Refill distances engraving on lens focusing ring?

E

Eugen Mezei

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Feb 17, 2006
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Hello everyone!

I recently got a Voigtländer Bessa 46 in very nice condition with Heliar lens. (Looks almost new and everything is working. Finder is a bit dusk, need to look how I can get the top cap off to clean it inside.)

Only problem, the numbers on the focusing ring are almost invisible. The focusing ring is made of plastic and first I thought the numbers were just painted and so everything would be lost. (It's a scale focusing folder.) But it seems the numbers are engraved, althought not very deep. Some of the engravings still hold some white paint, but most are very hardly lisible or at all.

What to use to refill the engravings with white paint? I would like not to dismantle the lens as I know I will never recalibrate it correctly.
I would like some paint I can put on the ring and whip it off before it hardens so only the engraving remain filled with it.

If anyone knows this particular camera model: Is the part of the focusing ring with the engranving separable from the entire ring so I could take it apart? On on hand I want to avoid recollimating, on the other I don't want to risk messing the entire lens with paint.
The frontring (where Heliar is painted on) fell of, I see now thre little screws in the front. Maybe this could be of some help?

Btw, the yellow filter is missing. Where these cameras delivered also without the flipping filter or did it just brake away on my model?

Greetings,

Eugen
 
I use a wax pencil such as Staedler "Chinagraph" for filling in the lost paint. First, dig out the remains of the old paint with a pin, then give it a good clean with an old toothbrush. Rub the wax pencil into the hollowed out engravings until it is filled, and then polish off with a tissue paper, or a thin rag (I use bits of my worn-out cotton T-shirts), repeat if the hollow is not completely filled.

If you get the wax pencil smeared outside the area, you can moisten the tissue or rag slightly with alcohol, that should take care of it. The problem is, once you have done one number, you would have to temptation to dig out the original paint from all the engraved numbers and do them all!
 
I've done something very similar with crayons, (black and white) and after going round and round to fill the gaps I "burnish" and wipe the bits into the engravings with a piece of wooden dowel (about 3 or 4mm dia) with a chisel end cut into it. Then clean with a "J Cloth" or similar which is just rough enough.

One of these days I'll scrounge a red crayon from the grandchildren and use that as well to highlight various points.

Regards, David

PS I vaguely feel this advice originated from Leica UK but it could be the usual web myth machinery.
 
Hi David,

I understand crayons contains beef fat and that might go bad, I'd imagine, although I do not know what Staedtler put in their wax pencils, it has worked well for me; the wax pencil compound feels a lot harder than crayon and should be a little more hard-wearing, I think.
 
Seele said:
Hi David,

I understand crayons contains beef fat and that might go bad, I'd imagine, although I do not know what Staedtler put in their wax pencils, it has worked well for me; the wax pencil compound feels a lot harder than crayon and should be a little more hard-wearing, I think.
Click to expand...

Interesting, We've dozens of drawing by them I'll have to see what has happened to the kids pictures.

Regards, David
 
Porter Camera used to sell (still might) something similar to Microtools (might even be the same). I bought some years ago and have used it a number of lenses. Works great and lasts forever.
 
I bought an oil pencil from the local art supply store. It is from Koh-i-Noor. Got a white and a yellow one. They also had wax crayons, but I think it is one and the same.
The engraving on the Bessa is very thin, you know these frontcell focusing lenses. They always have very thin and tiny numbers engraved. Also the plastic of the focusing ring is black.
The oilpencil is whihte but it has not enough covering pover I guess. It is not a really contrasty white when put in the engraving, it becomes more a sort of grey. It simply has not the necessary brilliance.

Is the crayon from microtools also based on wax or oil or is that laquer?
I think shiny laquer is what I need. I want the numbers to be clear, contrasty and brilliantly shiny.

Eugen
 
Years ago I had a friend who had the engraving on a rifle picked out in gold by a friend of his who worked in an instrument makers. I remember being told that she used paint and a fine brush and it was "just a question of a steady hand" and good eye-sight, perhaps.

I'll pass it on, fwiw.

Regards, David
 
Eugen Mezei said:
Is the crayon from microtools also based on wax or oil or is that laquer?
I think shiny laquer is what I need. I want the numbers to be clear, contrasty and brilliantly shiny.

Eugen
Click to expand...

It isn't a crayon. It is thickened paint. If you want a crayon-type substance with good coverage, try a white china marker.

Edit: if you have used an oil or wax based coloring agent, you are going to have to remove all traces of it before you can use paint.
 
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