Fed 2 Painting job

[mpaniagua]

Hi there! Im been a b&w photographer for a long time but I've used mostly SLR, especially Olympus OM's series (love all the suiko lens!) and Nikon. But just recently been turned to the rangefinder side. I really like how they relay only on mechanics and nothing electronic. Got a Fed 2c and a Zorki -S and Zorki 1 are on their way. I would like to give the Fed 2 a painting job. Do anyone have suggestion? Painting the recessed letters are a puzzle to me. Any idea? Thanks

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Welcome aboard.

A quick and dirty solution is to mug a kid and steal their crayons. Then rub gently into the groove. You can do rainbows with them or just fill in missing black and white figures.

Done properly needs a very steady hand and good eyesight. What they use looks like a blunt hypodermic with paint in it but in the old days a fine paint brush was used. Leica used a totally different solution before the war but that's beyond most people (and even factories) these days.

Regards, David

 

[rbsinto]

To infill engraved lettering, just use a paint that has a different solvent from the one used to paint the rest of the body.
Daub the paint into the engraving with a syringe tip or any thin needle or pin and then simply wipe away the excess from the raised surface with a rag.

 

[mpaniagua]

To infill engraved lettering, just use a paint that has a different solvent from the one used to paint the rest of the body.
Daub the paint into the engraving with a syringe tip or any thin needle or pin and then simply wipe away the excess from the raised surface with a rag.

Hello there and thanks for both replies 🙂 . I think I will apply, say, spray paint to the body, and water based or acrylic paint to the engraved lettering. Then, I clean the excess with a wet rag. Does this make any sense at all?

Thanks. I know there are more important aspect to photography but looks count. They do righ? 😛

Marcelo

 

[wolves3012]

Just to add one thing and pre-warn you if you weren't aware - if you're going to paint the body you'll need to strip off the chrome parts and de-chrome them. There is no paint that will adhere successfully to chrome plating. When de-chroming, it's important not to remove the nickel layer under the chrome (if there is one). Painting on brass is also challenging.

 

[mpaniagua]

Just to add one thing and pre-warn you if you weren't aware - if you're going to paint the body you'll need to strip off the chrome parts and de-chrome them. There is no paint that will adhere successfully to chrome plating. When de-chroming, it's important not to remove the nickel layer under the chrome (if there is one). Painting on brass is also challenging.

Good point. Thanks for the warning. My brother does aluminium anodizing, metal painting and the stuff. I will ask him for help in the de-chroming process.

Thanks.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Micro Tools sells handy little sticks of paint, called "Lacquer Stik", that are designed for your purpose. When you've finished painting the body, then you rub these sticks over the lettering, filling the depressions with lacquer paint. You simply wipe off the excess and let it dry. Its worked perfectly in my experience. Each paint stick, which is enough to do many cameras, costs about $2. Here's the link:

http://www.micro-tools.com/store/P-L51120/Lacquerstik-Paintstick-White.aspx

If you can, take photos of your process as you go through the project and post them here. I think there are lots of folk here that are interested in this sort of thing. 🙂

 

[mpaniagua]

Thanks for the info Jamie. Will look for those. My brother says that I should sandblast the chromed part. He said he has a small sandblaster that he could lend me. I have a broken Fed3 so I will try to practice on that. Will report later.

Marcelo

 

[wolves3012]

Thanks for the info Jamie. Will look for those. My brother says that I should sandblast the chromed part. He said he has a small sandblaster that he could lend me. I have a broken Fed3 so I will try to practice on that. Will report later.

Marcelo

De-chroming would be better if you want the paint to stick - unless he means sandblasting the chrome off. As I said above there is NO paint that will stick to chrome satisfactorily, it's just too inert to get a chemical key (unless you have access to some very aggressive and dangerous chemicals).

 

[mpaniagua]

De-chroming would be better if you want the paint to stick - unless he means sandblasting the chrome off. As I said above there is NO paint that will stick to chrome satisfactorily, it's just too inert to get a chemical key (unless you have access to some very aggressive and dangerous chemicals).

Yes, I was talking about sandblasting the chrome off. At least thats his idea 🙂. He said he had done so before, so I will give it a try with a broken F3 I have around.