new leather on a Retina II

[Dan Daniel]

A friend sent me a Retina II that he was given by his grandfather 60 years ago. It spent tons of time in his pants pocket going everywhere. He had already stripped off the old coverings some time ago. I recently started work at a place with a laser cutter machine, so I offered to make some new panels.

Also cleaned the shutter and lens, aligned the rangefinder, glued the bellows back to the body, cleaned the wind mechanism. Working on the camera got me to appreciate how nicely made they are, and now I am looking for one of my own.

The leather is a bit thicker than the original, projecting a bit about the rims and such. It's a cabretta lambskin, nice grip with a bit of softness but very strong. No embossing, unfortunately.

The naked baby:

And the new outfit:

Along with removing the leather, he had also removed the flash shoe and the bottom trim pieces. I might have a lead on a trashed body that I can get the parts off of.

 

[Tony Whitney]

Beautifully done! Wonderful work that completely enhances a fine old camera. TW

 

[Davids]

Wow! Beautiful work, Dan.
My dad gave me his Retina II this past summer and I think it's a beautiful camera and fun to use.
David

 

[jwicaksana]

Wow, you're getting really got at this!
Care to open a business?

 

[Grytpype]

If you fancy having a go at embossing the back, there are some very good instructions here.

Steve.

 

[Pirate]

That's a great job! Would you consider doing another?

 

[farlymac]

Fine work, Dan.

PF

 

[jultou]

A friend sent me a Retina II that he was given by his grandfather 60 years ago. It spent tons of time in his pants pocket going everywhere. He had already stripped off the old coverings some time ago. I recently started work at a place with a laser cutter machine, so I offered to make some new panels.

Also cleaned the shutter and lens, aligned the rangefinder, glued the bellows back to the body, cleaned the wind mechanism. Working on the camera got me to appreciate how nicely made they are, and now I am looking for one of my own.

The leather is a bit thicker than the original, projecting a bit about the rims and such. It's a cabretta lambskin, nice grip with a bit of softness but very strong. No embossing, unfortunately.

The naked baby:

And the new outfit:

Along with removing the leather, he had also removed the flash shoe and the bottom trim pieces. I might have a lead on a trashed body that I can get the parts off of.

Nice work, I like your leather choice.
Fantastic use of new technology to restore antique item.
Is your laser a CO2?