pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
Hey again everyone. I love my M4-P but there's something about all the branding on this camera that's quite off-putting. I plan to re-skin the camera with new vulcanite without the ugly red "Leitz" logo. I also taped it all up with gaffers tape which sort of does the trick, but I feel like that's a temporary solution. Is there a service that could take off the branding on the top plate of the camera? Is it possible? I'd like my M4-P to be as close as possible to an M-A with an M4 rewind. (Sorry if I wasn't clear enough in the original post, what I mean was is there a way to fill in the engravings so it's completely filled in and smooth, not just remove the paint inside the engravings.)
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Beemermark
Veteran
Why not get a can of black spray paint?
lonemantis
Well-known
If it's a black chrome or silver chrome camera, you can remove paint from the engravings with pure acetone on a q-tip. You might need a few, depending on how tough the paint is, but it will usually dissolve eventually. Don't try this on black paint, though!
If you ever changed your mind, it could easily be re-filled with new paint.
If you ever changed your mind, it could easily be re-filled with new paint.
Dralowid
Michael
If it is a chrome camera suntan cream will remove the paint in the lettering!
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
A piece of black tape did the trick for me.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
OP reminds me late Soviet people who tuned their Ladas to look like Mercedes.
Some of them never did this, but worked to get real Mercedes.
For those who can’t get M-A, but wanna be, I recommend to sell M4-P, get M before M4-P and have it send for professional re-painting with engravings filled by soldering.
Some of them never did this, but worked to get real Mercedes.
For those who can’t get M-A, but wanna be, I recommend to sell M4-P, get M before M4-P and have it send for professional re-painting with engravings filled by soldering.
pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
Here's the answer I was looking for! Haha, that's a great comparison. College student here so I gotta fake it 'til I make it. So, pro repainting and soldering is the way, huh? Where might I go for that? Krauter? YYE? DAG? I think Cameraworks UK might offer this but I'm NJ based so I'd rather stay in the states.
pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
I taped mine up too but I was looking for something more enduring. I do like the "gritty" look though.
pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
black here, why only on chrome cameras?
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
Find a dentist or dental student friend and see if you can get some amalgam. It'll flow right in there, harden up and you'll be good to go. Of course, it may be black... You could find some silver colored art material like sculpy and fill it in with that. Take the camera to an art store and talk to the person there with the most experience in tinkering with stuff. You'll get it figured out. You could always slap some Bondo in there too.
Phil Forrest
Phil Forrest
pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
thanks for the tips!
pushto1600
Certified Camera Owner
Hmm... such a simple solution, very interesting. If there's a chance I could do this myself this way I could save hundreds. Thanks! I'll definitely look into this!
BillBingham2
Registered User
Nail Polish perhaps? Easy to replace when chipped, perhaps easier to find matching color too.
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
peterm1
Veteran
Assuming your camera is silver.....An art store near me (so I assume many will do likewise) sells super fine metallic powders (bronze, silver etc). But the "silver" one is actually powdered aluminium and I am not by any means certain it will stay silver over time. I have, however, mixed the bronze metallic powder with epoxy for the purpose of making a kind of Japanese inspired repair to a porcelain object which was cracked. This kind of fix is called kintsugi (gold repair) and is intended to be obvious as it become part of the design. I own but have not yet tried to use the aluminium powder in the same manner. But you might be able to experiment and find out how it performs.
If your camera is black similar black oxide powders can also be found at the same place. Even cheaper though (and I expect exactly the same but in bigger containers at a lower price) are the colored oxides used to tint mortar and cement. Such oxides are stable and cheap to buy. But you would need to experiment with what epoxy or pouring compound to use to mix it with and in what proportions. BTW bubbles are a problem with acrylic pouring compounds and require a deft hand to avoid. Also not enough oxide and it will not be completely black. Too much and it will be excessively soft. (I have tried using this stuff with black oxide in it to cast something and know the pitfalls).
In either event I doubt you will be able to make the change invisible without sanding the result flat and level with the top plate and then painting over the lot.
A kintsugi piece. (Just to see what I am talking about)
B-9
Devin Bro
Get a M4 top plate.
If you want no script at all - better save the pipe dreams for plumbers until you can afford to be the plumber.
If you want no script at all - better save the pipe dreams for plumbers until you can afford to be the plumber.
Phil_F_NM
Camera hacker
halfaninchawater
Established
If it’s a black camera you use use a black “Lacquer Stick” to fill in the lettering. There are videos online showing how to use them. They are available from Micro Tools. Its paint so it will last and is still reversible if needed. It’s better than black tape. May not be your permanent solution but the cost is relatively cheap.
Hope it helps!
Hope it helps!
aizan
Veteran
You can remove the current finish, fill in the engravings (soldering, bondo, etc.), then repaint the camera either black or silver (Kanto can do silver).
ChrisC
Established
If it's white paint on black body; just use a black marker pen to blacken the white lettering, and clean off any overspill on the camera. I did this to the 'made in ....' graffiti on the back of my M8 [great improvement].
I have another digi-M and whilst it was in Wetzlar I asked for no white paint infills. If you ask nicely Leica can infill scripts with white, yellow, black, or red. I always thought the Leica script white on black to be ugly and vulgar corporate graffiti, but my warm yellow on black looks subtler and classy.
.............. Chris
I have another digi-M and whilst it was in Wetzlar I asked for no white paint infills. If you ask nicely Leica can infill scripts with white, yellow, black, or red. I always thought the Leica script white on black to be ugly and vulgar corporate graffiti, but my warm yellow on black looks subtler and classy.
.............. Chris