mickjazz Posted February 15, 2017 Share #1 Posted February 15, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have 3 leica ia close focus. One very low 4 digit and is beautiful and works perfectly. Another is a low 5 digit and is equally great. Both have very little brass showing with beautiful crack free vulcanite. The third also a 1926 4 digit looks nothing like the other 2 with all the paint apparently deliberately removed from the lower plate, all the edges brass as well. Maybe only 20% black paint remaining. Also the vulcanite - early style with the sort of large turtle mesh - is all there but with 2 large vertical cracks, one front and one back. The splits in the vulcanite don't bother me but it is already brittle and some day probably soon when handling it, will fall off. So what to do. Might try to repair or stabilize it and I have had some limited success on a few other cameras. Or remove it and replace. Problem is nothing looks like the old pattern. I lean towards repair even though it's far from original cosmetically and I would not consider having it painted. Thoughts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Hi mickjazz, Take a look here Regarding Recovering Leica ia. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
TomB_tx Posted February 15, 2017 Share #2 Posted February 15, 2017 I've had luck repairing small vulcanit defects with Milliput black epoxy putty, which I think is from England. I also generally prefer to repair, as I don't worry about the resale value, just how I like items. I have replaced the vulcanit on a Standard and a 1c (Aki Asahi precut material) and have been pleased with the result, although as you say it isn't quite the original texture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerzy Posted February 15, 2017 Share #3 Posted February 15, 2017 in my opinion restoration shall bring the object to a status which which as much close to original as possible however without changing any of the factors. Let me explain it on mickjazz example - i would leave paint as it is. You cannot get the original paint anymore, but more important is that you will not be able to restore the engravings. So repainting will make it only worse, now the camera is carrying "honorable" signs of usage. I would restore the vulkanit. It is complete, restoration will prevent from further damages. Pict below shows one step of restoration on IA 1xxxx - Vulkanit was without cracks but separated from the shell. From my experience vertical cracks on early Leicas, if nothing is missing, can be restored so that the crack is not or only hardly visible. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! If you will need some tips how to do it send me PM. And some other remarks from me about restoration: - I use leatherette very seldom, only when bigger chunks of Vulkanite are missing, for smaller chunks I have pieces of original Vulkanite from different years. Patching vulkanit cannot be made invisible, but very often you will need a close look to notice - occasionaly I do nickel or chrom replating. An overall look of the camera determines if I do it - renickeling buttons and lens on mickjazz camera, when only 20% of paint remained would lead to ridiculous result, it is probably better to leave it as it is, it looks more authentic. But if a chrom camera has dents and otherwise is in nice condition then I do it, it is pretty time consuming ( old plating removed, dents repaired, polished, sanded and finally plated) so the rest of the camera must be really in good condition. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! If you will need some tips how to do it send me PM. And some other remarks from me about restoration: - I use leatherette very seldom, only when bigger chunks of Vulkanite are missing, for smaller chunks I have pieces of original Vulkanite from different years. Patching vulkanit cannot be made invisible, but very often you will need a close look to notice - occasionaly I do nickel or chrom replating. An overall look of the camera determines if I do it - renickeling buttons and lens on mickjazz camera, when only 20% of paint remained would lead to ridiculous result, it is probably better to leave it as it is, it looks more authentic. But if a chrom camera has dents and otherwise is in nice condition then I do it, it is pretty time consuming ( old plating removed, dents repaired, polished, sanded and finally plated) so the rest of the camera must be really in good condition. ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/269411-regarding-recovering-leica-ia/?do=findComment&comment=3213339'>More sharing options...
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