Non-destructively remove the red dot

[Herr Barnack]

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On 3/25/2022 at 1:09 PM, fotografr said:

Would the Red Dot Forum have to change it's name?

Yes, the new name would be Top Plate Engraving Forum.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[Herr Barnack]

On 4/27/2019 at 6:01 PM, Rick in CO said:

Instead of a hair dryer, place the camera with the red dot centered under a lamp with a heat emitting bulb for about half an hour.

Don't bake the camera by letting it get too hot, use some caution.

This will evenly soften the glue allowing you to twist the dot free.  

Use a toothpick to get under the dot and lift it off - don't use anything metal!

I have replaced the red dot on my M9, M240, M10 with the black dot using this method.

Good luck!

Take your M to the nearest foundry and have one of the workers insert it into one of the blast furnaces that are used for heating steel bars to yellow hot before they are handed off to the forge operator to be made into gear blanks for auto transmissions.

Since the blast furnaces produce 2000F/1100C heat, leaving the camera in the furnace for three hours should be sufficient time to loosen the adhesive on the red dot.

As @Rick in CO rightly advises, use caution.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[Crem]

My M11 rangefinder vertical alignment was slightly off. Posting here because it's the same dot as the M10 and I assume same adhesive. After trying the toothpick method for 30 minutes I gave up because the adhesive was too strong to lift the dot. Here's what I ended up doing...

1. Heat up the dot for 30 seconds with a hairdryer. I used common sense... protected the rangefinder glass with my hand, kept my finger near the dot to make sure it never got hot. I warmed the dot up just enough to loosen the adhesive. The key here is warm, not hot.

2. The trick I used was a small piece of double sided nano tape to lift the dot off the camera. I was able to carefully lift the dot off the camera without having to do any twisting. I removed the dot from the nano tape very carefully to make sure I didn't damage it. Nano tape is stretchy and tends to release itself if you gently pull at it. It really is like microscopic suction cups with zero sticky/messy adhesive.

3. I was then able to adjust the vertical alignment like normal: First a drop of acetone on the screw's black colored glue using a toothpick as a dropper. Second, adjust with a 2mm hex key. Third, check the adjustment at min & max focus and repeat until happy with the results. 

4. I put the dot back on the camera and pressed it in place. The original adhesive seemed strong enough to hold without having to add more, but I'll double check it over the next week just in case.

I purchased the nano tape off Amazon here in the USA, but I assume it's widely available worldwide. Please don't blame me if this method doesn't work for you. If you are at all concerned then you should just send it in for service. I really didn't want to send away my camera for what is really a 15 minute fix.

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Crem

[fotografr]

3 hours ago, Al Brown said:

You always carry a shovel.
People you photograph will be so distracted by it that nobody, absolutely nobody will ever notice neither the red dot, nor the Leica script engraving.
I promise.

But then you only have one hand to shoot with because you have a shovel in the other one. 

[Siriusone59]

23 hours ago, fotografr said:

But then you only have one hand to shoot with because you have a shovel in the other one. 

You could drill the end of the handle and insert a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod, use it as a monopod for the camera.😜

[MikeMyers]

You guys are much more imaginative than I am - faced with the same goal, I cut off a small piece of black electrical tape, and covered up the dot.  Problem solved.  That tape is available at any hardware store, or electrical supply store.  Very inexpensive.  Make sure you get the "plastic", stretchable tape, so it will fit flush with the camera, and not be too noticeable.

[Herr Barnack]

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On 9/16/2022 at 2:02 PM, Al Brown said:

You always carry a shovel.
People you photograph will be so distracted by it that nobody, absolutely nobody will ever notice neither the red dot, nor the Leica script engraving.
I promise.

A shovel?  Interesting.  I never thought of that!

I have always found that when photographing, carrying a lit propane torch draws people's attention away from the red dot.

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Edited September 23, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[MikeMyers]

On 9/16/2022 at 2:02 PM, Al Brown said:

People you photograph will be so distracted by it that nobody, absolutely nobody will ever notice neither the red dot, nor the Leica script engraving.
I promise.

I suspect the concern is that people who might want to steal things might recognize the red dot as something worth stealing.  

I used to put black tape over the huge NIKON logo on my DSLRs for the same reason. 

[Siriusone59]

7 hours ago, Al Brown said:

Come to think of it, forget it. Someone would just show up naked with his Leica carrying no items at all and win.

For some reason the phrase "Aways wear a camera" comes to mind.🙄

[Herr Barnack]

8 hours ago, Al Brown said:

We should do a "most distracting item for not noticing the red dot on a Leica M (providing it has one)" competition. And a meeting. And merch.

Maybe Leica will come out with shovels and propane torches that have the Leica logo on them - black of course, so they will be discreet and not draw unwanted attention.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Herr Barnack