Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/29

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Subject: Re: [Leica] rust on M6
From: "Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 10:14:39 -0500

> The top plate of the M6/M6TTL cameras is made of a zinc composite material.
> This corrodes very easily if exposed to salty moisture. A small pin hole in
> the finish is enough to give you a large bubble. If you photograph in humid
> salty areas, then wipe your camera down with a cloth made damp in fresh
> water. Many of the "special" edition cameras and the titanium finished
> cameras have brass top plates which do not have this problem. The switch to
> zinc composite was made to reduce cost (precision casting which requires
> less machining) and increase shock protection (at least this is what Leica
> says).
>
> John Collier

My suggestion would be, rather than wiping down with damp cloth (from
water), wipe down using ordinary lighter fluid applied to a cloth. The
lighter fluid will clean off any salt, also will do a general cleaning, will
seep into any pinholes and give the top and bottom plates a nice sheen. I
also find the lighter fluid applied periodically to the vulcanite of my
older M's keeps the vulcanite in good shape.

sl

>
>> From: "Lionel Venturini" <lventurini@humanite.presse.fr>=
>>
>> Does anyone got a problem of rust on the top plate of a M6, and on the flash
>> shoe ? I just got an old (1980) classic one, with some spots of corrosion
>> "under" the black chrome, wich seems to be strange, isen't it?
>>
>>
>