Green Zorki C Festival Arrived

[Adam-T]

Hi Folks - well the Green Zorki C Festival arrived and I`ve attached pics of the finish which looks like dipped or spray painting over the original Vulcanite and the Genuine Festival engraving .. the camera seems to work fine, the shutter looks perfect, the RF and VF are clear and working and all the speeds work, over all it looks in great shape . the Industar 22 is focussing and stopping down nicely but the elements need cleaning..

I think the best bet with this is to get a dead "C" and swap the body "Tube" (the bit that slides off when you undo the screws at the front and the top edge as I don`t know how easy the paint will be to remove ..

I`ve also Put in a pic of my three vintage Rangefinders alltogether...

1934 Leica-III
1957 Zorki C "Festival"
1963 Zorki 4A

 

[dazedgonebye]

D'ya ever watch animal planet? They've got those shows about the local SPCA and animal rescues.... Whenever I see a camera painted like that, I think of a dog that's been chained out by a tree without enough food and water...all covered with fleas and mange.
Perhaps FSU camera owners are a bit like dog rescue people.

Sorry, I just got my first cup of coffee, so I'm a bit drifty.

 

[Adam-T]

I`ve got the bodyshell off now and it`s been painted throughout, I don`t know what paint has been used but it needs removing, looks like it could be "coach paint" (Enamel) done in a Bus Spraying booth (it`s Green Bus colour ;-) ..

Even worse - I could imagine someone buying a Genuine rare model Leica, thinking it`s a fake because it was in a yard sale cheap and then painting it with Hammerite then selling it as a strange and the buyer finding out it was the real thing 🙁 ..

 

[reagan]

Hey, A.T. ~ from what I can see there, the shutter crate looks great. And the outside ( minus the green stuff 😱 ) looks definately in good shape. That's going to be very nice camera. .... So the cover is the same size as a Zorki.1? I've never tried vulcanite extraction. Wouldn't mind seeing a "blow by blow" account of your process. Good luck & keep us posted.

edit:
P.S. ~ "D'ya ever watch animal planet? They've got those shows about the local SPCA and animal rescues..." Yeah, if I don't practice some restraint here, I could easily arrive at the end of my days being "the old lady down the street with a thousand cats."

 

[dazedgonebye]

Hey, A.T. ~ from what I can see there, the shutter crate looks great. And the outside ( minus the green stuff 😱 ) looks definately in good shape. That's going to be very nice camera. .... So the cover is the same size as a Zorki.1? I've never tried vulcanite extraction. Wouldn't mind seeing a "blow by blow" account of your process. Good luck & keep us posted.

edit:
P.S. ~ "D'ya ever watch animal planet? They've got those shows about the local SPCA and animal rescues..." Yeah, if I don't practice some restraint here, I could easily arrive at the end of my days being "the old lady down the street with a thousand cats."

Well, the good news is that a thousand FSU cameras will stink at least slightly less. 😛

 

[Adam-T]

The whole top panel and mechanics are in excellent shape which is good news as that is the "Festival" part, case bottom and the ERC are in good nick too 🙂 .. I don`t know if a Z1 is the same (most common of Barnack-type Zorkis from what I can tell) and I`d rather replace the case section than try to remove the green paint and touch up the black parts on this one (easier) .
I tried Brake fluid as it attacks paint and doesn`t attack Rubber (which is basically what Vulcanite is) but it`d be a very slow process so I`m looking for suggestions - of course in spraying the whole body section inside annd out, they ended up thickly covering where the lens mount screws onto, and the paint is Thicker than the damn SHIM which is behind the mount itself ! .. I bet it never took sharp pics ..
One other question - the Film pressure plate (which fell out) is oval on one side, does this go to the bottom or the top? - the one in the Disassembly guide shows a Z1 one which has oval bevels top and bottom..

 

[Screwy]

Oh god that's awful , It definitely didn't look that colour on its Eb*y listing 😱

There's no real way to remove the paint without removing the vulcanite also as far as I know , and to get a new body tub means buying another camera . You could do a recover with leather if you wanted ? just use Nitromors to take of the vulcanite check Link for step by step instructions .



Paul

 

[Adam-T]

Thanks Paul - Nitromors is pretty heavy duty, I think soaking it in cellulose or coachpaint thinners maybe gentler.. another dead body wouldn`t be a bad idea as the Festival really is pretty Rare by Zorki standards and it`d provide spares anyway .. The rest of the camera is in excellent condition including the shutter

 

[Adam-T]

BTW Paul - I can`t Believe that guy poured paint remover over his camera and scraped the stuff off without removing the back !! . it isn`t as if it was a hinge back model too! .. I bet he had fun with the front! ..

 

[Screwy]

Soaking in thinners might could be worth a try , I've just nitromored a (Ironically) green fed 2b body that was exceptionally tatty and had no problem and with a bottom loader body it should be even easier as you don't have to remove/mask off the range finder assembly or you could just paint it black 😉




Paul

 

[Adam-T]

painting it black again would be a real easy option that`s for sure, the vulcanite would look right anyway - but I`d have to remove all that paint from the where the lens mount goes, there`s enough to act as a second Shim !! .....

I know the C isn`t the most revered of Zorkis and is far less functional than my 4A but it`s a rarer model, and even if it comes to it, probably worth re-shelling with a dead one if I can find one...

 

[reagan]

I've recovered several of my cameras with Aki's covers and am very pleased. If there's that much paint in places you really don't want it, you might consider just doin' whatever to get rid of the vulcanite, paint the trim black and find a new cover. Buying a parts camera will get you parts and a different cover, but it still might not be that nice of a cover. Just a thought.

Now the pressure plate question, not sure what your saying... (I'm age impaired ...) but if there's a bevel on just one side, I would think it would go toward the bottom of the camera so that it helps the film slide into place when loading.

edit:
Aki's Store in the Bay has a Zorki.1 cover if it's the same size (and I can't believe it wouldn't be.) LINK

 

[Adam-T]

I found a website with Leica III stripdown instructions and it mentioned that the bevel goes to the bottom, thanks for confirming that the Zorkis are the same.. I`ll have to stick to the UK for any parts as with anywhere outside, the carriage charges would be too much. I`ll see if I can recover the thing without ruining the vulcanised finish but as you say it may end up having to be removed..

 

[Kim Coxon]

I think I may have a spare Aki Z1 cover in the cupboard at home if you want it.

Kim

 

[Adam-T]

Thanks a lot Kim, I`ll see how the paint stripping goes first and get back to you, I`d not want to waste your time if I can restore the vulcanite 🙂 ..

BTW I`ve not seen Aki Covers, do you just glue them on after removing all the paint and vulcanite?

 

[Kim Coxon]

Once all the old covering is removed, you just remove the backing paper and stick them on. The are self adhesive. Full instructions on his website http://www.aki-asahi.com/store/

I have got some photos of examples of Aki's covers at home but in the meantime there are some Camera Leather recovered cameras on my website here. http://www.pentax-manuals.com/camgallery/gallery.htm

Kim

Thanks a lot Kim, I`ll see how the paint stripping goes first and get back to you, I`d not want to waste your time if I can restore the vulcanite 🙂 ..

BTW I`ve not seen Aki Covers, do you just glue them on after removing all the paint and vulcanite?

 

[wolves3012]

Thanks Paul - Nitromors is pretty heavy duty, I think soaking it in cellulose or coachpaint thinners maybe gentler.. another dead body wouldn`t be a bad idea as the Festival really is pretty Rare by Zorki standards and it`d provide spares anyway .. The rest of the camera is in excellent condition including the shutter

As someone who spent a while in the surface coatings industry, I'd say paint thinners of any sort is likely to swell the vulcanite, at best. Brake fluid is highly likely to attack it too, even though it's rubber: brake fluid seals are specific kinds of synthetic rubber designed to withstand the fluid. Ditto Nitromors, it's likely to remove it.

I don't think you have much option to get the paint off without damage. Re-shell it or strip & re-cover are likely to be your only choices. Shame soemone did this to a rarer camera. :-(

 

[Kim Coxon]

I did a Zorki C and it had an Aki covering. The old covering is not rubber but a sort of impregnated paper. As the main body casting comes off as a separate piece, my advice would be to strip it completely. Nitromors does work quite well and then spray it black before baking it and finally applying a new skin.

Kim

 

[Adam-T]

Thanks Folks - I`ll get stripping it and see what happens

 

[reagan]

Just FYI, Aki's shipping cost (through his website, not BayStore) is included in the price to UK, US, etc. Each time I've dealt with him, he's been really prompt getting it in the mail. Also, just in case you'd be interested, I notice for the Zorki.1d he even has Yellow Snakeskin! *covers head, ducking and running* :angel: