Black paint 'brassing'

[pico]

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So is the Silver Chrome finish actually chome? As in chrome plated, like a car bumper? It doesn't look as shiny as most chrome I've seen, more like silver paint, if this is the case. Is it more durable than the black paint?

Auto chrome is entirely different. Good chrome is laid down in at least three layers of copper, nickle, with the last a chromium that yields to polish. Unfortunately most auto chrome (largely up to the Sixties) was not done properly. The parts oxided from the opposite side to the shine side, causing bubbles.

 

So, no, the Leica chrome is not the same, in particular regarding the last surface coating. In all, Leica's silver chrome finishes are hugely durable, good for decades, obviously more durable than black oxide or black enamel.

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[Herr Barnack]

Auto chrome is entirely different. Good chrome is laid down in at least three layers of copper, nickle, with the last a chromium that yields to polish. Unfortunately most auto chrome (largely up to the Sixties) was not done properly. The parts oxided from the opposite side to the shine side, causing bubbles.

 

So, no, the Leica chrome is not the same, in particular regarding the last surface coating. In all, Leica's silver chrome finishes are hugely durable, good for decades, obviously more durable than black oxide or black enamel.

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So it sounds as if this [ http://custompolishchromeplating.com/?page_id=18 ] is the process Leica uses to chrome plate M camera parts.  Is this correct?

[menos I M6]

I think you've missed the point. I had an M9 for 3 years and that never started loosing paint like this new camera has.

Contact your dealer for a full refund on this outrageous fail in product quality.

Preferably you should select the person who assured you the black paint coating would not wear to do so.

 

After a full refund, buy the camera in chrome finish - this is much longer lasting and designed to withstand heavier use.

 

Another solution would be to buy one of the exotic, rare Leica special edition kits. Mostly these come with a pair of Leica branded white gloves.

When using these cameras as intended with their white gloves, the beautiful condition and shine of their surface finish will be much prolonged and if treated correctly will outlast any ordinary production Leica. White gloves have to be replaced in intervals as indicated by guidelines to be procured from Leica Customer Service to retain their clean white texture, to not under any circumstances to contaminate the precious camera's surfaces.

Furthermore it is advisable to carefully use a blower bulb to remove any potential dust particles from the gloves prior to attaching them to your hands to retain the camera's pristine condition.

You should NOT use third party gloves with these special edition cameras. It has been proven incompatible with the superior surface finish of Leica cameras and has lead to endless threads on internet forums regarding unforeseeable paint coat damage issues.

Beware of replicas and low quality imitations of the superior white Leica gloves when buying from not authorized dealers.

 

Any sales person assuring you a product not to show wear after use should be taken with a grain of salt.

[djdstone]

...my sides a splitting

 

This was just a simple post to find out other peoples experience of brassing on the M. 

 

Leica M9 - no brassing after three years.

 

Leica M-240 - brassing after 6 months.

 

I would have bought the silver if I know that the black paint would brass so quickly.

[250swb]

The clue is in the word 'paint'.

 

If you carried your refrigerator around with you for six months do you imagine it will remain pristine?  If you drove your car into a big bag with zips or Velcro fastenings each time you parked it do you imagine it would still be pristine after six months? Why is it that houses need decorating from time to time? Paint, that's the culprit, it's a real bastard that lets you down, but most people recognise that pretty early in life.

 

Personally I wouldn't mind if the top and bottom plates were made from ABS plastic, or if Leica offered a black chrome option to match the durability of the silver chrome. But 'black paint' is both the discrete option and also strategically placed in the Leica catalogue to ensure repeat business with people who don't like wear, it's so they have another upgrade path to follow besides the regular cosmetic changes that are introduced in the products production life. So I suggest trading it in and buying a chrome version.

 

 

Steve

[djdstone]

Again - I understand that the finish, as it is paint will brass over time. My question was about the speed and if other people have noticed the same with there M-240s compared to the M9. Again the same finish on my M9 never started to brass even after 3 years of quite heavy use - I would have expected the same with the M-240?

[jdlaing]

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There's a plating process called hard chrome - is that what Leica is applying on the chrome M cameras? 

I don't think so. I have a couple hard chrome competition race guns and it is quite a different look.

[Herr Barnack]

Again - I understand that the finish, as it is paint will brass over time. My question was about the speed and if other people have noticed the same with there M-240s compared to the M9. Again the same finish on my M9 never started to brass even after 3 years of quite heavy use - I would have expected the same with the M-240?

It sounds like you might like the chrome M-P or M240 better than the black - they don't seem to brass under normal use.  Same thing with the black chrome finish. I must admit that I have always been partial to the black finish, but the durability of the chrome finish is starting to sound attractive. 

 

Leica has managed to create a handful of nausea inspiring eyesores such as the Hermes M7 [ http://leicarumors.com/2009/11/15/two-more-pictures-of-leica-m7-hermes-limited-edition.aspx/ ] and the red & gold abomination honoring the 60th anniversary of the Communist dictatorship of China [ http://leicarumors.com/2010/01/26/more-pictures-of-the-leica-mp-60th-anniversary-of-peoples-republic-of-china-edition.aspx/ ].

 

The chrome M cameras have never been anywhere near homely, in my estimation at least.

[jaapv]

But chrome scuffs and black chrome silvers at the edges. (and bright chrome when hit against something will show brass again). The only solution is to vacuum-wrap your camera and lock it in a safe.

[djdstone]

can you have the paint colour changed at Leica? :-)

[djdstone]

Might consider locking it in a safe but I need to use it everyday

[jaapv]

can you have the paint colour changed at Leica? :-)

Yes, you can have a new top and bottom fitted in chrome if you want but you would probably be looking at the best part of 1000 Euro in price.

[Herr Barnack]

But chrome scuffs and black chrome silvers at the edges. (and bright chrome when hit against something will show brass again). The only solution is to vacuum-wrap your camera and lock it in a safe.

Ye gods, man!  Have you taken complete leave of your senses?? 

 

Shrink-wraping means nothing without wrapping the camera in half meter thick foam rubber before putting it in the safe!!  There might be an earthquake; there might be a meteorite or asteroid impact nearby, causing the camera to fall from its shelf in the safe and be forever horribly scarred and disfigured!! 

[Mornnb]

Is the bottom plate brass? Because that's what is receiving the most wear on my M240...

[tookaphotoof]

Yes.

[jmourilyan]

I've had my black M-P (240) for about 6 months. I don't use the camera that often, weekends, odd days out. After 3 months it was showing the usual signs of brassing on the exposed/sharper points of the top plate and the corners of the bottom plate. It seemed to brass a lot faster than I had anticipated. After 6 months the brassing is becoming significantly more noticeable on the top plate whilst the bottom plate remains much the same i.e. a few exposed marks along the corner. 

 

Whilst I don't mind the worn look which appears over a long period of time I am not much of a fan of the accelerated 'worn' look. After 3 years my previous camera, M9-P (black) had very little in the way of brassing and what brassing it did have was, again, only on the very 'pointy' bits of the top plate. This level of brassing was in my opinion fair for a camera of its age and use, and a nice reminder of the work horse it had become. 

[Mornnb]

One could always buy the Lenny Kravitz special edition, it's pre-brassed so you don't need to worry about it brassing.

 

 

I don't really see what the issue is though, it's a working camera, like a pick up truck it's a tool for a task. It's for taking photos and brassing is merely a sign of that. The main issue however is the impact on resale value...

[fotografr]

I can't believe I just read this post. I'm going to bed.

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[pico]

So it sounds as if this [ http://custompolishchromeplating.com/?page_id=18 ] is the process Leica uses to chrome plate M camera parts.  Is this correct?

 

I do not know how Leica does their top and bottom plates. Sorry. But it seems that German regulations should be our guide - unless the Portugal regulations work around them. I just don't know.

 

When I wanted painted surfaces for custom motorcycles I built, I had them powder coated. It is amazingly durable, and better for the environment because volatiles are not used, and spray-over was recycled for the next batch. Great stuff. I can testify for certain that my motorcycle powder-paint is more durable than what Leica uses.

[pico]

Again - I understand that the finish, as it is paint will brass over time. My question was about the speed and if other people have noticed the same with there M-240s compared to the M9. Again the same finish on my M9 never started to brass even after 3 years of quite heavy use - I would have expected the same with the M-240?

 

There are factors that accelerate black paint/enamel wear. In my considerable experience the worst is how one's hands perspire. I've written before that I got a couple black enamel M4 bodies in 1968. The one I actually used 'brassed out' in only weeks. My M9 which I've added a protective transparent shield is brassing at the unprotected edges. Of my M7 bodies, one is hugely brassed from wallowing around in a rough pack. Each production unit could have a different method of black coating. Such is life. What I cannot explain is how my M4-P has not worn much at all.

 

There appears to be no answer, at least to me, but I could care less about it.

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