How to restore chrome part of a canon rangefinder

[donnyb89]

hello everybody, i read lots of guides on how to paint black a rangefinder, but i wanted to ask, how can i restore the chrome part of a canon 7 and a canon vt deluxe? they have lots of scratches and parts with rust.
thank you

 

[CameraQuest]

hello everybody, i read lots of guides on how to paint black a rangefinder, but i wanted to ask, how can i restore the chrome part of a canon 7 and a canon vt deluxe? they have lots of scratches and parts with rust.
thank you

the best way is to replace the parts from parts body. However the most cost effective way in dollars and time spent may be to just sell the worn body and replace it with one in better condition. Like most film cameras, dhrome Canon RF's have dropped in value.

Stephen

 

[trythis]

This is a shot in the dark, but I bought a piece of furniture with chrome tubing. The lady that sold it to me said that it had rust spots on it and she used a technique of rubbing aluminum foil and sprite on the surface to refresh the chrome. The chair has shown no sign of rust returning and I can;t imagine why she would tell me this if it weren't at least partly true.

Also on the internet here: http://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/10-ways-to-save-it-with-soda/ so it must be true. 😛

 

[peterm1]

Post war Canon rangefinders seem to have a problem with the quality of their chrome (particularly early post war ones but later ones as well.) I think this is something to do with the fact that the first coat is another metal (is it nickel?) to which the top coat of chrome is applied. And that in this era that metal was hard to get in Japan. I have never had a Canon in LTM mount that has not had some kind of corrosion problem with the chrome. Unfortunately I have no suggestions on how to improve it - if indeed that is even possible. When it comes to scratches I have formed the view that there is no way to get rid of them as satin chrome cannot be polished without also changing the satin look - i.e. polishing makes it shiny and if taken further then removes the chrome down to base metal. So you either live with it or have the body painted black.

 

[Ranchu]

Leave it, the bare brass looks alright. The 7's are very thick brass too. If you have to remove green corrosion, try this. I've never used it on a camera so test on a small area, but it works very well for removing brass rot. I think water on a qtip would work at the end, when it dries you can just flake it off. You want a paste the consistency of toothpaste.

"Vinegar, Salt and Flour: These versatile home staples can be combined to make a paste to clean tarnished brass. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt into one-half cup of vinegar, and add flour until the mixture becomes a paste. Rub into the brass, leave for about 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and buff dry."

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/stories/how-to-clean-brass-naturally