Zorki I toplates - brass or alloy ?

[dee]

Hi
I have sent two Zorki I black Leica ''tributes'' , [ polite term ] to Oleg for sweetening up .
One is engraved through to brass , but the other shows silver .
I would have assumed that all chrome plating would have been removed , but am curious at the difference .
Any one know what the toplates were made of , and if they varied ?
of course, the original IDs of both cameras have been obliterated in the reprocessing !
thanks dee

 

[pshinkaw]

Well, brass is an alloy. Copper and tin.

Zorki-1 tops are made of brass. However, not all painted tops were stripped back to bare metal. Some customizers merely sanded the chrome plating to a rough finish and then painted them black. Some just painted them black without even sanding.

-Paul

 

[JonP]

I think dee's question is more concerned with why some engraved top-plates show brass - other show a different alloy. I know some were pressed rather than cut, could this account for it? Maybe removal of the top plate to examine the underside would resolve this - but a bit excessive in a shop or as a question to a seller!

 

[reagan]

Curious indeed. I always assumed (don't know why) that the models with stamped/pressed insignia were made of lighter [or thinner] material than the ones that were engraved, but this may not be the case. Hopefully others could shine some light here.

 

[dee]

It's simple realy , I shall have to ask Oleg when he has them taken to bits !
Thanks, dee