What`s a Good Wax/Cleaner etc. for dull dirty vintage painted cameras?

[LeicaTom]

Hello Folks!

I just bought a 45' IIIC K Grey that has some paint issues, it`s a dirty camera that`s going to have a full CLA etc. etc. and it will be a "user" not a china cabinet collectable........

I need some suggestions on the proper cleaning and if there`s any way to "freshen" up the look of this top plate without damaging the paint
(a gentle high grade car polish for lacquer jobs?)

I have done the traditional isopropyl alcohol on it already to remove dust and grime and the paint just looks flat and dirty, what can be done to bring some life to it and also preserve the paint as well, while it will be one of my "user" cameras.

Thanks in advance 😀


Tom

 

[Bill58]

I use Renaissance products wax polish on my cameras' painted and chrome/aluminum surfaces. See http://www.picreator.co.uk/. It's available at most good hardware stores in the USA.

 

[LeicaTom]

Any other suggestions????

I know there`s more people out there with original painted cameras 😀

Tom

 

[Nikon Bob]

I have used Johnson's paste wax for floors.

Bob

 

[FallisPhoto]

Any other suggestions????

I know there`s more people out there with original painted cameras 😀

Tom

When you say your paint is dull and flat, do you mean oxidized and rough? If so, you really need to use polishing compound on it, to get rid of the oxidization. You can't polish sandpaper. Only after that can you wax it, if you want to. Any good untinted automotive wax, with a hard finish, that you buff to a shine, is good -- Simonize, Turtle Wax, Diamond-Hard, and etcetera. Blue Coral used to be great, until they changed their formula and ruined it.

Alternatively (again after using the polishing compound), there are chemical protectants that bind with the paint to make it more durable, like Star-Shine. It isn't Star-Shine's primary purpose (which is to make your paint hard as glass), but it makes paint shiny too.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Wow, Tom. Shiny or not, I'm in lust over that camera! You find the best stuff!

 

[Rui Morais de Sousa]

Hi Tom,
Maybe a silly question: aren't military things usually painted dull matt?
I mean, maybe making it shine takes away the autenticity...
I never saw shining military stuff!
I didn't know about Renaissance products, but they surelly look great. I would like to give them a try.
Cheers,
Rui

AL-MOST-LY PHOTOGRAPHY

 

[FallisPhoto]

I never saw shining military stuff!

Military combat stuff tends to be flat. Military dress stuff tends to be shiny.

 

[newspaperguy]

Tom, I've had decent results with silicone spray - onto a rag, not directly on the camera - old toothbrushes (soft ones) and t-shirts. Leaves a lustre, not a shine.

I hate cotton balls because of the residue they leave... but, that's me.

Whatever floats yer boat.

 

[Rui Morais de Sousa]

Military combat stuff tends to be flat. Military dress stuff tends to be shiny.

Where does a Leica will fit?
If you use it under fire, maybe on the first...
If you use it to photograph the generalia maybe on the second, for the propaganda ministerium or whatever...
I am too lazy to check up, but I guess that this particular camera should be around WWII (?).
Nice camera anyway...
Cheers,
Rui

 

[Melvin]

My vintage guitar repair book says lighter fluid is the safest cleaner for nitro-cellulose finishes. I had a luthier tell me never to use silicone on nitro finishes. I wouldn't put anything on it, like wax. It just ends up being crud in the long run, and has a sticky feel.
I think a black or grey nitro finish, without a clear coat, is naturally going to show fingerprints etc. It's the polyester finishes that have the "bowling ball" gloss.

 

[Wimpler]

I apply machine oil and then wipe it off. I use this to clean chrome cameras as well. I only know very very few paints it will damage, and over time you learn to recognize them.

 

[literiter]

Novus plastic polish #2 will do an acceptable job of cleaning/shining the paint on my black Nikon F2. It is used to put the final polish on clear acrylic plastics like aircraft windows etc. It removes just a tiny bit of paint and adds a small amount of hard wax.

I apply with my fingers, rubbing carefully then remove and buff lightly with a cotton cloth. Works quite well.

Novus Inc.
Minneapolis Mn.
USA

 

[LeicaTom]

WOW!

This thread just blew up didn`t it? 😀

Well, the Leica Grey paint is a Luftwaffen Color that was used in the interiors of Aircraft and also towards the end of the war as camo on the outside of the aircraft as well, I`m pretty sure that it was NITRO-LACK and it`s a semi-gloss looking paint, not shiny, but also not dull, it has a certain "sheen" to it.
(and well some "old timer" Grey collectors still say there`s two different tones of the RLM paint they used, but my 1943' and my "other" 45' IIIC K pretty much match shades, and they were made two years apart from one another).

I think I`m going to have Youxin try a jeweler's rouge on the camera before he puts it back together, as I`m not 100% sure, this camera`s very odd, the paint looks original but then it also looks like it was "treated" before somehow?

The collector who owned this camera, also had a 1957 Leica MP BLack "refinished" by Leitz in the 1970`s (totally ruined it`s resale value) so I would`nt have put it past him to have tampered with this paint as well, it`s well really hard to tell either way, and I`ll be glad to have this one back, as it`s going to be a fun user. 😀

Thanks Everyone For Their Input!

Tom

PS: Ohh and cotton balls suck.......but that`s what I use too, just have to look over the camera real well afterwards.

 

[FallisPhoto]

What kind of trouble exactly? I apply the oil very carefully, and sparingly, and wipe it off _completely_ after a few seconds. I find it dissolves dirt, smudges, etc that no other none abrasive method can. Lighter fluid, alcohol, ... damages paints in more cases then the oil I use does.

Uh... Lighter fluid is distilled out of the machine oil you use.

 

[Bill58]

If the camera is really dirty, I'd use a little liquid dishwashing detergent in a water solution w/ a soft toothbrush and Q-tips to clean first before applying any wax. You might have to repeat several times to get all the dirt/ grime off.

 

[FallisPhoto]

I hate cotton balls because of the residue they leave... but, that's me.

Whatever floats yer boat.

It's a lot easier to remove a few cotton fibers than it is to remove the crud you were using the cotton balls to clean up. I just haven't found anything else that will get into a tight space with a liquid cleaner as well as they will. Brushes will do it, but not as well. They are good for removing the cotton fibers though.

 

[Bill58]

"To my eye waxed cameras look like hell, and they smell awful. I simply will not buy waxed cameras, unless I plan on a complete cleaning." That's the nice thing about the Renaissance wax--it doesn't LOOK like a waxed surface (painted or bare metal) and has zero odor.

 

[LeicaTom]

Youxin`s going to try some jeweler's rouge on the camera before it goes back together, I think after it`s been dissasembled we`ll be able to tell if the camera`s been repainted/touched up etc.?

I just can`t wait till the cameras back and it`s time to shoot, I should have it`s Elmar CLA shortly and also a few other lenses will be coming back as well 🙂

Tom

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

Well then another question...I have couple of wear marks and oxidized parts on chrome parts of my Canon IIb and Leica IIIc. Is there any way to fix it? to hide at least?

Do I have to repaint all over? What kind of paints the repairmen use? Is there anyway to find it?