Leica M3 customization(paint,leather,engravings...)

[karlori]

I'd just like to mention once more, the camera is not going to be black and I have no intention on replicating the looks of a black M3 ... The camera will get new leather, new paint, every bit of it that is seen by normal use is going to get customized from the levers to the insides of the bottom plate...

 

[Pirate]

With people like Sherry Krauter being factory trained techs, wouldn't they know how the black paint is done? After all, being a factory trained tech means knowing how to fix such things.

 

[johannielscom]

Here's a listing of the chroming process that Leitz used in the late 1940's when the British came to inspect the Leitz plant. It's a take-out from a report on the inspection that is published on the CCR Luton website and it shows just how complicated the chroming process was. The painting process may well be as complicated as this one. Good luck home painting your camera.

Satin-Chrome Finish
25. The satin-chrome finish on external metal parts was
obtained by the following process:-

26. Sandblast, hot cleaner without current, cold cleaner
with current, warm rinse, followed by cold rinse, hydrochloric
dip, copper flash, cold rinse, sulphuric dip, cold rinse, bright
nickel-plate, warm rinse, hydrochloric dip, bright chrome,
drag-out rinse, cold rinse, hot rinse, and dry.

27. All articles were jigged on racks and the racks were
screened to obviate side-throw.

28. The bright nickel tank was approximately 6' x 2' x 21/2',
six depolarised anodes being employed. The volt-meter and
ammeter on the resistance control board were all moving
coil pattern and the tank was worked at 2 volts, 25 amps. No
agitation of the electrolite was employed.

29. The chrome tank was approximately 4' x 2' x 21/2', twenty-
eight strip anti-monial lead anodes being employed. Moving
coil volt and ammeters were also fitted in the resistance board
and the tank was worked at 51/2 volts, 300 amps.

30. It was particularly noted that the time allowed for a
satisfactory chrome deposit was exactly three minutes. All the
plating equipment was spotlessly clean.

 

[karlori]

Seems no one read the OP, I will NOT paint the camera black, do not want a chrome finish and will have access to professional grade paints, chemicals and tools (brushes, ovens, dry-clean room etc)... As far as I am concerned if i mess up i will strip it all over again and give it to a jeweler who will coat it whatever he thinks is best ...

However thank you for more useful info.

 

[250swb]

I don't think thats fair, its what you are not going to do that led me to suggest a hammertone finish many posts back.

Steve 😉

 

[karlori]

Thanks for all the helpful insights Steve, to be honest i have been looking at some hammertone finishes and am considering it.

I'm still waiting for the camera to arrive so i will update when that happens with my final ideas and plans.

 

[karlori]

The M3 arrived today. It looks a bit better than described... One thing i want to ask, on the lens mount, the screw on top is the crew which has the "L" seal there is some grease or something and a letter K on it...
Does that mean its still factory sealed ?

 

[Pirate]

That has been discussed a few times here. A quick search of the forum should give you that answer. And I believe that should be wax, not grease, from what I've read.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

The M3 arrived today. It looks a bit better than described... One thing i want to ask, on the lens mount, the screw on top is the crew which has the "L" seal there is some grease or something and a letter K on it...
Does that mean its still factory sealed ?

Only the L would indicate it is factory sealed or serviced by Wetzlar or Solms. If it is serviced by other official Leica repair(wo)man, it bears other letters like a K which I believe stands for Krauter.

 

[Mister E]

Yeah that means Sherry overhauled it which is great. Basically a $500 value.

 

[karlori]

Yeah that means Sherry overhauled it which is great. Basically a $500 value.

Whoa ! 😱

I am rethinking the whole idea now... The VF is better than on my M7 thats for sure, the sound of the camera pure mechanics like a watch, everything runs so smooth and quiet I am pretty dazzled on what to do 🙁
I got the camera for 480$ including shipping... What to do 😕 ?

 

[Mister E]

I got the camera for 480$ including shipping... What to do 😕 ?

Wow! Where'd you get it for that at? eBay? Link to the auction. Me I bought an M3 for $450 sight unseen and it ended up being a HUGE pain in the butt. Full of fungus and hardly working.

 

[Mister E]

Was it this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...mFflvEL8VaLov5KnHPVlhlGEqTY%3D#ht_8524wt_1141

 

[karlori]

Was it this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...mFflvEL8VaLov5KnHPVlhlGEqTY%3D#ht_8524wt_1141

Nope.

And i missed a number, i got it for 580$ incl. shipping.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_3054wt_1139

Really helpful seller. pretty quick sale... I had an ad here on WTB and i got some real nasty looking cameras ( huge dings and dents no vulcanite missing ISO dial etc.) offers for 500-700$... So i crossed my fingers and went ebay...

EDIT:

And to be honest, the images do not do it any justice... It looks 10x better in real .

 

[Particular]

EDIT:

And to be honest, the images do not do it any justice... It looks 10x better in real .

That looks gorgeous already in the pictures. All this camera needs is a lens and some film.

 

[karlori]

It has already Ilford PAN in it ... And my Nokton 50 1.5 on it... I cant help to get the feeling i am loving her more than the M7...

 

[karlori]

Just a small update of a happy family... 🙂 A pretty bashed up summicron 35 is coming my way, so none of the cameras will feel left out...
Converted to BW the M3 shines and the M7 although being cleaned and cared for looks dirty...

 

[karlori]

Another update :

The old vulcanite has just been stripped, i used Hempel paint and lacquer remover, applied it with a brush. Waited 5 minutes and removed, 95% of the coverings came off easily, cleaned with lighter fluid ... Did not heat the camera cause that might damage the rangefinder. Regarding the door, i did not want to experiment with the remover and the vulcanite was already chipped so i removed them and heated with a fan the skin easily came off and I cleaned the glue residue with lighter fluid...
(still waiting for the vulcanite from cameraleather.com to arrive, i again suspect its my customs dept. not the seller)

Here is the image:

 

[Tom A]

i have done a fair bit of m's in various colors over the years. IF you are going to paint it - strip it down to brass as the nickel coat is very thin and if there are any microholes in it - it starts blistering quickly.
As with any paint - perp-work is 90% of the success. Clean, and clean again - preferably with ultra-sound jewellery cleaning kit. Once you "levelled" the surface - block sanding to smooth it and cleaned it again, primer coat it - preferably in a tint that is close to the color you intend to paint it. Give it a light coat of primer, block sand again to find the high spots. Give it another coat of primer and let it dry. Use whatever paint you are going to use - light touch - not to thick and "bake" for 30 min # 125 C. Once the 30 minutes are up - resist taking it out - turn off the oven and let it cool down. You can "shock" the paint if you take it out too soon.
With the first coat on, clean out engravings with a tooth pick. Check for uneven paint - overspray etc - clean and put on the second coat - again "bake" for 30 min #125C and let cool. If you want a really nice finish - clean out the engravings and white fill - then run a very light clear coat over it all.
When stripping the camera, remember that the screws holding the self-timer and frame selector are not brass, they are plated steel and the acid strip will destroy them!
You can get a electro plater to run a reverse plating on the brass parts - less harmful than the acid strip and it takes out the nickel too. Worth the cost.
Be careful when removing the windows - they are held in with fragile brass clips and the break easily.
I have done M's in Hammer tone and in black - and Shintaro and I have done them in blue/grey, in Ivory white, crackle finish black, deep purple ( powder coat - dont recommend it as it builds up and you spend days cleaning edges and threads.
I saw a very slick M2 in Tokyo last year, deep Royal Blue, gold filled engravings and midnight blue (dark) covering. Far less garish than it sounds!
Be prepared to make several attempts before you get it right! Thats why they have paint-strippers!
If you know some-one in the bike customizing business - they are a wealth of information as to what paints to use and how to apply it.
Good luck - and the pizza's warmed in the oven will only taste of paint for a couple of days.

 

[Tom A]

Additional info: One of the reasons that the original M's in black blistered in the paint was a reaction to acid/oil in the hands of the user.
The M2/M3/M4 also used a brass with with a higher lead content than the newer brass plates which is a "hard brass". The earl plates were formed in 6 steps with press dies. The MP/M6TTl's etc are CNC machined from a more rigid brass. The lead was necessary for allowing it to bend more smoothly in the press.