Leatherette

[julescasablancas]

my 'new' camera needs new leatherette and i have an old leather pouch which can be used. where can i get it done? preferably at low cost as im broke pretty bad

[julescasablancas]

[Rangefinder_fan]

Hey,
its really not that difficult to do it yourself.
Take off the old one, and use it as a template on paper. Test on the camera, make sure that it all seems to fit right before cutting up the bag.
Use alcohol cleaner to get rid of the old glue gunk on the camera.
Several pointers, the thickness of the bag leather versus the original may not be exactly the same, which means that there may need to be some minor adjustments to the template to make it all fit nicely.
Also, how easy the process is also depends on the structure of the camera you are trying to re-furb. Cameras with mainly flat panels (SX70 roid), or even curves (russian FEDs etc) are naturally easier.
But, if I had to re-furb the camera, I'd try to do it myself first.
Which camera is this?

cheers

rf

[julescasablancas]

Originally Posted by Rangefinder_fan Hey, its really not that difficult to do it yourself. Take off the old one, and use it as a template on paper. Test on the camera, make sure that it all seems to fit right before cutting up the bag. Use alcohol cleaner to get rid of the old glue gunk on the camera. Several pointers, the thickness of the bag leather versus the original may not be exactly the same, which means that there may need to be some minor adjustments to the template to make it all fit nicely. Also, how easy the process is also depends on the structure of the camera you are trying to re-furb. Cameras with mainly flat panels (SX70 roid), or even curves (russian FEDs etc) are naturally easier. But, if I had to re-furb the camera, I'd try to do it myself first. Which camera is this? cheers rf

its a voigtlander vitoret. and must i take out the lens first?
(:

[Rangefinder_fan]

Originally Posted by julescasablancas its a voigtlander vitoret. and must i take out the lens first? (:

It looks pretty easy leh. The front just has that little switch thingy, while the back is perfectly clear.
The front switch looks like it can be taken off via a screw, I've zero idea about how the lens comes off but I'd advise against doing that since you’ll likely not be able to get it back together again.
Tools you'll likely need:
- sharp penknife to lift the edges off the old leatherette
- scraper to get the most of the old glue off. Get something wooden, it's less likely to mar the surface
- solvent to get the rest of the glue that cant be scrapped off. I use an alcohol disinfectant that I get from Guardian. Its used to sterilise surgical instruments and dries fast. Lighter fluid works too, and seems to be recommended
- cotton wool or clean-ish rag to wipe off the glue/gunk
- toothpicks. Useful for picking out little bits of glue out of corners.

If you take apart anything, use your hp to take a pix of how the bits come off. I made of mistake of assuming I’d be able to remember how my damn Kiev 60 top cover came off and the job took an hour longer than it should have...

Have fun. Just take your time to do it well.

rf

[julescasablancas]

yeah im on the way getting it done and it turns out to be easy, thanks for your encouragement man

[Rangefinder_fan]

No worries. Am putting together a ever-ready case for my new Fuji gw690. Now that one has a few switches on the front. Headache.

[julescasablancas]

good luck!