MachineGun Posted July 19, 2010 Share #1 Posted July 19, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi Has anyone recovered their M3 with leather covering from CameraLeather.com Custom camera leather and leatherette? How did it go and what cover did you buy. Was it difficult to do? Thanks MachineGun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 19, 2010 Posted July 19, 2010 Hi MachineGun, Take a look here new cover on M3. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mmk60 Posted July 19, 2010 Share #2 Posted July 19, 2010 I got a Claret covering from them (shipped very quickly) and Sherry replaced the covering as I did not want to mess around with removing the old one. The surface of the new covering is very smooth but in fact, it provides a very good grip. The covering is cut pretty precisely and it fits nicely. I love the outcome and love my M3 even more now! Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted July 19, 2010 Share #3 Posted July 19, 2010 I've got the black Griptac cover from them on one of my MPs. So much better than the OEM cover! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted July 20, 2010 Share #4 Posted July 20, 2010 I haven't done any of my Leicas, but have done other cameras. It was pretty easy...there are online directions on their website. My first one took an hour because I was really apprehensive, next one took about 35 minutes, since I stopped for a coke midstream. The end result, IMHO, looks great. I used an alligator leather on an old RF classic and a black leather (don't remember the exact name) on a tlr. Have since sold both, and they went very quickly...the buyers loved the recovering job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasw_ Posted July 21, 2010 Share #5 Posted July 21, 2010 I have recovered the following Leicas:> M5, IIIf/c, M2s and M3s and MPs. It is easy peasy to put them on; if I can do it, most anyone with two functioning hands can. Taking off the old vulcanite on older Leicas is where you need to work diligently; it sometimes just crumbles, other times it is stubborn. Just go slowly, don't rush. I used a small screwdriver to remove most of the vulcanite on my older Leicas. For stubborn areas, I would dab on paint remover goop with a qtip and let it sit and "melt away" the vulcanite; I was always careful to avoid touching the outer metallic areas with the paint remover goop. My favourite recovering is Griptac in charcoal black FWIW. Have fun personalizing your Leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitz Posted July 21, 2010 Share #6 Posted July 21, 2010 Vulcanite is a chemically vulcanized rubber coating. Once you have removed it, there is not way to restore the camera to original condition. If you are concerned with the camera's value, I would not recommend taking off the Vulcanite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MachineGun Posted July 22, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted July 22, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Vulcanite is a chemically vulcanized rubber coating. Once you have removed it, there is not way to restore the camera to original condition. If you are concerned with the camera's value, I would not recommend taking off the Vulcanite. A good portion was already missing, so removing the rest doesn't matter. MachineGun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybob Posted July 29, 2010 Share #8 Posted July 29, 2010 I did an M2. I used Walnut natural grain kid leather (goat skin). I LOVE it. It smells like a baseball glove. The site has directions on how to remove what's left of your vulcanite. cameraleather.com Leica M series Vulcanite Removal It's important to get it as CLEAN as possible and to use a paste type stripper containing methylene chloride. If you try to use a citrus based or low power stripper without methylene chloride, the residue and old stuff WILL NOT COME OFF. You don't need to use anything metal or even remotely sharp to get the old stuff off. Follow the directions closely about keeping the stripper off the painted surfaces on the film door and the camera back, and keep the stripper off of the four black screws on the front. (I nicked one of mine, its visible in the photo right next to the self timer) Once the stripper has done it's business, you can scrape the softened covering off with a wooden chopstick or golf tee. The site also tells you how to apply the new covering cameraleather.com Leica M leather installation It seems daunting, but it's REALLY easy. Morgan's site is great, but sometimes those covers can take a while to arrive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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