Is this worthwhile or even possible??

A

Ash

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Got my beautiful beaten up M2. Bright marks and scratches all over the shop. Otherwise great.

CRR wants about the value of the camera to repaint it and make it look good as new. I
want a cheaper alternative.


Right, is there anywhere that sells replacement M2 top plates and baseplates? I wanted to maybe find black'uns and put them on the camera. I could take the top plate to my local engravers (where I used to buy my zippo collection) and get the engravings done, maybe customise it with my name etc in case of loss - and still have the original parts to replace in case I ever sold the camera.


Anyone know if I'm gonna be jumping into a brick wall if I tried this? Does anywhere sell NOS/replacement top/bottom plates for M2's? Anyone tried it?
 
Ash said:
Got my beautiful beaten up M2. Bright marks and scratches all over the shop. Otherwise great.

CRR wants about the value of the camera to repaint it and make it look good as new. I
want a cheaper alternative.


Right, is there anywhere that sells replacement M2 top plates and baseplates? I wanted to maybe find black'uns and put them on the camera. I could take the top plate to my local engravers (where I used to buy my zippo collection) and get the engravings done, maybe customise it with my name etc in case of loss - and still have the original parts to replace in case I ever sold the camera.


Anyone know if I'm gonna be jumping into a brick wall if I tried this? Does anywhere sell NOS/replacement top/bottom plates for M2's? Anyone tried it?
Click to expand...

Why U want to do that? A beaten up Leica looks much better than a new one! When I got my very heavily used M4p (dings on top plate, paint flaking everywhere) I sent it to Peter at LeicaLuton for a CLA, but no cosmetic fixes thank you very much, It looks great as it is.
 
Go and put a few rolls of film through it ... discover what a zen experience shooting an M2 is ... and then see if you still feel like changing it! 🙂
 
Leave it alone and enjoy it, why change perfection.

Cheers,
Alex
 
markinlondon said:
Forget it, Ash. Just use it, you'll feel better about the dings and scrapes when some of them are your own 🙂
Click to expand...

You're only saying that cos you dropped yours on it's viewfinder 😀 😀
 
So back to the point. I love the feel, I love the look. But IS it possible to modify it?
 
yes you can get the parts, DAG lists some on his website and I see them often on ebay.

I have seen CRR's black paint job and it is awesome. His black paint is a slightly matte finish like an M6 has, it's not a high gloss enamel like a black paint MP.

Keep in mind if you just replace the top and bottom plates all of the other parts (rewind/advance lever, counter bezel, shoe mount, button rewind, etc.) will still be chrome. CRR paints all of these parts.

Keep it as is, the scars make you a better shooter 😉

Todd
 
Ash,

It sure is possible - I used to have the same urge to do this with my M2 - at one point leicaparts on *bay had both a black paint M2 top and a package of black paint parts. Basically everything you needed to convert, minus a black paint base plate. What stopped me from clickin the BIN button? Over 550 USD for everything, plus any costs having it installed.

I guess it would be cheaper than an MP or used black paint M2, but I quickly came to my senses about it -- why concerm myself so much about such things?

Raymond
 
Gipsy said:
Go buy a roll of black gaffers tape!!!! Photographrs my a** everybody who ever owned a chrome Leica knows this.:bang:
Click to expand...
REEEEALLY have no idea what you're on about.



Thanks for the info everyone else. I guess the cost of parts runs up to the cost of a CRR paint job.

I really just wanted to customise the Leica in case of loss, as it looks like it'll be a frequent shooter -> more likely to be stolen!

The dodgy engravings were annoying me (half the black was missing from the lettering) it's now all nice and blank. I left the black in the M2-Serial bit however.

I may as well get an identification engraved on the baseplate. The baseplate's easily replaced unlike the top bit! I know it's permanent, but I'd prefer a name-engraving to a sticker!!
 
Ash, You can get quite a large tin of black enamel paint from the DIY store for about £2.00. A trip to your local Pound Shop will then readily procure a splendid set of 15 high-quality artists' paint brushes. Simply await the next rainy afternoon and bingo, a shiny black Leica! 🙂

This reminds me of the old Boy's Magazine line - "Amaze your family: Come down to breakfast drunk". It is abject madness! Camera's aren't bought to be looked at, they are bought to be seen through! Buy film instead!

Cheers, Ian
 
Fair enough Ian. But no, you must be joking cos no way in hell I'm doing the paint-it-yourself thing again!!
 
Hi Ash,

congrats on your M2.

Most used top and baseplates have rub marks as well, from tripod and lightmeter. You can get them from Don, Youxin, ebay, etc.. A really clean plate will run you more than US 100, and black ones are even more expensive. And black levers, etc. can accumulate to quite a sum as well. On the up side,
the M2 has no internal serial nr identification so matching plate with body
is no problem.

Your M2 doesn't sound bad at all - you didn't mention dings. Unmarked M2s are very rare and quite expensive, unless you are lucky (like Keith ...) If the plates are too expensive, I suggest keeping it as is, have it get a CLA for less than US 100 (Youxin), but maybe change the leather.

Roland.
 
Excellent advice from all the Uncles here Ash. I just bought an M3 and spent several days on Ebay looking for a case that was as beaten up as the camera. They're lovely when they're battered.

I think you know how much the Angels despise people whose leathers look new!
 
Ash

Snide old Irish says you need:-

- Lens cleaning kit and the awareness that leitz used soft glass and 'hard' coating that wont take cleaning... I noted that both you and Kully looked through my gadget bag lenses with some suspicion...
- 39mm light yellow & uv
- lens hood, generic cap
- Rodinal
- wrist strap -- well impressed by Kully's

Alternatively it would be possible to do a cosmetic job on the M2, e.g. Kim has a black M3 just back from CRR after about a year (?) due to various delays, he is extatically happy with it... or replace the plates with new.

A black paint job is only useful if you need the stealth/furtive look, you wont recover the cost if you sell, you will get a premium price, but that wont be recovery. A M4-2 in new collect condition would probably be cheaper route, and apply PVC blake tape to script, as Vince's.

Replacement plates & vulc will be expensive and the M2 will look like new and collectors will want to buy, but there are lots of M2 so you wont recover the cost.

In either event your new toy will be at CRR for some time say e.g. 4m. And you will have to sell your remining cameras, dog, sister(s) to recover the M2 from CRR, when they finish.

Typically a leica will only fail once in 25 years (it snaps a shutter ribbon), but your M2 may be still on 1st shutter blinds some hang on for longer. One M4 lasted from 70 to 05 another from 69 to 78.

One thing you can do is to take up e.g. wedding photography in your gap interval. You will earn some money and become more aware of commercial things. Most of the photogs went to art colleague and studied under a precursor etc. HCB changed from painitng to photo but was never fully satisfied.

Most important is to be happy, and enjoy life the first time around.

Noel
P.S. should I bring a kit and spare bottle of Rodinal on Sat, I've no other spares to hand?
P.P.S. There were only 2000 or so black paint M2, getting an origional black paint top plate pretty impossible, I've only been aware of two black M2 in UK ever, one is on sale currently at 4k, unicorn are more visible at zoos. There is a photo of one on the leicia time slip case advert dont know how luigi did that
 
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Do not do it, that money is better spent on other things. Having said that, if you really want to do it, go to CRR and have it done properly. You get what you pay for.

My most used camera, an M2, looks rather bad. In fact, the store lowered the price by some 30% after people complained it was so ugly! 😀 Mechanically it worked better than the other more expensive (and better looking) M2 and M3 bodies they offered. I love using that camera, a worn M2 is a delight. 😛

/Håkan
 
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