Olive Duracoat Camo M3

[Willyd6869]

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Hello all, I just finished my Leica M3 dream build and wanted to share. I am sure this won't appeal to everyone though haha. 

I am a leatherworker by profession and am obsessed with this particular Italian veg-tan camo leather. I am also a Leica fanatic, so when I finally got a machine that enabled me to split leather thin enough for skins, I decided to paint my M3 in Olive Duracoat and re-skin it with my favorite leather. I should have taken more progress pics and then dusted the damn thing off before I took all of these photos, but I was too excited.

Also, I was tired of the self timer always getting in the way, so I removed the mechanism and the lever and plugged / filled in the holes.

The back door was a little tricky since I had to drill out the rivets to get the panel all alone. I didn't want to risk damaging the interior parts with paint stripper and sanding, so I decided it would be best to disassemble. It took me a few tries, but I was eventually able to find suitable hardware and get it all re-assembled in a clean manner.

If you have any questions, please feel free.

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Here is an album with more photos and progress pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/kK2jl0r

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by Willyd6869

[Edgar1920]

Hi Willy

Congratulations, your camera looks great. I had a look at your gallery. Did you all the work by yourself (mechanical disassembly an assembly)? I really like the painted back door with its frame. This often looks not great on customised Leica Ms when it still remains black.

What is the thickness of the leather and how did you get it cut into the right dimension? I imagine you have a laser cutter for professional purposes but still need to do some trials to get the right positions of cutouts?

Anyway, a wonderful piece of work and really unique. I hope you will have the time to use it for a long time so that patina will come naturally.

Best regards, Frank

[earleygallery]

I like it!

[Gobert]

We nicely done. The leather choice is a matter of taste.

[dkmoore]

Pretty dang cool. I wish I was 10% as handy.

[Steven Belden]

I really like the green color. Nice work.

[Mute-on]

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Incredible job! 

Your attention to detail is extremely impressive. 

Cheers

J

[Willyd6869]

On 5/4/2019 at 3:24 PM, Edgar1920 said:

Hi Willy

Congratulations, your camera looks great. I had a look at your gallery. Did you all the work by yourself (mechanical disassembly an assembly)? I really like the painted back door with its frame. This often looks not great on customised Leica Ms when it still remains black.

What is the thickness of the leather and how did you get it cut into the right dimension? I imagine you have a laser cutter for professional purposes but still need to do some trials to get the right positions of cutouts?

Anyway, a wonderful piece of work and really unique. I hope you will have the time to use it for a long time so that patina will come naturally.

Best regards, Frank

Frank,

Thank you very much for the kind words!

 Yes, I did all of the work myself. I have always loved building and modifying things.

I really appreciate you mentioning the film door. It was a bit of an ordeal devising a way to re-assemble it with without having lumps from hardware under the leatherette. It was a real sticking point for me when considering whether or not to attempt a paint job. I absolutely hate overspray and things not being completely painted or just masked off and seeing an ugly transition. I knew that if I couldn't paint the inside and outside of the door in addition to the little crinkle finished "bumpers" on either side I wouldn't be happy with it. There is really no information online when it comes to taking apart the ISO dial and the plate that holds the pressure plate assembly, but seeing doors for sale on eBay made me more comfortable just winging it because I could always buy a replacement. Luckily everything worked out.

As for the leather covering, I split it down to .7mm. With the adhesive backing, it is probably too thick by the usual standards, and protrudes slightly, but I like the little bit of extra cushion when you hold it. When I split leather thin enough to be absolutely flush with the top and bottom plate, the hardness of the body could be felt and it was harder to grip. I think this is due to the lower density of the leather vs. vulcanite. There just wasn't enough compression from my fingertips to get enough purchase. 

Yes, I did use my recently acquired laser cutter for the leatherette. It has really made things much easier for me around the shop, and I feel silly for having waited so long to get one. The photo showing the camera pre-paint had a covering that was cut by hand. That was a very tedious process haha. It took quite a but of trial and error to get a covering that fit perfectly. I went through probably a dozen poster-board versions and a few leather versions. Luckily I was making all of the hand cutting patterns on CAD anyway, so I just sent the file to the laser and it was replicated perfectly in about 45 seconds. Truly amazing technology. 

[jonnyboy]

what a beauty!

[Edgar1920]

Am 6.5.2019 um 15:42 schrieb Willyd6869:

Frank,

Thank you very much for the kind words!

 Yes, I did all of the work myself. I have always loved building and modifying things.

I really appreciate you mentioning the film door. It was a bit of an ordeal devising a way to re-assemble it with without having lumps from hardware under the leatherette. It was a real sticking point for me when considering whether or not to attempt a paint job. I absolutely hate overspray and things not being completely painted or just masked off and seeing an ugly transition. I knew that if I couldn't paint the inside and outside of the door in addition to the little crinkle finished "bumpers" on either side I wouldn't be happy with it. There is really no information online when it comes to taking apart the ISO dial and the plate that holds the pressure plate assembly, but seeing doors for sale on eBay made me more comfortable just winging it because I could always buy a replacement. Luckily everything worked out.

As for the leather covering, I split it down to .7mm. With the adhesive backing, it is probably too thick by the usual standards, and protrudes slightly, but I like the little bit of extra cushion when you hold it. When I split leather thin enough to be absolutely flush with the top and bottom plate, the hardness of the body could be felt and it was harder to grip. I think this is due to the lower density of the leather vs. vulcanite. There just wasn't enough compression from my fingertips to get enough purchase. 

Yes, I did use my recently acquired laser cutter for the leatherette. It has really made things much easier for me around the shop, and I feel silly for having waited so long to get one. The photo showing the camera pre-paint had a covering that was cut by hand. That was a very tedious process haha. It took quite a but of trial and error to get a covering that fit perfectly. I went through probably a dozen poster-board versions and a few leather versions. Luckily I was making all of the hand cutting patterns on CAD anyway, so I just sent the file to the laser and it was replicated perfectly in about 45 seconds. Truly amazing technology. 

Dear Willy

it is really a passionate story that you share now with your camera. I think this is now really YOUR Leica. I hope you will use it for a very long time. It is more special than any Safari edition from Wetzlar and maybe some designers there will become a bit jealous 😉

I did not yet have the courage to disassemble on of my two old Ms but sometimes I think of refurbishing my old M2 in a very custom way. In fact these cameras have a timeless beautiful shape. But those using a different leather than black often look a little bit I finished due to the black back door and it’s frame. This detail really makes the difference.

Did you keep some paint for painting the lens’ body (just joking)?

Thank you for sharing your project and it’s result with us.

Best regards.

Frank

[Yellow_78]

I think you did a great job. I'm a fan! 👌😊