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Message |
    
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 06:42 pm: | 
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My Canonet QL17 G-III is in great condition but for rotting & messy foam coming off the bottom part of the door. Most of the foam is in it's original place, however, about a quarter of it has migrated to the lower part of the body that the film door mates to.
That being the case, what is the proper procedure for removing the stuff that's sticking to the body side? I'm thinking Windex or isopropyl alcohol on a Q-Tip, plus tweezers. Is this a correct assumption? Which is the best fluid to loosen the foam?
I want to be sure I do this right, so as not to mess up--or get gunk on--the QL door that tends to flap in the wind when you've got the door open.
FWIW, my goal for now is to just get the looser portion of foam off, shoot a roll, and note if there's a light leakage problem...then I'll consider replacing them.
Thanks in advance for your help!
-CJ |
BrianShaw
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 07:22 pm: |
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CJ-
Alcohol will work okay. Use toothpick (or something similar) to scrape the gunk off. Q-tip with alcohol to clean the remaining gunk. Don't waste a roll of film trying to find out if there is a light leak... there will be. All you'll be doing is wasting your time and money. Put new seals in, THEN shoot the film! As you probably know, there are several web sites describing materials and techniques; seal kits also available on the internet auction site. |
rick
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 08:35 pm: |
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I'll throw out a plug here - Jon Goodman has a really nice seal kit with (most important of all) a good set of instructions. He frequents this forum, but if he doesn't find you you can find him on ebay under the name "interslice" or by email at [email protected] |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 08:59 pm: |
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Thanks, Rick. Hi, CJ...my favorite solvent is denatured alcohol or naphtha (Ronsonol cigarette lighter fluid is the same thing as naphtha). If you need a kit with the right light seal material, some instructions written just for the Canonet and a handy little tool to help with the cleanup, please let me know. $6 will cover the cost, and shipping in the USA is free. Neat camera...definitely worth the effort.
Jon |
Marco
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 07:40 am: |
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cj,
go to Walmart and buy a self adesive back "foamie" in the arts and craft area. These are cheap and work great. I have done a couple of canonets with them myself. You will need an exacto knife and a straight edge to cut the foam to the correct size.
Naptha (hardware store paint section) or more expensive lighter fluid work great, but a lot of q-tip action and patience is required to get the stuff off...figure a good hour. A wooden ice cream stick would brobably come in handy too..
Have Fun! |
Gary
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 09:47 am: |
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A few years back I used Wal-Mart 'Foamies' (initially) in a camera or two. Later, based on other's recommendations, I switched to seals from Jon's kits. I can say from my experience that the quality of the very affordable product in Jon's kits appears to be much, much superior to 'Foamies' and one usually has enough left over in those kits to use on other cameras. I suppose 'Foamies' do work to a certain degree and will get the job done but I have doubts about their overall effectiveness. Just my own opinion. |
Glenn Middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 11:46 am: |
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Cover up the QL mechanism and anywhere else with low tack masking tape and then scrape the majority of the stuff off. Wooden tongue depressors make good scrapers, put a good sharp chisel edge on the end and make specific widths for each awkward area. I personally do not use Q-tips but prefer strips of cotton tea towel. This material is fairly course woven and lint free and when dampened with Ronsonol picks up the goo very easily.I use Ronsonol because it is easy to apply from the spouted squeeze can.
Do use the proper foam, Jon's kits are so cheap even here in the UK. The foams are of the correct density, thickness and type for the model being refurbished and will give years of service. I my experience the kits contain enough product to do a number of cameras, also if you are worried about doing the work, the instructions and notes are very informative. |
Mike
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 03:37 pm: |
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Jon's kits are great. Avoid messing about with hobby shops and the arts & crafts market, just buy from Jon Goodman, read the enclosed instructions and with a spare evening you'll have your Canonet good as new. |
CJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 04:14 pm: |
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Thank you all for the wealth of advice!
I've no problem with going the Foamies route with something like a box Brownie, but this particular QL17 is a beauty. I want to do this once and do it right.
Jon: I'll contact you via e-mail in the next day or two for light seals.
And one more thing, more or less related:
The QL17 has a blue battery check light. Is this a bulb, or is it an LED? I'm curious; my recollection is that blue LEDs were perfected sometime in the late 80s--after production of this model stopped. Or perhaps I'm completely wrong about this?
-CJ |
Jon Goodman
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 - 06:29 pm: |
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Hi, CJ.
Sounds fine to me...as I recall, the battery check is a clear bulb shining through a blue lens. They burn out sometimes, too. Actually, I have some seal pieces pre-cut for this camera if you'd prefer them.
Best regards,
Jon |
Roman Dubravsky
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 03:50 am: |
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Hello,
In last time I'm using "nail polish remover" for removing rest of old foam. It is more rapid than lighter fluid. |
WernerJB
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 07:33 am: |
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Hi, Roman, I prefer doing that just the other way round, as nail polish remover softens the self-adhesive tape underneath the old foam, I use it first. After a short while almost all the goo can easily be wiped off, I then finally wash off what is left with lighter fluid.
Generally speaking one has to be extra careful when using a cleaning agent that contains acetone, as this will most probably affect plastic or, in case you don't work fast enough, even the paintwork on camera bodies ! |
