Natural Brassing on Leica M10-R Black Paint : Myth or Reality?

[pippy]

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I'm on my third Black-Lacquer digi-M and all three have Brassed (naturally!) at rather different rates.

First was an M8.2 which, after some three / four year's use had distinct signs of wear along top-rear edges, some more on the front edge from roughly the shutter-speed dial to corner and so on. Fine - yet still distinct - wear all along 'crease' of front-top-plate below small r/f window. Bottom-plate was quite well-worn around corners and rear edge.

M9-P. Similar story over a similar time-scale but brassed only to around half the extent seen on the M8 even although the 9 was used MUCH more often than the 8; perhaps four times as many shots?

M-D Typ-262. Nowhere near as much wear as either of the above despite even more frequent 'outings' in a similar time-scale.

My suspicion - from my own experience so might well be mistaken - is that with each subsequent generation the paint/lacquer-formula was made more durable for the regular cameras. I had noticed that although the surface of the 8 was semi-matt when it arrived it glossed-up in a very short space of time. Subsequent finishes reflected the time they took / yake to brass; i.e. slower and slower.

Perhaps even softer, shinier paint was used for those Limited-Edition Special B-P versions to ensure that brassing might happen faster? My experience with such as those is Nil.

Philip.

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[SnapJimmy]

41 minutes ago, pippy said:

I'm on my third Black-Lacquer digi-M and all three have Brassed (naturally!) at rather different rates.

First was an M8.2 which, after some three / four year's use had distinct signs of wear along top-rear edges, some more on the front edge from roughly the shutter-speed dial to corner and so on. Fine - yet still distinct - wear all along 'crease' of front-top-plate below small r/f window. Bottom-plate was quite well-worn around corners and rear edge.

M9-P. Similar story over a similar time-scale but brassed only to around half the extent seen on the M8 even although the 9 was used MUCH more often than the 8; perhaps four times as many shots?

M-D Typ-262. Nowhere near as much wear as either of the above despite even more frequent 'outings' in a similar time-scale.

My suspicion - from my own experience so might well be mistaken - is that with each subsequent generation the paint/lacquer-formula was made more durable for the regular cameras. I had noticed that although the surface of the 8 was semi-matt when it arrived it glossed-up in a very short space of time. Subsequent finishes reflected the time they took / yake to brass; i.e. slower and slower.

Perhaps even softer, shinier paint was used for those Limited-Edition Special B-P versions to ensure that brassing might happen faster? My experience with such as those is Nil.

Philip.

 

I appreciate your detailed observations on how each model's finish brassed over time. From my experience with the M9-P and M-D 262, I’ve also seen only the slightest signs that these cameras could brass, even with substantial use. However, the M10-R Black Paint has been a completely different story. The lacquer on the M10-R seems significantly thicker and more resilient compared to what Leica applied on the earlier models like M8.2, M-P etc... It’s reached the point where I’d be surprised if it showed noticeable brassing even after 8 years of heavy use. Therefore, I suspect that all brassed M10-R cameras have been intentionally worn down by their owners, either subtly or heavily.

So, your theory about Leica’s evolving paint formula making finishes more durable seems plausible to me. The thicker, high-gloss lacquer on the M10-R supports the idea that Leica has intentionally adjusted the formula to slow down the natural wear.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Edited November 3, 2024 by SnapJimmy

[pgh]

I love a good pair of naturally faded jeans, but when it comes to cameras - the pictures they were used to produce have the potential to be far more interesting than the machine’s patina and I’d even go so far as to say that if what’s the most captivating thing about that particular camera is the wear it shows then that’s a camera that never lived up to its potential. 

[Olaf_ZG]

7 hours ago, pgh said:

I love a good pair of naturally faded jeans, but when it comes to cameras - the pictures they were used to produce have the potential to be far more interesting than the machine’s patina and I’d even go so far as to say that if what’s the most captivating thing about that particular camera is the wear it shows then that’s a camera that never lived up to its potential. 

I so agree….

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[pgh]

^ those are not naturally faded jeans.