B-9
Devin Bro
Looking for some Olive drab green leatherette for a restoration.
I've checked the usual places, eBay, cameraleather.com, and Aki Asahi to no avail.
Anyone know of a source?
Any help is much appreciated.
I've checked the usual places, eBay, cameraleather.com, and Aki Asahi to no avail.
Anyone know of a source?
Any help is much appreciated.
Ranchu
Veteran
Look for purses on ebay?
Dan Daniel
Well-known
What are you installing it on?
Real leather is one option. Search for 'olive lambskin hide' on Ebay. You want thin, .5mm or so. Drop me a PM if you want some wys to prep leather for application.
There's this GrippTac material for sale-
http://www.ahh.biz/fabric/rubberized/gripp_tac_rubberized_tactical_fabric.php
Iven ever used it so I don't know how it compares to Cameraleather's Griptac.
Real leather is one option. Search for 'olive lambskin hide' on Ebay. You want thin, .5mm or so. Drop me a PM if you want some wys to prep leather for application.
There's this GrippTac material for sale-
http://www.ahh.biz/fabric/rubberized/gripp_tac_rubberized_tactical_fabric.php
Iven ever used it so I don't know how it compares to Cameraleather's Griptac.
B-9
Devin Bro
Looking forward to Dans elaboration on his methods, in the mean time I found this old thread that also has some good suggestions.
www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-57482.html
I've went ahead and ordered a bit of some very nice looking Argentina Calf skin in a very grainy olive finish. It's on the heavy side at around 1.5oz (.8-1mm), but I hope that's a generous estimate. I think I may go through a few samples before I find a perfect candidate.
The covering is for a Leica M3 Bundeseigentum clone I'm working on, slowly a surely.
www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-57482.html
I've went ahead and ordered a bit of some very nice looking Argentina Calf skin in a very grainy olive finish. It's on the heavy side at around 1.5oz (.8-1mm), but I hope that's a generous estimate. I think I may go through a few samples before I find a perfect candidate.
The covering is for a Leica M3 Bundeseigentum clone I'm working on, slowly a surely.
Dan Daniel
Well-known
I told Devin that I would post some info on my experiments with leather, so here goes.
Most of my leather has been sheep skin, hides from ebay. Seller 'rolipel' in Italy has some nice pieices, with good service. Others are around, but I don't have lots of time and money to be trying them all.
Many places list leather by thickness- millimeters is typical- or weight. Many places which use weight will also give thickness for each weight. So, for example, 1.5 ounce weight is actually more like .6mm, I think?
Thickness needed depends on the camera. Rollieflex leather is about .7mm, while Leica vulcanite is more like .9mm or so. The major concern with using leather that is too thick is that the edges will be grabbed and pulled up.
I tried various ways to prep the leather. It needs some sort of 'sizing' or base coat to give it more structure and the hold the final glue. I settled into using a glue available at art stores called 'Mod Podge.' There are various types. The one I is use is either the Fabric glue or the Matte Paper Glue. The fabric glue is much thicker so application isn't as easy, but it is also much more flexible and dries thinner. The Paper glue is still very flexible, thinner, all in all easier to work. And the Paper glue ends up working better with the shellac I use for final installation.
The glue is water-based, meaning that the leather will expand while applying it. Be prepared for it to stretch and warp.
At first I used just the sizing and shellaced the leather into place. But I've found that it is pretty flexible and will show screw holes and such. I've recently started adding a thin paper backing sheet. I'm using manilla envelope paper right now, but that may change (more on this below when I get to cutting).
I'll tape down one edge of the leather on a piece of plexiglass (just what I had around that was flat and that I could ruin). I have the leather trimmed, oversized. I also have a piece of paper (manilla envelope at the moment) on hand. A brush, a piece of wax paper, and something to use as a squeegee. I apply a smooth, dense coat of glue to the leather back directly. Then I put the paper down on the glue, and put a layer of glue on the paper. I then lay down the wax paper and squeegee the whole mess. Tight! I'm trying to make the leather, paper, and glue one laminated bonded piece.
Be careful when the glue is out- if you get it on the front of the leather it will usually ruin that spot. It's a bit of a bind how much tape to sue to hold the leather still. Too much and it will warp from the water. too little and it will let go and you smear your leather face with glue.
Anyway, after the squeegee I remove the wax paper. Let this dry for half an hour or so, then put another smooth light layer of glue down.
After this dries overnight, I put on a coat of clear shellac.
The leather is now ready to cut to size. I was using a laser cutter at work but I don't have access to one these days. For black and dark leathers, the laser is good because the burning covers the manilla color. On lighter leathers, the laser leaves a brown burnt edge that needs to be colored. I use water-based paints, mixing custom colors as needed too kill the brown edge. When laser cutting, put application tape on the front to keep the smoke from staining the surface. Then remove this tape before actual application if there are any curves in the part- the tape messes up the leather's ability to go on curves smoothly.
I mentioned needing to find paper other than manilla for the bonding operation. It would be best if it simply matched the leather closely from the beginning.
Anyway, with the leather cut and ready, I'll paint the camera with clear shellac. A thin but thorough coat. Lay the leather in place. Too much shellac will squish out on the edges and make a mess. It really doesn't take much to hold flat pieces down. The new shellac will also activate the shellac already on the leather, so no need to put any shellac on the leather pieces.
Well, here's the leather and a camera I did in the last day. The leather is actually softer, more pastel and greener than the photos show it- a nice light green from rolipel.
The back side- leather, sizing, manilla, sizing on top, shellac on top-
The same material showing the front of the leather-
And the leather installed (personal camera so the edges are not well-finished or colored, and the sizes aren't the best)
Most of my leather has been sheep skin, hides from ebay. Seller 'rolipel' in Italy has some nice pieices, with good service. Others are around, but I don't have lots of time and money to be trying them all.
Many places list leather by thickness- millimeters is typical- or weight. Many places which use weight will also give thickness for each weight. So, for example, 1.5 ounce weight is actually more like .6mm, I think?
Thickness needed depends on the camera. Rollieflex leather is about .7mm, while Leica vulcanite is more like .9mm or so. The major concern with using leather that is too thick is that the edges will be grabbed and pulled up.
I tried various ways to prep the leather. It needs some sort of 'sizing' or base coat to give it more structure and the hold the final glue. I settled into using a glue available at art stores called 'Mod Podge.' There are various types. The one I is use is either the Fabric glue or the Matte Paper Glue. The fabric glue is much thicker so application isn't as easy, but it is also much more flexible and dries thinner. The Paper glue is still very flexible, thinner, all in all easier to work. And the Paper glue ends up working better with the shellac I use for final installation.
The glue is water-based, meaning that the leather will expand while applying it. Be prepared for it to stretch and warp.
At first I used just the sizing and shellaced the leather into place. But I've found that it is pretty flexible and will show screw holes and such. I've recently started adding a thin paper backing sheet. I'm using manilla envelope paper right now, but that may change (more on this below when I get to cutting).
I'll tape down one edge of the leather on a piece of plexiglass (just what I had around that was flat and that I could ruin). I have the leather trimmed, oversized. I also have a piece of paper (manilla envelope at the moment) on hand. A brush, a piece of wax paper, and something to use as a squeegee. I apply a smooth, dense coat of glue to the leather back directly. Then I put the paper down on the glue, and put a layer of glue on the paper. I then lay down the wax paper and squeegee the whole mess. Tight! I'm trying to make the leather, paper, and glue one laminated bonded piece.
Be careful when the glue is out- if you get it on the front of the leather it will usually ruin that spot. It's a bit of a bind how much tape to sue to hold the leather still. Too much and it will warp from the water. too little and it will let go and you smear your leather face with glue.
Anyway, after the squeegee I remove the wax paper. Let this dry for half an hour or so, then put another smooth light layer of glue down.
After this dries overnight, I put on a coat of clear shellac.
The leather is now ready to cut to size. I was using a laser cutter at work but I don't have access to one these days. For black and dark leathers, the laser is good because the burning covers the manilla color. On lighter leathers, the laser leaves a brown burnt edge that needs to be colored. I use water-based paints, mixing custom colors as needed too kill the brown edge. When laser cutting, put application tape on the front to keep the smoke from staining the surface. Then remove this tape before actual application if there are any curves in the part- the tape messes up the leather's ability to go on curves smoothly.
I mentioned needing to find paper other than manilla for the bonding operation. It would be best if it simply matched the leather closely from the beginning.
Anyway, with the leather cut and ready, I'll paint the camera with clear shellac. A thin but thorough coat. Lay the leather in place. Too much shellac will squish out on the edges and make a mess. It really doesn't take much to hold flat pieces down. The new shellac will also activate the shellac already on the leather, so no need to put any shellac on the leather pieces.
Well, here's the leather and a camera I did in the last day. The leather is actually softer, more pastel and greener than the photos show it- a nice light green from rolipel.
The back side- leather, sizing, manilla, sizing on top, shellac on top-
The same material showing the front of the leather-
And the leather installed (personal camera so the edges are not well-finished or colored, and the sizes aren't the best)