Zorki 4 speed dial

[fidget]

My Zorki 4 and 4K are both later models (69 & 72) and have the painted speed dials. They are both quite worn and this makes it a little more effort to change the speed, particularly if it is to one which I may not use often, say one of the slow speeds.
I recently remembered my days fiddling with electronics and wishing that I could get into photo etching of the PCBs. This made me think that this could be a good way to mark the dials. I could draft a mock dial in very large size, photograph it and use the neg as a photo-resist mask and etch away. The only difficulties that I can forsee is scaling the negative to 100% size and ensuring that the etch acid will actually etch the chrome finish. I believe that the photo etching process could be capable of quite fine resolution.
Anyone use this stuff or know if the chrome can be etched?

Dave.......

 

[fidget]

Of course, a less glamorous solution may be to glue the negative to the cleaned up dial, but that may be too easy................

 

[ErnestoJL]

Hi!
This is a nice idea. I´m not sure if chrome is attacked with the etching solution (I think it is ferric perchloride-translated to english). It surely attacks brass as it has a lot of copper in it.

Another solution can be to use a small white or light grey plastic disc etched by laser and glued to the dial.
There are some laser based cutting machines which operate reading a .cdr (Corel Draw) file so it shouldn´t be too difficult to scan the original, get the .cdr file and then supply it to the machine.
This machines are usually found at places where novelties or company gifts are finished.
Added benefit? Yes, you can make as many as you want for pennies.
Also the disc can be cut by the same laser, so almost no need for filing or polishing it.

Cheers
Ernesto

 

[wolves3012]

I downloaded a file from the internet (can't recall where but I have a copy) that was a JPG. If printed at 600dpi (might have been 300dpi) it gives the exact print required. I reverse-printed it on a laser-printer onto acetate, then carefully cut it to fit and glued it over the dial. Since it's reverse-printed it won't wear off. A little fiddly but probably easier than etching. You might have a problem etching the chrome, I'm not sure what etches it...

 

[fidget]

Thanks for the input. Clearly there's more than one way to improve this dial.

Dave.......

 

[Peter_Jones]

Hmmm, might have a go at Wolves3012's idea, seems as good a plan as any.

 

[wolves3012]

Hmmm, might have a go at Wolves3012's idea, seems as good a plan as any.

I can't take the credit for it - someone else did the artwork, I just used it!

 

[fidget]

I can't take the credit for it - someone else did the artwork, I just used it!

So.........can your fellow RFers have use of the aforementioned artwork?

Dave......

 

[ZeMane]

So.........can your fellow RFers have use of the aforementioned artwork?

Dave......

Probably you can have a look here, posted some months ago:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20596

I think that's where Wolves3012 got it....

 

[fidget]

Thanks for the link, and thanks to the author of it.

Dave

 

[payasam]

The Wolverhampton solution seems the quickest. Of coure, the gambling kind would play a variant of Russian Roulette with shutter speeds...

 

[fidget]

The Wolverhampton solution seems the quickest. Of coure, the gambling kind would play a variant of Russian Roulette with shutter speeds...

I sometimes think the speeds are enough of a gamble anyway!
It tells a thing or two when you have to put your glasses on to select a speed, or just wing it and sorta.....give it a squinty guess 😉

 

[wolves3012]

Probably you can have a look here, posted some months ago:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20596

I think that's where Wolves3012 got it....

Certainly is - I just couldn't remember where it was! I saved the file, not the link - thanks, like I said I couldn't take the credit for it...

 

[rolleistef]

buy an earlier (1960s) Z4 and you'll get a nice etched speed dial.. for the price of a Z4!
Otherwise, try to find a couple of Z4 for part (or ask Oleg) and fit new "dials" instead of the old ones...just two €-cents!