mgc2010 Posted March 30, 2011 Share #1 Posted March 30, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm considering buying a used M3 from a reputable dealer. It is being sold at a good price as the rangefinder patch is very faint. Can anyone tell me if this is something which would be picked up and sorted in a CLA and if so what are the costs likely to be? I'm in the UK so would probably send it to someone here if possible. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 30, 2011 Posted March 30, 2011 Hi mgc2010, Take a look here Faded Rangefinder Patch. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Guest Linsengericht Posted March 30, 2011 Share #2 Posted March 30, 2011 M2/3/4 Rangefinder Restoration Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveYork Posted March 30, 2011 Share #3 Posted March 30, 2011 The Nikon guys have a few tricks, because the patches on those cameras are notoriously faint. Take a look at the rangefinder forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted March 31, 2011 Share #4 Posted March 31, 2011 M2/3/4 Rangefinder Restoration Solms will replace the whole assembly with a later unit, expensive and detectable as a Franken Leica to collectors... Seen a CRR job, high contrast result. The M3 would need to be real cheap to justify trip to CRR or Solms, but it will be zero lifed after wards... Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgc2010 Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for your replies. Seems quite a complicated (& potentially very expensive) repair. Perhaps just as well I didn't wade in and buy it. It has been sold now anyway. Whew! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normclarke Posted April 1, 2011 Share #6 Posted April 1, 2011 Not for the faint hearted but this repair is not as daunting as most think. The main prism needs to be extracted, separated with acetone, resilvered or aluminised TO THE CORRECT ratio and reassembled with a suitable U/V curing adhesive. Been there, done that with success. Simples! Best, normclarke. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timote_schoen Posted January 14, 2022 Share #7 Posted January 14, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi normclake! I see you have not been online in a while but I thought I'd shoot my shot: Is there any repair manuals or documentation online on how to the resilvering? What materials did you use and was the gear needed expensive/difficult to accquire? Best regards, Timo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Prime Posted February 25, 2022 Share #8 Posted February 25, 2022 Typically a silvering is done by heating up the metal (directly or by e-beam) and letting the evaporated metal vapour condense onto the glass surface to dorm a layer. This has to be done in a vacuum. It’s a common and relatively simple process but you’ll have to find somebody to do it for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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