Fraser
Well-known
My MP has roofing felt vulcanite at the moment thinking of changing it so its the same as the M9, its not griptac is that a leica only option, anyone done that how much and how long?
Cheers Frase
Cheers Frase
sepiareverb
genius and moron
The Rollei Black from Cameraleather is very nice, quite like the vulcanite, but a bit finer grained- if you're not opposed to leather. Not sure what Leica charges for vulcanite.
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dave lackey
Veteran
Hmmm....the Leica M is a mistress. The M3 (and maybe the MP) the ultimate mistress. Ask yourself what you would dress your mistress in....nice, tactile feel of fine leather or the harsh texture of vulcanite or grip-tac against your skin?
peter_n
Veteran
I like it rough so I got Griptac.
JHP
Well-known
Anyone have photos of their M's in either black beauty or lavant black leathers?
Or any cameraleather conversions in general?
And what were your experiences like stripping the original sand paper finishes of your MP's in preparation to sticking down the new leathers? Is there a lot of work involved? I'm considering whether or not I am up to doing the releathering myself or having my MP sent away to do it.
Thanks!
Or any cameraleather conversions in general?
And what were your experiences like stripping the original sand paper finishes of your MP's in preparation to sticking down the new leathers? Is there a lot of work involved? I'm considering whether or not I am up to doing the releathering myself or having my MP sent away to do it.
Thanks!
PMCC
Late adopter.
I've also contemplated the whole stripping/releathering process. There have been posts about the virtues of various replacement covers, from exotic reptile leathers to stair-tread Griptac, but less detail on what's involved in getting the original covering off. Strippers, please reveal your process.
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
Hmmm....the Leica M is a mistress. The M3 (and maybe the MP) the ultimate mistress. Ask yourself what you would dress your mistress in....nice, tactile feel of fine leather or the harsh texture of vulcanite or grip-tac against your skin?
Now this is weird.
Todd Frederick
Todd Frederick
I may not understand your question completely, but...
....I have removed factory vulcanite from a Leica M3 and an M2. Vulcanite is not attached to the camera body like leather after the camera is all assembled. It is placed on the camera body through a heating process during the process of making the body.
It is not advisable to try to scrape it off. It needs to be dissolved away using a gel varnish remover and paint brush and a bamboo chop stick "chisel" for scraping the dissolved goo off the camera body once dissolved. Only when it is cleaned completely can new leather be applied.
You can do this yourself at little cost. I believe that www.cameraleather.com has a tutorial about how to do it and they will also do the job for you, for a fee.
Tomorrow I will try to get more specifics about the name of the dissolving materials and a few photos and other info for you. Too late now to explore it. or PM me. I can send a bunch of photos of the process through personal email.
....I have removed factory vulcanite from a Leica M3 and an M2. Vulcanite is not attached to the camera body like leather after the camera is all assembled. It is placed on the camera body through a heating process during the process of making the body.
It is not advisable to try to scrape it off. It needs to be dissolved away using a gel varnish remover and paint brush and a bamboo chop stick "chisel" for scraping the dissolved goo off the camera body once dissolved. Only when it is cleaned completely can new leather be applied.
You can do this yourself at little cost. I believe that www.cameraleather.com has a tutorial about how to do it and they will also do the job for you, for a fee.
Tomorrow I will try to get more specifics about the name of the dissolving materials and a few photos and other info for you. Too late now to explore it. or PM me. I can send a bunch of photos of the process through personal email.
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JHP
Well-known
So the MP sharkskin just peels off easily? There is no glue residue left in the body to be removed?
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PMCC
Late adopter.
Thanks for the input, Todd and Thomas. I agree the standard-issue MP sand paper cover really bites. I really dislike it -- it feels unyielding and makes for a very slippery grip if your hands produce more than a modicum of moisture. I've checked into the cameraleather site a bit and am encouraged to hazard a DIY attempt. The process doesn't seem totally idiot-proof, but I think I barely meet that minimum qualification. I didn't know that Leica Vuikanit was available for recovering purposes -- how and where does one get this material? Or does it have to be applied by a Leica tech, either in-house or 3rd party? Is it the same or similar to the factory vulcanite coverings that Todd has removed from old M2/M3s?
If I can get past the stripping process, it seems to me the next choice is leather versus various synthetic solutions. I'm not fussed one way or the other about animal skins vs plastics per se. I'm not trying to pimp my camera, only to adapt the cover for better hand feel and handling. So, basic black sounds good. Any experience with the various leather offerings in black, vs. the über-functional likes of Griptac, in terms of hand feel? I've open to Griptac but never handled it. Strikes me as a bit industrial looking onscreen; OTOH, if it turns out to be detestable, I suppose one could peel it off and try something else for a few more bucks (not much in context - the cam sold for $2K+ new back in the day). Any experience with the Aki-Asahi offerings? Others here have written approvingly of A-A #4008, a leatherette. I'm all ears.
If I can get past the stripping process, it seems to me the next choice is leather versus various synthetic solutions. I'm not fussed one way or the other about animal skins vs plastics per se. I'm not trying to pimp my camera, only to adapt the cover for better hand feel and handling. So, basic black sounds good. Any experience with the various leather offerings in black, vs. the über-functional likes of Griptac, in terms of hand feel? I've open to Griptac but never handled it. Strikes me as a bit industrial looking onscreen; OTOH, if it turns out to be detestable, I suppose one could peel it off and try something else for a few more bucks (not much in context - the cam sold for $2K+ new back in the day). Any experience with the Aki-Asahi offerings? Others here have written approvingly of A-A #4008, a leatherette. I'm all ears.