Contax IIa rusty and green chrome removal

Well I finished the project. It turned out pretty good. The camera itself is great, the shutter, rangefinder, etc. are all working great so the exterior was basically the only problem.

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brass areas all cleaned and polished.

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follow the instructions with the kit. the results are almost immediate. brush in strokes, brush - lift, brush - lift etc..., don't rub back and forth.

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after plating

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before and after. I only paid $48 for the camera but it's priceless to me.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
 
Vintage35 said:
what is KET alcohol?
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KET, or Spiritus Ketonatus...euh...it's a high purity ethanol based alcohol for desinfecting skin and instruments. I use a 96% pure version for cleaning non-plastic surfaces on cameras.

But I guess it's called something else in the rest of the world. IPA should work just as well on dissolving verdigris.
 
Mr_Flibble said:
KET, or Spiritus Ketonatus...euh...it's a high purity ethanol based alcohol for desinfecting skin and instruments. I use a 96% pure version for cleaning non-plastic surfaces on cameras.
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Ketonated alcohol is just a Scandinavian term for denatured alcohol, and in modern times it contains both MEK and denatoniumbenzoate, so it leaves some residue!
 
Hi,

Here's an example of the problem " IPA should work just as well on dissolving verdigris" as IPA means Indian Pale Ale to me and other imbibers...

Perhaps we should give the chemical formulas as even the chemical names change over the years.

Regards, David
 
I think I like David's IPA better, I'm going to try that one.

Nice looking job on the plating! What is the metal that it put down?
 
rick oleson said:
Nice looking job on the plating! What is the metal that it put down?
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Thanks Rick, I'm not sure what you mean by that so I'll give two answers...

(1) The "wand" under the Handy Wipe towel is stainless steel. you plug one end of the 4.5 volt transformer into it, the other end clips onto the work, you wipe with the wand onto the object to be plated.

(2) it is actually Nickle plating with some 'bluing' added to mimic chrome. The explanation on the website is, normally nickle is put down first (or copper I've heard elsewhere) then the actual chrome. Since this is a touch up kit for hobbyists they simplified the process by adding some bluing agent to the nickle to make it less 'warm', eliminating the need for nickle first then chrome.

The site does have real chrome and gold or anything you would want actually. some 'packages' run as much as $10,000!
 
I was never a fan of IPA. A fine stout was more to my liking. But yes, isopropyl is what I use.

Good work on the plating, Richard. You'll definitely get your $48.00 worth out of it, plus whatever the kit cost. Just don't try sticking a J-12 on it.

PF
 
Thanks Phil I plan on using the kit on other cameras so the cost is somewhat split..LOL
in my drinkin' days, one of my favorites was an "Oatmeal Stout" from a local micro brewery
 
Thanks, yes, that answered my question - I assumed it couldn't be chromium, but the color looks good. The 'bluing' additive would explain that. The usual application of chromium was called "Triple Chrome" plating: first copper, then nickel, and then chromium. Copper sticks well to steel, nickel sticks well to copper, and chromium sticks well to nickel. With a brass substrate, the copper can be left out. Chromium, of course, is pretty toxic stuff, and although it is still done, there's a lot less of it done today than back when we didn't know about such things.
 
Vintage35 said:
Phil, I haven't opened up the top yet but, it arrived today and I don't think it's as bad as it looks in this image (original eBay listing photo) The rest of the camera is like new, the bottom plate looks new, the inside of the film chamber is very clean, the RF looks good, the shutter slats look like new and it is very quiet. I'll have this one looking good. It functions well too, well worth the $48 I paid for it!

Going to try NevrDull or Navel jelly
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NevrDull would be my suggestion. Won't do any harm and will give you a good idea of what the next step should be. If all else failed, I'd take the camera apart and have the chrome re-plated if possible. Here in the eastern Pittsburgh, PA area there are several shops that can do the job.

Nice snag; good luck!
 
It is, but it's based on the PRE-war Zeiss Biogon.
That's why it'll fit on the Contax II and Kiev derivatives, but not on the Contax IIa/IIIa.
The rear element of the J-12 extends too far back on them, so it would hit the light baffles/shutter.

The Biogon 35 mm lens was later redesigned for the IIa/IIIa.
 
Mr_Flibble said:
It is, but it's based on the PRE-war Zeiss Biogon.
That's why it'll fit on the Contax II and Kiev derivatives, but not on the Contax IIa/IIIa.
The rear element of the J-12 extends too far back on them, so it would hit the light baffles/shutter.

The Biogon 35 mm lens was later redesigned for the IIa/IIIa.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I didn't know that. My J-12 is a M39/Leica mount but now I won't go looking for one for my Contax
 
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