Butchering a never-ready case.

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POSTI-Tuomo

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A thought crossed my little mind: What if I took this beaten case of my Zorki to a cobbler and had him remove the original studs from the top cover's bottom attachment and replace them with snap fasteners? That way I could have a never-ready/half-case, cost effectively! I actually asked a local cobbler not that long ago that how much would it cost to repair the case, and he said 25 Euros... I don't think I'll be having enough money for a Luigi's and the Zorki case is already in a state of disrepair (stitches coming apart etc). So modifying my case wouldn't be that sacrilegious either...

Has anyone modified their Zorki cases in this way before? Is it completely unheard of?
 
Tuomo

You should be able to get the press studs and do it yourself, if you have a vice or even pliers. The only alternative is a Zorki 2, which has carriers for split rings.

Noel
 
So, I didn't invent the wheel here, now did I? 😀 Well, I think I could've installed the snap fasteners by myself, but re-stitching the leather back together is beyond my skills... To the cobbler's! Vorwärts!
 
I've done this to most of my cases. Even stitched them back together when needed. If you can find a well stocked crafts shop they may have leather working supplies. I bought a decent package of snaps that even had the die and press parts that you smacked with a hammer to fasten each snap end to the leather work. Makes it handy to have a full case for protection when needed and "snap", you have a half case to shoot with.

I'm almost out of my supply of snaps, I'll need more. I'm getting ready to restitch a Zeiss Super Ikonta case and modify it with snaps for a half case.

Cheers,

Russ Pinchbeck
 
I'm a bit more barbaric about this, I don't generally use half cases but for the FED5 (no strap lugs🙁 ) I simply cut the top part off. With the FED3 I recently got, the case was too nice to deface like that but, thankfully, the case from the 5 fits well so I can just switch cameras in and out of the case. And the much nicer, real leather(? not positive about that but it's certainly better than the FED5 case) case for the FED3 cans sit on the closet shelf to be reunited with the 3 if ever I decide to pass it along.
The cases that came with my other FSU cameras are stored similarly.
Rob
 
I gathered some courage and slowly reached for the scissors...Off with the top, snip! 😀
Result: an actually usable half-case for the Z1. The patient is recovering well from the surgery. Here's a proof:

halfcase.jpg

I figured that the case was in a poor condition anyway, so to get any practical use out of it, this was the way to go. Cheap and easy.
 
Looks like you have a nice case for yours as well. Much nicer than the two I had for my 4k
 
Ash said:
Looks like you have a nice case for yours as well. Much nicer than the two I had for my 4k
Click to expand...

Well, the bad parts aren't really visible there. The insides are absolutely rotten, it seems. "Plush" peeling off and stitches undo themselves with no warning... By and large, having the camera attached keeps it from falling apart.

PS. Had to make 3 more holes to the neck strap, looks like it was designed to be used by Siberian bears or something. Just too long. Needless to say, it got the scissor-treatment as well. 😉
 
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