Lens hood coming apart - what glue?

[KitW]

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The lens cap for my 35mm TL lens, is made in two parts. There is a metal hood, with a hard plastic ring at the lens-end to help with the clipping in and out. The two parts have divorced. The first glue I've tried (apparently Silicone based craft glue - though I'm sceptical) hasn't stuck to the plastic sufficiently well.

Anybody got any suggestions as to glues that may work better? I was going to try some black acid-free Silicone next.

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[erl]

I have frequently used Araldites very successfully for mending lens hoods, regardless of the material they are made of. It is a two pot mix and requires some time to attain max strength. Foe a lens hood that is probably not an issue.

[Al Brown]

Araldite (2 components) or PascoFix industrial glue, both available in retail stores or Amazon.

[Stephencdean]

On 5/8/2024 at 12:22 AM, KitW said:

The lens cap for my 35mm TL lens, is made in two parts. There is a metal hood, with a hard plastic ring at the lens-end to help with the clipping in and out. The two parts have divorced. The first glue I've tried (apparently Silicone based craft glue - though I'm sceptical) hasn't stuck to the plastic sufficiently well.

Anybody got any suggestions as to glues that may work better? I was going to try some black acid-free Silicone next.

I contacted my local Leica store and they ordered me a new hood. Didn’t even ask where I got the 35mm TL lens from (an auction!). When I got the new hood, I repaired the existing hood with Araldite glue, so now have two. To be honest, they are fairly flimsy, so only to be expected. Not what you would usually say about a Leica product. Maybe that is why they got me a new one? 

[LocalHero1953]

I've used cyanoacrylate (superglue) for this. The space for the glue is very narrow and tight, and I find epoxy resins (araldite) a bit thick for this - difficult to control the excess. Superglue is thin and a few dots around the circumference are enough. But both would work.

Several Leica hoods, all in L-mount IIRC, have this identical failure mode. Irritating but not unrepairable.

Edited May 19, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[KitW]

Many thanks to all for the advice. Eventually I bought some Loctite XXL superglue. Time will tell, but initial impressions are positive. I put a layer all the way round the inside of the hood. None has been squeezed out and there were no signs of outgassing. I left it out of the camera bag for a few hours just to make sure.

FWIW I think the issue started when the lens was posted to me with the hood on backwards. In this position, the metal part of the hood doesn't engage with the lens so any force applied to the hood, loosens it from the retaining ring which is fixed solidly to the lens.

[Stuart Richardson]

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I also had this happen with my hood. I tried very minimal super glue at first to fix it and then it broke again shortly after. I added more glue around the lens and so far it has held well. There was a tiny bit of glue spillover and it made the hood hard to get on an off. I was able to abrade it away enough to get the hood back to normal, but one should be aware of the issue. The hood is a friction fit, so if any glue spills into the track where the hood is mounted, it can cause issues.

I have only had this happen to one hood, but it seems like a problem with the design...this mating surface between the metal and plastic is not strong enough. I believe I first noticed mine being loose when reversed as well...taking the camera out of a bag. So Kit's comment makes sense to me.

[Steven Lane]

I have had three of these hoods. Last one that broke was new out of the box. Came with a new 60mm macro lens and separated into two parts on first attempt to use it. Leica replaced it the following day. Very poor design in my opinion. My advice is to remove it when not in use. Reversing them can cause them to separate if lateral pressure is accidentally applied while in a camera bag, as is what happened to one of my previous ones.