camera refinishing

[Gordon Coale]

Some people like to remove the chrome and paint their cameras black. Some like to leave the chrome. There is a third option. Underneath that chrome is usually brass. Jurgen sometimes takes the chrome off and just leaves the brass. I thought that a FED might look nice brassy. I hadn't been to Jim Blazik's site for awhile and now I see he had the same idea. Great minds run in the same sewers.

 

[Gordon Coale]

Red or green. Or blue. Or black. Or...

 

[Gordon Coale]

Now if I could only figure out how to get the chrome off without creating a health hazard.

 

[Nick R.]

I saw and handled a brass Zorki in a flea market three weeks ago. It was one of the counterfeit Leicas. Whoever did it, did a great job, very professional looking. Don't think I'd want a brass one for a carrying camera though, maybe a display piece. Copper leaves a odor on your hands, maybe it reacts with the salts and oils on your skin.

A good buffing wheel and compound should get you down to the brass if you want to try yourself.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I have been researching ways to remove plating from and old FED 2 and saw a suggestion that one could take the pieces to a local plating facility. So I have been looking them up here in San Diego. Also learned that you could have a piece powder coated. Which I am seriously considering.

I have a spare parts FED 2, I would like to offer the top plate for greyhound's effort. But. I dont have the tool to get the last bit off that is holding it on. It is the piece that holds the right (left when viewed from front) side lens and port for the rangefinder. I need some sort of collet wrench or spanner. Any suggestions?

 

[Gordon Coale]

I called a local plating facility today and they want a minimum order of $100. I bit pricey for a FED. I'm calling another tomorrow. They also do powder coating.

 

[RML]

I have been researching ways to remove plating from and old FED 2 and saw a suggestion that one could take the pieces to a local plating facility. So I have been looking them up here in San Diego. Also learned that you could have a piece powder coated. Which I am seriously considering.

I'm considering the same thing. I contacted a friend of mine. He works in a motorcycle repair shop. They don't do custom paint jobs but they know several shops that do. When I see him I want to talk to him about it. Perhaps he can help me to have one of my FED's repainted or rechromed. I'm still wondering if chrome can come in different colours or not.

I have a spare parts FED 2, I would like to offer the top plate for greyhound's effort. But. I dont have the tool to get the last bit off that is holding it on. It is the piece that holds the right (left when viewed from front) side lens and port for the rangefinder. I need some sort of collet wrench or spanner. Any suggestions?

I had trouble with that as well. DON'T use pliers! You'll f*ck up the brass ring beyond repair! What you need is a "screw driver" with two legs, like a two-legged fork. I was lucky to be able to fashion one from a piece of metal but it's crude and not really a tool that I can use over and over again. I'll have to put some more effort in creating one, or spend some big money on a ready-made set.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I called a local plating facility today and they want a minimum order of $100. I bit pricey for a FED. I'm calling another tomorrow. They also do powder coating.

Seems very high to me as well. I wonder if a plating shop will fit my work in with another batch to save time and money. Much the same way graphic artists used to piggyback onto larger print runs for savings.

DON'T use pliers! You'll f*ck up the brass ring beyond repair! What you need is a "screw driver" with two legs, like a two-legged fork.

I am about to get out my Dremel tool to fashion a nice solid piece of hard brass I found at a hobby shop into a mini spanner. I did notice, however, that Oleg sells tools for zorkis. 🙂

 

[NoTx]

Powder coating is normally a very think paint... as is a few mm thick. There is another technique, almost as tough, but uses electricity and a thin coat of super tough laquer. It however has been so long I cannot tremember. You could also have peices tripple crome plated (chome-copper-chrome). That is very tough. Good luck!

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Powder coating is normally a very think paint... as is a few mm thick. There is another technique, almost as tough, but uses electricity and a thin coat of super tough laquer. It however has been so long I cannot tremember. You could also have peices tripple crome plated (chome-copper-chrome). That is very tough. Good luck!

Hellow fellow San Diegan! I can work with a 2mm thickness. I saw a few bikes in a local bike shop that were powder coated and they were, in a word, "tight."

I think the FED tolerance are wide enough to allow about 2mm additional thickness.

 

[NoTx]

Hellow fellow San Diegan! I can work with a 2mm thickness. I saw a few bikes in a local bike shop that were powder coated and they were, in a word, "tight."

I think the FED tolerance are wide enough to allow about 2mm additional thickness.

And not just a fellow San Diegan, a fellow Sleepless San Diegan!

Be prepared to drill out any holes. I would also suggest goint to that bike shop, if you continue to have trouble finding a service, and asking if they can include it in their order. If they are privately owned, my bet would be ten to one taking you up on it.

Good luck, and post the results!

 

[2maneekameras]

You should be able to remove the chrome by the process of reverse electroplating. You might also try filling you camera with coffee.( see my posts in the camera and coffee section)

 

[Doug]

2mm is awfully thick for a camera coating! I had some outside railings powder coated a few years ago... I'm sure it's much thinner than 2mm. The stuff is really tough, resistant to scratching and abrasion. I believe it's analogous to a xerographic copier, with a powdered media somehow (electrostatically?) applied to the surface and then melted in place. It should be a good tough camera finish I think, but a few tenths of a mm in thickness should be plenty!

 

[2maneekameras]

It is possible to purchase small powder coating units for small scale use. There is an organization called the Powdercoating Institute. You might try seaching to see if they have a webpresence. Years ago I received printed materials from them, just for the asking.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

You can buy them at Harbor Freight You can aslo buy a powder coat oven there. The powder coating unit is 79 bucks. The oven is 300. Gets pricey when the oven is in the picture. Not shure i would bake camera parts in my stove.

I have had some coffee recently that could etch the plating easily, 😉

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Also see- http://www.caswellplating.com/powder/

 

[Pherdinand]

I always wondered how much it will resist in time if you leave it as plain shiny brass. Brass is easily corroded, and gets un-shiny in days. Then it gets green etc, over longer time, unless you keep it in a closed dry place. You can leave oxide-etched fingerprints on brass surfaces.
As said above, it also has a specific smell.

I don't think it's practical to *not* finish it with paint or chrome etc coating.

 

[Laika]

Now if I could only figure out how to get the chrome off without creating a health hazard.

I've just posted some stuff on that to the repair forum, I hope its helpful.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=50806#post50806

 

[Laika]

One would have to coat the brass with a clear coat.

Yeah the fake gold Leica built on FED/Zorki's (see ebay) are just polished brass with clear coat. I'm guessing the finish would as durable as a painted camera if done well.

 

[kiev4a]

A key to repainting over brass is to (1) never touch the cleaned brass surface with a bare hand and (2) use an "etching primer" -- available at most automotive stores. Jim Blazik is the master of refinishing camera bodies. He has it down to a science.