Where have all the light seal kits gone?

[Mr_Flibble]

My freshly acquired Yashica GSN needs a new set of seals. The old ones have transformed into the digusting sticky goo we all despise.

So I wanted to pick up a kit through Ebay, like the one I got for my Yashica TL Electro from 'camerasealkitsandmore', but couldn't find any.

Then went to Interslice but he doesn't offer anything on Ebay at this time.... Is Jon still in business?


Can someone point me towards another dealer who offers GSN light seal kits?

 

[krötenblender]

Maybe people realized, that you can buy the material for sealing for 1€ which is then enough for 20 cameras, and wchi can be cutted by yourself in a few minutes... I did my CLE this way.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

No feedback for over a month, no items for sale.

If anyone has used an Interslice pre-cut kit- they know the value versus buying foam from Walmart. Saves time, and some of the very thin cuts are hard to do.

 

[ChrisN]

Why not try an email to Jon? He's on the books as a member here - http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/member.php?u=1188

 

[dreilly]

They are...were...very good kits.

 

[Bill58]

Jon can also be reached at jon_goodman at yahoo dot com

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Thanks for the replies! I'll see about contacting Jon shortly. Will let you know the who, what and where.

I feel the kits are/were very much worth it too.

 

[Mark Wood]

Maybe people realized, that you can buy the material for sealing for 1€ which is then enough for 20 cameras, and wchi can be cutted by yourself in a few minutes... I did my CLE this way.

What must be remembered is that Jon supplies (hopefully he still does) very detailed instructions for fitting the light seals and removing the old ones which are specific to the actual camera type. If my experience is anything to go by, he also contacts every buyer and is prepared to help out at all stages by e-mail.

I've just got around to fitting a Yashicamat 124G kit that I bought from him and everything was just spot-on. I also casually asked him a while ago if he had any intention of supplying kits for the Minolta XE series and within a couple of weeks, they were available. Sadly he stopped offering the complete kits with all sorts of sizes of foam as someone else was buying them and making kits from them to sell via eBay.

For what they offer and the service included, the kits are/were a bargain. (No connection to Jon other than being a very happy customer.)

 

[Frontman]

The only hard part of the seal installation is removing the old seals and residue. Thos requires a scraper (usually a small screwdriver), cotton swabs, and a solvent, such as paint thinner.

I make seals for the cameras I refurbish, as I have access to the correct materials and have the proper machine to cut the seals. If there was enough demand, perhaps I would sell kits to those who need them.

 

[rxmd]

Can someone point me towards another dealer who offers GSN light seal kits?

You can try Viktor Hälke the "Camera Doctor" in Bochum, Germany (http://www.kameradoktor.de). He has light seal kits for all sorts of cameras (overview page), including Yashica Electros (this page). He also has all sorts of used and electronics stuff.

The kits are the best I know. They're very well made from neoprene and come with a nice set of installation instructions (you'll see the nicety when you order yours - the owner also does abstract paintings and my last kit came wrapped in a folding postcard of one of his paintings. 🙂)

 

[oftheherd]

You can try Viktor Hälke the "Camera Doctor" in Bochum, Germany (http://www.kameradoktor.de). He has light seal kits for all sorts of cameras (overview page), including Yashica Electros (this page). He also has all sorts of used and electronics stuff.

The kits are the best I know. They're very well made from neoprene and come with a nice set of installation instructions (you'll see the nicety when you order yours - the owner also does abstract paintings and my last kit came wrapped in a folding postcard of one of his paintings. 🙂)

Thanks for that.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

You can try Viktor Hälke the "Camera Doctor" in Bochum, Germany (http://www.kameradoktor.de). He has light seal kits for all sorts of cameras (overview page), including Yashica Electros (this page). He also has all sorts of used and electronics stuff.
🙂)

Excellent, thanks you! 🙂

 

[Brian Legge]

Someone mentioned that Jon was setting up a web store outside of ebay though I don't have first hand confirmation or knowledge.

I've used hits kits many times and appreciated the convenience even though it cost a little more than buying raw material. Much simpler knowing the thickness is correct, etc than experimenting.

Had I considered the possibility he wouldn't be offering kits at this point, I would have done more thickness measuring when applying his to previous cameras. I'm close to buying raw materials and doing it myself now instead.

 

[nikon_sam]

I bought a kit from Jon years ago...should have bought five...I will happily pay for his product again...