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Post by philbirch on Jun 29, 2014 7:33:12 GMT -5
Truls was interested in re-covering his Contax as the original rubbery cover is now in a bad state. I set myself a challenge to re-cover a camera and take photos of the process. I'll share it with you. I chose the Pentax ME super because it was a little difficult and it was broken so it was a perfect guineapig. Here is a thread on another forum on how to re-cover your Praktica praktica re-covering
My Pentax. Here is my little tutorial: What you need:Leather, Camera, small scissors, scalpel with no 11 blade or Xacto knife, steel ruler, hole punch, and not shown cocktail stick and contact adhesive.
First: The self timer will have to come off. They are usually screwed in using a left hand thread so turn the retaining screw clockwise. Then: Remove the original leather, I start in the corners lifting with a cocktail stick so as not to mark the paint. Mostly they are self adhesive and will lift off. The Contax and Yashica's bodies will need cleaning with a little paintbrush cleaner after the leather is taken off. If you have a classic camera and the glue is rock hard then a little paint remover left on for 10 minutes will shift it. The ME has a film reminder fixed over the leather and riveted into the body. Cut round this with the scalpel taking care not to cut or scratch the frame. There is a 1mm thin strip running under the frame - I left it on. Too fiddly. The marks round the frame are scalpel scratches and glue. The glue can be left, any debris being removed.
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Post by philbirch on Jun 29, 2014 7:51:34 GMT -5
OK part two: Cutting the leather. I chose the brown stuff over the snakeskin! Put the pieces over the replacement leather and draw round them with a marker. Cut out the pieces roughly with scissors then cut precisely with the scalpel and ruler. The curves round the lens you will have to freehand with the scissors. To make the hole for the timer use a hole punch. Lay the original over the new piece and punch it through. A punch costs about £1.50 on ebay. Tap it with a hammer. Try the pieces for fit. If there is any fraying that can be removed by quickly running the edges through a lighter flame. Glueing it on: I use contact adhesive. I did use double sided tape but it was tricky and sticky! It is now peeling off 2 years later. Rub some glue over the back of the leather pieces, paying most attention to the edges, including round the hole. It will dry while you are putting dabs of glue on the camera body concentrate again on the edges. Spread it with a cocktail stick and make sure there is plenty where there is an angle it must go over. carefully place the piece on the camera body, I always go round the lens first. The leather will stretch somewhat so if you are a tad wide you can push it in or if its a little narrow you can stretch it out. Pull the leather tautly over angles. Don't worry if a little glue oozes out, wipe it away carefully. When it's dry a tiny dab of paintbrush cleaner or lighter fuel will move it.
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Post by philbirch on Jun 29, 2014 7:57:22 GMT -5
Part 3:You can see where the glue has seeped out. leave it until its completely dry then remove it with paintbrush cleaner The back was tricky and difficult to take photos of while glueing it. However the leather is on it nicely. I had to do some trimming as I went. I put a small piece of the original leather in the frame to hide the scratches. It took about an hour.
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Post by philbirch on Jun 29, 2014 8:25:29 GMT -5
Glue cleaned off. I must go round the edges with a whiteboard pen. It stains the cut edges black but will wipe off the chrome and paintwork. Looks like the left hand side needs a little glue pushed under with a cocktail stick.
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truls
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Post by truls on Jun 29, 2014 11:55:39 GMT -5
philbirch: I owe you a beer The instructions are awesome, even aunt Edna could re-cover her Leica! This is my first attempt, I have re-covered Contax 137 using precut skins, this time I will use real leather. The leather could be a tad thick, but I like a good soft grip. It is special leather purchased at the shoe repair shop, real high quality from United Kingdom. Now I am ready: Contax 139q, floating on new hq leather, ready to fixed.
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truls
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Post by truls on Jun 29, 2014 14:21:35 GMT -5
Part I, the back off the camera is finished. The leather is too fat, not easy to cut straight. The good news, the camera is better to hold than ever before, I get a nice delicious grip. The film reminder had to go, no point in having. The leather looks crude, but it is a first attempt, I could do it another time with more suitable leather. I should really have paid more attention in the handwork class at school Tomorrow I will finish the front side, I need to find a better cutting tool for the leather.
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Post by philbirch on Jun 29, 2014 16:44:57 GMT -5
My pleasure Truls. you have plenty of leather to practice with although it does look a little thick. I use surgical scissors to cut mine, they are strong and very sharp. Leather does fray as you can see on your photo, this is when the lighter treatment comes in. It burns off all the little bits. Smells though!
The material I used was from a swatch book from a furniture manufacturer. A little thick but looks nice. You can buy pieces for camera covering but you may as well get the pre-cut stuff if you are doing that.
Handbag leather is always very thin - perhaps a millimetre at most, it usually has a foam backing on it but that's easily removed. I buy things like this at the local charity shop (goodwill store). The straps can make good wrist straps too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2014 19:41:31 GMT -5
Pliobond is a great adhesive for recovering cameras--sort of a rubber cement on steroids. If you put it on the body and the leather and give it a minute before placing, it won't come apart without a lot of work.
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 29, 2014 23:22:10 GMT -5
It always seems to me that thick leather needs to be chamfered at its edges to properly fit the metal.
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truls
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Post by truls on Jun 30, 2014 10:21:37 GMT -5
Now finished, did not look too good. But as said, a luxury grip. Wayne: Is Pliobond the same as "Pattex"? I only had Pattex, a contact cement type glue. It is really a mess to work with, long hairs of glue when you work. I now got inspired, and found my wife's Gucci leather purse, that would have been classy on the Fed 2
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Jun 30, 2014 10:56:51 GMT -5
Philbirch,
That is a great tutorial.
Thank you.
*****************************************************
Pliobond is great stuff. It makes a secure, permanent bond.
But the parts to be joined can not be shifted at all once they touch each other. So a steady hand and unquestioned self confidence is required. Sadly, I no longer have either.
Mickey
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Post by philbirch on Aug 17, 2014 11:09:41 GMT -5
A lesson leaned the hard way. Don't use double sided adhesive tape. This will all have to come off and be re glued. re-covered a couple of years ago.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Aug 17, 2014 14:40:19 GMT -5
I do a lot of leather book binding, and the processes are the same in many ways, and yes, the key to using thicker leather is to chamfer the leather at the edge, down to a very thin fine edge, just lower than the recess it is fitting in to on the camera.
The process is "Skivening" the leather, cutting or abrading the back of the leather to thin it.
Craft knife blades, or scalpels are needed, and must be absolutely razor sharp and well honed, forward cuts will remove thin slices, whilst scarping the surface will remove finer amounts. A stainless steel ruler will also make a scraper, an edge ground on, and honed on a fine stone to a right angle, although not a knife edge, it will scrape small amounts.
To keep the blades ultra sharp, an Arkansas Stone will be needed, or a very fine grade diamond sharpening plate, which are nowadays not expensive in small sizes, use 600 grade minimum. The blades can be honed by gentle rubbing on an ordinary steel drill shaft. This removes all burrs etc., from the edge.
The surface to work on is important, I use a granite kitchen chopping block, dead flat and hard wearing. Thin wood will not do, it flexes.
When at near size, final scraping is done to get the taper edge, and only then is the piece cut to the exact final size. You may find that some leathers will sand with course glass paper or emery paper, it depends on the degree of tanning, and age of the leather. The harder the leather, the easier it is to Skive it. Soft leather may be impossible without experience.
On finishing the edges on cameras leather panels, wax is the best, childrens crayon type rubbed in, or the very best is sealing wax, but it needs heat applied as you work along the seam. Boot polish also works, but modern types do not seem to contain enough pigment.
To obtain leather, many bookbinder suppliers do sample packs, and many will sell second grade leather unsuitable for the best book use, but OK for cameras. Ebay usually has a selection.
Old leather goods can be a source, but examine it carefully, it may not be real leather, but leatherette or other cloth backed leather, used in purses etc., for strength. Not easy to thin the edge, some break up when scraped.
Remember all outer surfaces are artificial on real leather, the texture and finish are due to the tanning and hot moulding used. This does not apply to snakeskin, but Shagren, fish skin, is highly processed.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Aug 17, 2014 14:47:36 GMT -5
A lesson leaned the hard way. Don't use double sided adhesive tape. This will all have to come off and be re glued. re-covered a couple of years ago. That's the very trouble that Ken Corfield had with the Periflex, he was advised by 3M to use a adhesive on a roll, which was in effect a sandwich of glue in two cellophane strips, one of which was peeled away and applied to the camera, and then the other pulled off leaving the glue, on to which the leather was pressed. It did not work!, most Periflex shed the leather long ago, any that went back at the time where put back on with Evo-stik, or the customer did it himself!. Stephen.[/quote]
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Aug 17, 2014 15:02:28 GMT -5
Brands of glue are not all international, but the types are, and a Thixotopic adhesive may be the best. This is a rubber adhesive, that behaves as a gel paint till is dries to become a contact adhesive. This prevents stringing, and best of all the first contact when pressed together is not the last, it can be peeled off and repositioned if needed, but then sets afterwards. The most famous maker is Dunlop Thixofix, but others own the brand and the name is now Alpha Thixofix. Any equivalent would describe it as Thixotopic Gel glue for contact adhesive jobs. It is like a butter, that spreads, no stringing at all, it is sold in tubes and cans, and cleans up with spirit thinners.
Stephen.
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