[Leica] Re: Tatty vulcanite

[hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson)]

Umm, I do have an M3, but the vulcanite's OK. I just bought one which is
about the same vintage as me (1955)
I was actually making a joke regarding a CLA for the photographer. The
description was of myself. That is the vintage and tatty parts are accurate.
Have another look at the thread! ;-)

Cheers
Hoppy

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Lawrence Zeitlin
Sent: Thursday, 24 August 2006 02:01
To: lug@leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] Re: Tatty vulcanite


On Aug 23, 2006, at 8:14 AM, Hoppy wrote:

> DS M3 vintage body, functional, but the vulcanite's looking tatty


RECOVERING A LEICA

Vulcanite is Leica's cruel joke on Leicaholics. It becomes brittle  
with age and flakes off at the slightest excuse. Even Leica has  
abandoned Vulcanite on new cameras, substituting a textured PVC  
covering.

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.

Larry Z



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