Chuck Nafziger contributed: >In regards to finishes friendly to shadow definition: matte white is my >choice.
I don't think anyone could disagree with that. > >When I made the dial, I blackened the engraved letters, numbers and time >ticks. When the dial was new, the contrast made the numbers easy to read. >As the dial aged, the contrast became less and although the engraving is >deep, there was no crisp contrast. Once while applying paste wax to the >brass, I noticed that the white in the letters was much easier to read than >the black and now I leave the white wax in the engraved spaces. I usually recommend a white fill for just the same reasons but client preference mostly tends towards black, although not for any diallistic consideration, and the customer is always right! SNIP > >I am so impressed with the white matte shadow definition and ease of reading >white letters and marks, that if I build new dials, big or small, I will >fill the letters with white, and supply a white filled ring near the time >ticks, at least 1/4" (6 mm) wide, so the gnomon's shadow can be clearly >seen. A nice idea, which I shall certainly experiment with. >People who ooh and ah over large shiny machined pieces of brass may not find >this composite as their ideal of perfection, but I see a functional beauty >that continues from shiny new through weathering. Some useful ideas here Chuck, particularly for anyone who is new to dialling. Thanks Tony M.
