Worn out brass lugs

[kaiwasoyokaze]

A quick question, but is there a way to prevent the brass lugs of an old camera to wear out? for example can i find some steel eyelets somewhere and install them myself?
how about brass tape?

 

[02Pilot]

Someone here on RFF suggested cutting small sections of ballpoint pen ink tubing and slipping them into the holes. Seemed like a good idea to me, though I haven't tried it (I don't generally use straps).

 

[Papercut]

I had a Zeiss ZM that had its lugs very worn, to knife edge on one side, in just two years. So I decided not to use metal rings at all on my straps. I tie up some small (1 cm) two strand loops of waxed linen thread, much softer than any lugs, and use those to attach my straps to the camera. Yes, every four to six months I have to tie up new ones since they fray with use. But it's cheap (pennies per year), I always have a couple tied up and ready in my camera bags, they are plenty strong enough, and I know for 100% certain that my lugs won't wear at all. Simple DYI.

EDIT: I got the idea from Gordy's Straps -- he uses waxed linen thread too. Plenty strong.

 

[kiemchacsu]

Someone here on RFF suggested cutting small sections of ballpoint pen ink tubing and slipping them into the holes. Seemed like a good idea to me, though I haven't tried it (I don't generally use straps).

OH thanks for the tip. I will try it for my M2


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[BLKRCAT]

I tried the ballpoint pen trick once. Good luck getting your eyelets through it. It's not easy, especially without jostling out the pen from the lug.

I would look at leica straps. The reason that the lugs wear out is from the sharp part of the eyelet chewing through the brass lug. I frequently check to make sure my sharp parts arent touching the lug on my M4. But the leica straps dont have any sharp pieces to wreck your lugs.

It's a more realistic solution. Ive never got the ball point pen pieces to work.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

A quick question, but is there a way to prevent the brass lugs of an old camera to wear out? for example can i find some steel eyelets somewhere and install them myself?
how about brass tape?

IMHO, nail polish once in awhile works quite well.

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

all very nice ideas. thanks much!

 

[ForestCap]

I wrapped PVC pipe-thread tape around the strap rings. A bit ugly though.

 

[Brian Atherton]

Someone here on RFF suggested cutting small sections of ballpoint pen ink tubing and slipping them into the holes. Seemed like a good idea to me, though I haven't tried it (I don't generally use straps).

https://asingulareye.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/leica-strap-lug-wear-my-fix/

 

[Chubberino]

I had Youxin Ye replace mine with steel ones.

 

[Mute-on]

Cura chrome plated brass strap rings are the same hardness as the lugs so won't chew them up. The rings are tumbled to remove sharp edges before plating. Easy to install and very smooth. Need to be replaced more often than steel rings, but we're talking $5 a pair or thereabouts.

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

i ended up bulk ordering some brass eyelets (easier to work with and also easily replaceable) off of fleabay (something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3mm-or-4m...silver-black-gold-antique-brass-/181268487954) and then just pressed them into shape with a eyelet tool. It fits perfectly and if you don't look closely you wouldn't even realize it wasn't OEM.

the order on fleabay of the 100x eyelets cost less than 4-5usd so it is definitely a good option. i measured the eyelet hole on the camera and got some 2.5mm ones. it appears that these were the smallest diameter ones i could found although i didnt search too hard.

on a worn brass lug camera this fit perfectly. but on a better conditioned camera the 2.5mm diameter was too big.

hope this info is useful to someone.

the cameras that were restored was a nikon S3 and a nikon F.