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lukitas

lukitas

second hand noob
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Just got a bit of film developed, so if you should care to take a gander at my gallery...

In the mean time, I decided to dress up my m2 (which will be going in for shutter repair and possible rangefinder adjustment in march)

And I did it all wrong. I decided to go for a 2mm thick rawhide. So I had to start shaving the back of the leather wherever it had to be the regulation 0,5mm thick : around the edges, the buttons, the screws, the lugs. Luckily, mine doesn't have a self-timer. But, because of the thickness in between the shaven spots, the leather has to be stretched a little to reach the edges, and it's actually a good idea to add half a mm or so to each of the edges touching the back door. Here's my first try :

med_U54266I1360702692.SEQ.3.jpg


The loop I stitched on the side was actually quite comfortable, but I didn't really feel at ease with the camera irreversibly stuck to my hand. I imagine some people would like that, so if you do decide to stitch a strap to your camera covering, angle it a little bit forward, so the middle of the top points to the lug, and the rear at the bottom comes in front of the bump on the bottom plate. And it works best with ring finger and pinkie. The major fail on this was that the lens release button refused to budge.

This is my second go. I am a lot happier about this:

med_U54266I1360702693.SEQ.4.jpg


I first tried to glue this one with double-sided tape, but it doesn't stick well enough to support the tension I needed to apply to parts of the leather. I's thick, so, when going around a bend, the outside stretches while the inside tends to shrink. The best way, I found, is to use contact glue, but to do it in consecutive strips : first the flat part on the right, under the frame lever. Then the flat part on the left of the bayonet. The round bits and the back flats can be glued in one go, but you'll have to push and pull and stretch to get it over the lug and the flash mount and then round to the back. and remember the thick parts need a lot more stretching than the thin edges.It's best to be precise about masking the parts you are going to glue. Don't worry about reversibility, the glue will come off the body easily enough.

In conclusion, there is no way to make this into a commercially viable business. The shaving of the leather alone took two days of work. Positioning the leather is a delicate job that requires large(-ish) amounts of force. But it does feel great to handle, my middle and ring finger fall naturally in the indents for the screws. And I like the well-fed look my camera got now. As the leather is close in tone to the chrome of the body, there is a sort of reverse stealth effect, which I find quite appealing.

thanks for letting me ramble on.
 
I think that you should try again using paper first as a template (or finding one online) and use a thinner leather. You may also want to get or borrow some tools for punching out holes more cleanly.

Interesting look but the finishing touches look a little too rough IMO. With a bit of finishing it could look great. You can use sandpaper to burnish the edges (1200 or 3000 grit) or even just a piece of denim or wood. You can use a lighter flame to burn off any of the leather fibers at the edges of the piece.

Try to avoid stretching the leather, as it warps the grain and it will eventually try to shrink back down to the original size, pulling away from the body.
 
paradoxbox said:
I think that you should try again using paper first as a template (or finding one online) and use a thinner leather. You may also want to get or borrow some tools for punching out holes more cleanly.

Interesting look but the finishing touches look a little too rough IMO. With a bit of finishing it could look great. You can use sandpaper to burnish the edges (1200 or 3000 grit) or even just a piece of denim or wood. You can use a lighter flame to burn off any of the leather fibers at the edges of the piece.

Try to avoid stretching the leather, as it warps the grain and it will eventually try to shrink back down to the original size, pulling away from the body.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was hoping for some advice.
I'm still hoping to find an easier way to glue, something with enough give to allow for some adjustment, but then bonds very fast. Does anybody know of a glue like that?

I have used the right punches on the second version. the one without the loop.
And I'm still in love with the feel of thick leather. Of course, with thick leather some stretching and some compression are inevitable, as it goes around the bends at the end. As they happen along the same stretch of leather, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Adding a bit of length to the back ends is a no brainer, the question is : should I reposition the holes for the lugs, and if so, by how much? I shave off the back, so the front gets pressed to the back, and there is a slope between the 2mm thick leather and the point of contact with the lug, right where the body curves.
Can this be calculated, or do I just push at it till it fits?
I hope to get it right the next time - I've got an M3 coming that really needs a new skin; about a quarter of it is missing.
So please, if anyone has any knowledge to give about sticking leather to leica's, please do.
 
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well most people working with leather just use leather glue which you can buy at any shop that sells leather. it's a strong glue but it turns into a kind of rubbery consistency when dry. it's not so strong that the leather can't be removed later, and the rubber just peels off.

that being said though if you stretch leather then glue it, you're going to have problems later on say in a few months or years - the leather will peel off at the edges because of the tension and wear. i really recommend a different thickness of leather, something a little thinner, and you may want to experiment with different kinds of leather such as chrome tanned rather than vegetable tanned to see if you prefer the feel.

even with the bends / curves the leather should be cut to the perfect shape before you apply it to the camera rather than having to stretch it on.

the shaving you mentioned is called skiving in leatherwork and it's a routine thing to do when joining two pieces of leather. basically it is an art that takes a lot practice to get right, just do the best you can.

why don't you try making a mockup out of some masking tape - cover your camera completely in masking tape, position everything perfectly and get the size just right including around the lugs, then cut off the tape and use it to make a perfect pattern for cutting your leather.
 
Sort of like a Flintstone's version of a Leica 🙂

If you have a leather hide supplier near you. They should have a leather splitter. This is used for thinning hides.

See if they will thin your leather to the proper thickness needed.

DON
 
I like scarface.

The camera has a dent or two and and a scratch or three, and the leather is meant to mottle with use. Scarface is perfect, I think I'll use it.

Thank you for 'skiveing'. Love to do that off work 😉

I did make a template by sticking masking tape on the body. In fact, I made two, the second one is more precise.

It begins to feel as if I were committing a faux-pas : One just doesn't put thick leather on a camera. Well, I have a perverse bent of mind, and I will go on trying to get the capitoné feel right. sorry.

The front certainly doesn't need any stretching, it is flat, everything should fall into place, with a bit of fiddling around the buttons and levers.

As the leather is about 2mm thick. It's median in thickness actually follows a shape that is 2 mm wider and deeper than the shape the mask is made on.
The inside surface can (theoretically) just follow the mask one on one, but the outside is 4 mm (!) wider and deeper. Stretching cannot be avoided on the outside, even if you can compress the inner surface, which I doubt. It may be possible to cut out thin vertical wedges regularly spaced around the bends, to achieve some compression

I will make a mask of the covered body, see how that compares to the mask from the naked body. I'm expecting the cutouts for the lugs and the bottom plate to be a little out from the screws, the back to be longer by about a millimeter at each end, and maybe the height will be a few hundredths longer at top and bottom. Let's see how that goes.

Do you have a name for the glue you describe?

Thanks everyone

lukitas
 
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hi lukitas,

sorry i'm not sure of the name of the glue but any store that sells leather will have it. it's just called leather glue by most people.

when you are cutting your leather you could consider adding a little extra material to the margins / edges (i.e. 1mm border) to allow for a better fit without stretching.

skiving is also a possible option to help the fit, but in the end i think that just using a thinner leather will really be the best choice.

for what it's worth, i make around 1/4 of my living from making and selling leather goods including shoes which are very full of skives and curves and stress points in the leather.
 
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