recovering

nobbylon

nobbylon

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I'm going to do a recover job on my ttl with Aki Asahi 4008. Can anyone suggest a good alternative to rubbing alcohol for the application stage as I can't find any! thx
 
I never did it myself but I heard Purell works wonders (tiny amount though).

Edit : I see you are in NL so you might not have a clue what Purell is :) It is a hand sanitizer, some kind of a gel to clean your hands and I am sure you can find an equivalent in your country.
 
I re-covered a IIIc body with an A-A skin but did not have to use rubbing alcohol. In many applications -- general cleaning, giving injections, etc. -- I have found vodka to be good. It all depends on what you mean by "application stage" and what is the function in it of rubbing alcohol.
 
the stage when i'm actually putting the new cover on and on the site says put some rubbing alcohol on so you can position the new cover as required
 
nobbylon said:
the stage when i'm actually putting the new cover on and on the site says put some rubbing alcohol on so you can position the new cover as required
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Ah, then it's just to dilute the adhesive. Rubbing alcohol is 70% 2-propanol mixed with water, so any alcohol around that concentration should work. Beverages of 140 proof (proof=2X percentage, of ethanol, chemically close to 2-propanol) or more will work, but vodka is only 80 proof, and so may not have the desired effect in this case. Wood alcohol (methanol) or denatured alcohol a mixture of ethanol with other, toxic solvents) should also work.
 
Hi,
Maplin in the U.K.sell IPA(propanol) in an aerosol and 1ltr cans this should be readily available in the Netherlands. Its claimed to be 99.8% pure so would suit your purpose. Google Maplin.co.uk, if you find a problem.

Cheers,

normclarke.
 
When I fixed the A-A skin, I did it lightly at first and could move it about when needed -- pressure was applied only when it was aligned. Of course, your covering may differ from that for the IIIc.
 
Ditto "payasam" above. Use light pressure- make sure it is aligned then really press it down. You use the liquid to keep the adhesive from sticking, and specifically alcohol so you don't trap water between the skin and the camera.
 
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Chris101 said:
Ah, then it's just to dilute the adhesive. Rubbing alcohol is 70% 2-propanol mixed with water, so any alcohol around that concentration should work. Beverages of 140 proof (proof=2X percentage, of ethanol, chemically close to 2-propanol) or more will work, but vodka is only 80 proof, and so may not have the desired effect in this case. Wood alcohol (methanol) or denatured alcohol a mixture of ethanol with other, toxic solvents) should also work.
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Nope. It is not to dillute the adhesive. It is to keep a layer of fluid between the adhesive and whatever you are sticking it to so it won't stick until you can move it into position and make adjustments. It sticks down permanently when the fluid evaporates. The vodka will work, but it won't be as fast (alcohol evaporates faster than water).

Incidentally, other ingredients in 70% rubbing alcohol can include menthol, petroleum distillates, and balsams. It is usually not just water in there with that alcohol. It is why it is not as good a choice as naptha when cleaning shutter blades (sometimes they wind up stickier after cleaning with rubbing alcohol than they were before).
 
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nobbylon said:
I'm going to do a recover job on my ttl with Aki Asahi 4008. Can anyone suggest a good alternative to rubbing alcohol for the application stage as I can't find any! thx
Click to expand...

You're probably not looking in the right place then. Rubbing alcohol (also known as 70% isopropyl alcohol, or 2-propanol) is sold in pretty much every drugstore in the known universe. It is about the most commonly used household antiseptic ever invented. If your drugstore has nothing else, it will have aspirin, cotton balls and rubbing alcohol. However, if you live on Mars and really can't find it, go to a hardware store and get denatured alcohol, a common solvent that most even halfway decent hardware stores will have, and dillute it by 25% with distilled water; that should do pretty much exactly the same thing. If you somehow strike out there too, then try unflavored vodka. Most vodka is made from 43% ethyl alcohol and distilled water, with no other ingredients, and (since both of those will evaporate cleanly) it should work. It will be a little slower than the rubbing alcohol, because it will have less alcohol and more water, but other than the proportions, it is pretty much the same. Finally, there is an alcohol based hand sanitizer called Purell that works very well too. ONLY get Purell brand though, since any other brand will leave a residue (when it evaporates) that may prevent the glue from sticking.

Basically, what you are looking for is a substance that will evaporate cleanly and that will provide a layer of fluid between the glue and whatever you are sitcking it to. This allows you to reposition the leatherette properly and make adjustments before the fluid dries up and you stick it down permanently.
 
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Kim Coxon said:
Ronsonol or Naptha works just as well for me. It is also readily available.

Kim
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WHOA!!!!!!!! Bad idea! The alcohol is only there to create a liquid barrier between the glue and the stuff it is being stuck to. It allows you to reposition the leatherette and make adjustments until the fluid dries up. The naptha could very well dissolve the glue and make it weaker. They are recommending alcohol just because it evaporates fast.
 
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I haven't found that to be the case with either the adhesive Aki uses or indeed that sold by Jon Goodman or indeed the Camera Leather Kits. I find a very small drop is much easier to use than alcohol but each to their own.

Kim

FallisPhoto said:
WHOA!!!!!!!! Bad idea! The alcohol is only there to create a liquid barrier between the glue and the stuff it is being stuck to. It allows you to reposition the leatherette and make adjustments until the fluid dries up. The naptha could very well dissolve the glue and make it weaker.
Click to expand...
 
For what it's worth, I did not bother with any of this when recovering my M3. All I did after removing the original vulcanite was carefuly scrape off the old, dried glue (using a taping knife - the flat trowel-like blade used to apply joint compound to drywall) and then carefully position and apply the new Aki-Asahi cover. Was very easy to position it before applying it. So, in my experiencde, all this business of using some wet layer before finally applying the new covering sounds like a great idea but I didn't bother with it and had no trouble whatsoever. So, don't bother if you can't find what you want to use or don't want to mess with all that.

-Randy
 
I have recovered an M with Aki Asahi covering without this step in the process, worked perfectly for me..
 
There's a good description of the hand sanitizer method on the cameraleather.com website. The working time is longer, but you'll have to babysit it for longer, too. Don't use too much.
 
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