Thank you I’m in the process of creating a luminous cartoon watch dial for my youngest son, but I can’t seem to get the numbers to print clean and sharp. The image prints decently enough on my color laser printer but the numbers print fuzzy. Im doing a 12&24 hour dial with cartoon character in the middle. Pad printing is definitely not the one off way to do this, so ill consider the decal, but i also want to add an rfid chip or two under the dial too. So i may need to 3D print or find another way to create the complete dial not just the image on it. Thank you your videos are very helpful.
I would make sure you are using a vector-based application to create the designs, that will lead to less fuzziness. Also make sure the numbers are based on an installed font, not an image.
I am considering adding a pad printer to my shop. I spent a lot of money ($10K) on my laser that I Use for making custom dials. But have been considering adding printing to my arsenal. Thank you
@@WatchComplications it took 20hr but I completely made a watch case from 1/2” thick aluminum. But the key is lower the power settings and do more passes. I have used it to skeletonize 6498 main plates. So sky is the limit. But the learning curve is steep. If you want to message over text I can help you out with I know.
sounds awesome. I may be in touch if I decide to get one. I've learned the same with the YV04 laser my maker uses...learning curve, passes vs power, etc. Nothing quite like cutting metal with a beam of light. 😅 I expect I'll eventually break down and get one.
got the printer and pads on ebay. acrylic dial holder and steel cliches are custom made in my work with someone local to me with a laser. the ink i got from imprintor
Hi Brian, Great and very helpful video, also with the apple graphics! Thanks. I wanted to ask you if you could give me a reliable link where I can order the pad printing silicones and where can let make the engravings for a watch dial.
the pads I have bought on eBay and the etchings on the steel plates are local to me. I’d recommend finding someone local to you that had a laser capable of around 20-24 microns depth.
I've only ever had laser-etched cliches made and they work fine. I've not looked into photo-etched or what they use to create the design in crystal or whatever. I can't image it works on steel plates.
@@WatchComplications Photo-etching is a process whereby the intaglio is achieved via acid etching following exposure of a UV photo-mask. It works on steel, brass, glass, polymer, etc. Supposedly acid-etched cliches have superior fine resolution, because laser ablation produces poor surface finish, leading to roughness around the border of small (
@@_GOD_HAND_ Yeah, I've seen it in glass before...just didn't know it would work well on steel, but that's cool. To be honest with a really good industrial laser, I've never noticed resolution issues on my plates, Silky smooth. And yup we are talking microns.
Hey Brian, I have the same pad printer as you. Mine had a ton of free play in the vertical bearing sleeves and was wondering if you had the same issue, if it was a problem in practice for accurately locating the print and if/how you fixed it?
it does have some play. for me it was more related to vertical pressure on the platform for the dial. what i did to fix that was put together a custom support to sit under it so when i pressed down the platform didn’t skew down.
@@WatchComplications ah, I haven't checked for that (haven't even used it yet), I was planning on getting a precision platform anyway the backlash on the supplied one is measured in yards 😄. I saw a good method for dialing in the alignment using a sheet of transparency film in a hinged frame over the dial, print on that then align the dial, swing back the film and print for real.
Hello Brian, fantastic video on pad printing! I was curious....is it possible to pad print vitreous enamel? Not pad print ON vitreous enamel but pad print WITH vitreous enamel (inks?)? Thank you
Good question, and to be honest I'm not sure, as I've never tried myself or come across someone else doing it. Theoretically, you should be able to use any kind of ink-like material as long as the viscosity is such that it can fill in the etching on the plate, be picked up by the pad and transferred to the dial. But it's one of those things that would require testing to know for sure.
Hello Brian. I noticed you have printing pads made out of acrylic. Are they cheaper to produce? What are you using to etch the acrylic? It looks cheaper than using metal plates?
I assume you are talking about the dial fixture, which yes i get made out of acrylic. It’s cheaper than metal, works fine and easily etched by a laser.
a little hard to do with angled bezels. easier with flat bezels. though I prefer etched bezels and then fill them with paint lume. anything done with manual pad printer is difficult.
@@WatchComplications Sure 3D bezels gives one other approaches to follow, But I have some 1970s dive watches with some questionable designs with basically printed bezels on flat background. It would be a real design pain though to design to accommodate the curvature of the edges, seeing that you need to change everything from the very expensive plate up... One could probably make a few different sizes on one plate, but as far as I understood your video, you are in $100 for a plate for a single watch already unless you have a mill turning out bezel replicas.
correct. if you are paying for etching and such. i have a lathe and and can turn some of my own stuff but it’s also a skill that takes a lot of practice and learning
I know you're going to get there eventually and I greatly appreciate the explanation. However, it's a bit like explaining how the valve train in a car works to control the flow of air and vaporized fuel into and out of the cylinder to people who have never seen a car run. I'd love it if you started with "I've done more detailed videos on pad printing watch dials. Feel free to watch them here. This is intended as a quick introduction to pad printing a watch dial. First, I want you to see the process. I place the etching here, apply the ink, press the pad into the ink, and I apply the image to the dial." That's it. That's the script. Then follow with the rest of the video. As it is, I'm watching you talk about stuff and frankly I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm going to have to watch the whole thing to see the actual process and then watch it again so I can understand what you are talking about.
it’s a complex topic. i made this vid more for an intro and terminology, have a whole series on the steps, if you want a walkthrough of the steps. i could trim an old vid or two down into a very short vid but that would leave more questions than answers.
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This has been an excellent and informative video. Thank you for making it!
Glad it was helpful!
I just watched this video the other day! Right on
thanks for watching!
I never knew! Great video Brian!
Thanks for watching. Glad you got something out of it :)
Very thorough. Thanks.
thanks for watching.
Thank you
I’m in the process of creating a luminous cartoon watch dial for my youngest son, but I can’t seem to get the numbers to print clean and sharp. The image prints decently enough on my color laser printer but the numbers print fuzzy. Im doing a 12&24 hour dial with cartoon character in the middle.
Pad printing is definitely not the one off way to do this, so ill consider the decal, but i also want to add an rfid chip or two under the dial too. So i may need to 3D print or find another way to create the complete dial not just the image on it.
Thank you your videos are very helpful.
I would make sure you are using a vector-based application to create the designs, that will lead to less fuzziness. Also make sure the numbers are based on an installed font, not an image.
I am considering adding a pad printer to my shop. I spent a lot of money ($10K) on my laser that I Use for making custom dials. But have been considering adding printing to my arsenal. Thank you
I need a laser and have been contemplating getting one. What type of laser did you go with?
@@WatchComplications I bought a 60w JPT MOPA with EZCAD 3 and z axis controlled
yup, that's one of the models I was contemplating...about how much depth can you do on brass or other materials with it?
@@WatchComplications it took 20hr but I completely made a watch case from 1/2” thick aluminum. But the key is lower the power settings and do more passes. I have used it to skeletonize 6498 main plates. So sky is the limit. But the learning curve is steep. If you want to message over text I can help you out with I know.
sounds awesome. I may be in touch if I decide to get one. I've learned the same with the YV04 laser my maker uses...learning curve, passes vs power, etc. Nothing quite like cutting metal with a beam of light. 😅 I expect I'll eventually break down and get one.
Great stuff once again
look at you trying out the emoji!
Fantastic video.
Really glad you liked it, and thanks for watching :)
It would really help if you'd put a link to another video of yours you mention in the description box.
I put it as a card in the video, but here it is also: ruclips.net/video/JRhaMijQttk/видео.html
do you have any other related videos that show the pad printing process by chance?
yeah I have several vids that go into the process. perhaps start with this one and then go from there... ruclips.net/video/mCLTxWn3zWo/видео.html
Thank you
glad you found the video helpful!
I would love to buy everything in this video . Cannyou let me know where to get everything?
got the printer and pads on ebay. acrylic dial holder and steel cliches are custom made in my work with someone local to me with a laser. the ink i got from imprintor
Hi Brian, Great and very helpful video, also with the apple graphics! Thanks. I wanted to ask you if you could give me a reliable link where I can order the pad printing silicones and where can let make the engravings for a watch dial.
the pads I have bought on eBay and the etchings on the steel plates are local to me. I’d recommend finding someone local to you that had a laser capable of around 20-24 microns depth.
I need a watch fail made how do I contact you
Hello Brian,
I want to buy pad printing rubber, do you know where can I find?
I bought mine on ebay...
Hi Brian, have you experimented with laser-etched vs photo-etched printing cliches? Do you think there's a difference in quality?
I've only ever had laser-etched cliches made and they work fine. I've not looked into photo-etched or what they use to create the design in crystal or whatever. I can't image it works on steel plates.
@@WatchComplications Photo-etching is a process whereby the intaglio is achieved via acid etching following exposure of a UV photo-mask. It works on steel, brass, glass, polymer, etc.
Supposedly acid-etched cliches have superior fine resolution, because laser ablation produces poor surface finish, leading to roughness around the border of small (
@@_GOD_HAND_ Yeah, I've seen it in glass before...just didn't know it would work well on steel, but that's cool. To be honest with a really good industrial laser, I've never noticed resolution issues on my plates, Silky smooth. And yup we are talking microns.
@@WatchComplications That's great to hear. For a long time I've been thinking about buying one of those new galvo fiber lasers.
Hey Brian, I have the same pad printer as you. Mine had a ton of free play in the vertical bearing sleeves and was wondering if you had the same issue, if it was a problem in practice for accurately locating the print and if/how you fixed it?
it does have some play. for me it was more related to vertical pressure on the platform for the dial. what i did to fix that was put together a custom support to sit under it so when i pressed down the platform didn’t skew down.
@@WatchComplications ah, I haven't checked for that (haven't even used it yet), I was planning on getting a precision platform anyway the backlash on the supplied one is measured in yards 😄. I saw a good method for dialing in the alignment using a sheet of transparency film in a hinged frame over the dial, print on that then align the dial, swing back the film and print for real.
yup that’s a good way to zero in
Thank you a lot for sharing :)
hope you got something out of it.
Some people swear by gelatin pads over silicone. Is there any real advantage to the former?
I've only used silicone pads so I personally don't have any point of comparison.
I was was looking into branding watch dials and found your channel. Curious, have you considered using a laser etcher like the GlowFroge.
could do that with a laser. I’ve used lasers for other things like etching case backs. With a logo though I also like the applied look.
I want to learn, I have everything only I need pad printing rubber, can you guide me plz,
you can buy pads on places like eBay
How to make thick lume indexes? Have to wait to dry up befor ethe next application?
I usually let dry and do multiple layers.
Hello Brian, fantastic video on pad printing! I was curious....is it possible to pad print vitreous enamel? Not pad print ON vitreous enamel but pad print WITH vitreous enamel (inks?)?
Thank you
Good question, and to be honest I'm not sure, as I've never tried myself or come across someone else doing it. Theoretically, you should be able to use any kind of ink-like material as long as the viscosity is such that it can fill in the etching on the plate, be picked up by the pad and transferred to the dial. But it's one of those things that would require testing to know for sure.
Very helpful. Unfortunately can't find the printer itself anywhere 😅
search for sealed ink cup pad printer on ebay
@@WatchComplications yes, unfortunately all OOS, thanks anyways! Hugely helpful video for pad printing in general.
🥲 surprising. That stinks!
Where do you source your ink? And what type?
in the past I've used a place called Imprintor and I get their multi-purpose ink
Hello Brian. I noticed you have printing pads made out of acrylic. Are they cheaper to produce? What are you using to etch the acrylic? It looks cheaper than using metal plates?
I can't seem to edit. I meant acrylic plates.
I assume you are talking about the dial fixture, which yes i get made out of acrylic. It’s cheaper than metal, works fine and easily etched by a laser.
@@WatchComplications Thank you very much.
Hello, what is the name of the paint you printed on, thanks
I buy the inks from a company in the US called Imprintor
Thanks, this is exactly what I meant!
I remember someone asking, I guess it was you!
@@WatchComplications Can you print dive watch bezels? :P
a little hard to do with angled bezels. easier with flat bezels. though I prefer etched bezels and then fill them with paint lume. anything done with manual pad printer is difficult.
@@WatchComplications Sure 3D bezels gives one other approaches to follow, But I have some 1970s dive watches with some questionable designs with basically printed bezels on flat background. It would be a real design pain though to design to accommodate the curvature of the edges, seeing that you need to change everything from the very expensive plate up... One could probably make a few different sizes on one plate, but as far as I understood your video, you are in $100 for a plate for a single watch already unless you have a mill turning out bezel replicas.
correct. if you are paying for etching and such. i have a lathe and and can turn some of my own stuff but it’s also a skill that takes a lot of practice and learning
Do you have printing machine?
yes, that's the one you're seeing in the video
I know you're going to get there eventually and I greatly appreciate the explanation. However, it's a bit like explaining how the valve train in a car works to control the flow of air and vaporized fuel into and out of the cylinder to people who have never seen a car run. I'd love it if you started with "I've done more detailed videos on pad printing watch dials. Feel free to watch them here. This is intended as a quick introduction to pad printing a watch dial. First, I want you to see the process. I place the etching here, apply the ink, press the pad into the ink, and I apply the image to the dial." That's it. That's the script. Then follow with the rest of the video. As it is, I'm watching you talk about stuff and frankly I have no idea what you are talking about. I'm going to have to watch the whole thing to see the actual process and then watch it again so I can understand what you are talking about.
it’s a complex topic. i made this vid more for an intro and terminology, have a whole series on the steps, if you want a walkthrough of the steps. i could trim an old vid or two down into a very short vid but that would leave more questions than answers.
i WOULD LIKE TO JOIN BUT WANT TO PAY ANNUALLY. i WILL SEND THE SUPPORT TO YOU THRU SNALL MAIL. GET HOLD OF ME PLEASE.-BOB
hello! if you want to do a one time or yearly donation to support my work, anyone can paypal me at watchcomplications [at] gmail