carl170 Posted December 17, 2015 Share #1 Posted December 17, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have bought an old black leather eveready case for my Leica iiif. It is a little beat up and it looks like it could do with a good clean and spruce up. Any idea what I should use to clean and restore it back to the original black condition? Would black shoe polish be ok for finishing, or am I really barking up the wrong tree here?! Also, if there is a better place on the forum for this question, please direct me to it! Regards Carl Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 17, 2015 Posted December 17, 2015 Hi carl170, Take a look here Cleaning up an old eveready case. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
earleygallery Posted December 17, 2015 Share #2 Posted December 17, 2015 I've never seen a black leather lllf era case. Is it a Leica case or maybe a later third party case? If it's leather you want to use leather food/cream and then maybe some leather dye polish as long as it's not going to rub off on your clothes or hands! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitz Posted December 17, 2015 Share #3 Posted December 17, 2015 The integrity of the strap should get close attention. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl170 Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted December 20, 2015 I've never seen a black leather lllf era case. Is it a Leica case or maybe a later third party case? Earlygallery, It is definitely branded Leica (and black!). It is a bit rough though, so it will need a bit of attention. Thanks Carl Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david strachan Posted December 21, 2015 Share #5 Posted December 21, 2015 Raven Oil (leather dye) in black, then some neutral coloured leather food. You may not get a high polish though. Shoe polish will rub off onto your nice white shirt! Always check straps and attachments; leather or nylon. cheers Dave S Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted December 23, 2015 Share #6 Posted December 23, 2015 It is definitely branded Leica (and black!). It is a bit rough though, so it will need a bit of attention. If it is indeed black and Leica branded (Leica name pressed into the case), it must have been re-dyed by the previous owner. As James said, there never was a black Leica eveready case made for thread mount cameras. The first black leather cases appeared with the M4 - those cases had an entirely different shape. Cheers, Jan 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted December 23, 2015 Share #7 Posted December 23, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I suspect it's a later third party case (an early Luigi perhaps?) or otherwise a Russian 'fake' case - most likely the latter if it's embossed with 'Leica'. Either way, if it's serviceable, that's all that matters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl170 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted December 23, 2015 I just had another look at ty case and it has a wetzlar made in Germany stamp on the bottom, so is am guessing the case is real. Maybe it was brown to start with. I will load pics of anyone is interested? I was wondering if it may be more use as a half case? I have always found that type of case to be Never Ready! Regards Carl Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted December 24, 2015 Share #9 Posted December 24, 2015 Carl, Yes, 'neveready' is the correct description of the case... I confess that none of the Leicas that I used over the many years have never resided in a case. You say that it may be of more use as a half case - is the case front removable? Cases for Leica Thread Mount cameras were always sewn together and the front and back section could not be separated. If your case can be separated into two halves, it was either modified or it is a case for a late IIIg or M model. It would be interesting to see a photo of your case. Best, Jan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SideB Posted December 29, 2015 Share #10 Posted December 29, 2015 Never say never, particularly when it comes to Leica items. If your case is for a LTM camera and is black it was probably made for a camera issued to the German military during WWII. This makes it very valuable in comparison to the standard ever ready case and you should not consider separating the two parts. I also have an original 1930s ERC case with press studs that allows the removal of the front section. This item is also original and rare. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.