ebay silver super takumar

[truls]

There is a guy, alluxus1, selling some silver painted(?) lenses on the bay. Here a Super Takumar:



Is this a special lens or is it just painted? Could not find any on the silver ones on searches. He also have a Vivitar almost in silver, could not find any on this either... Painted or special edition rare lenses?

[Doug T.]

Hi truls!

My guess would be that he takes them apart, silver plates them, and then puts them back together.

Doug

I just looked, and he's got several on his site, from different makers. He's also got a very good feedback rating, so the people he sells to are happy.
If it were me, I'd gold plate them. It's just as easy.

[Stephen]

I think the best way, if you are interested, is to ask the seller, I hope this sounds sensible not just saying the obvious thing to do,...... what kind of g/tee does he offer?..... are the lens optically guaranteed to be factory specification etc?
I would doubt it is painted, but is nickel plate, which is quite durable. If th work is done carefully, and the re-assembly is good, with an optical bench test, then it will work.
By the look of the picture it is smooth plate, the best would be micro bead blast, then plating, to give the classic optical satin nickel chrome finish the Germans and British used so widely.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

Looking at the Ebay listings he appears not to disassemble the glass elements, removing only the outer parts that are accessible without major surgery. The parts look as though they are micro finest grit blasted, then polished, the corners are a bit more rounded than original. The testing is on a digital camera according to the listing, so this is not a factory operation, more a private individual doing the work.

Stephen.

[lloydy]

My guess is the lenses are buffed on a high speed cloth wheel using abrasive paste. Such as this -



www.metalpolishingsupplies.co.uk/pro-max-aluminium-and-brass-8pc-polishing-kit/

I use the same technique for many items that I make or restore, but NOT lenses. Buffing with the abrasive paste is a fast method of polishing aluminium, but it generates a lot of heat and a large amount of abrasive residue. The heat will melt the lens lubrication, then the abrasive will get forced into the lens - a bad mixture.
I've seen pictures of this guys polished lenses before and on many you can see traces of the black finish that make it obvious the lenses are not dismantled before polishing. In my opinion he's destroying the lenses. Sadly, he has done this with some very nice lenses.

[Stephen]

If he is leaving them solid, then do not touch them, the polish will be everywhere inside! I think he must take apart the outer collars, it is only a few minutes work. You can see the inner scale is still black, that's on the inner barrel around the Helical, and has not been touched.
It is stated they are plated, and that would need absolutely all traces of the paint and the anodised surface removed with micro grit, then bead blasted to work harden the metal, before a polish, then plating with silver, probably nickel, then silver, or copper and silver.
They look over worked, too smooth, rounded edges etc., and as I worked making optical scientific instruments using exactly these methods, in my opinion they are pretty poor finish, spoiling a good lens.

Stephen.

[Randy]

I have a silver Yashica 50mm M42 mount lens, but it isn't that shiney.

[mickeyobe]

As an introvert who doesn't want to show off a glistening piece of equipment for thieves to salivate over I cannot understand why one would want that lovely piece of jewellery stuck on the front of a camera.

Mickey

[hansz]

Am I the only one who dislikes this piece?
It is not a lens, but an ugly looking paper weight...

I like the intrinsic value, but that has nothing to do with photographic equipment, but more with my financial state:-(

ciao, Hans

[Deleted]

It doesn't do anything for me.

[olroy2044]

Why do that to a classic lens?  I'm with Wayne and Hans.  Don't like it!