Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/04/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Nice job Larry. Cameraleather sells their M8/M9 griptac kit for $42 bucks. It goes on real nice. On Tue, Apr 15, 2014 at 12:20 PM, <lrzeitlin at aol.com> wrote: > RECOVERING A LEICA > I posted this about five years ago but in view of the complaints > about slippery Leicas, it still seems relevant. > 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 the 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. Greater widths are > available. It comes in black, grey, and white colors with an adhesive back. > The 2" width is perfect for LTM and M 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 > 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. On the LTM cameras the slow speed dial is > attached to the chassis. You can press > the soft material between the slow speed dial and the top plate. You > will have to use your imagination in cutting the cover for the digital > cameras > 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. > A more daring alternative approach on the film Leicas is to remove > the body extrusion entirely. I am hesitant about suggesting this latter > method because most photographers are reluctant to take screws out of their > camera. The body extrusion comes off easily by removing the black screws on > the front of the camera and then the chromed screws on the top flange. The > extrusion then slides off. The pressure plate and its springs will come off > too. You now have a camera where the moving parts are open to inspection > and a body extrusion. Wrapping a piece of paper around the body extrusion > makes it very easy to make the template used for cutting the covering > material. It is easy to mark the screw holes. Reassembling the camera is > easy. Just slide the body back on, remembering to refit the pressure plate > and springs, and put the screws back in the holes. > Try this first on your least desirable camera. It is not hard, > just takes courage. Leica cameras are robustly made and it is hard to foul > up the process. Just don't lose any of the screws. If they drop on the > floor, you will never find them again. > Finally, most camera repair persons never bother about replacing > the Vulcanite on tiny sections where it has chipped. They just drip a > little black sealing wax, or black Crayola crayon wax, into the spot and > press it flush with the surface of the remaining Vulcanite. I learned this > trick from Sherry Krauter. > 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. > Here is a photo of a recovered camera. I did it a decade ago and > both the camera and the covering are fine. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Leica+IIIc+with+3M+Safty+Walk+Nonskid+tape_.png.html > > > Larry Z > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Regards, Sonny http://sonc.com/look/ Natchitoches, Louisiana 1714 Oldest Permanent Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase USA