My Black IIa !!

[pb908]

Finally I can show it to you, my project to paint my one and only IIa.

thanks to Highway61 for pointing me how to open the lock on bottom cover.

Here it is, attached is a coated 5cm f2 Sonnar, I get it off eb*y, 30$ in enlarger body (Brian, if you read, I finally dremmel the enlarger body, two side cut and I can use screwdriver to break it into two parts. then the optics module is free !)

I use sandpaper to remove the chrome, it's easy as there are no nickel behind the chrome, and the chrome layer is so thin.
then I spray two layer of enamel primer, baked in oven (250F, 1hour, every spray), sandpaper again (1200-1500 grit), and one layer of black gloss enamel, baked again, and assembly. takes whole week to do, as I do it slowly in my workplace. the black paint is not perfectly applied, as I was in a hurry in the last paiting process. but I can say, it's worth for the efforts !

I feel this is easier to do, compare to a leica. because I can open the whole plate with just screwdriver and plier, not like a leica.

another pictures below, you can see the glossy surface here :

here is another frontview :

the bottom view :

and topview:

and the back view

FYI, I need to fully disassemble until I remove the shutter assembly, so it is a very long process. you can see how to disassembly it from my previous thread.

then I use a nice black goat skin for the leatherette, at the end, I am happy to have this black IIa !!

if you have any black painted contax, please shares pictures !
I still have another Contax II to be painted..ha..ha.. then a leica !!

 

[Strangeluv]

Beautiful piece of work if I might say.

 

[maddoc]

I like very much what I see ! Good work and thanks for sharing ! Maybe my S2 in the future ... 🙂

 

[Highway 61]

I still don't. Hubert Nerwin and his design team did not want this camera to be released in black, and it shows. Obviously.

 

[lxmike]

I like it, but at the end of the day, if you like it thats what counts the most, its your camera to use and cherish as you wish

 

[pb908]

thanks maddoc, strangeluv, and lxmike, for all the feedbacks, hopefully this inspiring others to paint their contax black. in leica forum, they believe the black body is priced higher more than the normal one.. I believe the same will be here as well.

highway61, why you always think you don't like it being black, can you share yours ?

before the painting, mine is scratched everywhere and brassing has came out from all over the corner. I prefer the present condition..like I said before, it worth the efforts !!

 

[helen.HH]

Lovely .... Quite Beautiful a Finish !!!
You made it seem Easy & Fun
though I am sure it must not be an Easy task

 

[Highway 61]

What I consider to be a great design success re. the Contax IIa are the large glossy black paint trims who 'talk" with the chrome plates and the actual leather covering.

By painting the chrome plates black, you blew this away.

Screw mount Leicas or M Leicas don't have those black paint trims, so, they bear the black finish quite well.

Also, I don't get why you had the black mask frame under the main viewfinder window get a brass finish and not black any longer, as it is originally.

Anyway this was a tough job and you have some reasons to be proud of it - but as for the matter of personal aesthetics taste, I don't like what I see.

 

[farlymac]

I like it. Did you use an air brush?

PF

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I've done the dremel a Zeiss lens apart before...

Here is what you can expect from the lens:

Wide-Open on my Nikon SP.

(I bought the second lens offered by the seller)

 

[pb908]

nice tone Brian, I still doing focus calibrate of mine using Rd1, let's see what the result will be.

farlymac, I don't have any pen-brush nor standar airbrush system. it is just a spray can (can you imagine ?, I believe with airbrush, this will make smoother surface). i walked to ace hardware and found they sell few types of enamel paint in spray can. I tested it before with another metal and it's good enough, so I try to do it for my IIa.

Highway61, yes, it's a matter of personal taste.
I didn't paint the mask in main viewfinder frame, as this will add a contrasty to the black cover, as a part of eye-catching effect. too bad my white enamel paint is not come yet, I think if i paint the contax word in white, it will be more eye catching, as it "talks"

 

[capricho]

Another method that might work to remove the chrome is to spray it with Oven Off. I did this on a number of anodized aluminum parts and after 15 minutes you simply rinse it in cold water to remove the anodizing. I think this method MIGHT work for removing chrome as well.