Holy Foam Mess!!!

[Avotius]

I just learned the hard way how bad foam in a camera is! About 10 months ago my old man brought me two yashica gsn's from america with some high grade foam weather sealing from the hardware store to make light seals. I did the work on one camera but not the other. Now understand where I am it is very very hot and humid. They predict 45 C this year, last year was 43 C. Humidity year round is between 70-100%. Yes, wet and hot, needless to say I have two dry boxes, one for film, one for cameras, they live in there when not in use. Well I lent my yashica gsn to a friend, he used the camera for severals months and found it great, then ditched his slr's and went rangefinder. He doesnt have a dry box so the camera sat out on his table when not in use.

Read on...

 

[Avotius]

Continued:


Well my yashica gsn today I opened up to stick some film into and the very expensive high grade weather sealing foam that says its highly resistant to high temperatures and humidity (which is why I told him to get the stuff) has turned to the consistency of chewed gum in the camera! It has yet to get into the film or lens area so im ok, a few hourse with swabs, a scraper, and some chinese rice wine will dissolve all that foam away...but....oh my goodness....

And lately I have been looking at the leica m7/mp side and from what I have read, these cameras have foam in them too....crap...

 

[rogue_designer]

If you can live without a built in meter - get a canon P - no foam in that one.

 

[Bill58]

Avotius:

Email Jon Goodman in TX for one of his fine CAMERA re-foam kits:jon_goodmanatyahoodotcom. You're a young guy, but this stuff may outlive you!

Drink the rice wine and use lighter fluid to remove the old foam/ adhesive.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Ref.: Foam. According to location foam degenerates at different rates. You definitely have a problem with humidity. With that humidity the foam should only last about a year (I was advised of that from people who traveled in S. America in the rain forest.) Seems you have the same conditions. You need dry box. Somewhere on the net I read that it can be bought in bulk. Also, be aware of the fungus problem that can develope on any lens of any camera.

 

[dmr]

I would second the recommendation for Jon's kits. They are easy to install. (Getting the old stuff out of there is the real work, mine had turned into the consistency of tar.)

 

[Steve Bellayr]

go to www.photoethnography.com There is an essay on commentary on this problem with solutions.

 

[szekiat]

dunno where u come from mate but when i was in singapore, i never had that problem and we had year round 35deg with 100% humidity. The newer cameras from my F3 up were all fine and still are.

 

[kyubi_fox]

I didn't know people can survive in 45C :O I used to live in Hong Kong and it was hot and humid, everything grew mold very quickly. Some molds are hairy and sometimes I wonder if they can be used as light seals 🙂

 

[clintock]

The alarming foam failure was probably due to ozone exposure. Ozone will kill foam rubber fast.
Google 'ozone rubber band' for example.

 

[bsdunek]

This has been a problem with many cameras from the 60's and 70's, and maybe later. My Son is a Olympus OM fan, and with these cameras, the foam used on top of the prisum will attack the coating and ruin the prisum.

The foam is not rubber - it is an elastomer which is plastic with a 'plasticizer' to make it soft. The plasticizer continues to work, causing the foam to become rubbery glue. Heat and humidity may accelerate this, but it will happen in time anyway.

The best thing is to get it out of there ASAP and replace it with new stuff which is much more stabile. Note, I say 'much more', not completely. Probably should replace it every five years or so just for good luck! 😎

 

[clintock]

In some cameras you may be able to substitute black yarn or cut felt.

 

[Trius]

I was also thinking of felt or velvet. If it can be cut precisely enough so that it needs no (or very little) adhesive, that might also help.

 

[dostacos]

dunno where u come from mate but when i was in singapore, i never had that problem and we had year round 35deg with 100% humidity. The newer cameras from my F3 up were all fine and still are.

I googled Chongqing, China and it shows it to be generally in the middle of China [left to right center, slightly lower top to bottom 😉 ] not gonna have a blessing of ocean breezes either😱

anything above 30C and I am not happy my wife has MS and she breaks out in a sweat at about 21C 😱 😱 😱

 

[dancing wayang]

are there instructions of how to re-do light seals somewhere on the internet? my oly needs new ones badly, but i have never done this. can you buy these kits in the UK?

 

[dmr]

are there instructions of how to re-do light seals somewhere on the internet? my oly needs new ones badly, but i have never done this. can you buy these kits in the UK?

Jon Goodman (Interslice on eBay) sells kits for some cameras as well as an "Odyssey" kit for just about anything. He used to hang around here but I haven't seen him lately.

 

[dancing wayang]

yes i found him on ebay just now and have ordered a kit.

 

[owenreading]

Get a FED - no goo in them. Although they do feel like there's a small neutron star stuck somewhere around the shutter mechanism.

 

[Tigersight]

Hard Rubber Light Seals on Minolta Hi-Matic 7S

Hard Rubber Light Seals on Minolta Hi-Matic 7S

I, too, am frustrated and disgusted by the condition of many of the light seals found in old cameras--and I have bought many old cameras over the years. I just had a nightmare of a problem with an outwardly mint condition Nikon FM2 SLR that had foam degeneration so bad that the mirror was ruined by the sticky gum and some of the detritus from the mirror pad had fallen into the interior of the camera! So don't underestimate the danger of bad foam--it can ruin more than just a roll of pictures.

I am new to RFs and just picked up a very nice almost mint Minolta Hi-Matic 7S. I held my breath when I unpacked it and immediatly opened the back film door expecting the worst. Surprise! It was as clean as a whistle and, at first, I thought there was no light seal at all. But closer inspection revealed a very well-fitted hard rubber seal that had no deterioration to it at all. I know that hard rubber does in fact deteriorate over time but it is far less sensitive and far hardier than foam. Still, this is in remarkable shape for its age and may, in fact, have been replaced at some time. But the bottom line here is it has a HARD RUBBER light seal. Why isn't every camera maker and repair shop installing this material instead of foam? This is so superior.

 

[sepiareverb]

Foam in an M7? Where? I don't see any.