Well, speaking of the 530/2, it is as you can see aesthetically challenged. If I wanted to remove some of the cosmetic rust, say on the folding cover, what might work best, and what sort of paint could one use to approximate the original glossy black?
there are a couple of paths you could take Will,
of course the first is just to leave it as it is and get used to the idea that she's seen better days. the brassing on the top looks ok to me, the rust on the front bed is somewhat unattractive as you say. the original paint was a nitrocelulose black laquer that dries quick and is very durable and glossy
as for painting there are two basic alternatives from my experiance so far. the most common route taken is to use an enamel (auto enamel in most cases works). some others here have done that fairly extensively such as FallisPhoto and will have tips no doubt.
some people would sand the paint/ rusted surfaces with progressively finer material until (idealy) perfectly smooth without removing any leather covering and simply masking up. others would peel back the edges or remove the covering to paint. the enamel takes some time to dry, lightly baking in a box with a 100 watt globe can help. also you would need to treat the rusted metal surface with a rust convertor product as well, just as you would if painting an automobile
if you just did the front door, it would tidy it up a bit but of course it would be apparent that it was done. it will look different to the rest
to repaint the camera properly is a big job (more than what people often think-and particularly for this camera) and there are limitations of what you can do concerning the struts, the top veiwfinder is difficult/fidely as well. after some searching i found a nitro.. black laquer that is made virtualy the same as the original, or so the old guy that makes it told me, with the exception that some modern subitutes for the celulose materials used back then (such as old neg film stocks ect) are employed instead. if you were to use this you would need to source it somewhere near where you are (hazchem/ hazmat shipping).
its advantages are that it looks original-glossy, easy to apply, dries quick and is far harder and more durable than enamel. the down side is its more dificult to obtain, more
toxic-health risks (this shouldn't be under estimated) and much more expensive.
for a one off camera, its not really economical either, it would probably work out cheaper and easier to buy a camera in good condition to begin with. not counting, if you include what your time spent may be worth
you cant buy a tiny amount such as some people manage to do with enamel. additioaly you need some other preperation substances for the metal surfaces ect before the laquer goes on, as well as solvents/thinners. then you need an airbrush which is not the average (cheaper) airbrush either , it requires the teflon seals so it can be cleaned with the solvents. using enamel would still require the more expensive airbrush, unless you treat it as more or less disposable, as the thinners for it will still damage the seals in the airbrush sooner or later.
