TenEleven
Well-known
Be careful with alcohol as for cemented elements it can get in between the lens cement and can cause trouble. Naptha (lighter fluid) is a bit gentler and has less capillary action, but you still have to be careful. Often these paints are water soluble for that reason. Have you tried a wet tissue and simply wiping it off?
For the other non-water-soluble paints I use a dentists tool and slowly chip away at it. Messy and time consuming, but sadly I don't know another way that would not endanger the lens. To repaint the lens I use water soluble calligraphy ink which dries as a very dark very textured (read: matte) black.
The tool in the middle. It has no sharp edges so you don't risk scratching the lens as much.
The sides of the lens are matted and rough textured anyways so that paint will stick better.
Repainted rear group of a war-time Biogon. The element on the top, not the one I am holding. Not the best picture I apologize, but you can see that there is none of the usual bubbling and the lens looks uniformly black from the inside. There is a faint bright rim which I could not fully eliminate in this case, but it is vastly improved from its prior state.
For the other non-water-soluble paints I use a dentists tool and slowly chip away at it. Messy and time consuming, but sadly I don't know another way that would not endanger the lens. To repaint the lens I use water soluble calligraphy ink which dries as a very dark very textured (read: matte) black.
The tool in the middle. It has no sharp edges so you don't risk scratching the lens as much.
The sides of the lens are matted and rough textured anyways so that paint will stick better.
Repainted rear group of a war-time Biogon. The element on the top, not the one I am holding. Not the best picture I apologize, but you can see that there is none of the usual bubbling and the lens looks uniformly black from the inside. There is a faint bright rim which I could not fully eliminate in this case, but it is vastly improved from its prior state.
RussPhoto
Member
Haven't tried with wet tissue yet (just water?) But rubbing alcohol 99% was useless... Will try with lighter fluid. Thanks a lot for the info! Now I have to order some dentist tools. I did some touch up with oil based Sharpie, works well, opaque and solid, takes some time to dry.
Attachments
peterm1
Veteran
I use paint based "sharpies" quite a bit or various jobs - as an aside, including wear marks on the exterior of black lens bodies though it's not terribly resistant to wear it works as a touch up but sometimes needs reapplication. I think the ones I am familiar with are the same composition as the oil-based ones you showed though the pen itself looks different (having a metal barrel). Mine is labelled "Uni Paint" which I think is a Japanese brand.
If using solvents one thing to be aware of is that Summar lenses have a design which is 6 elements in 4 groups (see link). The two groups with double elements look as if they may be bonded and I would assume they are, though I have not been able to double check this. If so, be careful with solvents as I think they could seep into the joint between the bonded element pairs and begin to dissolve the balsam. I would try a cloth which is only very mildly dampened, not sopping wet. One thing I would be tempted to try also, is 0000 steel wool - pull off small amounts and roll them into tiny "cigars" then use this perhaps dampened with solvent of choice to abrade the old paint on the edges of the lens elements. Great care and careful cleaning afterwards is needed, it goes without saying. 0000 steel wool is the finest and acts almost like a polish when used on anything but of course you would not want it applied to anything except the edges of the elements to remove the old paint. Many would look askance at this suggestion but if planning to use dentists tools as scrapers (they are very useful things BTW - I use them quite a bit in my workshop) I cannot see much difference as these are indisputably likely to produce marks on the edge of the lens to some extent and it might be argued that steel wool is even more gentle.
A further idea if you happen to own a Dremel tool (or similar) is to try the high-speed abrasive scouring brush attachments (see link 2 below). These come in various grades and most likely would help remove old paint. I think they are inherently more controllable than other methods too as not a lot of pressure is needed and can be as gentle as you wish them to be for removal of small areas of unwanted substances like paint. I use these for all kinds of purposes such as removal of small rust or corrosion spots on metal. Just be careful and hold the tool firmly and apply lightly as if pressed too hard the brush can "grab" suddenly and get momentarily out of control, with risk to the light transmitting surfaces of the lens where you do not want to apply it. Use at your own peril (though I am confident enough that it can be done so long as you are not a "butter fingers" as I am used to using these on a Dremel).
Summar f2 50mm
History I came by my chrome Summar when I purchased it with a Leica IIIb last year (2014). As far as I know the lens and body have been wedded together since leaving the factory, as their productio…
asingulareye.wordpress.com
x25 Finishing Brush fit dremel Scouring Pad Abrasive Wheel Grinding Sanding grit | eBay
Specification: MIXED Set of Red 240 girt, Yellow 180 girt, Green 150 girt, Black 300 girt scouring pads. 25pcs Rotary tool for Abrasive Polishing ect. With the function of polishing, grinding, polishing,dusting, etc.
shorturl.at
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RussPhoto
Member
I use paint based "sharpies" quite a bit or various jobs - as an aside, including wear marks on the exterior of black lens bodies though it's not terribly resistant to wear it works as a touch up but sometimes needs reapplication. I think the ones I am familiar with are the same composition as the oil-based ones you showed though the pen itself looks different (having a metal barrel). Mine is labelled "Uni Paint" which I think is a Japanese brand.
If using solvents one thing to be aware of is that Summar lenses have a design which is 6 elements in 4 groups (see link). The two groups with double elements look as if they may be bonded and I would assume they are, though I have not been able to double check this. If so, be careful with solvents as I think they could seep into the joint between the bonded element pairs and begin to dissolve the balsam. I would try a cloth which is only very mildly dampened, not sopping wet. One thing I would be tempted to try also, is 0000 steel wool - pull off small amounts and roll them into tiny "cigars" then use this perhaps dampened with solvent of choice to abrade the old paint on the edges of the lens elements. Great care and careful cleaning afterwards is needed, it goes without saying. 0000 steel wool is the finest and acts almost like a polish when used on anything but of course you would not want it applied to anything except the edges of the elements to remove the old paint. Many would look askance at this suggestion but if planning to use dentists tools as scrapers (they are very useful things BTW - I use them quite a bit in my workshop) I cannot see much difference as these are indisputably likely to produce marks on the edge of the lens to some extent and it might be argued that steel wool is even more gentle.
A further idea if you happen to own a Dremel tool (or similar) is to try the high-speed abrasive scouring brush attachments (see link 2 below). These come in various grades and most likely would help remove old paint. I think they are inherently more controllable than other methods too as not a lot of pressure is needed and can be as gentle as you wish them to be for removal of small areas of unwanted substances like paint. I use these for all kinds of purposes such as removal of small rust or corrosion spots on metal. Just be careful and hold the tool firmly and apply lightly as if pressed too hard the brush can "grab" suddenly and get momentarily out of control, with risk to the light transmitting surfaces of the lens where you do not want to apply it. Use at your own peril (though I am confident enough that it can be done so long as you are not a "butter fingers" as I am used to using these on a Dremel).
Summar f2 50mm
History I came by my chrome Summar when I purchased it with a Leica IIIb last year (2014). As far as I know the lens and body have been wedded together since leaving the factory, as their productio…
x25 Finishing Brush fit dremel Scouring Pad Abrasive Wheel Grinding Sanding grit | eBay
Specification: MIXED Set of Red 240 girt, Yellow 180 girt, Green 150 girt, Black 300 girt scouring pads. 25pcs Rotary tool for Abrasive Polishing ect. With the function of polishing, grinding, polishing,dusting, etc.shorturl.at
Peterm1, Thanks a lot for the info and tips! Will probably get soon Dremel Stylo+
Erik van Straten
Veteran
A lens that draws very much like the Summar is the (collapsible) Heliar 50mm f2. It is not for LTM but it has the M-mount. One of the better made Cosina lenses.
gelatin silver print (heliar 50mm f2) leica m2
Amsterdam, 2024
gelatin silver print (heliar 50mm f2) leica m2
Amsterdam, 2024
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