Waiting on the mail

The pad printing inks and thinner have arrived. I am still waiting on the hardener, so the first real printing experiments will have to wait a little longer.

In the meantime, I have been testing some new laser settings for the Rittenhouse dial and trying a new paint color. The goal is to get closer to the colonial blue that appears throughout Old City Philadelphia—and in my own house.

Its a color I'd like to integrate into a dial rooted so specifically in Philly. 

Separately, I saw a discussion about “Big Ben” inspired watches on Reddit recently and decided it would make for good LightBurn practice and a nice new dial for the beater watch. I used a black anodized aluminum card and cleared away the negative space. Had a lot of fun with this one, though dial feet would certainly help if it were ever going to be worn.

The Great Clock of Westminster is iconic for a reason. What a remarkable design. Someday, once I get the hang of pad printing, I may have to try a version in the original blue.

Naturally, this made me want to listen to Mark Knopfler and James Taylor. #SailingtoPhiladelphia