, and parts that count, were much much nicer in condition. Yes the balance cock doesn't match the plates off the donor movement, but it works better!
> 
> I shined up the strap, cleaned up the case, bezel, rotating ring and back cover. I put it all together and the watch just ticks and ticks.
> So far after 3 days on the desk it is averaging -3.4 seconds per day. Really good!
> 
> Thanks for lettin me ramble.
> And thanks in advance for any information about this one.
> 
> I'll be putting it up for sale here soon, so keep your eyes out.
> 
> View attachment 14673629
> 
> View attachment 14673631
> 
> View attachment 14673633


Great work! I wish I would know how to do this!

I might have missed something but just wondering: if the donor movement was working, why not just swapping it with the old one?


----------



## miroman

This is a commemorative watch for one member of "North fleet" (Северный Флот - the letters СФ are from this name). 
It's a submarine team with 4 members - «Ленинский комсомолец», «Ярославский комсомолец», «Челябинский комсомолец» и «Магнитогорский комсомолец». 
I couldn't find where the first letter "K" come from and what does it mean. Maybe a native Russians can say.

Here's the source: Submarine name from 80's
Also the history of the exact member «Магнитогорский комсомолец»: Magnitogorsk Komsomolets B-437. Project 641Á

Regards, Miro.


----------



## Kamburov

Beautiful result on the Raketa!
2609.HП is a good movement, but you may know, or not know, that this is supposed to be a 24 hours watch, so calibre should be 24 hour 2623.
Miro is spot on about the history, I'll just add that according to google K stands for Краснознамённый (Се́верный Флот). Meaning "red banner".
Ivan

PS: A copper dial Molnija I just salvaged.




































The "before" wasn't that bad, but I really like the copper dials.


----------



## thewatchadude

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful result on the Raketa!
> 2609.HП is a good movement, but you may know, or not know, that this is supposed to be a 24 hours watch, so calibre should be 24 hour 2623.
> Miro is spot on about the history, I'll just add that according to google K stands for Краснознамённый (Се́верный Флот). Meaning "red banner".
> Ivan


It has many attributes from the 24h model but the dial doesn't seem to be a 24h one. I think I've seen a few of these 12h hours derived from the 24h models.


----------



## Kamburov

thewatchadude said:


> It has many attributes from the 24h model but the dial doesn't seem to be a 24h one. I think I've seen a few of these 12h hours derived from the 24h models.


I wasn't paying attention. Yes, it's a 12 hour dial and 2609.NP makes sense with it. It's just the 24h shifts (vahtas) bezel looks strange in a 12h watch.
Didn't mean to play the critic on John's excellent work. The 12-24 hybrid cought me by surprise  Was not aware of them.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

*Re: Before & After ✨ Long Raketa story...*



thewatchadude said:


> Great work! I wish I would know how to do this!
> 
> I might have missed something but just wondering: if the donor movement was working, why not just swapping it with the old one?


Good question-- 
A--Because both the donor and the original movement were dirty and needed service.
B--Because I needed/wanted the original mainplate. It had a better spacer/setting wheel hold-down system. (sort no photos of that)
C-- With 2 clean movements to choose from I picked the best of all parts!

Here is the dirty donor movement.
(Oh yeah-- and now I have 90% of a nice 2609- good clean parts. Hmmmm wonder what's interchangeable with other Russian movements. I'll let y'all know if I find out!)


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

miroman said:


> This is a commemorative watch for one member of "North fleet" (Северный Флот - the letters СФ are from this name).
> It's a submarine team with 4 members - «Ленинский комсомолец», «Ярославский комсомолец», «Челябинский комсомолец» и «Магнитогорский комсомолец».
> I couldn't find where the first letter "K" come from and what does it mean. Maybe a native Russians can say.
> 
> Here's the source: Submarine name from 80's
> Also the history of the exact member «Магнитогорский комсомолец»: Magnitogorsk Komsomolets B-437. Project 641Á
> 
> Regards, Miro.


Thanks for the info Miro! Greatly appreciated!


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Beautiful result on the Raketa!
> 2609.HП is a good movement, but you may know, or not know, that this is supposed to be a 24 hours watch, so calibre should be 24 hour 2623.
> Miro is spot on about the history, I'll just add that according to google K stands for Краснознамённый (Се́верный Флот). Meaning "red banner".
> Ivan
> 
> PS: A copper dial Molnija I just salvaged.
> 
> The "before" wasn't that bad, but I really like the copper dials.


First-- good job on the copper dial Molniya! I like that!

Second- yeah I kept seeing the same thing-- 24 hour watches all over. But this one was as I got it with a 12 hour movement. It's not like it was modded back in the 80's. I'm betting everything on it being all original

Thanks for the info on the "shifts" bezel too. I thought it was interesting to have the compass directions instead of 12-3-6-9.


----------



## Kamburov

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> First-- good job on the copper dial Molniya! I like that!
> 
> Second- yeah I kept seeing the same thing-- 24 hour watches all over. But this one was as I got it with a 12 hour movement. It's not like it was modded back in the 80's. I'm betting everything on it being all original
> 
> Thanks for the info on the "shifts" bezel too. I thought it was interesting to have the compass directions instead of 12-3-6-9.


I've heard that this 24h bezel is specially designed for the navy, as it is devided ito 4 hour shifts (on/off duty) in a 24h cycle. I've heard people call them vachta (shift) watches. 
For a 12h compass watch (like yours) Raketa have the perfect rotating bezel design. That is the Raketa "wind rose" bezel. Which is also a 12h, 2609.NP watch. I'm just surprised they hadn't used that.
Sorry, just thinking aloud again


----------



## Sekondtime

miroman said:


> This is a commemorative watch for one member of "North fleet" (Северный Флот - the letters СФ are from this name).
> It's a submarine team with 4 members - «Ленинский комсомолец», «Ярославский комсомолец», «Челябинский комсомолец» и «Магнитогорский комсомолец».
> I couldn't find where the first letter "K" come from and what does it mean. Maybe a native Russians can say.
> 
> Here's the source: Submarine name from 80's
> Also the history of the exact member «Магнитогорский комсомолец»: Magnitogorsk Komsomolets B-437. Project 641Á
> 
> Regards, Miro.


Just to add to Miroman's information above, here is what I have found from Russian Wikipedia: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Северный_флот_ВМФ_России

*Краснознамённый Се́верный флот (СФ, КСФ) **The Red Banner Northern Fleet (SF, KSF)* is the operational-strategic association of the Russian Navy [1] , the "youngest" of all Russian military fleets . An integral part of the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command .

It was formed on June 1, 1933 as the Northern Flotilla . On May 11, 1937, the flotilla was transformed into the Northern Fleet . The headquarters and governing bodies of the CSF were part of the army and navy in the period from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945 [2] . The main location is ZATO Severomorsk . The basis of the modern Northern Fleet is nuclear missile and torpedo submarines , missile and anti-submarine aircraft , missile, aircraft carriers and anti-submarine ships . Since 2013, the Northern Fleet is an interspecific strategic alliance, which in essence is the military district of Russia [3] . Commander - Vice Admiral Alexander Alekseevich Moiseev (since May 2019 ). The flagship is the heavy nuclear missile order of the Nakhimov cruiser Peter the Great .

That was an interesting explanation of your restoration of the Raketa. It shows what can be done with perseverance! Well done!

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> PS: A copper dial Molnija I just salvaged.
> 
> The "before" wasn't that bad, but I really like the copper dials.


I am partial to a copper dial too. Interesting watch. looking at other examples I came across this photo and thought that this is the way to display a copper dial Molnija, resting against some old hardback books!


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Sekondtime said:


> Just to add to Miroman's information above, here is what I have found from Russian Wikipedia: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Северный_флот_ВМФ_России
> 
> *Краснознамённый Се́верный флот (СФ, КСФ) **The Red Banner Northern Fleet (SF, KSF)* is the operational-strategic association of the Russian Navy [1] , the "youngest" of all Russian military fleets . An integral part of the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command .
> 
> It was formed on June 1, 1933 as the Northern Flotilla . On May 11, 1937, the flotilla was transformed into the Northern Fleet . The headquarters and governing bodies of the CSF were part of the army and navy in the period from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945 [2] . The main location is ZATO Severomorsk . The basis of the modern Northern Fleet is nuclear missile and torpedo submarines , missile and anti-submarine aircraft , missile, aircraft carriers and anti-submarine ships . Since 2013, the Northern Fleet is an interspecific strategic alliance, which in essence is the military district of Russia [3] . Commander - Vice Admiral Alexander Alekseevich Moiseev (since May 2019 ). The flagship is the heavy nuclear missile order of the Nakhimov cruiser Peter the Great .
> 
> That was an interesting explanation of your restoration of the Raketa. It shows what can be done with perseverance! Well done!
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks for the great info Sekondtime. Coming from you it's a big compliment.

It's nothing big, I am trying to just use these old watches as practice. Every time I try something bigger and harder to do.
Currently have a chinese pocket watch wtith a busted pallet fork pinion. I have tried 4 different forks from various donor movements and no luck yet. Close, but not quite there yet.
Eventially I'll hit one that works... It's not a critical fix. but I am getting better and taking out and putting back in the balance wheel, pallet cock & pallet fork...

Building skills...

Thanks everyone. Next time I'll try to take more as-I-go photos.


----------



## Kamburov

Saw this "don't know if it's working" Ruhla electronic stop watch for $3. 








took it apart and cleaned it as much as I could.















Long story short, it's working just fine. A lovely addition to my stop watch collection.
Didn't realize how small and cute these are.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Saw this "don't know if it's working" Ruhla electronic stop watch for $3.
> 
> took it apart and cleaned it as much as I could.
> 
> Long story short, it's working just fine. A lovely addition to my stop watch collection.
> Didn't realize how small and cute these are.


Looks like new! There is not much to go wrong with these stop watches. Usually, it is just a new battery that is required but it is not that obvious where the battery compartment is so many people don't change them.

These stop watches were made between 1984 and 1988. They came in red, white and black. The integrated circuit is GDR made but the trimmers were Japanese.

Not bad for $3!

Sekondtime


----------



## AaParker

I saw this Roland watch for sale. It wasn't on the Soviet export list put together by f10 members,but I wondered if it might be a Hong Kong export with a Soviet movement. But, as is so often the case, there was no movement picture. But it had all the hallmarks of these sort of watches with the caseback with the scuba diver, "unbreakable mainspring" on the dial, silver dial face, and the triangular hands with lume. It was not expensive; I made an offer, and it was accepted. It was a pretty dirty watch when it arrived, so it had a good polish and cleaning. When I opened the case it was, indeed, a Soviet movement. But it was a 21 jewel movement, whereas the dial states a 17 jewel movement. So, is it a "franken" or a factory mistake that there is a mismatch between the jewels on the dial and the jewels on the movement? I certainly do not want to impugn the good folks at the Globewide watch Co. Inc., but I'm going to say that it is plausible that it was a factory mistake and that Roland could be, with some degree of certainty, added to the export list. I'll keep looking. And,maybe, someone has another one with the same mismatch. Or one with the same number on the movement and dial. Or maybe it is just a franken. Either way, I enjoy these export watches. I can't say why I enjoy them. I think they are neat looking, and I think it's so interesting to have a Soviet movement in a Hong Kong watch. The dichotomy between the two economic systems at the time was pretty pronounced, but still they were able to deal with one another to mutual benefit. It's difficult to say why any of us enjoy one thing over another. For me,the important thing is to enjoy it and share it. Thank you for your time!

Before:

































After:


----------



## EndeavourDK

AaParker said:


> I saw this Roland watch for sale. It wasn't on the Soviet export list put together by f10 members,but I wondered if it might be a Hong Kong export with a Soviet movement. But, as is so often the case, there was no movement picture. But it had all the hallmarks of these sort of watches with the caseback with the scuba diver, "unbreakable mainspring" on the dial, silver dial face, and the triangular hands with lume. It was not expensive; I made an offer, and it was accepted. It was a pretty dirty watch when it arrived, so it had a good polish and cleaning. When I opened the case it was, indeed, a Soviet movement. But it was a 21 jewel movement, whereas the dial states a 17 jewel movement. So, is it a "franken" or a factory mistake that there is a mismatch between the jewels on the dial and the jewels on the movement? I certainly do not want to impugn the good folks at the Globewide watch Co. Inc., but I'm going to say that it is plausible that it was a factory mistake and that Roland could be, with some degree of certainty, added to the export list. I'll keep looking. And,maybe, someone has another one with the same mismatch. Or one with the same number on the movement and dial. Or maybe it is just a franken. Either way, I enjoy these export watches. I can't say why I enjoy them. I think they are neat looking, and I think it's so interesting to have a Soviet movement in a Hong Kong watch. The dichotomy between the two economic systems at the time was pretty pronounced, but still they were able to deal with one another to mutual benefit. It's difficult to say why any of us enjoy one thing over another. For me,the important thing is to enjoy it and share it. Thank you for your time!


Never knew I was called after a watch brand, or perhaps the other way around :think: :-d ;-)

Thanks for sharing :-!


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> I saw this Roland watch for sale. It wasn't on the Soviet export list put together by f10 members,but I wondered if it might be a Hong Kong export with a Soviet movement. But, as is so often the case, there was no movement picture. But it had all the hallmarks of these sort of watches with the caseback with the scuba diver, "unbreakable mainspring" on the dial, silver dial face, and the triangular hands with lume. It was not expensive; I made an offer, and it was accepted. It was a pretty dirty watch when it arrived, so it had a good polish and cleaning. When I opened the case it was, indeed, a Soviet movement. But it was a 21 jewel movement, whereas the dial states a 17 jewel movement. So, is it a "franken" or a factory mistake that there is a mismatch between the jewels on the dial and the jewels on the movement? I certainly do not want to impugn the good folks at the Globewide watch Co. Inc., but I'm going to say that it is plausible that it was a factory mistake and that Roland could be, with some degree of certainty, added to the export list. I'll keep looking. And,maybe, someone has another one with the same mismatch. Or one with the same number on the movement and dial. Or maybe it is just a franken. Either way, I enjoy these export watches. I can't say why I enjoy them. I think they are neat looking, and I think it's so interesting to have a Soviet movement in a Hong Kong watch. The dichotomy between the two economic systems at the time was pretty pronounced, but still they were able to deal with one another to mutual benefit. It's difficult to say why any of us enjoy one thing over another. For me,the important thing is to enjoy it and share it. Thank you for your time!
> 
> Before:
> 
> View attachment 14709291
> 
> 
> View attachment 14709295
> 
> 
> View attachment 14709297
> 
> 
> View attachment 14709299
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 14709301


Good find and nice job cleaning it up. Unless I am mistaken, the balance bridge has a step and the rest of the movement has a sloped edge. Is that so? This is also not as it should be. Given this and the dial with 17j I would say it is a franken but as we all know anything is possible and its important that you like it! Cheers.


----------



## AaParker

EndeavourDK said:


> Never knew I was called after a watch brand, or perhaps the other way around :think: :-d ;-)
> 
> Thanks for sharing :-!


So maybe being a watch collector was inescapable for you!


----------



## AaParker

I do like it even if it is a franken. I'll have to keep looking to see if there were any Roland's that are more correct that might utilize a Soviet movement. I also used your tip and cleaned the case with isopropyl alcohol; it worked great. A fantastic tip -- thank you!


----------



## Sekondtime

Interesting find Aaparker. It has all the hallmarks of such a watch. It may be the case that the watch was made with whichever movements were available at the time and which fitted the dial and case. Hong Kong watch makers were mostly assemblers of parts from elsewhere.

It would be good to find another example to see if there is more than one. Then, that would suggest it was not just a franken.

I found another example on Etsy but it was sold and the only photo I can get hold of is this one below which doesn't help with the movement.









Sekondtime


----------



## AaParker

Sekondtime said:


> Interesting find Aaparker. It has all the hallmarks of such a watch. It may be the case that the watch was made with whichever movements were available at the time and which fitted the dial and case. Hong Kong watch makers were mostly assemblers of parts from elsewhere.
> 
> It would be good to find another example to see if there is more than one. Then, that would suggest it was not just a franken.
> 
> I found another example on Etsy but it was sold and the only photo I can get hold of is this one below which doesn't help with the movement.
> 
> View attachment 14711353
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


I'll keep looking! You never know, right? The trick, as you point out, is finding one with a movement photo!


----------



## Odessa200

Do not want to create a new thread...

Is this paint on the hands and what is underneath?
Basically I need Nickel hands (for the version of the watch with the white text on the dial). This one has black hands. Can I use acetone to get rid of the black color?

Thanks!


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> Do not want to create a new thread...
> 
> Is this paint on the hands and what is underneath?
> Basically I need Nickel hands (for the version of the watch with the white text on the dial). This one has black hands. Can I use acetone to get rid of the black color?
> 
> Thanks!


I am not sure what the base metal is but it could be steel. However, checking my Raketa calendars with white text, all of them have the black hands. The only one which doesn't is one in a gold case with batons for indices on the dial. Can you post a photo of the dial?


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do not want to create a new thread...
> 
> Is this paint on the hands and what is underneath?
> Basically I need Nickel hands (for the version of the watch with the white text on the dial). This one has black hands. Can I use acetone to get rid of the black color?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> I am not sure what the base metal is but it could be steel. However, checking my Raketa calendars with white text, all of them have the black hands. The only one which doesn't is one in a gold case with batons for indices on the dial. Can you post a photo of the dial?
> 
> View attachment 14716175
Click to expand...

It is the first one. Blue with white text. I was under impression the hands should be nickel. Maybe both variations (black and nickel) legit...
Here are a few old beaters that I think legit/unrestored. Looks like the old style with cursive had nickel. New upper case Raketa had black and white second hands. What do you say?


----------



## Kamburov

Different models. Blue/white print model is always black/white hands. Yours is silver hands. 1992 catalogue, both models on the same page


----------



## Sekondtime

The rule seems to be:

Roman numerals = black hands

Batons = Gold or silver hands (as appropriate)


----------



## Kamburov

The black hands I have in my spares reveal silver colour, after some scratching underneath. You can test yours on the underside too.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Odessa200 said:


> Good find and nice job cleaning it up. Unless I am mistaken, the balance bridge has a step and the rest of the movement has a sloped edge. Is that so? This is also not as it should be. Given this and the dial with 17j I would say it is a franken but as we all know anything is possible and its important that you like it! Cheers.


Not sure about a franked. It looks like the angles on the bridges are a little different, but both are angles, rather than stepped. 
It may be 2 movements combined. I had to do that with my last Komsomol Sub watch.. Made a better piece tho. Still workin like a charm..


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> The rule seems to be:
> 
> Roman numerals = black hands
> 
> Batons = Gold or silver hands (as appropriate)





Kamburov said:


> The black hands I have in my spares reveal silver colour, after some scratching underneath. You can test yours on the underside too.


Fantastic. Getting black hands now cause I have Roman numbers. Thanks comrades.


----------



## Odessa200

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Good find and nice job cleaning it up. Unless I am mistaken, the balance bridge has a step and the rest of the movement has a sloped edge. Is that so? This is also not as it should be. Given this and the dial with 17j I would say it is a franken but as we all know anything is possible and its important that you like it! Cheers.
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure about a franked. It looks like the angles on the bridges are a little different, but both are angles, rather than stepped.
> It may be 2 movements combined. I had to do that with my last Komsomol Sub watch.. Made a better piece tho. Still workin like a charm..
Click to expand...

This is why I put a question mark. Sometimes its hard to tell when the photo is at the angle. But if step/slope or different angle slopes it is still a replaced bridge. May happen naturally as part of repairs. New owner is to decide what to do 🙂


----------



## Sekondtime

Here is a Christmas before and after.

As some of you will know, I have amassed a wealth of branded watches supplied by Ruhla for other watch brands. One of the more unusual brands with a Ruhla movement is Amulcor. Recently I found an Amulcor 23 Jet Beat Datomatic in a poor state.

Here are the before photos. On inspection it had

Missing crown
Over long replacement stem
Missing hands x3
Missing dial feet clips
Bent dial feet
Bent balance cock

and was generally dirty. I believe it had been used as a spare parts provider for another watch a long time ago.



























So, I sourced some spare hands, a crown and dial clips from my Ruhla parts and gave it a good clean. I trimmed the replacement stem so that the new crown would sit correctly. Once I cleaned the movement, the balance seemed to work ok so I did not replace it. It required only a small amount of adjustment but with very little input from me, it keeps time well. The balance cock is still bent downward slightly but doens not seem to be affecting the movement. The watch was made between 10th-14th September 1973.



























If you look at the balance cock, you can see that it is bent down slightly. But, it seems to work just fine.









Wishing you all a Happy Christmas!

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> View attachment 14724049
> Here is a Christmas before and after.
> 
> As some of you will know, I have amassed a wealth of branded watches supplied by Ruhla for other watch brands. One of the more unusual brands with a Ruhla movement is Amulcor. Recently I found an Amulcor 23 Jet Beat Datomatic in a poor state.
> 
> Here are the before photos. On inspection it had
> 
> Missing crown
> Over long replacement stem
> Missing hands x3
> Missing dial feet clips
> Bent dial feet
> Bent balance cock
> 
> and was generally dirty. I believe it had been used as a spare parts provider for another watch a long time ago.
> 
> View attachment 14724101
> View attachment 14724103
> View attachment 14724105
> View attachment 14724107
> 
> 
> So, I sourced some spare hands, a crown and dial clips from my Ruhla parts and gave it a good clean. I trimmed the replacement stem so that the new crown would sit correctly. Once I cleaned the movement, the balance seemed to work ok so I did not replace it. It required only a small amount of adjustment but with very little input from me, it keeps time well. The balance cock is still bent downward slightly but doens not seem to be affecting the movement. The watch was made between 10th-14th September 1973.
> 
> View attachment 14724109
> View attachment 14724111
> View attachment 14724113
> View attachment 14724115
> 
> 
> If you look at the balance cock, you can see that it is bent down slightly. But, it seems to work just fine.
> 
> View attachment 14724117
> 
> 
> Wishing you all a Happy Christmas!
> 
> Sekondtime


Nice job! 2 silly questions: 
Design of the dial has Date X Dat. why have both words?
How do you know the precise manufacturing date?


----------



## Kamburov

Exellent restoration again! Also a good looking TV design (very popular at the time, I guess). Seen a few Ruhla brands, but no Amulcor.
What on earth is "jet-beat"?


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Exellent restoration again! Also a good looking TV design (very popular at the time, I guess). Seen a few Ruhla brands, but no Amulcor.
> What on earth is "jet-beat"?


Thanks Kamburov. I am not sure what Jet-Beat refers to. The only thing I can think of is that travel by air was becoming more common at the time and it could have been a sales gimmick to show that these watches were ideal for the glamour of air travel. I have seen this term on a number of different brands which are nothing to do with Ruhla. I do have two Aseikons with the "Jet-Beat" wording on the dial.



















Odessa200 said:


> Nice job! 2 silly questions:
> Design of the dial has Date X Dat. why have both words?
> How do you know the precise manufacturing date?


I think that Dat is the translation of Date in another language or maybe it is just the shortened version of Datum which is Date in a number of languages.

Ruhla stamped the week number and year on the movement plate under the balance wheel. So for this watch the numbers 3773 are stamped. This numbering is present on about 90% of Ruhla calibre 24s. This was the only calibre that had this marking. It's really useful for collectors wanting to date their watches!

Sekondtime


----------



## AaParker

Sekondtime said:


> Thanks Kamburov. I am not sure what Jet-Beat refers to. The only thing I can think of is that travel by air was becoming more common at the time and it could have been a sales gimmick to show that these watches were ideal for the glamour of air travel. I have seen this term on a number of different brands which are nothing to do with Ruhla. I do have two Aseikons with the "Jet-Beat" wording on the dial.
> 
> I think that Dat is the translation of Date in another language or maybe it is just the shortened version of Datum which is Date in a number of languages.
> 
> Ruhla stamped the week number and year on the movement plate under the balance wheel. So for this watch the numbers 3773 are stamped. This numbering is present on about 90% of Ruhla calibre 24s. This was the only calibre that had this marking. It's really useful for collectors wanting to date their watches!
> 
> Sekondtime


A wonderful job! I had never heard of Amulcor. i will have to keep an eye open for those. Having the manufacture date stamped is very helpful. I was curious myself how you were so precise. Those Aseikons are also nice. Are they Soviet movements or Ruhla or something else perhaps?


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

I just serviced an Asiekon. It'll go up for sale here soon. Running like a top!
From the "before pics" you can see it has a Baumgartner 865 movement in it. (BF865)


----------



## AaParker

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> I just serviced an Asiekon. It'll go up for sale here soon. Running like a top!
> From the "before pics" you can see it has a Baumgartner 865 movement in it. (BF865)
> 
> View attachment 14725681
> 
> 
> View attachment 14725683
> 
> 
> View attachment 14725695


Nice job! It looks great. I know that Asekion was a brand that utilized many different movements. I had no idea that Baumgartner 865 movement (BF865) was one of them!


----------



## Sekondtime

AaParker said:


> A wonderful job! I had never heard of Amulcor. i will have to keep an eye open for those. Having the manufacture date stamped is very helpful. I was curious myself how you were so precise. Those Aseikons are also nice. Are they Soviet movements or Ruhla or something else perhaps?


Thanks! The date stamp is very useful. Why didn't all manufacturers use this method?!

The Aseikons are a mixture. Some of the dials were made by Ruhla and some were made in Hong Kong. Usually, the font that is used is serif and that is typical of a watch made in or destined for the far east market. These two Aseikons above contain Ruhla calibre 24s.

I have about 37 or so Aseikons with Ruhla movements. But as AlaskaJohnboy's post shows, Aseikon also contain other movements. I also have a large Aseikon like AlaskaJohnboy's but with a different colour dial and quarter sectioned bezel with 20M, 30M, 35M, 40M markings. That also contains a Swiss made movement identical to AlaskaJohnboy's.

However, I also have another huge Aseikon with a 24h bezel which contains a Ruhla calibre 24. They are interesting watches and although they were cheaply made imitations of more expensive watches during their day, they are often colourful and have a certain charm.

Sekondtime


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

AaParker said:


> Nice job! It looks great. I know that Asekion was a brand that utilized many different movements. I had no idea that Baumgartner 865 movement (BF865) was one of them!


Yes it does look great.-- and this is BEFORE service.
After several days I have it within +/- 60 sec per day. Not bad for an old pin lever movement.


----------



## Odessa200

Another restoration job I would like to share with you friends. B-8 alarm from 1954. As you can see on before photos the clock had 3 issues (aside from not being serviced):

1) transferable pictures. As a kid I loved these. Put them myself all around the house. I guess now people call these ‘temp tattoos’. Back in ussr, only criminals had tattoos (and maybe sailors a bit). This was somewhat easy to remove with soapy water but given they were probably done 30 years ago they did not come off that easy. 
2) rust. On the bell and on all steel and chrome parts. I am using something that I think is called Rust Off or something like that. 
3) hairspring. Look how it goes straight up inside the movement. I drew the red line for the part that is abstracted from the few. Why would someone do that???? I guess the guy could not get it run otherwise or maybe outside coils got bent. Who knows... but he did not clip the spring luckily for me. So I had reshaped it back. 

Cleaned and oiled. Works like a charm!
‘After’ photos are on the blue background in case you cannot tell 🙂


----------



## Odessa200

Just ‘Before’ For now but I need your advice on my plans. I won this watch as you can see for 10$. Seconds hand has a tip broken, wrong crown, but the main issue is the case: I think it is wrong. Aside from me not being able to find this watch in the catalogs, Au5 is a give away: this is the watch from the 60s and all gilded cases were Au20 back then. I have another watch that has broken movement but I think has the same case as I need. My plan is to take the case, clean it obviously and transplant my 10$ purchase in this new ‘home’. Questions: am I right about the case being wrong? Is my proposed case right? Thanks!


----------



## Kamburov

Another pic of model 2409/111033, if that helps. 








The case, I think is Vostok :think:

Anyway, the chromed case you prepared is not the right one either. The one you got has the kirovskie type case back. The 111033 case is thinner, with a two parts case back.

Ps: could you tell me if the hands' lume is in a window, or lume is on top of a flat hand surface? I think it's the second case, but still curious.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Another pic of model 2409/111033, if that helps.
> View attachment 14755941
> 
> 
> The case, I think is Vostok
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, the chromed case you prepared is not the right one either. The one you got has the kirovskie type case back. The 111033 case is thinner, with a two parts case back.
> 
> Ps: could you tell me if the hands' lume is in a window, or lume is on top of a flat hand surface? I think it's the second case, but still curious.


Man.... you are good and correct. The one I got has the Kirovskie back. Once I get the watch I will take a look. It will still be a bit better than the Vostok square case it sits in. Will see. Maybe will find the right case later. Will let you know about the lume. The seconds hand has lume missing and no hole. So maybe all hands solid as you suspect.


----------



## haha

Here are pictures of mine. You actually made me realize that i also have the wrong case, even if it's less obvious.
Ivan, you got the wrong number from the catalog : the right one is 091145. My case seems to be the 111.


----------



## Kamburov

haha, I'm always up for a good ol investigation  Also a chance to to take some old watches out of the boxes.
I think the 1972 catalogue has a mistake in the models numbers, so stay with me.
In the 1966 models (case # respectively) are as follows

Model 091027, your case















model 111033, the propper case















also 111034, with the same case, no lume variation








and finally Odessa's case, model 231054















note that this case houses date complication 2414, the others are 2409. Hence the more pronounced and thicker bezel area, I guess. Also the 111 seems to have narrower lugs, which I haven't noticed before.








Now we get to the 1972 catalogue








I think 2 and 3 are mistakenly switched :rodekaart , as 7 is rightly listed as 111034. 
There we go, I rest my case 

Everything corresponds, including the russians' habit of confusing their own catalogues ;-)
Ivan


----------



## haha

You're absolutely right of course. I hadn't gone further than the 1972 catalog...
Fun coincidence, i'm wearing a 231054 right now.
Second fun coincidence, someone just made an offer for my 091033(!!) that's been on sale for a few weeks...


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> You're absolutely right of course. I hadn't gone further than the 1972 catalog...
> Fun coincidence, i'm wearing a 231054 right now.
> Second fun coincidence, someone just made an offer for my 091033(!!) that's been on sale for a few weeks...


They are all beautiful watches, and deserve all the attention they get. It's a shame they don't survive in good condition. I keep some chromed in my boxes for refference purposes, as in this case. 
Odessa's example is a really nice b&a project, also that Vostok gp case can be a nice watch too :-!


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> haha said:
> 
> 
> 
> You're absolutely right of course. I hadn't gone further than the 1972 catalog...
> Fun coincidence, i'm wearing a 231054 right now.
> Second fun coincidence, someone just made an offer for my 091033(!!) that's been on sale for a few weeks...
> 
> 
> 
> They are all beautiful watches, and deserve all the attention they get. It's a shame they don't survive in good condition. I keep some chromed in my boxes for refference purposes, as in this case.
> Odessa's example is a really nice b&a project, also that Vostok gp case can be a nice watch too
Click to expand...

I am glad I had started this discussion! Great info. This is what I have found on sale. I guess this is a right case with the watch still in it. Am I right? None removable pins or someone just put in wires? Hands look like have a depression for lume but not holes. Or maybe just looks this way.


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> I am glad I had started this discussion! Great info. This is what I have found on sale. I guess this is a right case with the watch still in it. Am I right? None removable pins or someone just put in wires? Hands look like have a depression for lume but not holes. Or maybe just looks this way.


Yeah, that's the one! The wires should be easily replaced. I believe my beaten watch has the original hands (it was missing the seconds hand), and they have lost the lume, leaving them bare and flat. That's why I asked about it. Good luck with your restorations!


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> They are all beautiful watches, and deserve all the attention they get. It's a shame they don't survive in good condition. I keep some chromed in my boxes for refference purposes, as in this case.
> Odessa's example is a really nice b&a project, also that Vostok gp case can be a nice watch too :-!


I have a bunch of those in my to-to box, about half of them in a rather good condition








And from the main drawer


----------



## Kamburov

Wow, I'm lost for words! Such a good looking collection! Cheers!
Only 3 or 4 of mine are in good condition. G-plated and steel age well, chromed not so much.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Wow, I'm lost for words! Such a good looking collection! Cheers!
> Only 3 or 4 of mine are in good condition. G-plated and steel age well, chromed not so much.


Agree! So I got the watch with the right case. Will use it as a donor: case and seconds hand will go the watch that sits in Vostok case. The balance and whatever else I may need will go to the other poljot with the kirovskie back. So I will have 2 good watches from 3. To be continued!


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Wow, I'm lost for words! Such a good looking collection! Cheers!
> Only 3 or 4 of mine are in good condition. G-plated and steel age well, chromed not so much.


Thanks a lot Ivan.
And the worst thing is, I probably won't keep any because i find them too small.

I'm always impressed by old Pobedas that often have a chrome coating in a perfect condition (often hidden and protected under several millimeters of dirt !).


----------



## Kamburov

I can't do any work right now, but that can't stop me from planning some. I have a few things lined up, but this will be the first one.
Two poljots, same case design, both automatics. The similarities end there, as they are very different watches.








One is a stainless steel 2416A/1140293 branded as EXACTA POLJOT








2416 (cosmos) is a very cool movement, used mainly in de luxe editions. The auto is not an extra auto bridge on top of a hand wind movement, but rather integrated in the movement, resulting in a really thin auto profile. Produced in low numbers, due to expensive production. Auto by design, no hand wind versions.

The other is 2616.1H/1423426








probably the largest case in this design. 2616.1H is also an integrated auto, but the family had a manual version 2609.
















never was a fan of this case design, but these two might convert me.


----------



## haha

This steel Poljot was not my priority but i finally got one (that still needs fixing) a few months ago and i quite like it, tough it could be a couple millimeter bigger.
Your gold 2616 has different and nicer hands. Not sure they're the same ones in the catalog.


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> This steel Poljot was not my priority but i finally got one (that still needs fixing) a few months ago and i quite like it, tough it could be a couple millimeter bigger.
> Your gold 2616 has different and nicer hands. Not sure they're the same ones in the catalog.


Yeah, agree, it could be at least as big as the 2616, which is exactly 2mm bigger (34mm to 36mm, withot crown). Got it with resale idea, but may keep it. 
2616 needs a different hands set, as on catalog. Restoration going on there too.


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Yeah, agree, it could be at least as big as the 2616, which is exactly 2mm bigger (34mm to 36mm, withot crown). Got it with resale idea, but may keep it.
> 2616 needs a different hands set, as on catalog. Restoration going on there too.


Well, looks like the steel 2616 exists 
Damn, i'm going to need it !


----------



## Odessa200

Here is mine. Before and After for today. Nothing super special. Got this 2414 old Poljot for parts for 3$ I think. But I am all set on parts for now so here it is. Movement serviced. Case cleaned. Red arrow painted. Left worn down crown: watch has a vintage look and this crown does not bother me. Maybe will replace one day. Did not touch the dial. I wonder why there are lighter areas on the dial around indexes. Someone cleaned indexes? Or there some glue to fix the indexes and that impacted patina occupation on the dial? Thanks!


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Well, looks like the steel 2616
> Damn, i'm going to need it !


Huh, Paul really knows his poljots/secondas. That is 30j 2616.1H
I just went through catalogs again, and there's the 2616.2H 23j version








model 2616.2H/1410400

so it's a trinity


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Here is mine. Before and After for today. Nothing super special. Got this 2414 old Poljot for parts for 3$ I think. But I am all set on parts for now so here it is. Movement serviced. Case cleaned. Red arrow painted. Left worn down crown: watch has a vintage look and this crown does not bother me. Maybe will replace one day. Did not touch the dial. I wonder why there are lighter areas on the dial around indexes. Someone cleaned indexes? Or there some glue to fix the indexes and that impacted patina occupation on the dial? Thanks!


Wow, Odessa, that the same watch? Spectacular result!


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here is mine. Before and After for today. Nothing super special. Got this 2414 old Poljot for parts for 3$ I think. But I am all set on parts for now so here it is. Movement serviced. Case cleaned. Red arrow painted. Left worn down crown: watch has a vintage look and this crown does not bother me. Maybe will replace one day. Did not touch the dial. I wonder why there are lighter areas on the dial around indexes. Someone cleaned indexes? Or there some glue to fix the indexes and that impacted patina occupation on the dial? Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, Odessa, that the same watch? Spectacular result!
Click to expand...

Yep. With the polished crystal 🙂. Watch looks really nice and I am glad it got a second (or maybe 6th) life. it kept me company during my dental visit today!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> Here is mine. Before and After for today. Nothing super special. Got this 2414 old Poljot for parts for 3$ I think. But I am all set on parts for now so here it is. Movement serviced. Case cleaned. Red arrow painted. Left worn down crown: watch has a vintage look and this crown does not bother me. Maybe will replace one day. Did not touch the dial. I wonder why there are lighter areas on the dial around indexes. Someone cleaned indexes? Or there some glue to fix the indexes and that impacted patina occupation on the dial? Thanks!


A really great job!


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here is mine. Before and After for today. Nothing super special. Got this 2414 old Poljot for parts for 3$ I think. But I am all set on parts for now so here it is. Movement serviced. Case cleaned. Red arrow painted. Left worn down crown: watch has a vintage look and this crown does not bother me. Maybe will replace one day. Did not touch the dial. I wonder why there are lighter areas on the dial around indexes. Someone cleaned indexes? Or there some glue to fix the indexes and that impacted patina occupation on the dial? Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> A really great job!
Click to expand...

Thanks! Too bad the crystal is not the original with the magnifier but one cannot have it all 🙂.


----------



## Kamburov

Hi, comrades! I've had enough being a spectator. Just talking bout watches doesn't work for me. 
First a quick update on my condition. 
The top of my right thumb is gone and it's not comming back. Don't think these grow back, unless a miracle happens. Like befriending some alien beings with super advanced medical capabilities.
The good news is the doctor did his best to save the maximum length of the amputated joint. He explained "You'll have the grip to hold instruments, ... like a hammer." Precision watch instruments probably not. There still a long healing period ahead, but I'll do my best to prove this prediction wrong. Or I'll move on to tower clocks.
Anyway. The most painful part should be over, and now I'm just sitting taking my pills. Which is quite boring, to tell you the truth. So I decided to try some restorations, without using the right thumb. How hard can it be, right? 
These are the projects I picked. The 2416 steel Exacta Poljot 








and a non working antimagnetic 2610 Raketa I got from ebay for $5








Lucky for me the Poljot just took a spare ballance to start working again. Working the screwdriver with the left hand took some getting used to. Straightened and repainted the hands, found a better seconds hand. Cleaned the dial with just clean cotton. Not taking risks.

The Raketa took some cleaning and hands repainting, but the dial was obviously beyond repair. Making it tick took some effort. It was missing the C shaped click spring. Lifted the mainspring bridge for a clean. I got it working, hurray! Then I realised theyless works needed ... some work. 








To cut the long story short (ahem :roll: ), the result I managed was this








Not my best work, perhaps, but with my thumb healed I should be at least slightly better.


----------



## haha

Very nice to read you and see the great work you're able to do !
The thousands of soviet watches still waiting to be saved by you must appreciate too b-)


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Not my best work, perhaps, but with my thumb healed I should be at least slightly better.


Looks pretty good to me. Well done! I am sure you will adjust with time. Never again can we accuse you of being all fingers and thumbs!

Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Hi, comrades! I've had enough being a spectator. Just talking bout watches doesn't work for me.
> First a quick update on my condition.
> The top of my right thumb is gone and it's not comming back. Don't think these grow back, unless a miracle happens. Like befriending some alien beings with super advanced medical capabilities.
> The good news is the doctor did his best to save the maximum length of the amputated joint. He explained "You'll have the grip to hold instruments, ... like a hammer." Precision watch instruments probably not. There still a long healing period ahead, but I'll do my best to prove this prediction wrong. Or I'll move on to tower clocks.
> Anyway. The most painful part should be over, and now I'm just sitting taking my pills. Which is quite boring, to tell you the truth. So I decided to try some restorations, without using the right thumb. How hard can it be, right?
> These are the projects I picked. The 2416 steel Exacta Poljot
> View attachment 14787121
> 
> 
> and a non working antimagnetic 2610 Raketa I got from ebay for $5
> View attachment 14787129
> 
> 
> Lucky for me the Poljot just took a spare ballance to start working again. Working the screwdriver with the left hand took some getting used to. Straightened and repainted the hands, found a better seconds hand. Cleaned the dial with just clean cotton. Not taking risks.
> 
> The Raketa took some cleaning and hands repainting, but the dial was obviously beyond repair. Making it tick took some effort. It was missing the C shaped click spring. Lifted the mainspring bridge for a clean. I got it working, hurray! Then I realised theyless works needed ... some work.
> View attachment 14787207
> 
> 
> To cut the long story short (ahem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ), the result I managed was this
> View attachment 14787215
> 
> 
> Not my best work, perhaps, but with my thumb healed I should be at least slightly better.
> 
> View attachment 14787231


Not bad at all. From what they used to be to something quite presentable. Well done!


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks, comrades!
And since I'm at it ...















Not perfect, but quite wearable. It's all about enjoying the process anyway. 
Will probably revisit my current work at better time in the future.


----------



## thewatchadude

Hope you the best--you seem to be really going in the right direction!


----------



## AaParker

Kamburov said:


> Hi, comrades! I've had enough being a spectator. Just talking bout watches doesn't work for me.
> First a quick update on my condition.
> The top of my right thumb is gone and it's not comming back. Don't think these grow back, unless a miracle happens. Like befriending some alien beings with super advanced medical capabilities.
> The good news is the doctor did his best to save the maximum length of the amputated joint. He explained "You'll have the grip to hold instruments, ... like a hammer." Precision watch instruments probably not. There still a long healing period ahead, but I'll do my best to prove this prediction wrong. Or I'll move on to tower clocks.
> Anyway. The most painful part should be over, and now I'm just sitting taking my pills. Which is quite boring, to tell you the truth. So I decided to try some restorations, without using the right thumb. How hard can it be, right?
> These are the projects I picked. The 2416 steel Exacta Poljot
> View attachment 14787121
> 
> 
> and a non working antimagnetic 2610 Raketa I got from ebay for $5
> View attachment 14787129
> 
> 
> Lucky for me the Poljot just took a spare ballance to start working again. Working the screwdriver with the left hand took some getting used to. Straightened and repainted the hands, found a better seconds hand. Cleaned the dial with just clean cotton. Not taking risks.
> 
> The Raketa took some cleaning and hands repainting, but the dial was obviously beyond repair. Making it tick took some effort. It was missing the C shaped click spring. Lifted the mainspring bridge for a clean. I got it working, hurray! Then I realised theyless works needed ... some work.
> View attachment 14787207
> 
> 
> To cut the long story short (ahem :roll: ), the result I managed was this
> View attachment 14787215
> 
> 
> Not my best work, perhaps, but with my thumb healed I should be at least slightly better.
> 
> View attachment 14787231


Great watches and wonderful restorations! Both look very nice. I really like the Exacta Poljot! It looks much better!


----------



## Kamburov

Thanks, guys! 
I'll be running out of piled up projects soon, but untill then ...
My favourite discipline - finding cheap trash and transforming it into cool to wear watches. Saw this add two days ago, a non working sorry excuse of a watch. Costed some pocket change








Not very obvious from that seller's photo, but this is a really cool textured floral dial I always love getting my fingers on. I wish I was in top shape for this one.
It needed a good clean and a mainspring barrel replacement. Well, it also needed a better case, this one's dead.
It deserves a good band, but I can't deal with two piece bands and springbars right now.


----------



## 24h

Thanks for the tips EndeavourDK! After buffing out some of the deeper scratches on my acrylic crystal with Brasso, I was left with the swirling you can see in the first photo.
He suggested a diamond polishing paste. I have several grit sizes up to 10 micron but only did two steps - 1.0 and then 0.5 micron and achieved a new looking crystal


----------



## Odessa200

24h said:


> Thanks for the tips EndeavourDK! After buffing out some of the deeper scratches on my acrylic crystal with Brasso, I was left with the swirling you can see in the first photo.
> He suggested a diamond polishing paste. I have several grit sizes up to 10 micron but only did two steps - 1.0 and then 0.5 micron and achieved a new looking crystal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 14791143
> View attachment 14791155
> View attachment 14791163
> View attachment 14791159


This is great! I use a set of sand papers from 2000 to 10000. Then polywatch. But what you got is fantastic. How long it took?


----------



## 24h

Odessa200 said:


> This is great! I use a set of sand papers from 2000 to 10000. Then polywatch. But what you got is fantastic. How long it took?


Without the time it took to tape off the bezel, probably 1-2 minutes per paste that I used. Then a couple minutes to clean it afterwards.


----------



## Odessa200

24h said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is great! I use a set of sand papers from 2000 to 10000. Then polywatch. But what you got is fantastic. How long it took?
> 
> 
> 
> Without the time it took to tape off the bezel, probably 1-2 minutes per paste that I used. Then a couple minutes to clean it afterwards.
Click to expand...

Great!


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, guys!
> I'll be running out of piled up projects soon, but untill then ...
> My favourite discipline - finding cheap trash and transforming it into cool to wear watches. Saw this add two days ago, a non working sorry excuse of a watch. Costed some pocket change
> View attachment 14789169
> 
> 
> Not very obvious from that seller's photo, but this is a really cool textured floral dial I always love getting my fingers on. I wish I was in top shape for this one.
> It needed a good clean and a mainspring barrel replacement. Well, it also needed a better case, this one's dead.
> It deserves a good band, but I can't deal with two piece bands and springbars right now.
> 
> View attachment 14789201


You've dealt with the green corrosion and staining above 3 very well. Another good job!

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> You've dealt with the green corrosion and staining above 3 very well. Another good job!
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks, Secondtime! I managed to deal with 80%-90% of the damage between 11 and 4. but the rest requires level of control that I just don't have at the moment. Trying to execute precision spot cleaning prooved difficult and painful. 
I managed to do some repairs on the 30j Poljot, and find/repaint an original hands set. There is a remaining problem with the keyless works, but I had to lift the dial to realise I have to lift the date complication. The small wire springs and screws are a bit too much for me. 
With this I think I'm done for the time being. I guess I just wanted to reassure myself that I won't have to give up on one of my favourite hobbies, and test my abilities. I reached my limits in my current condition, so I'm taking a break.


----------



## Sekondtime

Deleted duplicate post


----------



## Sekondtime

> Kamburov
> The small wire springs and screws are a bit too much for me.


Those springs are enough to try anyone's patience. I hate them. I much prefer Ruhla's solution to the date wheel spring.

Sekondtime


----------



## Toonces

Hey guys, I accidentally clicked on this forum instead of the pilot watch forum, and then clicked on this thread before I realized my mistake.

Now that I'm here, I just want to say that it is absolutely amazing what you all are doing with these watches! I'm going to make this forum a new regular stop on my WUS browsing.

Great stuff, guys. Seriously. I'm in awe of your ability to restore these watches.


----------



## Draconian Collector

Bought this Dolphin Junior on eBay from the Ukraine. I loved the patina on the dial so I had to get it. I sanded and polished the crystal out and repainted the bezel. The casting ended up farther gone then expected so I went with a patina look.


----------



## Odessa200

Draconian Collector said:


> Bought this Dolphin Junior on eBay from the Ukraine. I loved the patina on the dial so I had to get it. I sanded and polished the crystal out and repainted the bezel. The casting ended up farther gone then expected so I went with a patina look.
> 
> View attachment 14793215
> View attachment 14793219


Well done. And great choice for the strap.


----------



## Draconian Collector

Odessa200 said:


> Draconian Collector said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bought this Dolphin Junior on eBay from the Ukraine. I loved the patina on the dial so I had to get it. I sanded and polished the crystal out and repainted the bezel. The casting ended up farther gone then expected so I went with a patina look.
> 
> View attachment 14793215
> View attachment 14793219
> 
> 
> 
> Well done. And great choice for the strap.
Click to expand...

Much appreciated. I actually had bought several at once for a few watches Im currently working on. Originally I was going to put the dolphin on a leather rally and had order that one for the Timex but once the arrived the widths were sent backwards which honestly was a much better fit then my original plan ha


----------



## 24h

Easy oxidation removal with sharpened pegwood. I thought it would be harder to scrape off...


----------



## OhDark30

Kamburov said:


> View attachment 14789201


Wow, stunning dial!
So glad to hear that you're recovering, and that watch fettling is still possible with your new thumb configuration
Best wishes, Kath


----------



## Odessa200

24h said:


> Easy oxidation removal with sharpened pegwood. I thought it would be harder to scrape off...
> 
> View attachment 14799733


Thanks. Will try!


----------



## Odessa200

This is what I bought and this is what I got! Truth to be told: the seller’s photos were horrible. But I sensed that the watch can be good. Cleaned the case a bit. Put the crystal on the the crystal glue. The dial is good except some lacquer deterioration or the edge (not really visible on the hand). The movement is good. The hairspring needed a bit correction because someone trying to adjust the watch rate w/o cleaning the balance (that sticks to the adjusting arm and bends the spring). After the fixing of the spring I got a decent reading. As you can see there is some beat error but this is fine with me. Overall: I am quite happy with this purchase.


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> This is what I bought and this is what I got! Truth to be told: the seller's photos were horrible. But I sensed that the watch can be good. Cleaned the case a bit. Put the crystal on the the crystal glue. The dial is good except some lacquer deterioration or the edge (not really visible on the hand). The movement is good. The hairspring needed a bit correction because someone trying to adjust the watch rate w/o cleaning the balance (that sticks to the adjusting arm and bends the spring). After the fixing of the spring I got a decent reading. As you can see there is some beat error but this is fine with me. Overall: I am quite happy with this purchase.


Very nice restoration! I like the Luch logo design that is show here.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Odessa200 said:


> This is what I bought and this is what I got! Truth to be told: the seller's photos were horrible. But I sensed that the watch can be good. Cleaned the case a bit. Put the crystal on the the crystal glue. The dial is good except some lacquer deterioration or the edge (not really visible on the hand). The movement is good. The hairspring needed a bit correction because someone trying to adjust the watch rate w/o cleaning the balance (that sticks to the adjusting arm and bends the spring). After the fixing of the spring I got a decent reading. As you can see there is some beat error but this is fine with me. Overall: I am quite happy with this purchase.


Gorgeous watch!! Great clean up job... I wanna give min to my wife.

I have one of these with a broken hairspring stud holder. Happen to have an extra for the 2209? 
(I admit I snapped it opening the case back...*sigh* The rest is in great shape, jus need that.


----------



## Odessa200

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is what I bought and this is what I got! Truth to be told: the seller's photos were horrible. But I sensed that the watch can be good. Cleaned the case a bit. Put the crystal on the the crystal glue. The dial is good except some lacquer deterioration or the edge (not really visible on the hand). The movement is good. The hairspring needed a bit correction because someone trying to adjust the watch rate w/o cleaning the balance (that sticks to the adjusting arm and bends the spring). After the fixing of the spring I got a decent reading. As you can see there is some beat error but this is fine with me. Overall: I am quite happy with this purchase.
> 
> 
> 
> Gorgeous watch!! Great clean up job... I wanna give min to my wife.
> 
> I have one of these with a broken hairspring stud holder. Happen to have an extra for the 2209?
> (I admit I snapped it opening the case back...*sigh* The rest is in great shape, jus need that.
> 
> View attachment 14805289
Click to expand...

Sorry Comrade somehow I am completely empty on the 2209 parts. Never needed any so never purchased. But I see this lot. 2 movements for 12$.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/333488344490


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Odessa200 said:


> Sorry Comrade somehow I am completely empty on the 2209 parts. Never needed any so never purchased. But I see this lot. 2 movements for 12$.
> 
> https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/333488344490


You rock, Odessa200! 
Thanks for pointing it out. I have not been looking in the last few months, these must have been posted since.
Thanks for pointing it out!

IF it works I'll try to remember to take pics and document here!


----------



## reporterreporter

Any tips for cleaning up the corrosion around the dial on this one?


----------



## Odessa200

reporterreporter said:


> Any tips for cleaning up the corrosion around the dial on this one?
> 
> View attachment 14810873


Is this a corrosion or just dirt? Usually it is just dirt/gunk that got between the crystal and the body. You need to take the crystal off (and the movement) and just watch it of. You can TRY to remove the movement and just soak the case with the crystal in some soapy worm water hopping that the dirt will be washed off but I doubt.


----------



## reporterreporter

Odessa200 said:


> Is this a corrosion or just dirt? Usually it is just dirt/gunk that got between the crystal and the body. You need to take the crystal off (and the movement) and just watch it of. You can TRY to remove the movement and just soak the case with the crystal in some soapy worm water hopping that the dirt will be washed off but I doubt.


It's a good question, I'm not sure what it is. The photo is from the seller and I'll see it tomorrow morning. I don't have any experience with corrosion, so I wanted some informed opinions before making a purchase. Will update!


----------



## Odessa200

reporterreporter said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is this a corrosion or just dirt? Usually it is just dirt/gunk that got between the crystal and the body. You need to take the crystal off (and the movement) and just watch it of. You can TRY to remove the movement and just soak the case with the crystal in some soapy worm water hopping that the dirt will be washed off but I doubt.
> 
> 
> 
> It's a good question, I'm not sure what it is. The photo is from the seller and I'll see it tomorrow morning. I don't have any experience with corrosion, so I wanted some informed opinions before making a purchase. Will update!
Click to expand...

The maybe some chrome gone and there is nothing you can do about it. But the most nastiness on the photo, I am sure, is just gunk that can be washed off. But to get it all clean you may need to take the crystal off. Let us know how it goes.


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> The maybe some chrome gone and there is nothing you can do about it. But the most nastiness on the photo, I am sure, is just gunk that can be washed off. But to get it all clean you may need to take the crystal off. Let us know how it goes.


I agree with Odessa200. The crystal will need to be removed. The dirt is trapped in the recessed channel where the crystal sits. With the crystal removed you should be able to clean this dirt out. Then clean the underside edge of the crystal too. Once you reset the crystal back into the case, it will look a lot better.

Sekondtime.


----------



## reporterreporter

Buffed the crystal clear of scratches and cleaned the rest of the watch, which was grimey. Looks great. Going to take it to a professional to remove the crystal and clean as these crystals aren't so easy to find where I live and don't want to risk damage. But it's running great, fully functional.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk


----------



## Odessa200

reporterreporter said:


> Buffed the crystal clear of scratches and cleaned the rest of the watch, which was grimey. Looks great. Going to take it to a professional to remove the crystal and clean as these crystals aren't so easy to find where I live and don't want to risk damage. But it's running great, fully functional.
> 
> Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk


Nice! Congrats.


----------



## Kamburov

Good thing I had all the spares needed for this one. Part of cheap lot of scrap, appr. $5.
I found a good condition replacement case with original push crown. 
Also I'm getting better at working screwdrivers with my left hand, as this 2601H needed to be dissassembled to mainplate. Cannon pinion is still a bit stiff, but I just can't repeat the whole thing again. I'll leave it working and solve it by itself.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Good thing I had all the spares needed for this one. Part of cheap lot of scrap, appr. $5.
> I found a good condition replacement case with original push crown.
> Also I'm getting better at working screwdrivers with my left hand, as this 2601H needed to be dissassembled to mainplate. Cannon pinion is still a bit stiff, but I just can't repeat the whole thing again. I'll leave it working and solve it by itself.
> 
> View attachment 14822455
> 
> View attachment 14822457
> 
> View attachment 14822459
> 
> View attachment 14822461
> 
> View attachment 14822463
> 
> View attachment 14822465


Congrats. I keep thinking about getting this model but never do. I like to wear all my watches and it is a bit strange to wear a watch for blind (given I am not). Does this bother you?


----------



## mtnmvr

I have some scratches on my "crystal" it feels more like plastic/acrylic. I know this has been covered but is it possible to restore this with a light sanding or something?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Congrats. I keep thinking about getting this model but never do. I like to wear all my watches and it is a bit strange to wear a watch for blind (given I am not). Does this bother you?


 You mean like it's pulling the Devil by the tail when wearing it? Like sitting in a wheelchair. No, I'm not supersticious or fatalist. It's just a watch.
Also I'm blind with my right eye since 5 year old (the finger is far from being my first accident), so technically I should qualify :-d


----------



## Kamburov

mtnmvr said:


> I have some scratches on my "crystal" it feels more like plastic/acrylic. I know this has been covered but is it possible to restore this with a light sanding or something?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


If it's scratched (not cracked) it's an easy polish. I use water sandpaper 2000 (first 1500 if scrathes are deeper) and finalise it with whatever toothpaste there is in the bathroom.
Other comrades may have better advise, so stay tuned.
There is a plexy Seiko from my collection I've cleaned and polished (just sold it).


----------



## Odessa200

mtnmvr said:


> I have some scratches on my "crystal" it feels more like plastic/acrylic. I know this has been covered but is it possible to restore this with a light sanding or something?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes, very possible. You need a set of sand papers from 1000 to 10000 and a polywatch paste or something like that. Sand for a few minutes with 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 10000 papers. Then polywatch polish. I am sure someone here can post a more detailed steps. Also, tape the case around the crystal so you do not sand over it.


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Yes, very possible. You need a set of sand papers from 1000 to 10000 and a polywatch paste or something like that. Sand for a few minutes with 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 10000 papers. Then polywatch polish. I am sure someone here can post a more detailed steps. Also, tape the case around the crystal so you do not sand over it.


Good advice from Odessa. Also I think it should be easy taking the crystal out of the watch from inside the case. Otherwise dirt is likely to get between crystal and case. If you take it out you can clean both and result would be crispier.
If you are familiar with how to do it, it's the better option.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Congrats. I keep thinking about getting this model but never do. I like to wear all my watches and it is a bit strange to wear a watch for blind (given I am not). Does this bother you?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You mean like it's pulling the Devil by the tail when wearing it? Like sitting in a wheelchair. No, I'm not supersticious or fatalist. It's just a watch.
> Also I'm blind with my right eye since 5 year old (the finger is far from being my first accident), so technically I should qualify
Click to expand...

Exactly. Sorry to hear about your health issues but I guess you had managed by now 🙂


----------



## 24h

Kamburov said:


> Good thing I had all the spares needed for this one. Part of cheap lot of scrap, appr. $5.
> I found a good condition replacement case with original push crown.
> Also I'm getting better at working screwdrivers with my left hand, as this 2601H needed to be dissassembled to mainplate. Cannon pinion is still a bit stiff, but I just can't repeat the whole thing again. I'll leave it working and solve it by itself.


What an improvement. Looks like a completely different watch! :-!


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, very possible. You need a set of sand papers from 1000 to 10000 and a polywatch paste or something like that. Sand for a few minutes with 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, and 10000 papers. Then polywatch polish. I am sure someone here can post a more detailed steps. Also, tape the case around the crystal so you do not sand over it.
> 
> 
> 
> Good advice from Odessa. Also I think it should be easy taking the crystal out of the watch from inside the case. Otherwise dirt is likely to get between crystal and case. If you take it out you can clean both and result would be crispier.
> If you are familiar with how to do it, it's the better option.
Click to expand...

I actually start with 2000 sand paper but it may take a while to remove deep scratches. So you need to see. Obviously it is safer to start with a small grain paper (1500 or 2000) and see. If deep scratches are not getting removed after a min of polishing you may go to 1500 or 1000. Personally I never used 1000. Prefer to polish longer than take too much off.
Then go to 2500, 5000, and 10000.


----------



## JosefRaketa

Hello Comrades, 

just a little work that I did for some time yesterday and today:

This watch came to me in a lot of very used "for spares" - type watches but whenever I buy such lots, there are some watches that are still too good to be disassembled. 
Same with this Raketa 2628.H, one of the so-called "Television" models, this particular one being the more round, earlier version. I like these watches and own some of them, but somehow i have the feeling that until now, they are not as high in demand as other models. 

The balance looked quite okay, the movement didn't work, winding and setting the time were much harder than they should normally be and the calendar was completely blocked too.
The first reason for this was the classic mixture of old oil/grease and dust, secondly however, the paint on the calendar dials had peeled off and also contributed to the blocking. 

I had to fullydisassemble the movement and clean all the parts, luckily there were no visible damages inside and upon reassembling it, everything is working smoothly now. 

The only parts that i had to replace were the cracked bezel which i had a NOS-part and the two calendar dials that i could replace with parts from a spare-Cornavin-movement of the same type. (the only compromise here being that the old dial was Cyrillic and the replacement one is English.)

Of course this is not a complete restoration, more of an extended service. Some might argue that these watches are not worth the effort and so on... 
Of course it is not one of the great collectibles (yet), still i really enjoyed the process of servicing it, it works very well and I have one more watch that is suitable for day-to-day use.


----------



## Sekondtime

JosefRaketa said:


> Hello Comrades,
> 
> just a little work that I did for some time yesterday and today:
> 
> This watch came to me in a lot of very used "for spares" - type watches but whenever I buy such lots, there are some watches that are still too good to be disassembled.
> Same with this Raketa 2628.H, one of the so-called "Television" models, this particular one being the more round, earlier version. I like these watches and own some of them, but somehow i have the feeling that until now, they are not as high in demand as other models.
> 
> The balance looked quite okay, the movement didn't work, winding and setting the time were much harder than they should normally be and the calendar was completely blocked too.
> The first reason for this was the classic mixture of old oil/grease and dust, secondly however, the paint on the calendar dials had peeled off and also contributed to the blocking.
> 
> I had to fullydisassemble the movement and clean all the parts, luckily there were no visible damages inside and upon reassembling it, everything is working smoothly now.
> 
> The only parts that i had to replace were the cracked bezel which i had a NOS-part and the two calendar dials that i could replace with parts from a spare-Cornavin-movement of the same type. (the only compromise here being that the old dial was Cyrillic and the replacement one is English.)
> 
> Of course this is not a complete restoration, more of an extended service. Some might argue that these watches are not worth the effort and so on...
> Of course it is not one of the great collectibles (yet), still i really enjoyed the process of servicing it, it works very well and I have one more watch that is suitable for day-to-day use.


Well done. The English day wheel matches the latin Raketa text on the dial so, it's not out of place. There was not much that you could do with that old day wheel!!


----------



## Odessa200

JosefRaketa said:


> Hello Comrades,
> 
> just a little work that I did for some time yesterday and today:
> 
> This watch came to me in a lot of very used "for spares" - type watches but whenever I buy such lots, there are some watches that are still too good to be disassembled.
> Same with this Raketa 2628.H, one of the so-called "Television" models, this particular one being the more round, earlier version. I like these watches and own some of them, but somehow i have the feeling that until now, they are not as high in demand as other models.
> 
> The balance looked quite okay, the movement didn't work, winding and setting the time were much harder than they should normally be and the calendar was completely blocked too.
> The first reason for this was the classic mixture of old oil/grease and dust, secondly however, the paint on the calendar dials had peeled off and also contributed to the blocking.
> 
> I had to fullydisassemble the movement and clean all the parts, luckily there were no visible damages inside and upon reassembling it, everything is working smoothly now.
> 
> The only parts that i had to replace were the cracked bezel which i had a NOS-part and the two calendar dials that i could replace with parts from a spare-Cornavin-movement of the same type. (the only compromise here being that the old dial was Cyrillic and the replacement one is English.)
> 
> Of course this is not a complete restoration, more of an extended service. Some might argue that these watches are not worth the effort and so on...
> Of course it is not one of the great collectibles (yet), still i really enjoyed the process of servicing it, it works very well and I have one more watch that is suitable for day-to-day use.


Great work! I am not sure why you say 'compromise'. The dial was in English and the calendar in Russian. That was wrong. Now all is in English. Right?


----------



## JosefRaketa

Sekondtime said:


> JosefRaketa said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hello Comrades,
> 
> just a little work that I did for some time yesterday and today:
> 
> This watch came to me in a lot of very used "for spares" - type watches but whenever I buy such lots, there are some watches that are still too good to be disassembled.
> Same with this Raketa 2628.H, one of the so-called "Television" models, this particular one being the more round, earlier version. I like these watches and own some of them, but somehow i have the feeling that until now, they are not as high in demand as other models.
> 
> The balance looked quite okay, the movement didn't work, winding and setting the time were much harder than they should normally be and the calendar was completely blocked too.
> The first reason for this was the classic mixture of old oil/grease and dust, secondly however, the paint on the calendar dials had peeled off and also contributed to the blocking.
> 
> I had to fullydisassemble the movement and clean all the parts, luckily there were no visible damages inside and upon reassembling it, everything is working smoothly now.
> 
> The only parts that i had to replace were the cracked bezel which i had a NOS-part and the two calendar dials that i could replace with parts from a spare-Cornavin-movement of the same type. (the only compromise here being that the old dial was Cyrillic and the replacement one is English.)
> 
> Of course this is not a complete restoration, more of an extended service. Some might argue that these watches are not worth the effort and so on...
> Of course it is not one of the great collectibles (yet), still i really enjoyed the process of servicing it, it works very well and I have one more watch that is suitable for day-to-day use.
> 
> 
> 
> Well done. The English day wheel matches the latin Raketa text on the dial so, it's not out of place. There was not much that you could do with that old day wheel!!
Click to expand...

Thank you! 
Yes, i had the same idea, since the dial has the latin logo, the English calendar is not really a problem. Normally i do not care if some of the calendar characters are blushed or a bit scratched but since everything had dissolved here, i had to find a replacement...


----------



## Odessa200

haha said:


> Here are pictures of mine. You actually made me realize that i also have the wrong case, even if it's less obvious.
> Ivan, you got the wrong number from the catalog : the right one is 091145. My case seems to be the 111.
> 
> View attachment 14756715
> 
> View attachment 14756717


Hi guys. Got my watch (In the wrong case) and the donor (for the case). Put it all together. The crystal is worst than I expected. Small part at the edge is missing. Will be ordering a new crystal. The old crystal measures at 29.9 and 4.8 mm hight. What profile should I get for this watch? Low domed or high? Shall I get 30mm? Thanks! Ps: this is Haha's watch. Including so you know what watch I am talking about. Thanks


----------



## AaParker

Well, far too happy with this considering what it is. Picked this Jerlian up and didn't expect much.

























What I really didn't expect was to spend so much time trying to get the back open. I know, never buy a watch without seeing the movement, but some of these sellers are selling for very cheap and it's a volume game so they don't waste their time opening the watches. It would have been worth a bit more to have had it opened. I have never, ever, spent this long trying to get a watch open. Over several weeks it was a project to go back to and try, try again. Finally, finally, with a lot of elbow grease, and some silicone spray and luck, (and channel lock pliers) it finally opened. And out came a mostly degraded gasket.









And then the reason I bought the watch a nice 17 jewels Soviet movement surrounded by bonus slime made of silicone spay, corrupted rubber-gasket, flop sweat and despair.









But, finally, got it cleaned up, and it is running. While it is not perfect, I'm perfectly happy with it.


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Well, far too happy with this considering what it is. Picked this Jerlian up and didn't expect much.
> 
> View attachment 14833257
> 
> 
> View attachment 14833259
> 
> 
> View attachment 14833263
> 
> 
> What I really didn't expect was to spend so much time trying to get the back open. I know, never buy a watch without seeing the movement, but some of these sellers are selling for very cheap and it's a volume game so they don't waste their time opening the watches. It would have been worth a bit more to have had it opened. I have never, ever, spent this long trying to get a watch open. Over several weeks it was a project to go back to and try, try again. Finally, finally, with a lot of elbow grease, and some silicone spray and luck, (and channel lock pliers) it finally opened. And out came a mostly degraded gasket.
> 
> View attachment 14833267
> 
> 
> And then the reason I bought the watch a nice 17 jewels Soviet movement surrounded by bonus slime made of silicone spay, corrupted rubber-gasket, flop sweat and despair.
> 
> View attachment 14833279
> 
> 
> But, finally, got it cleaned up, and it is running. While it is not perfect, I'm perfectly happy with it.
> 
> View attachment 14833283
> 
> 
> View attachment 14833285


It came out rather nice. Well done!


----------



## Odessa200

Odessa200 said:


> haha said:
> 
> 
> 
> Here are pictures of mine. You actually made me realize that i also have the wrong case, even if it's less obvious.
> Ivan, you got the wrong number from the catalog : the right one is 091145. My case seems to be the 111.
> 
> View attachment 14756715
> 
> View attachment 14756717
> 
> 
> 
> Hi guys. Got my watch (In the wrong case) and the donor (for the case). Put it all together. The crystal is worst than I expected. Small part at the edge is missing. Will be ordering a new crystal. The old crystal measures at 29.9 and 4.8 mm hight. What profile should I get for this watch? Low domed or high? Shall I get 30mm? Thanks! Ps: this is Haha's watch. Including so you know what watch I am talking about. Thanks
Click to expand...

Anyone? ?


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> Anyone? &#55357;&#56911;


Yeah, I remember the model. Sorry old one couldn't be saved. 30mm is as close to 29,9mm as it gets. You can always sandpaper the edge slightly, you are well experienced with this stuff. As for the hight, I would go for the lower dome on this one. Think this model had a slimmer profile. Will check height of mine, when I get the chance, but seems it can take a lower one with enough clearence for the hands. 
Jast was never a fan of these high dome crystals


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone? ��
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I remember the model. Sorry old one couldn't be saved. 30mm is as close to 29,9mm as it gets. You can always sandpaper the edge slightly, you are well experienced with this stuff. As for the hight, I would go for the lower dome on this one. Think this model had a slimmer profile. Will check height of mine, when I get the chance, but seems it can take a lower one with enough clearence for the hands.
> Jast was never a fan of these high dome crystals
Click to expand...

Thanks! Will probably get both and will try. I like low as well.


----------



## Odessa200

How to get a watch at a good price? Buy a slightly franken watch (like this one with the wrong hands), change what is wrong and enjoy it. Its a bit hard to see but the hands are chrome color on the 1st photo and one of them even the wrong shape. The after photo shows hands in black and in correct shape (I hope). The before photo is done better, I give the guy that. But getting the wrong hands and the fact that the date used to change at 2:30 is just sloppy!


----------



## Kamburov

Couldn't agree more! Good job and a handsome watch, Odessa!


----------



## Kamburov

Remember the big pile of scrap I got last year? Still finding cool stuff in it.


----------



## haha

Niiiice early Raketa !

What about this one ?


----------



## reporterreporter

A couple of good ones. Switched out the crystal and a light cleaning on the Rodina dial.















This Neva was in really poor condition. No numbers were visible from 4'o'clock to 7'o'clock, the second face was covered in gunk. While not perfect, I think it came out OK.


----------



## Kamburov

Wow, good job, and that Rodina is awesome! Excellent state of the lume paint. Beautiful model!



haha said:


> Niiiice early Raketa !
> 
> What about this one ?
> View attachment 14840261


Thanks! The other one restored nicely too, but couldn't fit the bezel back on the case. Trying to force it broke the crystal, so I put it away for another time. Crystals are tricky on these.


----------



## reporterreporter

Kamburov said:


> Wow, good job, and that Rodina is awesome! Excellent state of the lume paint. Beautiful model!


Thank you. I tried taking some photos of the lume with the new crystal, but my phone isn't doing a great job. It does look great, though!


----------



## JosefRaketa

Kamburov said:


> Remember the big pile of scrap I got last year? Still finding cool stuff in it.
> View attachment 14840169
> 
> View attachment 14840171
> 
> View attachment 14840173


A really beautiful Raketa.

I also like to buy these big lots with different watches in them, sometimes you can really find a good model, maybe you can find parts to complete other watches and after some time buying different stuff you may be able to exchange parts and "correct" or restore all the franken that came with them.


----------



## Sekondtime

reporterreporter said:


> A couple of good ones. Switched out the crystal and a light cleaning on the Rodina dial.
> 
> View attachment 14840321
> View attachment 14840323
> 
> 
> This Neva was in really poor condition. No numbers were visible from 4'o'clock to 7'o'clock, the second face was covered in gunk. While not perfect, I think it came out OK.


Both are transformed! Excellent job!


----------



## Odessa200

Man o man... I had my longest restoration project complete. Got the old Tochmeh watch. Nice porcelain dial. A VERY interesting back cover engraving (later about it). It was barely working (not keeping time at all). But it had one defect: the screw that prevents the crown with the stem from coming out was damaged. The threads were gone. So the screw would get lose after a few turns of the crown and the keyless mechanism would start misbehaving, making dangerous noises, etc. That drove me crazy! So I tried to take all apart and BAM: broke 1 screw that goes into the mainspring arbor! The screw had the left thread and although I knew that, it was so tightly fused in place that when I applied a bit of force the head of the screw got separated from the stem. Ouch. What makes it worst is that the arbor is now not usable cause the hole is ‘plugged’. So I had serviced the rest of the movement and 1st started to look for a donor for 2 parts (mainspring arbor and the keyless screw)..... the movement in this watch is a Swiss Unitas. There are hundreds of different Unitas with completely different parts. Sensing I may never find parts I tried to extract the broken screw from the arbor. 3 broken drills later I had succeeded!!! I had never drilled sub-millimeter holes 🙂. That is fun. And then when I lost all hopes I found a donor with the keyless parts in place (no mainspring arbor but I did not need it at that time). So, here it is. Tochmech is back in business. I have no clue what is the correct lift angle but the timegrapher shows some nice results for 100 year old watch. I ma happy. Now it keeps time and winds perfectly!!! 

I keep it on this strap so I can show the back engraving easily. Can you read it? I find it quite interesting and capturing a big historical moment...


----------



## Kamburov

Wow, a beautiful antique! Great work and congrats!
I understand the engraving, and that watch is a piece of history!
Thanks for sharing!
Looking forward to more photos


----------



## Kamburov

A week ago I got a tip from a forum friend, and won an auction for a non working, all steel Poljot. Thanks, Ivan!
The seller had a few other cheap parts/repair things, so while waiting I also got this fat Raketa auto.









It is a franken, in case you are wondering. This dial goes with gilded hands and case. I know the chance of finding a lonely gold-plated case is close to zero, so decided to go experimental. I wanted to dechrome something different than Vostok and this big, chunky, fat Raketa seemed like a good contender.
Repairs went well. A wheel with missing teeth, a spring wandering loose, nothing serious. It was running in no time.
Found a set of gilded hands, gave them a new paint+nescafe.
The dial I didn't touch this time. The hour markers, originally gilded, have turned to patinated brass. Figured they will be a good match for the brass case, when it gets some patina. Actually the markers gave me the whole brass idea in the first place.
Dechroming went well too. I'm not a fan of the gloss, so gave it a brushed finish.
Couldn't wait till tomorrow and shoot some cool pics in the light of day. So there we go






















Now I can sit and stare at it, waiting for some patina to form.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> A week ago I got a tip from a forum friend, and won an auction for a non working, all steel Poljot. Thanks, Ivan!
> The seller had a few other cheap parts/repair things, so while waiting I also got this fat Raketa auto.
> 
> View attachment 14864255
> 
> 
> It is a franken, in case you are wondering. This dial goes with gilded hands and case. I know the chance of finding a lonely gold-plated case is close to zero, so decided to go experimental. I wanted to dechrome something different than Vostok and this big, chunky, fat Raketa seemed like a good contender.
> Repairs went well. A wheel with missing teeth, a spring wandering loose, nothing serious. It was running in no time.
> Found a set of gilded hands, gave them a new paint+nescafe.
> The dial I didn't touch this time. The hour markers, originally gilded, have turned to patinated brass. Figured they will be a good match for the brass case, when it gets some patina. Actually the markers gave me the whole brass idea in the first place.
> Dechroming went well too. I'm not a fan of the gloss, so gave it a brushed finish.
> Couldn't wait till tomorrow and shoot some cool pics in the light of day. So there we go
> View attachment 14864319
> 
> View attachment 14864323
> 
> View attachment 14864325
> 
> 
> Now I can sit and stare at it, waiting for some patina to form.


I cannot believe it is the same watch!!!! Super ?


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> I cannot believe it is the same watch!!!! Super &#55357;&#56397;


Thanks, Odessa!
For a $17 watch it's an absolute beast. 















There's the Poljot that was the main target. Not much done to it, but it's clean and ... ehm, working.
Decided to keep its original burnt look (that brown was once blue), so didn't even repaint the hands.
Bidding went up to $13 on this one (!?!). This auction cheered me up big time! Best tip ever!


----------



## Odessa200

Very good!


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, Odessa!
> For a $17 watch it's an absolute beast.
> 
> View attachment 14865709
> 
> 
> There's the Poljot that was the main target. Not much done to it, but it's clean and ... ehm, working.
> Decided to keep its original burnt look (that brown was once blue), so didn't even repaint the hands.
> Bidding went up to $13 on this one (!?!). This auction cheered me up big time! Best tip ever!
> 
> View attachment 14865727


Excellent idea to dechrome this Raketa. Great result. I didn't expect the dial to be in such good condition.
The Poljot looks good too. The great thing with buying non working soviet watches is that at least 20% of them actually work !


----------



## Draconian Collector

Kamburov said:


> Remember the big pile of scrap I got last year? Still finding cool stuff in it.
> View attachment 14840169


Can I get some more info on that reverse panda chrono up front?


----------



## Kamburov

Draconian Collector said:


> Can I get some more info on that reverse panda chrono up front?


Sure, by coincidence I'm wearing it as I type. No miracles there, unfortunately. 3133 was beyond repair, big section fused by rust.















So I had to source a spare movement. Dial damage is still visible. Hour hand was fused to the dial, so that spot is still there too.








Since then I had another go with this















so now I have two of those and tons of practice. 








I've swithed cases since that photo, to get the best parts into one presentable watch, and one beater for everyday use. Like cooking leeks and coliflower soup.








Didn't cost me that much cheaper than buying two good watches, but the experience and fun are priceless. Also I have a lot of stuff left. Including a working 3133 minus a broken 4th wheel, and a lot of other spare parts. I'm well prepared for the next 3133 challenge when it happens. Hopefully I'll manage better results.


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Draconian Collector said:
> 
> 
> 
> Can I get some more info on that reverse panda chrono up front?
> 
> 
> 
> Sure, by coincidence I'm wearing it as I type. No miracles there, unfortunately. 3133 was beyond repair, big section fused by rust.
> View attachment 14882701
> 
> View attachment 14882705
> 
> 
> So I had to source a spare movement. Dial damage is still visible. Hour hand was fused to the dial, so that spot is still there too.
> View attachment 14882713
> 
> 
> Since then I had another go with this
> View attachment 14882717
> 
> View attachment 14882739
> 
> 
> so now I have two of those and tons of practice.
> View attachment 14882759
> 
> 
> I've swithed cases since that photo, to get the best parts into one presentable watch, and one beater for everyday use. Like cooking leeks and coliflower soup.
> View attachment 14882771
> 
> 
> Didn't cost me that much cheaper than buying two good watches, but the experience and fun are priceless. Also I have a lot of stuff left. Including a working 3133 minus a broken 4th wheel, and a lot of other spare parts. I'm well prepared for the next 3133 challenge when it happens. Hopefully I'll manage better results.
Click to expand...

This is great! I am still chicken to try 3133 service. Here and there tuning is Ok but complete service I am scared (no parts, etc). I am actually supposed to pick one 3133 beater tomorrow from the post office. Will see if it is usable or just a collection of parts.... maybe will be a practice 3133 movement for me. 
Your results are great!


----------



## Kamburov

Odessa200 said:


> This is great! I am still chicken to try 3133 service. Here and there tuning is Ok but complete service I am scared (no parts, etc). I am actually supposed to pick one 3133 beater tomorrow from the post office. Will see if it is usable or just a collection of parts.... maybe will be a practice 3133 movement for me.
> Your results are great!


Thanks, Odessa! 3133 is a lot of fun, as I was getting a bit bored with most other soviet movements. It can be very frustrating at times, and expensive parts don't make it better (I can't spend $40-$50 on one 4th wheel). 
I had a lot of help and support from the forum, and notably from EndeavourDK and Matt Brace. 
I wish you good luck! You can post some pics here when you get it, 3133 are always interesting projects.


----------



## EndeavourDK

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, Odessa! 3133 is a lot of fun, as I was getting a bit bored with most other soviet movements. It can be very frustrating at times, and expensive parts don't make it better (I can't spend $40-$50 on one 4th wheel).
> I had a lot of help and support from the forum, and notably from EndeavourDK and Matt Brace.
> I wish you good luck! You can post some pics here when you get it, 3133 are always interesting projects.


Fantastic results Ivan :-!

Than to think all done by "snap-on" exchangeable thumb-bits :-d

I'm getting envious and you deserve a BIG thumbs-up |>


----------



## Kamburov

EndeavourDK said:


> Fantastic results Ivan :-!
> 
> Than to think all done by "snap-on" exchangeable thumb-bits :-d
> 
> I'm getting envious and you deserve a BIG thumbs-up |>


 that was done before the accident. About the time you did the MIR station 3133. I'm not THAT good 
Thanks, my friend!


----------



## Odessa200

Here is an After project that looked better Before. Or did it? As posted before, I got a Poljot from the 60s in the wrong case and broken Seconds hand and wrong crown. As it turned out, the seller not just sells Frankens, he also Photoshops the dials. Not buying from him ever again. Then I got a donor with the good case and the good seconds hand. I was hoping this would be enough to build 1 watch but the donor had a really bad crystal (with a hole). So had to by a crystal. Here you can see the photoshopped Before, the case donor and the end results. 

This is what was done:
Case from the donor, new crystal, different crown from my spares, second hand had the pip done with the vintage lume and green paint, new vintage stap. I got the franken because of the pristine dial.... that was a lie. As you can see the dial is Ok but not perfect. Overall I had spent about 30$ and quite happy with the end result. Tell me if this was worth the trouble....
And, btw, the movement is ticking strong!


----------



## Kamburov

Excellent! It looks much better, because that's the way it was meant to look like! Another great work from you, and another vintage restored to it's original look.
Now you have a good shape Vostok gold-plated case :think: I sense part II of this project 

Oh, excellent strap choice too!


----------



## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Excellent! It looks much better, because that's the way it was meant to look like! Another great work from you, and another vintage restored to it's original look.
> Now you have a good shape Vostok gold-plated case
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I sense part II of this project
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, excellent strap choice too!


I do have that case. Just need to figure out what watch it is from! 🙂

Thanks for the kind words!


----------



## AaParker

Odessa200 said:


> I do have that case. Just need to figure out what watch it is from! ��
> 
> Thanks for the kind words!


Very nice work as usual. On the watch do you think the second hand is meant to be a "satellite" ( a subtle Sputnik reference) or is it more of a design choice to go along with the luminescence by the batons?


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I do have that case. Just need to figure out what watch it is from! ��
> 
> Thanks for the kind words!
> 
> 
> 
> Very nice work as usual. On the watch do you think the second hand is meant to be a "satellite" or is it more of a design choice to go along with the luminescence on the batons?
Click to expand...

Hard to tell. This think just a design in this case. Although the watch was made around big achievements in the Soviet space program.... so maybe on a subconscious levels design was influenced but it.


----------



## Sekondtime

Odessa200 said:


> ... As it turned out, the seller not just sells Frankens, he also Photoshops the dials. Not buying from him ever again...


There are some sellers who are just so lazy (or just as likely duplicitous) they don't think it is a problem to put photos of the actual product they are selling. They think it is ok to use a generic photo of a particular style of watch and then send one very similar but in very poor condition.

But, it looks as though you have made the best of a bad deal. Well done Odessa200! I also approve of the strap choice!

Sekondtime


----------



## fla

Odessa200 said:


> I do have that case. Just need to figure out what watch it is from! &#55357;&#56898;
> 
> Thanks for the kind words!


If the case fits 2234 movement, you can assemble a Komandirskie. If it fits a 2209 only, look at Каталог часов, 1983 - Союззагранприбор.pdf you know where, at ???????? ????? ???? ? 1934 ???? | ussr-watch.com. There are some expamples of Vostoks with the case.


----------



## Odessa200

fla said:


> Odessa200 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I do have that case. Just need to figure out what watch it is from! ��
> 
> Thanks for the kind words!
> 
> 
> 
> If the case fits 2234 movement, you can assemble a Komandirskie. If it fits a 2209 only, look at Каталог часов, 1983 - Союззагранприбор.pdf you know where, at ???????? ????? ???? ? 1934 ???? | ussr-watch.com. There are some expamples of Vostoks with the case.
Click to expand...

Will do. Or will sell. Given I am only interested in the authentic watches even if I have a movement I will need a dial and hands and crown.... who knows, maybe one day I will find a good watch with the same case but damaged.


----------



## miroman

Hi all,

Here's my attempt for restoration of this very rare dial:



First I tried rust-remover, very gently and slow, with ear-stick:



Then with a dilute Meglio (fat cleaner), very quickly (10-15 seconds on an area). Unfortunately 'Made in USSR' has gone (it was almost gone already):



But I was afraid to use Meglio in the center of the dial (to remove the scratch from the hours hand), so again with rust-remover:



And at the end, in the watch:



Regards, Miro.


----------



## Odessa200

Huge difference. Nice job!



miroman said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Here's my attempt for restoration of this very rare dial:
> 
> 
> 
> First I tried rust-remover, very gently and slow, with ear-stick:
> 
> 
> 
> Then with a dilute Meglio (fat cleaner), very quickly (10-15 seconds on an area). Unfortunately 'Made in USSR':
> 
> 
> 
> But I was afraid to use Meglio in the center of the dial (to remove the scratch from the hours hand), so again with rust-remover:
> 
> 
> 
> And at the end, in the watch:
> 
> 
> 
> Regards, Miro.


----------



## thewatchadude

One question for the experts and aesthetes: is reluming a vintage watch that needs it fair and normal maintenance or is it transforming it?
Actually two questions: if it's considered fair maintenance, is using vintage-coloured lume fair as well or could white lume (or of whatever colour was used originally) be used?


----------



## 979greenwich

My opinion; don't touch it unless the lume fell out of hands. Getting the right colour to match the patina is a job for skilled professionals. To me, badly relumed watches have less value than no lume at all. That being said, i've never seen a decently relumed Vostok.


----------



## fla

Agree, such relumed Vostoks often look like a car from the 70s with installed bi-xenon headlight instead of halogen lamps.


----------



## EndeavourDK

979greenwich said:


> My opinion; don't touch it unless the lume fell out of hands. Getting the right colour to match the patina is a job for skilled professionals. To me, badly relumed watches have less value than no lume at all. That being said, i've never seen a decently relumed Vostok.


All with DIY (colored lume to match the dial dots) relumed hands; if you count these as "decent", then you've now seen some ;-)


----------



## 979greenwich

Like I said, skilled professional 
Best lume jobs are hard to notice, and yours are pretty close.


----------



## EndeavourDK

979greenwich said:


> Like I said, skilled professional
> Best lume jobs are hard to notice, and yours are pretty close.


"skilled" amateur ...... ;-)


----------



## Kamburov

Been quiet here, since ... Roland, more than a month ago, so let's give it a bump.
Bought a couple of watches for restoration this Sunday, so there's the first one








after some love and attention






















Vostok is not all military and macho. there are some real elegant gems in their catalogue.
Ivan


----------



## MattBrace

Kamburov said:


> Been quiet here, since ... Roland, more than a month ago, so let's give it a bump.
> Bought a couple of watches for restoration this Sunday, so there's the first one
> View attachment 15178803
> 
> 
> after some love and attention
> View attachment 15178807
> 
> View attachment 15178809
> 
> View attachment 15178811
> 
> 
> Vostok is not all military and macho. there are some real elegant gems in their catalogue.
> Ivan


Good to see you Ivan, nice job on the Vostok.

Cheers...


----------



## Odessa200

Lovely


----------



## Kamburov

MattBrace said:


> Good to see you Ivan, nice job on the Vostok.
> 
> Cheers...


Thanks, Matt! So good to see you around, sir! 
Actually you are a part of this next restoration! The crown/stem is a gift from you that I received in Nomad's goody bag 
Haven't been playing with watches for so long, that when I received two restorations this morning, I couldn't resist the temptation. Managed to draw and prepare two contract offers, ...aaand work on both watches in the breaks.
The second one is a non working amfibia for something like $6.








The condition of this fella was really bad. Took a lot of cleaning and repairs (broken ballance, missing wheels in keyless works, etc.)
The good thing is I happened to have a better condition original dial for this model. Never expected I will actually have the opportunity to use it.















So there we go






















Not that it matters much, but it's been keeping a good time.
What a day!


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Been quiet here, since ... Roland, more than a month ago, so let's give it a bump.
> Bought a couple of watches for restoration this Sunday, so there's the first one
> View attachment 15178803
> 
> 
> after some love and attention
> View attachment 15178807
> 
> View attachment 15178809
> 
> View attachment 15178811
> 
> 
> Vostok is not all military and macho. there are some real elegant gems in their catalogue.
> Ivan


Nice to see you back and restoring once again. Good job on the Wostok. I am hoping you will give me some inspiration to tackle my mountain of spares/repairs Ruhlas and Russians!

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Now there's something you don't see every day - a red display digital BULETRONIC. The only bulgarian watch brand, produced for a short period of time at the end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. About 10 different models were made, this one is M10 CH, whatever that means.
I've been looking for one for nostalgic reasons, so today I was given a non working one, to see if it can be saved. 
Heavily oxidated, but with the right materials magic can happen. Enjoy!


----------



## mariomart

Kamburov said:


> Now there's something you don't see every day - a red display digital BULETRONIC. The only bulgarian watch brand, produced for a short period of time at the end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. About 10 different models were made, this one is M10 CH, whatever that means.
> I've been looking for one for nostalgic reasons, so today I was given a non working one, to see if it can be saved.
> Heavily oxidated, but with the right materials magic can happen. Enjoy!


Now that's some pure Soviet Bloc sexiness right there :-!

Keep up the great work


----------



## Kamburov

mariomart said:


> Now that's some pure Soviet Bloc sexiness right there :-!
> 
> Keep up the great work


Thanks, Mario! Time for Boney M's "Daddy cool"


----------



## AaParker

Kamburov said:


> Now there's something you don't see every day - a red display digital BULETRONIC. The only bulgarian watch brand, produced for a short period of time at the end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. About 10 different models were made, this one is M10 CH, whatever that means.
> I've been looking for one for nostalgic reasons, so today I was given a non working one, to see if it can be saved.
> Heavily oxidated, but with the right materials magic can happen. Enjoy!
> /QUOTE]
> 
> Wonderful that you were able to get it going again; I probably would have electrocuted myself as soon as I opened it!


----------



## haha

Nice model and resurrection job !
I also found a Buletronic while you were taking a break.
Didn't have time to start working on it though.


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Nice model and resurrection job !
> I also found a Buletronic while you were taking a break.
> Didn't have time to start working on it though.


Thanks, my friend! Very nice one you got there! This is the best model on the Buletronic line - all stainless steel (excl. buttons), 20mm. lugs. I have both versions, grey and black, one is signed "XII congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party 1981". It was given to the delegates. It's quite a story, I posted it waay back in this thread. Wish you good luck with it, it's a very nice looking watch! Well worth restoring.


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, my friend! Very nice one you got there! This is the best model on the Buletronic line - all stainless steel (excl. buttons), 20mm. lugs. I have both versions, grey and black, one is signed "XII congress of the Bulgarian Communist Party 1981". It was given to the delegates. It's quite a story, I posted it waay back in this thread. Wish you good luck with it, it's a very nice looking watch! Well worth restoring.


Then I guess we're both fellow delegates now b-)


----------



## Kamburov

haha said:


> Then I guess we're both fellow delegates now b-)


Ha, yeah, that's the one! Looking forward to it, hope you get no issues. If I set mine at exactly the same time, in 2-3 months they are 2min. apart. One is a minute fast, the other a minute slow. I figured if I wear them together, like Fidel, I will always have the correct time right in the middle.


----------



## Kamburov

As I said, the truth is somewhere in the middle. That's after 5 months in the boxes















The general rule of quartz accuracy doesn't apply here 
Curious how yours will behave.


----------



## haha

Maybe that's their way of protesting for remaining in the box.
I like the clean inside with no mechanics visible. 
But i'm fighting like crazy just to close the caseback !


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Now there's something you don't see every day - a red display digital BULETRONIC. The only bulgarian watch brand, produced for a short period of time at the end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. About 10 different models were made, this one is M10 CH, whatever that means.
> I've been looking for one for nostalgic reasons, so today I was given a non working one, to see if it can be saved.
> Heavily oxidated, but with the right materials magic can happen. Enjoy!
> 
> View attachment 15184487


I knew I had seen that trimmer somewhere before, it is the same as on a Ruhla Calibre 28. The trimmers were imports from Japan.









Sekondtime


----------



## Kotsov

I’d be worried about the citizen. It’s an hour ahead.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kotsov said:


> I'd be worried about the citizen. It's an hour ahead.


Well considering the trimmers on the Bluetronics are Japanese, is it any wonder the Citizen is running to fast?!


----------



## Kamburov

I just never bothered taking them out the box to set them on summer time 
Buletronic was produced in the Pravec semiconductors factory, which was producing personal computers (IBM tech) and electronics for the soviet space program. Bulgaria was the only non soviet state to have more than one cosmonaut in space thIntercosmos, but judging by the accuracy of these two, there's no wonder no buletronic was ever worn in space. 
Bulgaria was never the cutting edge of watch production, so there must have been some help from friendly experienced watch makers like Ruhla and the russian watch factories. Pravec probably produced some elements for their production, colaboration was in the essense of socialist economy. It's just watches wasn't their thing, they had no tradition in it, but they were probably forced to produce a bulgarian watch, cause it was a question of prestige, and someone had to do it.
I'm happy they did, as these watches are fun, pretty good build quality and a cool collectable nostalgia. Maybe theres a setting to calibrate the thing, I don't know. Never was familiar with quartz tech.


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> I just never bothered taking them out the box to set them on summer time
> Buletronic was produced in the Pravec semiconductors factory, which was producing personal computers (IBM tech) and electronics for the soviet space program. Bulgaria was the only non soviet state to have more than one cosmonaut in space thIntercosmos, but judging by the accuracy of these two, there's no wonder no buletronic was ever worn in space.
> Bulgaria was never the cutting edge of watch production, so there must have been some help from friendly experienced watch makers like Ruhla and the russian watch factories. Pravec probably produced some elements for their production, colaboration was in the essense of socialist economy. It's just watches wasn't their thing, they had no tradition in it, but they were probably forced to produce a bulgarian watch, cause it was a question of prestige, and someone had to do it.
> I'm happy they did, as these watches are fun, pretty good build quality and a cool collectable nostalgia. Maybe theres a setting to calibrate the thing, I don't know. Never was familiar with quartz tech.


That's interesting to learn. There must have been some reason to concentrate this sort of production there. Maybe there was a research institute locally or something? I would not be surprised that because Ruhla imported them from Japan for its own watch production, that Ruhla then sold them on to Bulgaria in the fraternal socialist economy.

You can regulate the quartz watch with the trimmer. a very gentle small turn of the screw one way or the other. But I would be cautious. Whitelion is the person to ask.

Sekondtime


----------



## haha

Not sure this deserves a before/after since it's only a new battery and a light cleaning (interrupted by a lack of sand paper). but Im glad to see it all shiny and working.
All functions are operational, including the light.
Thanks a lot Ivan for the tips and encouragement !!


----------



## Kamburov

Congrats on your new 40 year old watch! The stylish monochrome design and the stainless steel case have let this watch age really well. Also the 20mm. lugs allow for wider bracelets. It is a vintage watch that you can actually wear on every day basis.
I may try regulaing my, as Secondtime advised, and get them some more wrist time.
Enjoy the weekend!


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Congrats on your new 40 year old watch! The stylish monochrome design and the stainless steel case have let this watch age really well. Also the 20mm. lugs allow for wider bracelets. It is a vintage watch that you can actually wear on every day basis.
> I may try regulaing my, as Secondtime advised, and get them some more wrist time.
> Enjoy the weekend!


Thanks ! 
On pictures, i had a small preference for the black version, but now that i have it on the wrist, i appreciate the sobriety of this monochrome design and you know i already had a weakness for eastern steel ;-) 
I'll also give it a try on a black leather or a canvas for contrast...


----------



## Kamburov

Not a russian, but this one was in a lot of mostly russian broken watches.















Good chance to play with Seiko's 6139 chronograph. Couldn't miss that chance. Waited for some button springs from UK and hands set from Singapore, or whatever. 








New hands turned out to be crap, constantly slipping on the pins, so I got tired of that and returned the original ones. My watchmaker friend gave it a try, trying to fix the seconds hand, but finally he gave up too and said he'll just put whatever he can. So now it has a 3133 chrono hand. 
Replaced parts - mainspring barrel from a 6109, seconds hand from a 3133 and a set of button springs.
The final touch was the crystal polishing, which today I figured out how to do. It took 7 different grain water sandpapers and the 3 finest polishing pastes from the autopaints shop down the street. My first try at polishing glass, and I was pleasantly surprised from the result.


----------



## Sekondtime

> Not a russian, but this one was in a lot of mostly russian broken watches.


For a moment, I thought it was going to be a Ruhla! But alas no.

But nevertheless, a good job done on the Seiko. Seconds hand doesn't look out of place. Sometimes replacement hands are a poor fit even if they are original. The tolerances are so small just a slight variation in manufacture and they can be too loose or too tight.

Are you sure you haven't got a Ruhla in that batch of watches?

Sekondtime


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> For a moment, I thought it was going to be a Ruhla! But alas no.
> 
> But nevertheless, a good job done on the Seiko. Seconds hand doesn't look out of place. Sometimes replacement hands are a poor fit even if they are original. The tolerances are so small just a slight variation in manufacture and they can be too loose or too tight.
> 
> Are you sure you haven't got a Ruhla in that batch of watches?
> 
> Sekondtime


Thanks, my friend! At the beginning of my watch obsession I was buying off many broken watches from antique shops. One of the first was a Ruhla chronograph, black dial, golden subdial. I was nowhere near the knowledge and experience I have now, so I just kept it in a box. Later I met my Ruhla collecting friend (I've talked about his collection) and I gave him absolutely everything Ruhla related. Now maybe I would have kept the chrono, but then again, if it came to me once it will come to me again. I will get my chance to work and play with one soon enough. If I ask him he will probably sell me one of his, but where's the fun in that? 
Ivan


----------



## mariomart

I got really bored today, so I stuck my hand in the spare parts (junk) bin and pulled out an unloved Vostok 119 and gave it some love 

My self imposed rule was to only use the original parts that came with the watch, so the crystal need some love, the hands needed de-rusting and new lume (aged lume of course) and the dial needed a clean. The movement was a runner (although in need of a service) and it was regulated to -15/+25.


----------



## 979greenwich

Nice, keeping it real. 
What lume do you use and how do you apply it, if you don't mind me asking?


----------



## mariomart

979greenwich said:


> Nice, keeping it real.
> What lume do you use and how do you apply it, if you don't mind me asking?


Thanks.

I use Anchor Luminous Paste, and add a tiny little powdered Brown watercolour to "age" the mix.









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----------



## Kamburov

Excellent job, Mario, and on an excellent vintage barrel! You should get bored more often 
I got bored today too, so I decided doing some cleaning and sorting of some old scrap. It had piled in a box over an year's time. I bought some lots of scrap watches for pocket change, only to use something particular, and threw the rest in a bag. 
So today I took that out to check if something is useful and throw the rest in the bin. I got to this broken quartz watch and almost threw it away. Can you guess what bracelet it had on?









Well, yes, it was russian, it was steel, and someone had filed the end links to fit this watch narrow lugs. Some damage was done to the bracelet too, but I'll live with it.
I replaced the end links, did repairs on the locking part, and fitted it to a more appropriate watch. Wait for it, here it comes ...

























I got so excited that I forgot to clean and polish it for the camera


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> View attachment 15326049
> 
> View attachment 15326051
> 
> View attachment 15326052
> 
> 
> I got so excited that I forgot to clean and polish it for the camera


That is quite the classic Russian bracelet too!
I have a few old Soviet ones and they are all "OK" at best...

Good to have for originality tho, even if not for daily wear.

Great job!


----------



## Kamburov

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> That is quite the classic Russian bracelet too!
> I have a few old Soviet ones and they are all "OK" at best...
> 
> Good to have for originality tho, even if not for daily wear.
> 
> Great job!


Thanks, John! 
Yeah, for originality mostly, I guess. I have a good collection of Poljot, Vostok and Raketa bracelets (stainless steel), and I don't really wear them. However, I didn't have this particular OKEAH type bracelet, and finding it in the trash was really cool. 
My most comfortable bands are actually a recent DIY invention of mine. I needed comfortable bands for my work watches, and I liked the idea of elastic bands the cosmonauts used over their space suits. Kinda like the french Marine Nationale type bands. I just needed a band that will allow me to quickly pull the watch up my arm, in case I have to get my hands durty or in the scratch zone. 
The answer came from the most unlikely place. Please don't laugh at me - men's pants suspenders. Don't remember posting this, so there it is. Easily adjustable for the perfect fit, washable and breathing 
Maybe I should patent this stuff


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

Kamburov said:


> Thanks, John!
> Yeah, for originality mostly, I guess. I have a good collection of Poljot, Vostok and Raketa bracelets (stainless steel), and I don't really wear them. However, I didn't have this particular OKEAH type bracelet, and finding it in the trash was really cool.
> My most comfortable bands are actually a recent DIY invention of mine. I needed comfortable bands for my work watches, and I liked the idea of elastic bands the cosmonauts used over their space suits. Kinda like the french Marine Nationale type bands. I just needed a band that will allow me to quickly pull the watch up my arm, in case I have to get my hands durty or in the scratch zone.
> The answer came from the most unlikely place. Please don't laugh at me - men's pants suspenders. Don't remember posting this, so there it is. Easily adjustable for the perfect fit, washable and breathing
> Maybe I should patent this stuff
> View attachment 15327281
> 
> View attachment 15327282
> 
> View attachment 15327283
> 
> View attachment 15327284
> 
> View attachment 15327285
> 
> View attachment 15327286


Ohh yeah Looks like an old suspender!
Great original idea!

Sell a few on here.


----------



## Kamburov

AlaskaJohnboy said:


> Ohh yeah Looks like an old suspender!
> Great original idea!
> 
> Sell a few on here.


Some people may consider this a fashion crime and come after me  
It's quite hard finding good size suspenders from the second hand shops. The 20mm one was perfect, but I struggle finding more.
I've been planning checking the DIY and sewing materials shops for elastic bands and buckles. Maybe I find something appropriate for DIY elastic bands. I won't be starting a mass production, but I may be able to make a "How to make your own ..." manual for the fun of it. For forum comrades only


----------



## haha

Kamburov said:


> Some people may consider this a fashion crime and come after me
> It's quite hard finding good size suspenders from the second hand shops. The 20mm one was perfect, but I struggle finding more.
> I've been planning checking the DIY and sewing materials shops for elastic bands and buckles. Maybe I find something appropriate for DIY elastic bands. I won't be starting a mass production, but I may be able to make a "How to make your own ..." manual for the fun of it. For forum comrades only


I love it !
But it's true a tutorial would be helpful. 
Some tine ago i got a great leather strap taken from an old baby stroller !
Unfortunately i couldn't find the right size and thickness to make my own...


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Some people may consider this a fashion crime and come after me
> It's quite hard finding good size suspenders from the second hand shops. The 20mm one was perfect, but I struggle finding more.
> I've been planning checking the DIY and sewing materials shops for elastic bands and buckles. Maybe I find something appropriate for DIY elastic bands. I won't be starting a mass production, but I may be able to make a "How to make your own ..." manual for the fun of it. For forum comrades only


It is an innovative idea and seems to work very well. There are plenty of elasticated trouser braces available on eBay. Some are a very reasonable price others not. I am sure you can find something appropriate there.

A how to make your own manual would be very interesting to see.










Sekondtime


----------



## 979greenwich

I serviced this little unwanted thing yesterday and put it in a new case. Not sure if this case ever came with this dial, but here it is. Unlike other Raketa Baker dials I've seen, this one is plastic.

I always buy a Baker when i see it in a fleemarket, it's usually very cheap and in my opinion has the toughest, simplest, and most reliable of all USSR mechanisms, 2609.HA.


----------



## AlaskaJohnboy

979greenwich said:


> I serviced this little unwanted thing yesterday and put it in a new case. Not sure if this case ever came with this dial, but here it is. Unlike other Raketa Baker dials I've seen, this one is plastic.
> 
> I always buy a Baker when i see it in a fleemarket, it's usually very cheap and in my opinion has the toughest, simplest, and most reliable of all USSR mechanisms, 2609.HA.


I serviced one 2609HA and I was totally impressed with how good it was. (Still awaiting sale...) but it is running a consistent +5-10 sec per day. Really highly accurate. (Thus the HA- High Accuracy)


----------



## RobNJ

Nothing serious, but I did a crystal change on a 1980s Raketa calendar model. I had acquired the watch with a high flattop crystal, which is, of course, wrong (and does not contribute to the legibility of the calendar ring).



















Since crystal change questions for these models come up from time to time, I'll give my amateur's blow by blow. I was finally able to pop off the front bezel using my "crappy" case knife, originally from one or another Amazon "Watchmaking for Lulz" set, which I covered in tape so as not to scratch the chrome, rather than my "goodish" case knife, which has too much of an angle. I removed the old crystal, measured, and sourced a new one. I ended up with a GS PK #37 Lo-dome, which has a 36.2mm diameter; I know others prefer the Sternkreuz N but that seemed a bit harder to get in the U.S. during Covid. It is not the perfect choice - it does have a shoulder, unlike the original shoulderless Raketa low dome - but I didn't feel like fighting to acquire one of those and it is, in any case, an improvement.

I was able to install the new crystal in the bezel from the front after a few tries using a crystal lift - thanks, shoulder! The fit seemed tight enough, as I wasn't able to rotate the crystal in the bezel, so I did without glue. Here's the old crystal and the new (in the bezel) side by side for comparison.










Pressing the bezel with the new crystal back onto the watch proved the hardest part, and provoked some cursing until I dug out my crystal press. I didn't even set it up, just used the 36 mm interior diameter die to provide even pressure around the bezel and managed to get it on.










And here's the after. This isn't perfect, but it is an improvement, so long as everything holds.


----------



## 979greenwich

Mario, thanks for the tip. I used the recommended product and method and got a very satisfying result (at least for me) in the first try.


mariomart said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I use Anchor Luminous Paste, and add a tiny little powdered Brown watercolour to "age" the mix.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LUMINOUS PASTE KIT diy lume watch hands watchmakers lume glow watches hand dial | eBay
> 
> 
> Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for LUMINOUS PASTE KIT diy lume watch hands watchmakers lume glow watches hand dial at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
> 
> 
> 
> www.ebay.com


----------



## mariomart

979greenwich said:


> Mario, thanks for the tip. I used the recommended product and method and got a very satisfying result (at least for me) in the first try.


Well done


----------



## 979greenwich

Serviced this oldie yesterday. Seemed fine, but now i see that the balance stops in some positions. Guess I'll clean and lubricate the cap jewels and balance again...any other ideas?


----------



## Odessa200

979greenwich said:


> Serviced this oldie yesterday. Seemed fine, but now i see that the balance stops in some positions. Guess I'll clean and lubricate the cap jewels and balance again...any other ideas?


balance may stop in various positions if:
1) hairspring is tilted. It should be parallel to the balance wheel and between the balance and the main plate
2) pivots of the balance are worn and there is too much vertical play.

could be other issues but I would start with looking at these.


----------



## 979greenwich

Cleaned and oiled the balance assembly and cap jewels again. To my novice eyes the balance and lower pivot looks ok. Upper, hard to see. The balance stops when tilted vertically. Guess i did what i could do with my tools and skills (which pretty much stop at oiling and assembling the incabloc). Seems that amateur watchmaking stops at balance assembly repair, huh?


----------



## Roman Ukraine

This is not a finished story yet, but ... some interesting photos during the cleaning of "Chaika 1200" - the smallest watch of the USSR


----------



## Odessa200

Roman Ukraine said:


> This is not a finished story yet, but ... some interesting photos during the cleaning of "Chaika 1200" - the smallest watch of the USSR


Love the photos. Working on Slava 1600. Not as small as 1200 but painfully small for me.


----------



## thewatchadude

I need to do some work on a Raketa I received recently. The case is in the 24h or windrose style and I don't know how to deal with it for disassembling the watch before cleaning and other duties--I have to say I am much more familiar with Vostok Amphibias. Can anyone address me to a nice video tutorial?


----------



## reporterreporter

thewatchadude said:


> I need to do some work on a Raketa I received recently. The case is in the 24h or windrose style and I don't know how to deal with it for disassembling the watch before cleaning and other duties--I have to say I am much more familiar with Vostok Amphibias. Can anyone address me to a nice video tutorial?











 - in Italian, but easy enough to follow

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


----------



## thewatchadude

Thanks. So apparently I need to take the crystal out just like I would do with a Vostok Amhibian bezel, then remove the mechanism from the front.


----------



## Odessa200

thewatchadude said:


> Thanks. So apparently I need to take the crystal out just like I would do with a Vostok Amhibian bezel, then remove the mechanism from the front.


That would be a common approach when you see:
1) the dial is much bigget that the movement and the back hole in the case. If the movement is 26mm sits snuggly in the opening when looked from the back but the dial is closer to 40mm!
2) the movement is held buy screws that have heads resting against the rim of the opening case. Such design prevents the movement from moving UP (towards the dial direction) and cannot prevent from moving down via the back opening.


----------



## AaParker

I have a nice textured Raketa that I want to wear, but I never do because there were spots and a stain on the dial  So, I did my best to clean it up.

Here's the dial that had rust, I think, at 6 and 9 and a spot at 8:










First thing is take it apart and hope I don't wreck it:










Then a gentle brushing of the dial with a computer cleaning tool that took off most of the problem areas, but there was still a stain at 8:










A little mineral oil and gentle rubbing with a cotton swab:










Better, I think. I know some people use a toothpick and that might work fine, but I'm always afraid of damaging the lacquer or paint on the dial. I never use anything harder than a silicon tip or a cotton swab. I will use a little soap and water applied with a cotton swab sometimes, but I didn't here:










Done:










And wearing it happily


----------



## Ligavesh

AaParker said:


> I have a nice textured Raketa that I want to wear, but I never do because there were spots and a stain on the dial  So, I did my best to clean it up.
> 
> Here's the dial that had rust, I think, at 6 and 9 and a spot at 8:
> 
> View attachment 15528723
> 
> 
> First thing is take it apart and hope I don't wreck it:
> 
> View attachment 15528730
> 
> 
> Then a gently brushing of the dial with a computer cleaning tool that took off most of the problem areas, but there was still a stain at 8:
> 
> View attachment 15528733
> 
> 
> A little mineral oil and gentle rubbing with a cotton swab:
> 
> View attachment 15528735
> 
> 
> Better, I think. I know some people use a toothpick and that might work fine, but I'm always afraid of damaging the lacquer or paint on the dial. I never use anything harder that a silicon tip or a cotton swab. I will use a little soap and water applied with a cotton swab sometimes, but I didn't here:
> 
> View attachment 15528742
> 
> 
> Done:
> 
> View attachment 15528744
> 
> 
> And wearing it happily
> 
> View attachment 15528745


nice, there's hope for some watches I've written off


----------



## Odessa200

AaParker said:


> I have a nice textured Raketa that I want to wear, but I never do because there were spots and a stain on the dial  So, I did my best to clean it up.
> 
> Here's the dial that had rust, I think, at 6 and 9 and a spot at 8:
> 
> View attachment 15528723
> 
> 
> First thing is take it apart and hope I don't wreck it:
> 
> View attachment 15528730
> 
> 
> Then a gently brushing of the dial with a computer cleaning tool that took off most of the problem areas, but there was still a stain at 8:
> 
> View attachment 15528733
> 
> 
> A little mineral oil and gentle rubbing with a cotton swab:
> 
> View attachment 15528735
> 
> 
> Better, I think. I know some people use a toothpick and that might work fine, but I'm always afraid of damaging the lacquer or paint on the dial. I never use anything harder that a silicon tip or a cotton swab. I will use a little soap and water applied with a cotton swab sometimes, but I didn't here:
> 
> View attachment 15528742
> 
> 
> Done:
> 
> View attachment 15528744
> 
> 
> And wearing it happily
> 
> View attachment 15528745


fantastic. Truly great!


----------



## miroman

After 20 minutes of treatment with a rust converter:















It's not some special dial, it was just for training. But the result is good.

Regards, Miro.


----------



## haha

Impressive !


----------



## Odessa200

miroman said:


> After 20 minutes of treatment with a rust converter:
> 
> View attachment 15580923
> View attachment 15580926
> 
> 
> It's not some special dial, it was just for training. But the result is good.
> 
> Regards, Miro.


Noooo wayyyyy! What is this magic liquid?


----------



## Kamburov

Hi, comrades! Good to see you have been keeping this thread alive, and congrats to Miro for the successful experiment! Miro, I always enjoy your posts and it's not only because you are a countryman of mine. Haven't been around for a long time and when I took a peak in my favourite thread here, Miro's post put a big smile on my face. 
I've been propagating the use of the common rust converter (the green stuff) for ages, since I discovered it's magic properties by accident. Odessa200, you can check page 10 of this thread for more information, also some other older posts. We even joked at some point I start exporting the damn thing, as it's a really cheap domestic product (a bottle is less than 1 euro). It turned out I can't even send it to forum friends as the export of chemicals is tightly regulated. 
Been busy, but have some restorations to post here. Odessa 200, you've seen them, as we meet in social media, but to prevent this post becoming a spam, there's one


----------



## miroman

Odessa200 said:


> Noooo wayyyyy! What is this magic liquid?


It's a diluted orthophosphoric acid. Commercial name is "rust converter".
Somehow it cleans the dirt and fat from the dial, but also corrodes the lacquer (if there is such).
So depending of the cover layer you should gently rub the dial (if there's no lacquer), or only tap it (if there is, because the inscriptions will vanish with it).
That's why you should start with 10-20 dials like this to learn what you should do and what you should not 

Regards, Miro.


----------



## Draconian Collector

Odessa200 said:


> Noooo wayyyyy! What is this magic liquid?











Quick search shows Lowe's/Ace/Home Depot have it in a few different forms. This looks like a good starting point.

@miroman, how much did you dilute it?


----------



## miroman

I don't dilute it, it's ready for use.
It's domestic product, I just red what are ingredients. 
It's green, but there's a colorant inside, so I don't know exactly the color of the solution.

Regards, Miro.









Sent from my MI 8 Lite using Tapatalk


----------



## -WhiteLion-

One of the last completed projects.
Some time ago I brought back to life the infrequent quartz Luch 2356. There was a lot of work, since everything, including the mechanism, was in neglected. But it all behind. 

Good luck to everyone with the restorations. 

Before.

















After.


----------



## Sekondtime

-WhiteLion- said:


> One of the last completed projects.
> Some time ago I brought back to life the infrequent quartz Luch 2356. There was a lot of work, since everything, including the mechanism, was in neglected. But it all behind.
> 
> Good luck to everyone with the restorations.
> 
> Before.
> View attachment 15586336
> 
> View attachment 15586341
> 
> 
> After.
> View attachment 15586377
> 
> View attachment 15586380
> 
> View attachment 15586386


Excellent Whitelion. As soon as I saw this Luch, it reminded me of a Ruhla. The case deseign is very similar as is the dial. The Ruhla also has a quartz movement with date but it has a two part dial. The minute ring is separate from the main dial.










Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

miroman said:


> I don't dilute it, it's ready for use.
> It's domestic product, I just red what are ingredients.
> It's green, but there's a colorant inside, so I don't know exactly the color of the solution.
> 
> Regards, Miro.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my MI 8 Lite using Tapatalk


For UK members, I wonder if this is a similar product:

Rust Remover | Rustins


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Another restored watch. Quite rare Raketa 2350. 

Before.









After.


----------



## Sekondtime

-WhiteLion- said:


> Another restored watch. Quite rare Raketa 2350.
> 
> Before.
> View attachment 15586506
> 
> 
> After.
> View attachment 15586508


I have been looking for this model in one of the catalogues but I cannot see it. It seems to me that it would be an early quartz from the early 1980s?


----------



## -WhiteLion-

*Sekondtime*,
no, this is the second half of the 80s. Quartz is marked April 1987 (8704). This model is present in the Raketa catalog for 1989.


----------



## Sekondtime

-WhiteLion- said:


> *Sekondtime*,
> no, this is the second half of the 80s. Quartz is marked April 1987 (8704). This model is present in the Raketa catalog for 1989.
> View attachment 15586639


Thanks for that. I did have a look through that catalogue but must have missed it thinking it would be earlier.


----------



## Kamburov

Sekondtime said:


> For UK members, I wonder if this is a similar product:
> 
> Rust Remover | Rustins


Deffinately not, my friend! Stay away from this one! According to it's safety sheet it contains active ingredients - 41% phosphoric acid, 24% ethanol and 1% methanol. This stuff is seriously acidic and flamable. Probably great against the little crown dudes, but bad for watch dials.
The ones we use un Bulgaria contain acive ingredient - 10%-25% phosphoric acid. That all, nothing else.
This may be ok








Rust Remover - Restoration Materials


Rust Remover



www.restoration-materials.co.uk




I don't see the % of PA, but at least it's the only listed active ingredient. If concentration is higher, you can always dilute it down.
You are looking for a phosphoric acid solution ONLY, about 20%, and nothing else.
Ivan

PS: Since we are on the quartz subject, there's one of mine


----------



## Sekondtime

Kamburov said:


> Deffinately not, my friend! Stay away from this one! According to it's safety sheet it contains active ingredients - 41% phosphoric acid, 24% ethanol and 1% methanol. This stuff is seriously acidic and flamable. Probably great against the little crown dudes, but bad for watch dials.
> The ones we use un Bulgaria contain acive ingredient - 10%-25% phosphoric acid. That all, nothing else.
> This may be ok
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rust Remover - Restoration Materials
> 
> 
> Rust Remover
> 
> 
> 
> www.restoration-materials.co.uk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see the % of PA, but at least it's the only listed active ingredient. If concentration is higher, you can always dilute it down.
> You are looking for a phosphoric acid solution ONLY, about 20%, and nothing else.
> Ivan
> 
> PS: Since we are on the quartz subject, there's one of mine
> View attachment 15589879
> 
> 
> View attachment 15589881
> View attachment 15589882
> 
> 
> View attachment 15589883
> 
> 
> View attachment 15589884


Thanks for the clarification on the phosphoric acid content. I will check out the link. I am sure there must be an equivalent of some description available though.


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Kamburov said:


> PS: Since we are on the quartz subject, there's one of mine


Good Luch 2356. And these are my four after repair/restore.


----------



## Sekondtime

With the quiet Christmas that most of us are experiencing at the moment, I have had some time to restore a recently acquired Ancre 21 branded Ruhla.

I spotted this one in a poor state but could see the dial had potential and the colour is very vibrant and unusual. So I took a chance and bought it.

It had a broken crystal and missing crown which is a sign that someone has probably been messing about with the movement.



















Once I had removed the movement, and saw the actual state of the dial, it had some flaking around the edge which is a sign that the movement had been loose in the case and rubbed but it was confined to the edges.










There are two consequences if left in this state. The flaking continues and you lose more of the colour from the dial and the discolouration may be seen through the edges of the crystal. Often this has the illusion of appearing like dirt under the crstal's edge.

So, using some green pigment and some clear pva glue, you can see I painted over the edges. This stabilises the flaking and also puts back the colour. Once assembled this minimises any discolouration from being seen.

The balance also appeared to have suffered as the balance staff was floating about in the movement. The balance spring was ok and the rest of the movement seemed ok and complete. On inspection, I noticed that the pointed balance staff screw was loose. Tightening the screw to the correct point resulted in a perfectly running balance - result! I found a spare old extra high dome Ruhla original crystal that I polished up and found a replacement Ruhla crown and stem. The crown is a larger version often used on Midimatics but it looks ok. The rest was just cleaning and oiling.

The red arrow points to the pointed balance screw.









This is the result. A very pleasing restoration job. The movement keeps very good time.



















This Ruhla dates from 1971 and at this time the cases had the addition of a dust gromet. This was dropped from later production Ruhlas.




























Sekondtime


----------



## Odessa200

Sekondtime said:


> With the quiet Christmas that most of us are experiencing at the moment, I have had some time to restore a recently acquired Ancre 21 branded Ruhla.
> 
> I spotted this one in a poor state but could see the dial had potential and the colour is very vibrant and unusual. So I took a chance and bought it.
> 
> It had a broken crystal and missing crown which is a sign that someone has probably been messing about with the movement.
> 
> View attachment 15619718
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619719
> 
> 
> Once I had removed the movement, and saw the actual state of the dial, it had some flaking around the edge which is a sign that the movement had been loose in the case and rubbed but it was confined to the edges.
> 
> View attachment 15619720
> 
> 
> There are two consequences if left in this state. The flaking continues and you lose more of the colour from the dial and the discolouration may be seen through the edges of the crystal. Often this has the illusion of appearing like dirt under the crstal's edge.
> 
> So, using some green pigment and some clear pva glue, you can see I painted over the edges. This stabilises the flaking and also puts back the colour. Once assembled this minimises any discolouration from being seen.
> 
> The balance also appeared to have suffered as the balance staff was floating about in the movement. The balance spring was ok and the rest of the movement seemed ok and complete. On inspection, I noticed that the pointed balance staff screw was loose. Tightening the screw to the correct point resulted in a perfectly running balance - result! I found a spare old extra high dome Ruhla original crystal that I polished up and found a replacement Ruhla crown and stem. The crown is a larger version often used on Midimatics but it looks ok. The rest was just cleaning and oiling.
> 
> The red arrow points to the pointed balance screw.
> View attachment 15619732
> 
> 
> This is the result. A very pleasing restoration job. The movement keeps very good time.
> 
> View attachment 15619753
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619754
> 
> 
> This Ruhla dates from 1971 and at this time the cases had the addition of a dust gromet. This was dropped from later production Ruhlas.
> 
> View attachment 15619757
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619773
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619758
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


fantastic job!


----------



## AaParker

Sekondtime said:


> With the quiet Christmas that most of us are experiencing at the moment, I have had some time to restore a recently acquired Ancre 21 branded Ruhla.
> 
> I spotted this one in a poor state but could see the dial had potential and the colour is very vibrant and unusual. So I took a chance and bought it.
> 
> It had a broken crystal and missing crown which is a sign that someone has probably been messing about with the movement.
> 
> View attachment 15619718
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619719
> 
> 
> Once I had removed the movement, and saw the actual state of the dial, it had some flaking around the edge which is a sign that the movement had been loose in the case and rubbed but it was confined to the edges.
> 
> View attachment 15619720
> 
> 
> There are two consequences if left in this state. The flaking continues and you lose more of the colour from the dial and the discolouration may be seen through the edges of the crystal. Often this has the illusion of appearing like dirt under the crstal's edge.
> 
> So, using some green pigment and some clear pva glue, you can see I painted over the edges. This stabilises the flaking and also puts back the colour. Once assembled this minimises any discolouration from being seen.
> 
> The balance also appeared to have suffered as the balance staff was floating about in the movement. The balance spring was ok and the rest of the movement seemed ok and complete. On inspection, I noticed that the pointed balance staff screw was loose. Tightening the screw to the correct point resulted in a perfectly running balance - result! I found a spare old extra high dome Ruhla original crystal that I polished up and found a replacement Ruhla crown and stem. The crown is a larger version often used on Midimatics but it looks ok. The rest was just cleaning and oiling.
> 
> The red arrow points to the pointed balance screw.
> View attachment 15619732
> 
> 
> This is the result. A very pleasing restoration job. The movement keeps very good time.
> 
> View attachment 15619753
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619754
> 
> 
> This Ruhla dates from 1971 and at this time the cases had the addition of a dust gromet. This was dropped from later production Ruhlas.
> 
> View attachment 15619757
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619773
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619758
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


A very nice job on a very nice watch -- well, now it's nice! 🙂 You always do such quality work on your restorations; I am always grateful that you share as there's always much to admire and new techniques to ponder and to use.


----------



## Victorv

Sekondtime said:


> With the quiet Christmas that most of us are experiencing at the moment, I have had some time to restore a recently acquired Ancre 21 branded Ruhla.
> 
> I spotted this one in a poor state but could see the dial had potential and the colour is very vibrant and unusual. So I took a chance and bought it.
> 
> It had a broken crystal and missing crown which is a sign that someone has probably been messing about with the movement.
> 
> View attachment 15619718
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619719
> 
> 
> Once I had removed the movement, and saw the actual state of the dial, it had some flaking around the edge which is a sign that the movement had been loose in the case and rubbed but it was confined to the edges.
> 
> View attachment 15619720
> 
> 
> There are two consequences if left in this state. The flaking continues and you lose more of the colour from the dial and the discolouration may be seen through the edges of the crystal. Often this has the illusion of appearing like dirt under the crstal's edge.
> 
> So, using some green pigment and some clear pva glue, you can see I painted over the edges. This stabilises the flaking and also puts back the colour. Once assembled this minimises any discolouration from being seen.
> 
> The balance also appeared to have suffered as the balance staff was floating about in the movement. The balance spring was ok and the rest of the movement seemed ok and complete. On inspection, I noticed that the pointed balance staff screw was loose. Tightening the screw to the correct point resulted in a perfectly running balance - result! I found a spare old extra high dome Ruhla original crystal that I polished up and found a replacement Ruhla crown and stem. The crown is a larger version often used on Midimatics but it looks ok. The rest was just cleaning and oiling.
> 
> The red arrow points to the pointed balance screw.
> View attachment 15619732
> 
> 
> This is the result. A very pleasing restoration job. The movement keeps very good time.
> 
> View attachment 15619753
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619754
> 
> 
> This Ruhla dates from 1971 and at this time the cases had the addition of a dust gromet. This was dropped from later production Ruhlas.
> 
> View attachment 15619757
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619773
> 
> 
> View attachment 15619758
> 
> 
> Sekondtime


Amazing, super nice job, looks like a new watch


----------



## Matt_Bored_O

Sekondtime said:


> View attachment 15619720
> 
> 
> green pigment and some clear pva glue


That's a magnificent green dial and fantastic restoration.

Could you please tell me what type of pigment you used?
Do you have any special precautions or advice for the ratio of glue-pigment and how it should be applied?

Matt


----------



## Sekondtime

Victorv said:


> Amazing, super nice job, looks like a new watch


Thanks!


----------



## Sekondtime

Matt_Bored_O said:


> That's a magnificent green dial and fantastic restoration.
> 
> Could you please tell me what type of pigment you used?
> Do you have any special precautions or advice for the ratio of glueigment and how it should be applied?
> 
> Matt


Thanks Matt. The clear PVA glue is water based and I used this because it is non acidic and should not discolour itself or cause discolouration (it is recommended for gluing spines of old books for these reasons). Since the glue is water based, I used a good quality water colour pigment. Using water colour pigment from a set gives you the ability to mix the right colour and it will mix evenly with the PVA clear glue. As for ratio, it does not take much pigment to provide colour to the glue. Trial and error is the best method! Application in small amounts is best so with a small brush or it could be dabbed on to small spots with a piece of pith wood.

The other paint I have used in the past is an artists glass paint (can't remember the brand). This was translucent and I got some which matched the Ruhla blue dials a treat but the draw back is because you only use very small amounts infrequently, the paint solidifies in the small jars in between uses. So, the water colour pigments are a better more practical solution.

Sekondtime


----------



## Sekondtime

AaParker said:


> A very nice job on a very nice watch -- well, now it's nice! 🙂 You always do such quality work on your restorations; I am always grateful that you share as there's always much to admire and new techniques to ponder and to use.


Thanks. It am pleased you find it useful.


----------



## Grant J

I recently bought this, basically for the dial. I could see the crystal was shot, but the dial looked surprisingly good.









With the dial out I could see it had some rust stains on the edge. Some light rubbing from the hour hand above the _"Raketa"._ But overall, still nice. 









The rust had bled from the retaining ring and spacer. At some point the watch had moisture in it.









I had another case in mind for the swap, but was interested to see the crown recess was a different size.

















First thoughts were this was a "fix" to put in a bigger crown.
However, closer inspection showed that this case left the factory this way. As you can tell by the plating.









Most of the rust stains were rubbed off with a toothpick and some gentle persuasion. No liquids required. I also raised the hour hand a little.









The end result is ok. I'll be on the lookout for a replacement crown (as well as a tidier version of the domestic dial on the left).









Fitted with the _correct_ 19mm bands. 
They often get sold with the more popular 18mm one, which is just _wrong_.








So not hours of work. Just a few little fixes to make this watch nice enough to wear.
Which is what it is all about.


----------



## -WhiteLion-

Yesterday I finally finished the project with this rare quartz Slava 3050. Or rather, almost finished. It remains to monitor the work of the watch and adjust the accuracy. There was more work than usual. In addition to the usual things, I had to disassemble and repair the stepper motor (two of the four coils were broken), repair the printed circuit board, replace the bridge of central wheel, remove the crystal and polish it on both sides (on back side were scratches from the second hand), add two sections to the bracelet on each side. But all this is over. Slava got a new life now. This is the main thing. 

Before.

















Between.









After.


----------



## UnzazA

Hello! I would like to bump this thread a little...
Some time ago I bought a lot full of Vostoks for not a lot of money. Here is sellers picture:








Honestly, I bought it for Komandirkie in the center, but it was a dissapointment - dial had scratches and 1 lume mark was missing (you can see it at 4'o clock). So all of them went into the drawer (except for fakes - they went into a bin immediately). Maybe you will see it at some point .
In december I decided that I don't want them to collect dust anymore, and sell some of them to make up for my expenses . So I started with Yunosheskie in top right and bottom right corner.
I have no good photos of bottom left watch before, but here is the nice after shot:








Movement inside them was in good shape, just needed a good service. The only other thing was a good cleaning of the case and polishing of the crystal.
Next one was this guy:








(Sorry, I haven't double check this photo, so it is out of focus )
It also needed a good clean and crystal polish, but there was another problem. This is timegrapher reading in the "dial down" position:








I mean, it's bad, but at least consistent. Here is "dial up" reading:








Yeah, that is really bad. You can imagine how this movement sounded in that position.
Turns out, hairspring in this watch was bent, kinked and didn't sat properly on the balance staff. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photo of that, but imagine the spring that is about 15 degrees out of plane - it was THAT bad. So in "dial up" position hairspring was rubbing the balance bridge, hence this awful reading.
Now, I am not a professional watchmaker - in fact, those two are first watches that I worked on (in terms of service, at least). So, I tried to correct the balance issue, but with no luck, so I swapped it with a new one. Other than that, it was a cleaning and oiling procedure, and after that I got the following timegrapher readings (dial down and up respectively):















Not the best, but it was pretty good, so I called it there. The case was also cleaned, and there is the result:








It is really hard to photograph this watch! But it turned out pretty good, IMO. Unfortunately, those dots on the bezel is the plating that came off - nothing I can do about it.
So this is my first "Before and after" story. Although, it's not over yet - I have to disassemble and reassemble both of them again because I used a wrong grease in the process. It's not a big deal maybe, but I want to be sure that these watches are running very well. Also, I am still debating whether to paint bezels or not (some paint came off during cleaning).
I like this restoration stuff! So I will try to bring you more in the future (with, maybe, more "between" photos).
Thank you for reading this! Have a nice day!


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## Kamburov

Haven't posted here for a long time, so let's push it up for a while again.
A simple restoration of a Ruhla pocket watch. Got it in a lot of non working, broken watches, together with a Vostok, a Zarya and a Pobeda. Or what was left of them. To be honest the Ruhla was in the best condition of the lot. The Vostok had its dial stuck to the movement with three stripes of transparent tape, going over the dial. Guess the previous restorer was really proud of himself. 









Got the lot for some small money, and the reason for the purchase was the copper Pobeda dial. Finally the Ruhla turned out to be the only good thing about this. After taking it apart, cleaning it and putting it back together, I got this handsome watch. Also the lume is working quite alright!

























With greetings to comrade Sekondtime!


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## haha

This Ruhla looks in good condition, but it's really too much plastic and noise for my taste.
I just happen to be hesitating on buying its grand-mother from Thiel 









Hope to see more of your restorations soon !


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## Sekondtime

Excellent result Kamburov! поздравляю!

These pocket watches contain a calibre 24 so they will not be any more noisey than a Ruhla watch. Comrade Haha, maybe you are thinking of a Calibre 83? Also, there is no plastic in these watches except the crystal, they are all metal.


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## haha

My bad, I did think of the calibre 83.


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## Kamburov

Thanks Ivan, and thanks Sekondtime!
For the last one year I've been either too busy or too lazy to participate here. Not because I don't play with watches, I still do when I get the time. End of last year we moved to Sofia and for many months my watches were in boxes, some still are. I did a few restorations and some self builds, but not much russians. Been playing mostly with swiss, german and french movements and exploring new (to me) stuff.
This was an interesting russian restoration, actually it was a total rebuild. Got it because of the interesting case, with a mineral crystal, unidirectional click bezel and a one piece caseback. It had a rusted, non working 2416B inside, and an white albatros date window dial.
The case cleaned fantasticly well, but the other stuff was shot. So I combined whatever I thought would look good.









































I didn't expect to like so much such a non vostok Vostok. It was fun.


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## haha

So you made a Rastignac move to the big city ?! 😈

This Vostok is a quite surprising and fascinating combination !


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## Kamburov

haha said:


> So you made a Rastignac move to the big city ?! 😈
> 
> This Vostok is a quite surprising and fascinating combination !


Yeah, with Sofia this is my third try in the last 20 years. Three for luck, right?  This time I brought a cat too. Still, I don't have much love for bigger cities with all their noise, traffic and weird people. The only advantage is the capital's richer social and cultural life, which at the present pandemic times is practically zero. 
Just to stay on topic I will add one more restoration/repair. Some months ago I got a 3133 with a good discount, as it had a few problems - the chrono seconds hand was fallen off, the watch was working very fast and upon starting the chronograph it completely stopped. I took the risk and bought it, 'cause I had enough spares left over from previous 3133 exercises.
I skip the cleaning part, that was easy. The cronograph problem was easy enough too - the chrono gear was not calibrated well so the friction was causing the stopping. The chrono hand took much longer as it is unique for the model and replacement was not an option. The timing was the biggest problem and it took me couple of months to sort it out. Demagnetised it, witch improved things slightly. Had to do a some cleaning of the back side of the movement (you know it sounds easier than it really was) to finally get the right timings. Wanted to do a good service on the front, but already had the hands fixed and was afraid the chrono seconds hand won't survive another fix.
It's all good now, so there it is:









It is actually a Romanoff Poljot 3133, a Krenlin edition. It is a reproduction of the Kremlin tower clock, so you can see why this seconds hand with the star in the center really mattered









It is not my style and I don't see myself wearing it out, but it has a very solid and heavy feel and high quality finish.


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## 979greenwich

Bump.
One down, 24 to go.
Cute setting bridge...a dinosaur maybe?


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## Roman Ukraine

An interesting story with the Vostok watch
The watch was found by a metal detector this winter
The reason for the loss - the bracelet was torn
But I don't think the watch had been in the woods for a very long time - the brass pins (bracelet fasteners) were still working.
Maybe 1-2 years
The mechanism is in good condition (only a few parts had to be replaced), but the hands are completely dead
We managed to clean and restore the dial a little, the set of hands is of course new


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## Father of five

A beautiful job, well done, thank you for sharing



Roman Ukraine said:


> An interesting story with the Vostok watch
> The watch was found by a metal detector this winter
> The reason for the loss - the bracelet was torn
> But I don't think the watch had been in the woods for a very long time - the brass pins (bracelet fasteners) were still working.
> Maybe 1-2 years
> The mechanism is in good condition (only a few parts had to be replaced), but the hands are completely dead
> We managed to clean and restore the dial a little, the set of hands is of course new


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## 979greenwich

Excellent find and restoring job. I shortened this kind of s... bracelet last week, its links are held by something that resembles paper staples


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## Sekondtime

Well done Roman Ukraine. It is interesting to see how the lume dots have reacted with the moisture.


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## 979greenwich

If anyone was wondering with what to sand heavily scratched acrylic crystals prior to polishing, a nail buffer block that your Mrs probably has at home will do the trick. Various grits in one block, so go from 1 to 6 and finish with plexy polish.


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## thewatchadude

Then stage 3: explain to the Mrs what you did with her nail stuff...


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## Sekondtime

979greenwich said:


> If anyone was wondering with what to sand heavily scratched acrylic crystals prior to polishing, a nail buffer block that your Mrs probably has at home will do the trick. Various grits in one block, so go from 1 to 6 and finish with plexy polish.


I have been using nail buffers for this purpose for years. I have used the type in your photo plus some less sophisticated ones with only 4 surfaces. When you find the right one, they can last for a long time. However, some can wear out very quickly or be less effective. Don't give up if the first one you try is not that good. There are plenty of different types and brands. You will eventually find one that works well.

You always need to do a fine polish with a good polishing product such as a watch polish or Brasso or the polish that 979greenwich uses above.

Sekondtime


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## AlaskaJohnboy

I have been using FITZ polish and an old sock for a while now.



Sekondtime said:


> I have been using nail buffers for this purpose for years. I have used the type in your photo plus some less sophisticated ones with only 4 surfaces. When you find the right one, they can last for a long time. However, some can wear out very quickly or be less effective. Don't give up if the first one you try is not that good. There are plenty of different types and brands. You will eventually find one that works well.
> 
> You always need to do a fine polish with a good polishing product such as a watch polish or Brasso or the polish that 979greenwich uses above.
> 
> Sekondtime


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## 979greenwich

Relumed half of the hour hand. Recased and serviced too.


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## AaParker

Wanted to clean up the verdigris on the dial and polish the case on this Poljot. I really like the design, and I had been looking for one. With a bit of clean up, I am very happy with it.


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## yekaterinburg

How did you remove the marks from the face?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk


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## AaParker

yekaterinburg said:


> How did you remove the marks from the face?
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk


I got lucky and was able to just use a dry cotton swab. I start with what could cause the least additional damage first and then stop when I'm happy with the results as it's very easy to overdo it and cause more damage than what you're trying to remove


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## Sekondtime

Sekonda bracelet strap Experiment!

Many Sekondas from the late 1970s and early 1980s came with metal bracelet straps at a higher cost than with a leather strap.. These were added to the watch by Sekonda UK.

Here are some examples from a UK 1980s mail order catalogue.










However, the plating on these straps was very thin and wore through to show the metal very quickly. Sometimes you can find an example that has not been worn very much with good plating but these are few and far between.

So, some time ago, I received the following watch with a worn strap. I had two ideas to try to see if I could restore the strap to a reasonable level. The method below is the first idea. The watch was so cheap, your morning cup of coffee probably cost twice as much as I paid for it. So, if it didn't work, it was not going to be the end of the world.

Here is the watch with some gold leaf I ordered. You can see the plating is worn off the strap.



















Having applied the gold leaf which was not too difficult this is the result. One leaf was enough to do two "coats" of gold leaf to each half of the strap. Sorry, I do not have any photos of the process as I did it on the spur of the moment.



















As you will see from the following photos, it is brighter than other Sekonda gold bracelet straps but those are now 40+ years old and the colour is probably less bright than when new. But they give you a comparison.

The gold leaf strap is not the same design as the one on the right below. It actually contains a raised criss-cross pattern in the mesh which is not that clear from the photos.



















As I said above, this was only an experiment to see if it could be done and what the results would look like. It actually doesn't look too bad although I am not convinced that it will not flake off. But for display purposes, it looks ok. I have one more experiment to try with different materials but that will have to wait for another time.

Sekondtime


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## 979greenwich

Reluming 1965 hands, specimen 2. 
I used this paint to colour the lume mix.


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## Victorv

Sekondtime said:


> Sekonda bracelet strap Experiment!
> 
> Many Sekondas from the late 1970s and early 1980s came with metal bracelet straps at a higher cost than with a leather strap.. These were added to the watch by Sekonda UK.
> 
> Here are some examples from a UK 1980s mail order catalogue.
> 
> View attachment 15904807
> 
> 
> However, the plating on these straps was very thin and wore through to show the metal very quickly. Sometimes you can find an example that has not been worn very much with good plating but these are few and far between.
> 
> So, some time ago, I received the following watch with a worn strap. I had two ideas to try to see if I could restore the strap to a reasonable level. The method below is the first idea. The watch was so cheap, your morning cup of coffee probably cost twice as much as I paid for it. So, if it didn't work, it was not going to be the end of the world.
> 
> Here is the watch with some gold leaf I ordered. You can see the plating is worn off the strap.
> 
> View attachment 15904822
> 
> 
> View attachment 15904823
> 
> 
> Having applied the gold leaf which was not too difficult this is the result. One leaf was enough to do two "coats" of gold leaf to each half of the strap. Sorry, I do not have any photos of the process as I did it on the spur of the moment.
> 
> View attachment 15904824
> 
> 
> View attachment 15904825
> 
> 
> As you will see from the following photos, it is brighter than other Sekonda gold bracelet straps but those are now 40+ years old and the colour is probably less bright than when new. But they give you a comparison.
> 
> The gold leaf strap is not the same design as the one on the right below. It actually contains a raised criss-cross pattern in the mesh which is not that clear from the photos.
> 
> View attachment 15904829
> 
> 
> View attachment 15904830
> 
> 
> As I said above, this was only an experiment to see if it could be done and what the results would look like. It actually doesn't look too bad although I am not convinced that it will not flake off. But for display purposes, it looks ok. I have one more experiment to try with different materials but that will have to wait for another time.
> 
> Sekondtime


Nice work Sekondtime, how did you do it?


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## Victorv

979greenwich said:


> Reluming 1965 hands, specimen 2.
> I used this paint to colour the lume mix.


Goood work comrade, looks amazing now


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## Grant J

This is something I had been wanting to do for a while, but wasn't confident.
I have always like the original "Red 12", but don't have 1. I have the parts to make a "nice" one spread across 3 watches.
The plan was to use the movement and crown from watch A with the hands and case from watch B and the dial from watch C (had the wrong hands - removed already).















Watch A features a working 1MchZ (1ГЧЗ) movement from the 3rd quarter of 1948.
Watch B, a broken 1MchZ (1ГЧЗ) movement from the 3rd quarter of 1949.
Watch C an older working ZIM movement.

Hopefully it is now obvious why I wanted to change dials.
The 12 on the right had been "touched up". It also had a metallic flake in the dial that I didn't suit the look I was chasing.








Note the early style case with the fixed strap bars.
Progress continued...















I was surprised to see the number stamped on the movement under the dial is the same as the serial number of the movement.
I always thought these were assemble from random batches of parts. Also a few brass gears in there.

Nearly there...








Good clearance.








Next was the sub-dial...








That was the hard work done. The rest was easy.








I know, I know. The case is terribly pitted and beaten. The dial has marks and scratches. I don't think it is even a 1940's dial..?
The crystal has a crack (not seen here). 
It is hardly "New Old Stock", but to me it looks more authentic than a lot of "Red 12's" see on our favourite auction site. 
I figure if the sellers can created "Frankens" then so can I.


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## Grant J

Another couple that I'd had for a while...
This time from the 2MchZ camp.








The one on the left had a poor dial, but correct 2MchZ movement. The one on the right came from a case with a damaged crystal. It had a 1MchZ movement.








You can see how bad the dial was a bit better in this shot. Poorly coated in some kind of clear coat.









All done. I did say the crystal was damaged. Quite amazing how the nicer dial was hiding safely behind it.


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## Odessa200

Well done!


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## slava

mroatman said:


> As a follow up to this post, I thought I'd share some before and after shots.
> 
> First, an introduction to the subject watch: an unusual steel Poljot in rather poor cosmetic condition, bought for €31/delivered:
> 
> View attachment 12576353
> 
> 
> In total, here is what I did:
> 
> 
> Cleaned the case
> Replaced the crystal
> Replaced the stem (the original was about 0.5mm too long)
> Cleaned the movement
> Gently brushed surface dirt from the dial
> Polished the hands and indices (some oxidation was impossible to remove)
> 
> And here are the results:
> 
> View attachment 12576361
> 
> 
> View attachment 12576355
> 
> 
> View attachment 12576357
> 
> 
> Here is the movement before:
> 
> View attachment 12576359
> 
> 
> And after:
> 
> View attachment 12576349
> 
> 
> View attachment 12576347
> 
> 
> As my watch budget has fallen precipitously in recent months, most of my purchases lately have been relatively cheap pieces in poor condition. I'll use this thread to show some other "before and afters" from time to time. Feel free to share your own.
> 
> Spasibo!
> 
> View attachment 12576351


Great job, the watch looked pitiful and you turned it into a beautiful watch with character.


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## 979greenwich

Got this very cheap, since it was listed as non-working. It was indeed non-working - until I tightened the barrel screw. Relumed the minute and second hand, replaced the glass too. I should also report that I somehow managed to insert the crystal by hand (since I don't have a crystal press), using a scotch tape roll and a LOT of pressure. But I don't recommend the procedure, it's hard as hell.


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## Roman Ukraine

979greenwich said:


> since I don't have a crystal press


for most watches of the USSR, a glass press is not needed, it is enough to use a simpler and cheaper tool


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## 979greenwich

That one I have, but on Amphibia it's as useless as a glass hammer.


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## Roman Ukraine

979greenwich said:


> That one I have, but on Amphibia it's as useless as a glass hammer.


strange, it works for me (smiley makes a helpless gesture


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## jimzilla

DP


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## jimzilla

979greenwich said:


> If anyone was wondering with what to sand heavily scratched acrylic crystals prior to polishing, a nail buffer block that your Mrs probably has at home will do the trick. Various grits in one block, so go from 1 to 6 and finish with plexy polish.


You should post this here as well ...... 
(5) SHOW YOUR SPECIALTY TOOLS YOU MADE | WatchUSeek Watch Forums


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## 979greenwich

True. There are a lot of great topics here that get buried. While at it, I can add this as well: it is an Amphibian crystal hand press assistant (or Scotch tape roll), for the brave ones.



jimzilla said:


> You should post this here as well ......
> (5) SHOW YOUR SPECIALTY TOOLS YOU MADE | WatchUSeek Watch Forums


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## jimzilla

So you place it on top of the crystal and push it in with a press?


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## 979greenwich

No, by hand


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## AaParker

I have several of these Poljot 2414s, and I cannot recommend them enough. The dial is easy to read with a simple face and classic Poljot numerals.










The cream colored dial with gold is model 243222 and the black dial is model 553227. Of the gold models, I have one with the date magnifier and one without. The one without the date magnifier is not in as good a shape with several spots on the dial. I thought I'd see if the spots could be removed.










The spacers for this model are very robust and are used very specifically as I'll discuss later.



















Removing the big spot was easy using a silicon tipped tool normally used to clean computers:










I was able to remove the big spot. Several smaller spots remained, but it looks better than it did.










Putting it back together should be easy, and it is, when you remember that the dial actually snaps into the spacer and the whole assembly then is inserted into the case and then the stem and crown is inserted. I'm not sure how common it is for the dial to snap into the spacer to create one unit. It's uncommon enough on the watches I have that I always forget when I work on one of these. I suppose the whole assembly could come out after removing the crown and stem, but I always forget and pull the spacer on these instead of keeping everything as one unit. Final product after a little case polish:

?


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## yekaterinburg

Roman Ukraine said:


> for most watches of the USSR, a glass press is not needed, it is enough to use a simpler and cheaper tool


How do you use this without scratching the lens? I find that when the little claws grip the edges of the lens they tend to leave little marks

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk


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## Roman Ukraine

yekaterinburg said:


> How do you use this without scratching the lens? I find that when the little claws grip the edges of the lens they tend to leave little marks


I don't know, probably micro-damage cannot be avoided if you need to squeeze the glass hard enough


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## 979greenwich

Sanding and polishing the crystal + reluming the hands. 
I'm pleased with myself 
B:

A:


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## 979greenwich

B:

upload picture

A:


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## Odessa200

979greenwich said:


> B:
> 
> upload picture
> 
> A:


good move!


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## Sekondtime

B looks a whole lot more authentic now.


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## Kamburov

Hi, comrades! Long time no see.
Haven't been doing much restoration this year as it's been somewhat crazy and a lot of things have been happening in my life. So it's good to see familiar friends doing great stuff with our beloved soviets.
To the point. I bought this Buran quite cheap, about a month ago (ebay listing pics):

















The case was badly rusted and the chrono was not working (you can see on the pic that the hammer is stuck). When I received it the crystal fell off too. I spent a day contemplating a restoration, but then decided to go full on modding ... eh, mode.
First I had to change the hammer lever and fine tune the chrono, to make sure I have a fully working 3133 for the project. I had the idea to make a military pilot style watch for everyday use, so I ordered some parts and started redoing the case. I took off all the coating with fine sandpapers and jewellery fine files for the crown and besel. I finished it with shotgun oxidation. 
When the hands and dial arrived I found out the dial is far too big for this case so I had to take off about 3mm from the diameter. Just enough to get everything into the frame. I don't know how I did that but somehow it worked out just fine. So there's the final franken/mod result:

















Just in time to count the contractions and intervals when my wife (I also finally married my long time partner this summer) entered labour. Late in the evening on 4th of November she gave birth to our son Boril and I got drunk. 
So there it is. I've been taking care of them for the last week and learning how to be a father for the first time at 47.









I'm happy to share this with you as you've been a part of my life in the past years. Wish you all stay healthy, continue to enjoy life and keep this place alive for all the soviet watch lovers around the world!
Have to wake everybody up now, feeding time.
Ivan


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## Odessa200

Kamburov said:


> Hi, comrades! Long time no see.
> Haven't been doing much restoration this year as it's been somewhat crazy and a lot of things have been happening in my life. So it's good to see familiar friends doing great stuff with our beloved soviets.
> To the point. I bought this Buran quite cheap, about a month ago (ebay listing pics):
> View attachment 16242813
> 
> View attachment 16242814
> 
> 
> The case was badly rusted and the chrono was not working (you can see on the pic that the hammer is stuck). When I received it the crystal fell off too. I spent a day contemplating a restoration, but then decided to go full on modding ... eh, mode.
> First I had to change the hammer lever and fine tune the chrono, to make sure I have a fully working 3133 for the project. I had the idea to make a military pilot style watch for everyday use, so I ordered some parts and started redoing the case. I took off all the coating with fine sandpapers and jewellery fine files for the crown and besel. I finished it with shotgun oxidation.
> When the hands and dial arrived I found out the dial is far too big for this case so I had to take off about 3mm from the diameter. Just enough to get everything into the frame. I don't know how I did that but somehow it worked out just fine. So there's the final franken/mod result:
> View attachment 16242829
> 
> View attachment 16242836
> 
> 
> Just in time to count the contractions and intervals when my wife (I also finally married my long time partner this summer) entered labour. Late in the evening on 4th of November she gave birth to our son Boril and I got drunk.
> So there it is. I've been taking care of them for the last week and learning how to be a father for the first time at 47.
> View attachment 16242843
> 
> 
> I'm happy to share this with you as you've been a part of my life in the past years. Wish you all stay healthy, continue to enjoy life and keep this place alive for all the soviet watch lovers around the world!
> Have to wake everybody up now, feeding time.
> Ivan


Congrats! So exciting!!!! Good luck and all the best.

and the watch is fantastic. One of the few mods I like!! Well done.


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## 979greenwich

Great work, congrats!


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## Roman Ukraine

Hello everyone.
Yesterday I decided to devote some time to more familiar and peaceful things.
I bought this "amphibian" exactly a year ago from some coin hunter.
judging by the state of the glass, and the completely peeling paint on the bezel, the watch has spent quite a lot of time in the ground. Perhaps several years.
Inside the water, but the condition of the mechanism is quite good. Due to rust, I only replaced one gear, + 2 parts that were partially broken a long time ago


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## Odessa200

Roman Ukraine said:


> Hello everyone.
> Yesterday I decided to devote some time to more familiar and peaceful things.
> I bought this "amphibian" exactly a year ago from some coin hunter.
> judging by the state of the glass, and the completely peeling paint on the bezel, the watch has spent quite a lot of time in the ground. Perhaps several years.
> Inside the water, but the condition of the mechanism is quite good. Due to rust, I only replaced one gear, + 2 parts that were partially broken a long time ago
> View attachment 16553921
> View attachment 16553922
> View attachment 16553926
> View attachment 16553927
> View attachment 16553928
> View attachment 16553929
> View attachment 16553930
> View attachment 16553932
> View attachment 16553933


nicely done! Looks fantastic. I would try to use some coloring to make the hands paint a bit brown to match the dial better but other than that fantastic job. Hint: coffee or tea adds vintage color to the paint very well: just brush some of it on the top of the hand and let it try.


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## Roman Ukraine

Odessa200 said:


> I would try to use some coloring to make the hands paint a bit brown to match the dial better but other than that fantastic job.


Yes indeed. White is too bright
By the way, for some reason, a similar second hand did not fit, so I just replaced it with a regular one.
I sometimes buy such watches, I wonder how the movement reacted to harsh conditions


----------



## Roman Ukraine

by the way
this instance has been waiting for its turn for a long time
judging by its appearance, it lay for many years in stony soil, or in construction debris
I can't wait to open it even though it won't be easy
wonder what's inside?
maybe just rust


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## Kotsov

Roman Ukraine said:


> by the way
> this instance has been waiting for its turn for a long time
> judging by its appearance, it lay for many years in stony soil, or in construction debris
> I can't wait to open it even though it won't be easy
> wonder what's inside?
> maybe just rust
> View attachment 16554888


A titanic find


----------



## Roman Ukraine

Roman Ukraine said:


> by the way
> this instance has been waiting for its turn for a long time
> judging by its appearance, it lay for many years in stony soil, or in construction debris
> I can't wait to open it even though it won't be easy
> wonder what's inside?
> maybe just rust
> View attachment 16554888


victory 
after several days in phosphoric acid, I managed to open the lid
surprisingly, the mechanism is alive (except for balance)
p.s
can i post links to youtube here?
I would like to make a video of the complete repair


----------



## Odessa200

Roman Ukraine said:


> victory
> after several days in phosphoric acid, I managed to open the lid
> surprisingly, the mechanism is alive (except for balance)
> p.s
> can i post links to youtube here?
> I would like to make a video of the complete repair
> View attachment 16560229
> 
> View attachment 16560230


of course you can post any links. Good luck!


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## Roman Ukraine

ok, so there will be a video 
so far intermediate result
1 - mechanism disassembled (not easy)









2 - despite the poor condition of the hands, they were saved. They look good after polishing, and will not even visually clash with the new dial.


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## Kotsov

10 out of 10 so far....


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## Roman Ukraine

hello everyone
video - done
pleasant viewing


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## Roman Ukraine

+ I found an older video, "Chaika 1200"
for some reason it did not arouse any interest in the audience


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## RedFroggy

Amazing … 


Roman Ukraine said:


> hello everyone
> video - done
> pleasant viewing


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## Roman Ukraine

Hi guys
Does anyone know what is missing? Maybe not enough oil?









my inner beast right now:


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## Kotsov

Where did you get that from? The Titanic?


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## Roman Ukraine

Kotsov said:


> Where did you get that from? The Titanic?


No, this is Vostok 2209. It's just that someone didn't service it often enough, and that's what happened


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## 979greenwich

Just clean the jeweled parts, it's fine.👌


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## jimzilla

Roman Ukraine said:


> hello everyone
> video - done
> pleasant viewing


Roman what is the white powder you put in the dish to remove the corrosion?
and a very nice restoration as well sir .....  ......, James.


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## Roman Ukraine

jimzilla said:


> Roman what is the white powder you put in the dish to remove the corrosion?


I cleaned the corrosion with a solution of phosphoric acid
this is not a strong acid, it is part of the rust converter and Coca-Cola (yes, that's why Cola cleans rusty things 
white powder - regular baking soda for acid deactivation


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## RedFroggy

Roman Ukraine said:


> Hi guys
> Does anyone know what is missing? Maybe not enough oil?
> View attachment 16641157
> 
> 
> my inner beast right now:
> View attachment 16641166


Please don't restore that dog, he looks perfekt as he is !


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## cookiemonster94

Picked up a really cheap Pobeda from ukraine for 8 USD.

The ring which holds the glass was lose so the previous owner glued the ring to the case and dial.








And with a (semi) new crown, scraping off the old glue, polishing the crystal, cleaning the case, removing some of the rust from the minute hand and removing some dirt:







I accidentally removed some of the gold plating on the hand. I thought they were brass, to my surprise, they are metal. Might repaint them using high quality gold paint if I devide to clean the minute hand.
A new dial is coming in from ukraine but I think I'll keep the old dial, it has so much character.

Obligatory movement pic:







Your thoughts?


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## RedFroggy

Uber Kitch Zim… I wanted badly this 60 year of Soviet Union Commemorativ Model but, based on the seller’s photos, I nearly did not.










Given the low price, I took a chance, and after some general gentle dial cleaning but energetic use of Polywatch on the crystal, I am glad I bought it .


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## Roman Ukraine

Roman Ukraine said:


> Hi guys
> Does anyone know what is missing? Maybe not enough oil?
> View attachment 16641157


some good news
1 - I'm still alive 
2 - I still cleaned the mechanism
an inscription appeared on the main board ... probably the name of the watchmaker? piece of unknown history









only for a minute, because soon the board fell apart in my hands









so there are 3 parts left from a watch in fairly good condition - case, gasket, and one bridge, lol
interesting process - 100%
uselessness of the process - 120%


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## Kotsov

Roman Ukraine said:


> some good news
> 1 - I'm still alive
> 2 - I still cleaned the mechanism
> an inscription appeared on the main board ... probably the name of the watchmaker? piece of unknown history
> View attachment 16701737
> 
> 
> only for a minute, because soon the board fell apart in my hands
> View attachment 16701739
> 
> 
> so there are 3 parts left from a watch in fairly good condition - case, gasket, and one bridge, lol
> interesting process - 100%
> uselessness of the process - 120%
> View attachment 16701741



Good that you are still alive mate 👍. Keep on keeping on.


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## 979greenwich

Ok, now it's a real challenge.


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## Roman Ukraine

979greenwich said:


> Ok, now it's a real challenge.


Well, I need either a 95% donor or a necromancer with the practice of resurrecting the dead


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## Kirill Sergueev

Inscription on the plate Синька ЯК. I am puzzled...


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## Roman Ukraine

Хижняк
such a name exists


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## 979greenwich

Had to replace: off center wheel, crown wheel, barrel + arbor, pallet. And add another balance shim. A bit of detective work, as usually with Vostok. Dial cannot be helped. Someone made a couple of good hand turns with crumbled lume underneath.


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## 979greenwich

To get an iconic USSR watch, you can either accept the asking price of 300-400 $, or wait a year or so, pay 50 $ and do this. Can you notice the difference?


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## RedFroggy

979greenwich … A very nice Mdl , you did well to bring it back to life !!


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## jaliya48

Lovely! I've chased after that model for so long I've just given up finding one for a reasonable price.


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## OCSleeper

Big thanks to Odessa200 for allowing me to add this beauty to my collection. Not that it needed anything, but I’m partial to refinishing my watch bracelets.










__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content



















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 979greenwich

I got bored yesterday and came up with this. Don't remember what it was before.


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## Ligavesh

979greenwich said:


> I got bored yesterday and came up with this. Don't remember what it was before.


Raketa


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## 979greenwich

Partly, at least. Nice catch


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