trying to spray paint my fed 5

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lubitel

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Hi Folks,

can anybody help me with my first paint project?

I took the top plate of from the fed 5, and want to sand it down a bit and then spray paint it. Now, there are still 3 things there that should not be painted: the hot shoe, the shutter speed thing, and the vf ring.

1. should I just cover them with something and go ahead or must they come off? because the latter seems almost impossible, without damage.

2. The bottom plate. I cant take off those "lock thingies". Or should they also stay on and just be covered?

Thanks for your help
 
If you cover, with tape for example, don't wait until the paint is dry in order to remove the tape. Remove the tape when the paint is still drying but not totally dry.
 
I wonder if the metal can "hold" Chrome? Worth checking into.
 
lubitel said:
Hi Folks,

can anybody help me with my first paint project?

I took the top plate of from the fed 5, and want to sand it down a bit and then spray paint it. Now, there are still 3 things there that should not be painted: the hot shoe, the shutter speed thing, and the vf ring.

1. should I just cover them with something and go ahead or must they come off? because the latter seems almost impossible, without damage.

2. The bottom plate. I cant take off those "lock thingies". Or should they also stay on and just be covered?

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

I've never painted a Fed 5 or dismantled one but the VF ring at the back will come off if you loosen the two set screws.. As others have said use masking tape for parts that don't come off, like the hot shoe and the flash socket. This should help.

You can remove the locks at the bottom plate by "pushing out" the pin. Use a piece of wire of the same size as a tool. Not the easiest to do and also difficult to reassemble while trying not to mar the finish of your newly painted bottom plate.

You'll probably have to sandblast the chrome and use some kind of primer if you want to get results a la Comrade Stoisha. My personal experience is limited to using Rustoleum hammerite paint and I just sand the surface to make sure there's no rust and has enough "texture" for the paint to adhere. So far no problems with flaking after almost a year.

Good luck and enjoy your project!

Joseph
 
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1. should I just cover them with something and go ahead or must they come off? because the latter seems almost impossible, without damage.

Remove the hot shoe and viewfinder ring. Use masking tape for the shutter speed thing. Like ruben mentioned, remove the masking tape before it's dry.

There's a trick to removing the hot shoe. I fogot it though. :p Maybe someone here knows. Just take your time with the hot shoe. I think you have to pry the front or rear area and the shoe would slide out.

You should be able to remove the flash socket from the inside of the top cover. I used a small vice grip with careful attention to how much pressure needed to unscrew it on my Zorki 6.

How did you manage to remove the top cover without removing the viewfinder ring?


2. The bottom plate. I cant take off those "lock thingies". Or should they also stay on and just be covered?


Again, take your time removing the bottom plate. They are either held together by a c-clip or a screw. I'm guess you have c-clips. They are tough to unclip but not impossible.

Good luck and don't forget to use etching primer before you apply the colour. :)
 
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Go to Best Stuff forums and do a search on "muratic acid", there was a whole series of threads on removing chrome............
 
Thank you all for your tips!

je2a3 said:
You'll probably have to sandblast the chrome and use some kind of primer if you want to get results a la Comrade Stoisha. My personal experience is limited to using Rustoleum hammerite paint and I just sand the surface to make sure there's no rust and has enough "texture" for the paint to adhere. So far no problems with flaking after almost a year.
Click to expand...

Well, I was thinking of doing it your way. Sand it down and spray. Sandblasting is not an option, I've got no access to something like that.

the bottom plate is held with c-clips. Dont know how to get them off, but even if I do get them off, I cant imagine how I could put it back ON again. They are so small, and kind of hard to reach as well. So I think I'll just cover some areas there too.

w3rk5 said:
How did you manage to remove the top cover without removing the viewfinder ring?
Click to expand...
It wasnt attached to anything inside the camera.

Can I use etching primer after just sanding the surface for texture, or should it be used only when chrome is really off, like after sandblasting?

Once again thanks to all!
 
Hi,
A couple of quick thoughts, Muratic acid is very good for chrome but it is not chrome on the FSU cameras but a form of anodisising. Once you have painted, take any masking off while the paint is soft but then put to one side to cure for at least a week preferably with several "heat" treatments before you handle it and put it all back together.

Kim
 
Thanks kim, When I do paint it, I'll try to keep my hands off for a week.

I imagine that will be one of the hardest things to do. ;)
 
Yup! Been there - spent hours preparing something, painted it and then had to repeat the whole process for 5 mins of impatience!
 
took another look at the camera:

VF ring doesnt have any screws.
And the hot shoe doesnt seem to be removeable at all.

I think they'll have to be covered.
 
lubitel said:
Can I use etching primer after just sanding the surface for texture, or should it be used only when chrome is really off, like after sandblasting?
Click to expand...

Use the etching primer regardless if you remove all the chorme/anodisising or just sanded. I found that etching primer leaves a very porous surface. Paint just seems to get sucked into the etching primer. Make sure you follow the directions on the etching primer and paint.

If you're going to remove all the chorme/anodisising to the brass you should still sand the whole thing. You'll get a more durable finish. Use a finer grit like 400 and don't be too heavy handed. :)
 
lubitel said:
Thank you all for your tips!
Well, I was thinking of doing it your way. Sand it down and spray. Sandblasting is not an option, I've got no access to something like that.
the bottom plate is held with c-clips. Dont know how to get them off, but even if I do get them off, I cant imagine how I could put it back ON again. They are so small, and kind of hard to reach as well. So I think I'll just cover some areas there too.
Click to expand...

The C-clips pivot on a pin which holds the lock assembly together. You push this pin out with a similar gauge wire, once its out the whole lock assembly will be off. Take note of the sequence of parts and washers for reassembly. I've done this on a late Fed 2 bottom plate which has a similar arrangement and it is tricky as I said before.

If your Fed 5 doesn't have diopter adjustment then there's no VF ring, it is probably part of the top cover like a Zorki 4.

Joseph
 
little update.

finally got those c-clips off!!!!! wasnt that hard once i figured it out. thanks Joseph.

Sanded everything with sandpaper. Surface doesnt seem to be that rough, but somewhat rougher. I guess its enough to start spraying.

problem: cant find any etching primer. Dont know what its called here in germany. Is that just a regular primer or something very specific? what does it look like: does it cover the area with a white surface? or is it something you put on and then wash off before spraying the paint?

sorry for this amateur question. Never done this before.
 
Go to an autobody paint shop. They will be able to put you onto a source for etching primer... might even sell you a pint or two if you ask. it would not take much.

Tom
 
Etching primer is certain type of primer and it's grey. Goto an autobody shop and ask them what type of primer they use to appy to bare metal. That should be the stuff. Or ask them how would they paint over chrome if they had to.

One word of caution.......follow the directions on how to use etching primer. It will tell you how long you should wait to spary between coats, when to appy the colour, and what types of paints it's compatible with (laquer or acrylic or epoxy).

Oh yeah! Wipe down the covers at least 2 times with a degreaser (isoproply alcohol will work). Wear gloves while you're degreasing the covers and everytime you have to touch the covers. You don't want the oils from your hands on the clean metal. :)
 
Update 2:

So last friday, I got a primer, it was grey but I am not sure it was etching. The directions said it was useable on metal. I sprayed 2 or 3 coats of it, and following directions sprayed the paint on it about an hour or two later. On the next day I removed the tape coverings, realizing I should have been 1: More precise when I taped it, because some little spots around were left silver and
2: more careful removing the tape because it took a bit of paint with it.

I waited until yesterday night to start putting the camera together. The paint scratches very easily. I already have a few little scratches on the body. This makes me think that the paint I used may not have been the right kind, or that may be I havent sanded the body enough. Other than these downsides, the color looks really GOOD :D So it probably wont be a shooter, but a displayer camera (The VF is totally screwed up inside anyway). Next time I will be more careful sending and choosing the paint and primer, though.

Went to a shoemaker shop yesterday, and bought some very funky leather. Will glue it this weekend, and post some pics before the paint is fully chipped off ;) Any tips on what glue is to be used? just a regular crazy glue?

end of update 2.
 
Congrats on your first attempt to paint. :) Can't wait to see the pictures.

Just a little tip, you should start removing the tape maybe 10-15 minutes after you've finished spraying your last coat of colour paint. If you let it dry before removing the tape, you'll have to take a razor and carefully cut around the tape. Otherwise the paint will peel off with it. Trust me, it's easier to just remove the tape 10-15 minutes after you sprayed. :) Also, 5 light coats of primer or paint is better than 2 thick coats.

Check out the second bottle in this link. This is etching primer. http://www.einszettna.com/sys-tmpl/paint/
 
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