jmkelly
rangefinder user
Folks, when you take off the old back piece you will see a protrusion underneath along the length of it next to the flip-out back. I suggest slipping a razor blade or X-acto knife along the inside to cut this piece free and stick it to your new back before you stick the new back to your camera. I tried to do the same thing with the protrusion on the original front plastic cover next to the card door hinge. I was not sucessful, and now worry a bit about dirt getting into the body through the little gap. Best of luck!
Photorat - where did you get your stingray leather? How thin is it?
Photorat - where did you get your stingray leather? How thin is it?
photorat
Registered Abuser
Samurai R-D1
Samurai R-D1
Well, I got around to it. Here is my Epson R-D1 clad in Japanese stingray (or 'same') leather. I deliberately included the piece of cartilage (from beneath the dorsal fin) both for sex appeal and even better grip.
Unfortunately, my prowess with scissors and a Stanley knife leave a lot to be desired in terms of cutting in straight lines. It would be cool if cameraleather.com offered this precision cut to shape. I found the residue adhesive beneath the original rubber coverings was enough to stick the new leather in place. Perhaps a dab of super glue along the vertical edges is all that is required.
This leather is extremely tough and the grip is unlike any other material I have ever seen (either natural or man-made). Little wonder the samurai used it to cover their sword handles. Here is a quote from www.tropicalleather.com:
"There are very few stingray species that provide suitable leather hides. These are called "scaly species". The skin of these stingrays consists of thousands of tiny rock-hard pearls or scales. This stingray leather is exceptionally strong and by many is called the most durable leather in the world. It's definitely fire, water, tear and "cut" resistant.
The reason of these features lies in the structure of the leather. In regular leather, the fibres of the leather run parallel to each other, whereas in stingray leather the fibres run in all directions. In addition, all the tiny pearls with their roots are grown into the bottom layer of the leather, to the effect that you can neither tear the leather apart, nor cut it easily with a knife."
Samurai R-D1
Well, I got around to it. Here is my Epson R-D1 clad in Japanese stingray (or 'same') leather. I deliberately included the piece of cartilage (from beneath the dorsal fin) both for sex appeal and even better grip.
Unfortunately, my prowess with scissors and a Stanley knife leave a lot to be desired in terms of cutting in straight lines. It would be cool if cameraleather.com offered this precision cut to shape. I found the residue adhesive beneath the original rubber coverings was enough to stick the new leather in place. Perhaps a dab of super glue along the vertical edges is all that is required.
This leather is extremely tough and the grip is unlike any other material I have ever seen (either natural or man-made). Little wonder the samurai used it to cover their sword handles. Here is a quote from www.tropicalleather.com:
"There are very few stingray species that provide suitable leather hides. These are called "scaly species". The skin of these stingrays consists of thousands of tiny rock-hard pearls or scales. This stingray leather is exceptionally strong and by many is called the most durable leather in the world. It's definitely fire, water, tear and "cut" resistant.
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photorat
Registered Abuser
John, it is almost the exact thickness of the original pre-molded rubber of the R-D1 (or slightly thinner), yet supple enough to easily bend it to shape. I would try searching eBay for "same leather", "rayskin" or "stingray leather". You should find both black and white varieties at a reasonable price.
Edit: Here's one
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helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
Don't worry. I've done two SLR's now and it is very easy. If worried, use the 'wet' method as shown on their website. Just take the time to prepare the camera well and remove all the old cover totally. I'm looking forward to it
John
Well I'm taking YOUR WORD and doing it Myself
....changed my order to a 'Natural Lizard'
Quite Coool looking /Blk ,Grey,Creme Tones / For my EXOTIC M2
heres a pix of whats to come....
THANX JOHN
Best-H
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SteveM(PA)
Poser
Oooh diggin' on the Spring Green Kidskin. This is gonna be fun. Thanks Morgan, and thanks John for the HU! I've been checking, but somehow missed it!
So was it someone here who sacrificed their camera to the postal system?
So was it someone here who sacrificed their camera to the postal system?
Johnmcd
Well-known
Well I'm taking YOUR WORD and doing it Myself
changed my order to a 'Natural Lizard'
Quite Coool looking /Blk ,Grey,Creme Tones / For my EXOTIC M2
heres a pix of whats to come....
THANX JOHN
Best-H
Way to go Helen! I have faith in your steady hands.
Now I'm thinking some matching high heels in the same leather for that classy M2 shooter about town...
Cheers - John
Johnmcd
Well-known
Oooh diggin' on the Spring Green Kidskin. This is gonna be fun. Thanks Morgan, and thanks John for the HU! I've been checking, but somehow missed it!
So was it someone here who sacrificed their camera to the postal system?
The spring green looks very smart. I'm still thinking Iberian embossed from the Nikon section.
I think Morgan will be very busy with all us R-D1 tragics who have been waiting patiently with bubbling old rubber grips.
I was also guiltily thinking about the hero who supplied the guinea pig R-D1 for trial. Thanks!
Cheers - John
--
Well-known
Beautiful pictures. On a sidenote - what kind of grip is the pictured one? Looks very convenient & small.
cheers,
karspoul
Johnmcd
Well-known
Have ordered some Levant Black leather from Morgan. I can't believe how hard the glue residue was to get off. What the hell was Epson using? It certainly wasn't too good at keeping the cover on, just stuck like sh*t afterwards
Cheers,
John
Cheers,
John
laptoprob
back to basics
I have some stingray coming too. Probably the black for the Digilux 2 and maybe later the dark red on the R-D1.
@photorat: did you also take the bump rubber off the back of the camera?
@photorat: did you also take the bump rubber off the back of the camera?
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
I ordered griptac from Morgan, but when I got it I realized it was way too thin. He ended up giving me a refund, which I think was very generous. I'm a little gunshy now but I will probably replace it with something thicker once a few of you have successfully done the operation....
jmkelly
rangefinder user
NO KIDDING - this stuff is hard to cut! I picked up a sanded skin - where the bumpy pearls have been sanded down to smooth the finish. Not as grippy, but thinner. I was thinking of using it to recover a Contax II but there is no way this stuff will conform to the bump to the left of the lens mount.
Maybe for the next project - if I can figure out how to cut it. I am not certain I will be able to make a perfectly straight cut with a razor blade or swivel knife through the hard "pearls" grown into the leather. And even when sanded the skin is still about 1mm thick - it may be necessary to skieve the edges with a head knife to make them thin enough to match up to camera body edges.
Aki-Asahi is using laser cutting on some of the more intricate patterns. That may be the ticket for this beautiful but difficult material. I will send him an email asking if he would ever consider offering same.
photorat
Registered Abuser
I didn't dare touch the rear covering. But if it's flat underneath, you could perhaps use the dorsal fin as a thumb rest?
I did manage to cut it relatively easily with a sharp pair of scissors, even with the pearls intact. (edit: It helps if you score a line first on the back with a ruler and stanley knife and then cut through with the scissors).
There are no doubt differences between finishes. There is such a thing as 'fresh' skin (this is usually white). I don't know how they make it black but it probably involves some kind of curing process which might harden the leather. Would be cool if someone could precision cut it. Its thickness is ideally suited to the R-D1.
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laptoprob
back to basics
I did my Digilux 2 first. That camera also has rubber pieces glued to the bocy. These were starting to come off.
The result is a bit bling, but I like it. The doors are almost invisible.
I cut the material with a scalpel. And another.
More on l-camera-forum. More Digilux users there than here.
The R-D1 may get the same material in burgundy red. Kinky!
The result is a bit bling, but I like it. The doors are almost invisible.
I cut the material with a scalpel. And another.
More on l-camera-forum. More Digilux users there than here.
The R-D1 may get the same material in burgundy red. Kinky!
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photorat
Registered Abuser
Goed gedaan, Rob! Same is definitely the way to go.
cam
the need for speed
updates updates!
who's done what?
show me your leather!
who's done what?
show me your leather!
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
I wonder if Morgan is a bit backed up right now...I ordered griptac for a Zorkri more than a month ago and haven't gotten it yet...
Johnmcd
Well-known
I'm still waiting too... for my 'black levant'
John
John
helen.HH
To Light & Love ...
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
John: I think the mahogany would be great on an RD. Take a photo of your camera then drop in that colour in PS and see what you think. On the linked page on Morgan's site, there is (currently) an M8 with the verdigris kid skin ... the actual colour is a bit darker. I have it on my 35SP, and absolutely love it. I think it would look great on an RD-1 as well.
