Zorki 4 body paint

[aeroplaneclinic]

Hi there, I've acquired a Zorki 4 recently, and not exactly in the best condition ever. Seems like it will need to be disassembled and cleaned, but at least I have an idea of how to do that. However, there's also a rather odd problem with the black paint (mostly on the outside, but also a little on the inside) - it's really sticky, and in fact seems to be soft, I can pretty much scratch it off with my fingernail.

Has anyone encountered this problem before, and if so, is there anything that can be done about it apart from stripping the paint and repainting the affected areas?

 

[karlori]

Strip the paint and keep it at that. No Zorki 4 was made with black paint as far as I know.

 

[camperbc]

I have never seen a Zorki with black paint. I would suggest stripping it down, back to it's original finish.

Glen

 

[DNG]

Why not give it decent Black Paint job.
The Zorki 4 is no collector camera, so why not?

 

[aeroplaneclinic]

Strip the paint and keep it at that. No Zorki 4 was made with black paint as far as I know.

Well, what I mean is, the black paint on the borders surrounding the leatherette, and to an extent also the black paint inside the camera. Actually it's the stickiness inside that bothers me, because it seems like it will probably get transferred to the film if I get the camera to working condition and put a roll through it. It's odd, it just feels like paint that hasn't finished drying, but it's been like this for about a month now.

 

[DNG]

Could have been that the body was not prepared properly, and/or the wrong paint might have been used...
Do disassemble this, and strip it and degrease it, and prepare it properly for the right paint.

 

[fanshaw]

I would guess that a previous owner has tried to improve the look of the camera for sale by painting it, but has used the wrong sort of paint. I suppose it might be possible to harden the paint by stripping the camera and baking the affected parts in an oven on low heat.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Wow that sounds like somebody really botched a paint job. I think I would be tempted to throw it in the parts bin and find another... But if you're rebuilding it anyway, I think stripping it completely and starting over is the way to go. I would use RemovAll which is a non-toxic, non-corrosive paint stripper originally developed for aircraft. It's about $10 for a spray can but the stuff is such an amazing time-saver it's worth it.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Won't it need an acid etch, primer and then paint? It could be difficult to get the acid etch in small quantities.

Regards, David