Tips for removing MP covering

[nobbylon]

removing is hard on your new camera, also you might consider that applying the griptac won't be easy and could lead to a wobby job. A skilled pro can do a good job safely, don't ruin this MP beauty...

not true, on the newer m's it's easy to remove and just as easy to replace. I used some alcohol on the new cover to give me a few moments to position correctly and the end result is as good as a factory install. patience is the key

 

[edodo]

Maybe I confused the vulcanite (hard to remove) and the new leica skin that you mentionned. If you can do it good, it is a nice upgrade I believe too.

 

[jja]

I'm not familiar with Griptac, but I recovered my MP with Aki Asahi's material (the larger pebble emboss), which is great and easy to apply. I second Erik's experience removing the old covering: the main part comes off in one piece, requires force but not too much. No residue is left over. Do be careful with the back door; I remember the glue being stickier (the door is a different material than the body), and you have to be careful not to damage the ISO dial because the covering sits slightly underneath it.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I totally do agree with jja. The pebble emboss of Aki Asahi is great.

Erik.

 

[lkgroup]

I recovered my M2 after I had Youxin Yee CLA the camera. The original vulcanite was breaking off. It makes is such a great cover to handle. I highly recommend putting The Grip Tac cover on any camera. I also recovered a 1952 Kiev 2.

I am thinking of recovering a Black Pentax SP and a Olympus SLR with the Grip Tac covering, I really things it looks good and feels great.

Leo

 

[Bill58]

I recieved my 3rd camera, a black Minolta 7S, recovered w/ griptac by Morgan and I've sent him the $$ for the same for my Canon Model P. I luv the stuff.

BTW-I use a paint remover called J.W. etc's Safe Strip to remove my vinyl coverings. You can get it here among other places: http://www.artistclub.com/tools/itemid_84210/tools_display.aspx

It's environmenally friendly, safe, and it works!

 

[vieri]

One more vote for Griptac: it just works great! I had it on my 2 M8s (now sold) and have it on my 2 MPs & on my R6.2, and will put it on my newly acquired IIIc and M2 as well as soon as I will receive it. It transforms the handling of the camera and - as said before - it looks and feels much better than the original MP cover. I am not into leather (at least when it comes to camera handling LOL) and like Griptac's grip and the cool post-industrial look as well; I wish Morgan would do a D3 & D300 kit as well!

As far as replacing the MP's cover, I would second what said before: the body's cover, while tougher to get off than say the M8's, gets off pretty easily once you get to raise a corner of it (metal screwdriver suggested above not recommended, though, they can scratch the body); the back plate cover, on the other hand, needs some more care to get the gunk left by the residual glue off. Double tape works ok, lighter fluid works better IMHO. Installing the new cover is really easy, plus Morgan has a detailed tutorial on his website www.cameraleather.com.

Good luck and enjoy your new cover! 😀

 

[Rafael]

Well, it's done. I was amazed at how easily the original covering came off. I just worked a corner up with my finger nail and then peeled the covering away. There's no need for any kind of tool to get the covering off. Even the back door covering is easily removed with no tools of any kind. Clearly, my worries about damaging the camera were for nought!. The Griptac looks to be a huge improvement over the original MP covering. Now I just have to wait for the Purell to evaporate. And I thought it was frustrating waiting for a kettle to boil! :bang:

Thanks to all who gave advice or shared their experience.

I should also add a big thumbs up for Morgan at cameraleather. The Griptac was in my mailbox within a week of my order going in.

 

[Beemermark]

I removed the vulcanite from my M4 and recovered it with material from Cameraleather.com. It's looks great but what a job. Worse than painting an old house. Took my time, followed the instructions on their website, and the camera looks great.

The newer cameras, M6 and up, do not use vulcanite. According to Cameraleather you can just peel if off,as others have said. When I get around to it I going to do my M7 and maybe even my M6.

 

[lewis44]

Expect to deduct $500, depending on your choice. Colors like red, could lower a camera's value by 50%.

You've got to be kidding.
All you have to do is take off the red and recover in Black pebbled leather or a vulcanite look alike. It's about a 15 minute job and it will be so close to the way it was sold, most won't care. If you use it, you will loose more than the change back to black from red.
If you are worried about the resale, don't use it.

 

[peter_n]

Exactly. In the case of the MP the covering is extremely poor. Try using it in a very hot, humid tropical environment, where you sweat like a pig and your hands slip on the surface of the camera. Thinking about losing a couple of hundred bucks on resale doesn't even enter your head. Griptac is an extremely good solution for the problem and that's all that counts.

 

[Stu W]

Why not just save the original covering and replace it at time of resale?