Well, here's something a bit different. This is a dial from a 1913 Overland Speedster speedometer. It looks bad and this is after washing in very mild diluted detergent (basically liquid hand soap).

The dial appears to be silver plated (see back photo in following post) and the lettering is "printed" on top, either by silk screen, lithograhy or some such process. The black printing is raised and not engraved like a silvered clock dial.

The streak across the lower portion was green and resulted from poor application of soft solder to retain the bezel, the flux melted and ran across it. (Apparently the bezel kept falling off, it is supposed to have three screws around the periphery that I have to reinstall). This car vibrates like mad, I helped the owner get it started this past summer after a 30 year hiatus in a museum (four cylinders, not well balanced, runs at about 600 RPM flat out, but it will still do 50 mph without breaking a sweat!)

So, assuming there is some kind of coating on the face before the printing, how do I make this look better short of a full restoration (replate and renumber)? I assume there is a some kind of coating as the face is not as 'blackened' as the back.

Anyone got any ideas or can point me to a good restoration artist?

Thanx!

Here's the back of the dial. The blackening is why I assume this is actual silver plating.

J.B.,whatever you do don't be tempted to use an abrasive polish on your old dial.In fact I would highly recommend you not use any type of polish,abrasive or non abrasive.Believe me,take it from someone who learned the hard way years ago.Soap and water is as far as I'd carry it unless you want a nice metal plate instead of a dial.
My advice to you is to send that dial to Mrs Martha Smallwood down in Georgia.Nobody does it better and she's very reasonable.Figure a three month turnaround but it's worth the wait.
The Dial House
Dallas,Georgia
1-(770)-445-2287
www.dialhouse.net
Best of luck with your restoration.
Respectfully,Bob Fullerton

Thanks, Bob,

I'll have to have Martha quote it and see if the owner wants to go that far. He is doing a restoration of the car and lots of brass polishing. I have the dash clock too.

Anybody else have a suggestion?

Thanx -