I guess I am being lazy in not taking off a dial but I know you guys can tell me this.The porceline,enamel dials have soldering on the back.Does the melamines have the same.I am attaching two pics.The dial without the soldering appears to be melamine as it has some crazing on it.Your help is appreciated as always.

Back of dials

Your question asks if the melamine dial[s] have soldering on the backside. No.

The soldering on the porcelain/enamel dials are there because if it is a single sunk dial then it will be an actual two piece dial and to put the two pieces together, then the seconds bit was soldered to secure the two parts. If it is a double sunk dial then the dial will actually have three separate pieces, [seconds bit/outer chapter/inner chapter] and to secure the three pieces they were soldered as your pictured 519 DSD is. And the 519 dial is a 992 or a 992E dial.

The melamine dials were fashioned from one piece metal only. It is called a "blank". Your pictured dial on the left is the 121 melamine dial which were made to appear as if it were a true DSD of three pieces but it is only one piece, by counter sinking the seconds bit and the inner chapter onto the one piece blank. The brother to the 121 dial is the 168 dial which was melamine also and it only had one counter sink in the seconds bit to make it appear as if it were a true single sunk dial of two pieces but it is only one piece also as are all of the melamine dials.

There will be no soldering on the back of a melamine dial as there is no reason for it simply because they are only one piece blanks that require no holding together.

Your melamine dial on the left has what is known as "severe bezel rub". Take a clean pencil eraser and go all around the edge and see if you can't erase that bezel rub. Rinse it off with some lukewarm water and pat it dry, but don't rub it dry as some of the melamine may flake and/or some of the numeral or hash mark paint may flake.. You can also try some Joy dishwashing liquid applied on q-tips and go around that outside bezel rub and then rinse again and pat dry. That should improve that dial 100%.

Try that and post/show us your results.

regards,
bb

Thanks Buster,I didn't know if the dials were original or not.I have 2 #121's and a 168 and I was thinking they were repro.I's good to know they are not.Thanks for the cleaning tips I will try that and let you know. Roger

Buster,your cleaning tips worked like a charm!!!Roger