Reproductions dials - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Ian - G4JQT · 1st Jun 2006, 12:34 am

Has anyone managed to successfully make a reproduction dial using transfers, acetate sheet or any other method? There must be dozens of radios out there working well, but in need of a good dial - I have at least three!

The only commercial producer I know of are the guys in Holland (www.radioverzameling.nl/repro/uk/) - very good by all accounts. But the understandable set-up costs require a minimum number to make it worth while, and of course the more colours that are required the more expensive it gets.

I have heard of scanned, repaired images printed onto transparent sheet which is then sandwiched between two thin pieces of glass. Also read somewhere of a water-based transfer that can be printed on which, with care, can be slid onto the glass. Not sure how this is done unless colour laser printers have waterproof ink. I've never seen examples of either so don't know how good they look.

Some years ago I had some DAC90A dials done by a screen printer onto glass. The results were excellent, but I had to get 35 made! They all went, but then the DAC90A is one of the most popular sets.

So... how do we set about making only one or two?

Ian

newlite4 · 1st Jun 2006, 9:46 am

Ian, a few months ago, I printed a scan of a DAC90a scale (from Past Times site) onto acetate sheet which I then sandwiched between two thin pieces of glass. It was reasonably successful, however the yellow print was not particularly convincing being a bit "washed out". This is an acceptable method though, which is much better than a cracked scale.
Neil

Radio_Dave · 1st Jun 2006, 9:57 am

Hi Ian,

Have a look at this thread about a dial that I made recently

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ead.php?t=7931.

David

batterymaker1 · 1st Jun 2006, 1:54 pm

There's a company stateside called Rock-Sea Enterprises. If they don't have it, and you have what's left of the broken dial, you can send it to them and have a repro made of it.

Radio_Dave · 1st Jun 2006, 9:31 pm

Hi batterymaker1,

Thanks for that info, I've just found their website and sent them an email. I'll see if they can make me a dial for my Fenman II

.

Regards
David

Doug_h · 31st Aug 2006, 10:13 pm

Some years ago I restored a French valved radio whose tuning dial was (or had been) a circle of some stiff plastic with station names printed radially outwards from the centre. It had a central hole through which the tuning knob shaft went. By the time I got it the dial was in bits : one piece roughly half the total, two nearly-quarter bits, and a handful of tiny bits. I went along to the local High Street copying shop and asked their advice. They first re-assembled the bits almost perfectly onto plain paper, then made coloured photocopies, and then laminated these. They even punched the required holes in the centres. All I had to do was cut carefully round the edges and fit one in the set. Result : an almost indistinguishable copy of the original even to the "slightly brown" colour old plastic dials have. They did a superb job.

Why two new dials ? I'm seriously ham-fisted and couldn't be sure I wouldn't make a mess of cutting round the edge of the first! Hope this helps.

1st Jun 2006, 12:34 am	#1
Ian - G4JQT Octode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Reading/Fakenham, UK. Posts: 1,323	Reproductions dials Has anyone managed to successfully make a reproduction dial using transfers, acetate sheet or any other method? There must be dozens of radios out there working well, but in need of a good dial - I have at least three! The only commercial producer I know of are the guys in Holland (www.radioverzameling.nl/repro/uk/) - very good by all accounts. But the understandable set-up costs require a minimum number to make it worth while, and of course the more colours that are required the more expensive it gets. I have heard of scanned, repaired images printed onto transparent sheet which is then sandwiched between two thin pieces of glass. Also read somewhere of a water-based transfer that can be printed on which, with care, can be slid onto the glass. Not sure how this is done unless colour laser printers have waterproof ink. I've never seen examples of either so don't know how good they look. Some years ago I had some DAC90A dials done by a screen printer onto glass. The results were excellent, but I had to get 35 made! They all went, but then the DAC90A is one of the most popular sets. So... how do we set about making only one or two? Ian

1st Jun 2006, 9:46 am	#2
newlite4 Octode Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,805	Re: Reproductions dials Ian, a few months ago, I printed a scan of a DAC90a scale (from Past Times site) onto acetate sheet which I then sandwiched between two thin pieces of glass. It was reasonably successful, however the yellow print was not particularly convincing being a bit "washed out". This is an acceptable method though, which is much better than a cracked scale. Neil

1st Jun 2006, 9:57 am	#3
Radio_Dave Nonode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 2,543	Re: Reproductions dials Hi Ian, Have a look at this thread about a dial that I made recently https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ead.php?t=7931. David

1st Jun 2006, 1:54 pm	#4
batterymaker1 Heptode Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Posts: 674	Re: Reproductions dials There's a company stateside called Rock-Sea Enterprises. If they don't have it, and you have what's left of the broken dial, you can send it to them and have a repro made of it.

1st Jun 2006, 9:31 pm	#5
Radio_Dave Nonode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 2,543	Re: Reproductions dials Hi batterymaker1, Thanks for that info, I've just found their website and sent them an email. I'll see if they can make me a dial for my Fenman II . Regards David

31st Aug 2006, 10:13 pm	#6
Doug_h Triode Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 31	Re: Reproductions dials Some years ago I restored a French valved radio whose tuning dial was (or had been) a circle of some stiff plastic with station names printed radially outwards from the centre. It had a central hole through which the tuning knob shaft went. By the time I got it the dial was in bits : one piece roughly half the total, two nearly-quarter bits, and a handful of tiny bits. I went along to the local High Street copying shop and asked their advice. They first re-assembled the bits almost perfectly onto plain paper, then made coloured photocopies, and then laminated these. They even punched the required holes in the centres. All I had to do was cut carefully round the edges and fit one in the set. Result : an almost indistinguishable copy of the original even to the "slightly brown" colour old plastic dials have. They did a superb job. Why two new dials ? I'm seriously ham-fisted and couldn't be sure I wouldn't make a mess of cutting round the edge of the first! Hope this helps.