Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/02/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]About a year ago we discussed this topic on the LUGlist. Here are some of the messages: >This became a do it yourself project......my mechanic wanted $85 to do the >labor... I'm pretty handy, so I took on the job myself. Note that I will >have a good 5 hours ino this repair, so the $85 was a fair cost of his >time. > >For all of you interested in the replacement of body skin ( Leather? >Vulcanite? Whatever?) >My experience from Leitz today: >Body skin replacement IS available. Labor adds about $80 to the skin cost. >There is a die cut for M3 and another for M6... I do not know what other >bodies. Buy directly from Leitz. >M3= $50 including back door skin..... Specific configurations of M3 have >different hole patterns.... >M6= $40 including back door skin..... I wonder why it is less...??? > >The old Vulcanite from my M3 crystalized and was crumbling from the body. >My body is in the shop for an overhaul, so I am working on the body shell >without any mechanicals. > >I removed the Vulcanite with care using a putty knife. This took a good 2 >hours using a lot of care not to gouge the body or myself. >I removed the old "glue" with acetone... in an open, outdoor area. Alcohol, >water and paint remover had littel to no effect. Acetone seems to be the >best solvent that I have found. The glue dissolves pretty readily, leaving >a really smooth body. The paint or whatever makes an M3 interior black >does not dissolve in acetone. >The new skin comes with a peel and stick backing...... > >... more to come when I get the skin and try to align it to the body...... > >PART I : MATERIALS and PREPARATION >For all of you interested in the replacement of body skin ( Leather? >Vulcanite? Whatever?) >My experience from Leitz : >Body skin replacement IS available. Labor adds about $80 to the skin cost. >There is a die cut for M3 and another for M6... I do not know what other >bodies. Buy directly from Leitz. >M3= $50 including back door skin..... Specific configurations of M3 have >different hole patterns.... >M6= $40 including back door skin..... I wonder why it is less...??? > >The old Vulcanite from my M3 crystalized and was crumbling from the body. >My body is in the shop for an overhaul, so I am working on the body shell >without any mechanicals. > >I removed the Vulcanite with care using a putty knife. This took a good 2 >hours using a lot of care not to gouge the body or myself. Using dental >tools ( Received from an understanding dentist) got into all the little >corners. >Most of the glue was removed by scraping the surface with the dental tools. > The glue had crystalized, so the bonds to the metal were not that tight. >Do not gouge the metal.... scrape with the side of the tool, not the point. >Finally, I removed the last vestiges of the old "glue" with acetone... in >an open, outdoor area. Alcohol, >water and paint remover had little to no effect. Acetone seems to be the >best solvent that I have found. The glue dissolves pretty readily, leaving >a really smooth body. > >The paint or whatever makes an M3 interior black >does not dissolve in acetone. > >Part II FINISHING the JOB > >The new skin comes with a peel and stick backing......The material had a >very Japanese sounding name printed on the backing. The skin was 1 piece. >On my body, I have a surround on the lens release button. The die cut skin >had the wrong size cutout. I had a punch the right size, so I cut a new >hole on my own. > >I peeled the backing off half the new skin. Working from the frame >selector lever, I carefully aligned the hole pattern... remember the >backing glue is very tenacious, allowing for no mistakes. The skin went on >with a perfect fit. > >I applied pressure to the entire skin by hand, then used a plastic chop >stick as a burnishing tool. The smallest areas were burnished with a >small sliver of hardwood. > >The back door required a paint job.... someone had removed all the black >paint. A trip to the local auto parts store got me a container of touch-up >paint in gloss black. 4 coats of thinly applied paint finished this >off...(remember that this is a user camera, so perfection of paint >application was not required. I just hated to see the chrome back.) > >I also got some flat black paint, and touched up the body shell and back in >those areas where there was a bit of brightness. > >The back skin is not adhering at all,,,, the glue is a different material ( >the grain patern is not a perfect match for the front either....Leica needs >to improve this.....Why not use the same skin material as the body skin >with the tenacious glue backing?) This is a small issue and will be taken >care of shortly either with a new glue backing or a new back skin. > >The body looks and feels wonderful. It may not be authentic or perfect, >but it is MY Leica that I can use with pleasure..... and it looks 20 years >newer than when I got it! > >Now off to the repair shop to get the guts put back in.........50 MM >Summicron should arrive today. > >Cost of project: >M3 Body : $ 329 Bought with jammed shutter and 40% of the body skin >missing from NYC Mail Order. >Skin .......... 50 >Shutter repair 149 >Paint 5 >------------------------------ >total--------> $533.... fully reconditioned single stroke M3; S/N >1,105,XXX, with new skin, shutter job, and new owner.....not bad!!! > >The new skin on my camera is wonderful! The skin has a peel and stick back >that is VERY aggressive. >Looks 20 years newer. >More details to follow....... > >Now to get the 50 Summicron to put on it..... > >Thank You >Frank Filippone >red735i@worldnet.att.net >