Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/05/06

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Vulcanite maintence
From: "Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk>
Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 09:12:59 +0100

Bill Satterfield <cwsat@cyberhighway.net> wrote:

>I just purchased a M5 and the covering looks almost new. I just want
to
keep it that way. Looks like lemon oil will leave an oily surface-
something I do not want.

I apply the stuff, leave it on overnight, then wipe the vulcanite dry
using soft kitchen tissue. The vulcanite rapidly returns to its normal
appearance, and the camera does not feel oily. Vulcanite is a very
hard and brittle plastic-type material, so I'd imagine it absorbs only
the tiniest amount of the lemon oil.

Whether applying lemon oil actually achieves anything is hard to say
until a few more decades have gone by, but Leica UK once told me that
cameras which are used are less prone to "vulcanite disease" than
those which are not. If they're right, it's possible that the
vulcanite on cameras which are regularly used is absorbing moisture or
natural oils from the user's fingers. So the lemon oil may have a
similar effect.

Regards,

Doug Richardson