Three restorations

[PeterW]

Hi all,

Haven't been able to get out and about much to take pictures recently so I've been keeping myself out of mischief catching up on some restoration work. Thought you might like to see my efforts on three Zeiss Ikons. They were a bit on the rough side, but I think they're looking quite presentable now.



And here's another Super Ikonta waiting in the queue.



Have fun.

Peter

[Randy]

Nice Peter!

[mickeyobe]

Beautiful work Peter.

Mickey

[herron]

Peter:
If those you restored started out like that Super Ikonta, my hat's off to you! Nice job!

Did you refinish the black metal work on those three? If so, could you share the technique?

[PeterW]

Thanks all.

Ron Herron wrote

Did you refinish the black metal work on those three? If so, could you share the technique?

Yes Ron I did. They were in a similar condition to the Super Ikonta that's waiting its turn. But I've got to fix the rangefinder on that first, It's very stiff and it's got right out of kilter, focusing on about 8 feet when the lens is at infinity.

Pretty simple technique really. All the metal work was rubbed down with very fine rubbing paper used dry, making sure any chips were 'feathered in'. After that I blew all the dust off with a small air gun connected to my baby compressor (both came from my local model shop).

After a lot of trying different enamels I settled on Tamiya acrylic model paint, semi-gloss black No. X18, and give three coats allowing 24 hours for each coat to dry thoroughly. I tried using a primer, but the black covers just as well without one.

On narrow surfaces like this I find a small camel hair brush easy to use to use, and work with a fairly full brush. The acylic paint looks thick when you first put it on, but it dries out to a very thin coat, and it stays fluid long enough for things like cross bars to flow into the side pieces. I find I get the best results if I don't over-brush, just flow it on and leave it to settle.

I sometimes, but not always, use masking tape over the leatherette if I haven't had to take this off, but most of the time I find I can keep the paint off the leather. I reblack the leather by rubbing in a leather dye, and when this has dried give it a coat of wax before starting to paint. This makes it easier to take off any small slips with the brush which will come off with Ronsonol on a cloth or on a Q-tip when the paint's about half dry - say an hour or so. After waxing I wipe down the metal parts to be painted with Ronsonol to get rid of any wax that's strayed on them.

When the acrylic paint has cured and hardened - I usually leave it about three days - I give the surface a very light rub with Brasso metal polish wadding which takes off the rather 'sticky' new look, and then wipe down and finish with a coat of wax.

I use a brush on thin edges like the ones on these cameras to save all the bother of careful masking for spraying, but if I'm doing a complete top or baseplate that comes off the camera I use an airbrush with the compressor, thinning the acrylic not quite 50/50 with distilled water. I don't measure the thinning, I use trial and error on a spare piece of metal to judge the viscosity. As the paint is thinned I usually use four or five coats, giving 24 hours between coats.

I have to say that Tamiya acrylic is the best paint I've found so far, and the beauty of it is there's no smell worth mentioning, it's environmentally friendly and you wash out brushes or the airbrush with plain soap and water.

Hope that explains it adequately.

Peter

[herron]

Thanks, Peter. ;D

Tamiya acrylic is not a name I am familiar with, but I have to admit it's been a while since I strolled through the local hobby store (probably because it closed a few years back, and I have been too lazy to go look for another one)!

This is a good excuse to get off my dead behind and start looking! The acrylic I have been using does not seem to work as well as you describe!

[vintageslrs]

Peter

Nice work, my friend!

Glad to see you have been putting your inside time to good use.
Keep up the good work.


Be Well
Bob

[PeterW]

Hi Ron. You wrote:

Tamiya acrylic is not a name I am familiar with, but I have to admit it's been a while since I strolled through the local hobby store (probably because it closed a few years back, and I have been too lazy to go look for another one)!

This is a good excuse to get off my dead behind and start looking! The acrylic I have been using does not seem to work as well as you describe!

I had a good look at the little jar of Tamiya Color Acrylic and see that it has a flammable symbol on it, so it must have a solvent of some sort mixed in. It also says, in tiny little print I had to use a magnifying glass to read: 'Use Tamiya Acrylic Thinner X-20A'. I'll get some, and the next time I use it in the airbrush I'll thin it with that instead of water to see if there's a difference (When all else fails ... read the instructions!)

Peter

[heath]

Tamiya is one of the oldest and most recognised name in the scale modelling and hobby industry. They do everything from scale soldiers, military machines, cras, boats, trucks and aircraft to radio control vehicles, plus everything needed to build and finish them, like paint, adhesives and even precision hobby tools. I have owned a few of their R/C cars over the years and their attitude to quality is second to none.

Heath