Camera Case

[ully]

Why does the case on these old cameras stink. Doesn't get any better.

Thanks

 

[alternatve]

All leather stink after a while. That's the problem of using organic material.

Are there any leather workers in RFF to advise us on how to combat this? Thanks.

 

[payasam]

Practically untreated, raw leather is still used for shoes in India's villages. Thirty-five years ago I bought a pair and wore them, and I cannot say if my feet were more chafed or my olfactory apparatus. I did not then know that it was routine to liberally apply vegetable oil several times to the leather. In the West, saddlery shops stock products aimed at softening leather and making it last longer. These substances, all oily, penetrate into the fibres and lessen the otherwise unholy stink.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Am I alone in actually liking the smell of leather ? Even FSU cases ?

🙄

 

[POSTI-Tuomo]

I like the musty smell. Once in a while, I find myself sucking on the strap of my Zorki case.

 

[ully]

funny

funny

I like the musty smell. Once in a while, I find myself sucking on the strap of my Zorki case.

That creates a funny image, maybe you can post it. Richard Ullakko

 

[Xmas]

The middle year Kiev cases do smell bad and it may be the process the FSU used to cure the leather. The later 4M cases are black, have a larger snout for the H103 lens, are softer leather dont smell so bad, and are much nicer.

Zeiss cases from pre WWII are ok so it is a FSU smell.

Noel
P.S. must be cruel to your dog.

 

[POSTI-Tuomo]

That creates a funny image, maybe you can post it. Richard Ullakko

Hehheh, maybe I will. But the moment begs to be captured while I'm not aware of being photographed.

By the way, are you of Finnish descent? Your family name suggests so!

 

[ZorkiKat]

Am I alone in actually liking the smell of leather ? Even FSU cases ?

🙄

The "stink" is part of FSU camera legacy. It is there to be appreciated, an acquired taste, so much like limburger cheese or 'stinky' tofu! 😀

Jay

 

[fidget]

Hmmm, all my FSU leather cases but one (a bit too musty for me) smell great. A little hint of disinfectant in the aroma? Someone posted here that the leather was treated with something organic of a human source and ...er.....very easy to come by, preposterous! Might not chew on mine though!

 

[ZorkiKat]

All leather stink after a while. That's the problem of using organic material.

Are there any leather workers in RFF to advise us on how to combat this? Thanks.

You can hang the case outdoors, in the shade, for some time. After about a week or two of exposure, the smell will be gone. At least this works in the tropics.

BTW, have you received the shutter blind yet?

Jay

 

[POSTI-Tuomo]

Soviet leather is a great source of protein in leaner times!

You can also brew tasty tea from those cases, rich in tannin, you know!

 

[ZorkiKat]

Someone posted here that the leather was treated with something organic of a human source and ...er.....very easy to come by, preposterous! Might not chew on mine though!

Must be the 'bating' step which follows liming. Traditionally, hide is treated with a solution of fermented dog or chicken poop after it's gone through lime for hair and epidermis removal. It would be possible to use similar stuff which came out from something else 🙂. Whether such is used or some other, more pleasant substitute (usually something rich in lactic acid) would depend really on who made the leather and what they had on hand. Several steps follow bating, and these are enough to neutralise whatever the hide went in before it was tanned to leather.

Jay

 

[POSTI-Tuomo]

Traditionally, hide is treated with a solution of fermented dog or chicken poop after it's gone through lime for hair and epidermis removal. Jay

Hahah, so that's why the taste is a bit tangy!

 

[alternatve]

You can hang the case outdoors, in the shade, for some time. After about a week or two of exposure, the smell will be gone. At least this works in the tropics.

BTW, have you received the shutter blind yet?

Jay

Hey, yea, been meaning to talk to you about it. Sent you a PM.

 

[ully]

Hehheh, maybe I will. But the moment begs to be captured while I'm not aware of being photographed.

By the way, are you of Finnish descent? Your family name suggests so!

Yes, both my parents were born in Finland. I still have relatives there. I would love to make a trip to Finland one of these years. Thanks Richard

 

[POSTI-Tuomo]

Yes, both my parents were born in Finland. I still have relatives there. I would love to make a trip to Finland one of these years. Thanks Richard

That's interesting, Richard. Did your parents speak Finnish at home so you could learn both English and Finnish?

 

[brachal]

I think the smell is a combination of old leather, FSU grease, and -- most importantly -- cigarette smoke. I like the smell, althought I've never been tempted to taste a case.

 

[ully]

That's interesting, Richard. Did your parents speak Finnish at home so you could learn both English and Finnish?

My parents didn't speak to much Finnish at home except when they didn't want us to know what they were talking about. I did manage to learn a little and of course all the swear words. 🙂

 

[ruben]

Why does the case on these old cameras stink. Doesn't get any better.

Thanks

Hi Ully,
I happen to own about a dozen cases, half of them for the cameras I bought and the other half purchased to build my straps and use their flat superb screws. Not a single one of them stinks, nor those of my Iskras. That is the truth. Some of them even have a nice odor.

Cheers,
Ruben