Tragedy: Salt Water Dunked M3 -- who can fix?

m3-salt

m3-salt

if you haven't had a direct conversation with whoever you elect to do the cla/repair, i'd say call and ask him/her what they'd recommend that you do to get the camera to them, and i'd imagine asap. and, though they can't give specifics in advance of having the camera on the bench, they might be able to offer advice as to whether to send it, approximate cost, and potential outcome.
 
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FrankS said:
Julian, it must have hurt to submerge your camera into the (fresh) water!
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Frank -- it is pretty weird to INTENTIONALLY lower a camera into water. I did it slowly and lovingly. It gurgled a bit then peacefully settled in. I've changed the water a few times so far. A lot of sand has been spit out.

I spoke with Don Goldberg at DAG. He actually said just stick with the fresh water that I've done so far, let it drip dry, and send it ASAP.

Also, I didn't have time earlier to tell the WHOLE sordid story earlier. Attached to this particular M3 at the time of the disaster was a brand-new (as in 10 days old) Zeiss Ikon 25mm lens that I picked up from one of our sponsors -- Pop Photo. That will also go off to DAG. Who knows; stranger things have happened.
 
Regardless of outcome - please let us know how it turns out. What happened to you is something we all fear. I've only once or twice taken a good (as opposed to P&S) camera to the beach because of sand and salt.
 
I'm no expert, but I think I would put it in a Tupperware container and carefully/slowly use a gaseous product like this http://www.eenid.us/30103.html or some other form of Co2 to fill the container and seal it. No oxygen, no rust. Co2 being heaver than air will certainly fill the container with the camera in it and allow you plenty of time to close it up. You could even drop in a pack of Silica from a gun shop, for putting in gun safes, to help wick away some moisture.

Good luck whatever you try and keep us informed.

Cheers
 
The person you should call is: Sherry Krauter, 118 Purgatory Road, Campbell Hill, NY 10916, Telephone: 845-496-8834.

She is, reputedly, the finest Leica repair source in the country.

DO IT NOW!

Good luck!

Bill Ely
 
I second what BenZ said above: Rinse and then ziplock with all the air sucked out. No oxygen, no oxidation. I wouldn't soak in alcahol. Overnight to Sherry or DAG. Then let us know what happens. Good luck.
 
Ouch!

Can't add to the advice already given, except for this: use a strap next time!

Oh, and your M3 could've suffered worse fate - being left for dead as a "collector's item" in a glass case, never being allowed to expose film in the hands of a competent photographer such as yourself.
 
hoot said:
[Y]our M3 could've suffered worse fate - being left for dead as a "collector's item" in a glass case, never being allowed to expose film...
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That's a good point. All those other M3's and other M's that work just great but are never, ever used. Now I feel not so bad since mine WAS used and died (if that's what happens) "with its boots on".
 
sorry to hear about your misfortune. the mid 1950s Canon IVSB2 manual recommended soaking the camera in fresh water and finally in kerosene/ parafin . the camera should be kept in kerosene till it is handed over to the repair person. rust quickly forms in mechanical cameras that are wet, hence the kerosene.
 
This is a common problem and the solution, from ancient times, has always been to put the camera in fresh water and leave it there until it gets to repair. Maybe dunk it and drain it a few times, but then leave it in a ziplock bag or bucket full of water. Don't do anything else.

Alcohol makes no sense because you want the water to stay there until the camera is 100% disassembled...you don't want things to dry out...that's when the corrosion starts...fast corrosion requires air...
 
You probably don't want to soak it in kerosene or other solvent/fuel because 1) you can't ship it that way or fly it that way (flames, fumes, the law) and 2) you probably won't find small amounts of kerosene conveniently enough.

Worse, these solvents do NOT dissolve salt, only water does that...your goal is to wash salt out as much as possible, leaving the camera soaked in water to dilute whatevers left until the camera is dismantled, sonic-cleaned, relubricated, reassembled (probably with a new shutter).
 
ChrisN said:
Urgently, a really good flush with fresh water, then get it completely submerged into a bath of methylated spirits or denatured alcohol (I don't know what they call it in the US - maybe methanol). The fresh water is to remove as much of the salt as possible, then the methylated spirits will absorb the water. I'd keep it submerged in the meths as long as possible, until you have a repairer lined up who can work on it immediately.
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This is exactly what I would have suggested ! Keep it dived!! The decisive question now is how much time had the salt to cause damnage in cooperation with oxygen.

In principle the whole camera must get dismantled completely, all parts cleaned (sand), all kinda bearings must be replaced I suppose, and for the escaping of the shutter I am not very optimistic.

I'd invest in an analysis: send it to a competent repair place (Camera Quest ?) and ask them how much they want for a detailed cost estimate . If you can get it for a reasonable price you have something can base your decision on.

If the repair is more expensive than another M3 from Ebay it could be a good deal anyway, you know what you got then !

Regards,
Bertram
 
Update on salt-water dunked M3 & ZI lens

Update on salt-water dunked M3 & ZI lens

As an update on my poor M3's situation, I shipped it to DAG encased in a sealed baggy after giving it a thorough fresh-water bath. Same with the lens.

DAG took the M3 all apart, and had to replace 2 parts, but everything else has survived. Amazing. For a bit more money, he also is taking care of a RF problem that is unrelated to the dunking.

The brand new Zeiss 25mm lens that was on the camera at the time of the dunking also seems to have survived. I thought that thing was trash for sure. DAG took it all apart, fixed it, and now it seems as good as new.

This resurrection is not cheap, but no problem. For repair, I'm paying maybe 40-45% of what I'd have to pay to replace both the camera and lens.
 
julianphotoart said:
As an update on my poor M3's situation, I shipped it to DAG encased in a sealed baggy after giving it a thorough fresh-water bath. Same with the lens.

DAG took the M3 all apart, and had to replace 2 parts, but everything else has survived. Amazing. For a bit more money, he also is taking care of a RF problem that is unrelated to the dunking.

The brand new Zeiss 25mm lens that was on the camera at the time of the dunking also seems to have survived. I thought that thing was trash for sure. DAG took it all apart, fixed it, and now it seems as good as new.

This resurrection is not cheap, but no problem. For repair, I'm paying maybe 40-45% of what I'd have to pay to replace both the camera and lens.
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Wow! That's good news! I was already fearing rusty, crusty innards and all. Good to hear the camera and lens survived.
 
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