Mauro
Mauro
I would like to clean the black covering of my Kiev 4: it is the original covering and the camera was manufactured in 1973.
Any advice and tip will be helpful.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Any advice and tip will be helpful.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Xmas
Veteran
Mauro
there is a change over point during '72 between really rather nice black real leather, pre 72 and plastic leather cloth post '72.
The leather cloth is safe to clean with a used tooth brush in plain water or plain water and natural soap, or denaturated alcohol. The only problem is that the origional glue will be damaged by any plain water ingress, so only a damp cloth should be used near to edges, or penetrations.
It may simplest to remove the leather cloth clean and restick with a low technology glue that you can again remove later, in case of any maintenance.
If you have leather covering, you can only really use a good quality leather cleaner, and then a good quality preservative and again avoid damaging the glue close to edges. The real leather may have the 'Zeiss bumps' where the leather allows the brass rivets to corrode. You need to tolerate this and keep the camera in low humidity, or ease off the leather with minimal force and paint the whole black plate dry and reglue the leather.
There is a thriving industry in recovering cameras and a clone of the origional black leather won't be noticed but makes the little camera like an older model, at least to hold. You can buy it cut to fit exactly. You can also get snake skin simulation etc.
Noel
there is a change over point during '72 between really rather nice black real leather, pre 72 and plastic leather cloth post '72.
The leather cloth is safe to clean with a used tooth brush in plain water or plain water and natural soap, or denaturated alcohol. The only problem is that the origional glue will be damaged by any plain water ingress, so only a damp cloth should be used near to edges, or penetrations.
It may simplest to remove the leather cloth clean and restick with a low technology glue that you can again remove later, in case of any maintenance.
If you have leather covering, you can only really use a good quality leather cleaner, and then a good quality preservative and again avoid damaging the glue close to edges. The real leather may have the 'Zeiss bumps' where the leather allows the brass rivets to corrode. You need to tolerate this and keep the camera in low humidity, or ease off the leather with minimal force and paint the whole black plate dry and reglue the leather.
There is a thriving industry in recovering cameras and a clone of the origional black leather won't be noticed but makes the little camera like an older model, at least to hold. You can buy it cut to fit exactly. You can also get snake skin simulation etc.
Noel