Hoping to try Arax for recoating

[john neal]

Well, I finally got the front element out of my collapsible 50mm 'cron. I am amazed at 2 things - how easy it was to remove (!), and how clear the rest of the elements now look without all those scratches in the way.

Anyhoo, I just sent a note to Gevorg to see if he will do the work for me - here's hoping.

I will have to take some pix to illustrate the repair - watch this space....

 

[sockeyed]

I'm hoping to do the same with my 1957 Summicron-50 rigid. It's a lovely lens, but the scratched and scuffed coatings cause a lot of flare.

Here's an email I got from Arax in response to my query about recoating:

Hello Ben.

Replying to your e-mail of 07.02.2006.

BJ> I understand that you are able to polish and re-coat lens
BJ> elements. I have a 1957 Leitz Summicron that is in bad condition
BJ> due to marks in the soft coating. If I sent you just the front
BJ> element, how much would this cost and who long would it take?

About 2-3 weeks for service and 2-3 weeks for shipping.

The price is $30 for one glass independent from the lens size. You
should send the glass only without any metallic parts.

....

If there are any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best of luck
Gevorg Vartanyan,
http://araxfoto.com/

 

[back alley]

Well, I finally got the front element out of my collapsible 50mm 'cron. I am amazed at 2 things - how easy it was to remove (!), and how clear the rest of the elements now look without all those scratches in the way.

Anyhoo, I just sent a note to Gevorg to see if he will do the work for me - here's hoping.

I will have to take some pix to illustrate the repair - watch this space....

i look forward to those pics john.

joe

 

[john neal]

OK, Joe - here are some to be going on with, sorry about the variable colour balance, but this digital stuff is really not my bag 🙄 .

The first shows the securing ring unscrewed to the top of its thread and about to lift off the lens, you can also see the state of the cleaning marks.

No 2 is a detail of the securing ring showing the groove for the pin wrench and the shoulder that the ring sits on around the name ring.

Finally, the front element parts laid out in order from topmost at the left:-
securing ring, name ring, plastic washer, lens and aluminium washer.

Simple job really - all I have to do now is wait on a favourable reply from Gevorg at Arax.

 

[SteveM_NJ]

I'm starting to get the idea of why everyone has "so many lenses".

some taken apart for repair, some being experimented with for likes/dislikes, some for trade, some for sale, some wishing they could have it back...

I will have to do a LOT more buying.

If I took a lens apart for sending out to be polished, I would be mising it so much.

Great info on the steps to safely dismantle the front element.

thank you.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hey! I recognize that reply from Arax!

Kim

 

[john neal]

I just got my reply from Arax, so the glass will be wrapped and posted off tomorrow.

Hopefully this will all go smoothly and there will be no customs hiccups.

More when there's more to tell....

 

[Ken Ford]

John, I searched and didn't find an update on your project - how did it go?

Also, can you comment on what kind and size wrench you used?

Thanks!

 

[Kim Coxon]

I am expecting the front element from my thin Tele-Elmarit back any day now. Will let you know as soon as it arrives.

Kim

 

[peter_n]

Gevorg is reliably good. Don Goldberg (DAG) uses him for recoating and has a very high opinion of the service.

 

[Ken Ford]

John, Kim - any updates?

 

[Kim Coxon]

Still waiting for the postman. Will post as soon as it comes - promise. :angel:

Knowing the way the post works from over there, I am not that surprised. 😉

Kim

John, Kim - any updates?

 

[john neal]

John, Kim - any updates?

Ken,

Gosh, I seem to have forgotten about this thread! Sorry, what with moving house and everything else, it sort of went out of my head.

I did get the element back after about 2 months or so - lovely condition and finish, with a new blue/purple bloom from the coating. Reassembly was very easy and test shots have shown that the lens is working in good order.

If I can find the negs, i will scan a couple to show actual results at different apertures and focus points. I seem to remember that thebokeh was actually improved over the standard lens, but that could be because I was looking for it.

To answer your question about getting the screw ring out, I borrowed an adjustable pin wrench from a pal, but you could do it by grinding the end of a paint scraper to the correct dimensions - I don't think it has recessed slots. I'll confirm if it has.

I would say that the Arax service is excellent and good value for money. The cheapest service I could find in the UK was £65 (from memory), the whole Arax experience, including postage came out at around $60, so slightly more than half the UK cost.

Hope that helps

 

[Ken Ford]

Yikes - it took ten months to get the element back from Arax?

Thanks for the report, John!