[Leica] Re: Leica recovering

[LRZeitlin@aol.com]

Vulcanite is Leica's cruel joke on Leicaholics. Marc Small is absolutely 
right in stating that it becomes brittle with age and flakes off at the 
slightest excuse. I have recovered several user LTM cameras, an M3, and an 
Olympus OM1 with 3M Safety Walk Nonskid Tape and have found it to be 
significantly better in appearance and handling ease than the original aged 
and battered Vulcanite. The nonskid tape is a resilient textured rubberlike 
material sold in hardware stores for $1.99/ft. in a 2" width. It comes in 
black, grey, and white colors with an adhesive back. The 2" width is perfect 
for Leica bodies. I wouldn't recover a valuable collector quality Leica but 
it is just the thing for a hard working user camera. You can also play around 
with people's minds. I covered a IIIc in grey and panic fellow Leica fans 
when they think I am taking a Luftwaffe model on hiking trips in the 
Appalachians.

The process is quite simple. Remove the cracked Vulcanite from the camera. 
That's the easy part. Next make a paper cutting pattern for the nonskid 
material. Be very precise in marking the position and outline of the lens 
mounting flange, the strap lugs, and the baseplate lug cutout. Indicate the 
exact position of the two shell mounting screws and the slow speed dial on 
the LTM models. The paper pattern should wrap around the body shell and be 
joined just below the center of the lens mounting flange. When you are 
satisfied that the pattern is as good as you can get it, cut the nonskid 
material to the same shape using a sharp Exacto knife. Since the 2" tape 
edges are perfectly straight, I have found it easiest to use one side for the 
upper edge of the covering, the part that fits next to the top plate. Use a 
leather punch to cut precise holes for the strap mounting lugs and the shell 
mounting screws. 

When the covering is cut to shape remove the backing paper and align it to 
the camera. The sticky adhesive permits some movement as long as it isn't 
pressed hard to the underlying surface. When you are satisfied that the 
nonskid material is correctly positioned, press it into full adhesion. The 
adhesive sticks pretty well immediately and sets quite strong within 24 
hours. Check to see that the baseplate fits correctly. Slight corrections can 
be made with a sharp razor blade. If you've made an unfixable error, rip it 
off and try again. The stuff costs only about $2 per camera.

When you are done you will have a Leica that looks as good as new (at least 
the covering) and handles a lot better. True to its name, the nonskid 
material permits a firm grip on the camera and absorbs and cushions slight 
impact better than the factory covering. If you hate Vulcanite and don't want 
to spend $100 on a custom cover give this a try.

LarryZ