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Lucadomi
Tinkerer
Username: Lucadomi
Post Number: 16
Registered: 10-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 03:36 pm: | 
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I would like to use Liquid Electrical tape to repair the bellows of an Ansco Speedex (made by Agfa). There are very few pinholes in three corners. Any experience with this product? Is it a good solution.
Furthermore, I would like to remove the top and clean the viewfinder.
Thanks. |
Scott
Tinkerer
Username: Scott
Post Number: 180
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 03:59 pm: |
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Never seen that product, but if it is thick, try thinning it with something. You want something that will be absorbed into the fabric, not just sit on top of it.
Might be hard to close the camera after that treatment. Or once it is closed, it might be hard to get the bellows to open again. Let us know how well it works.
Black fabric paint works for me. |
Lucadomi
Tinkerer
Username: Lucadomi
Post Number: 17
Registered: 10-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 04:30 pm: |
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Thanks Scott,
I read about this product I don't know where. I guess I will give it a try. I will try two layers and let it dry. Let's see how it goes. I didn't know about fabric paint. Any other feedback is welcome.
Thanks. |
Denny
Tinkerer
Username: Denny
Post Number: 83
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 06:17 pm: |
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I have experimented with it on some really shot bellows. I used a cheap artist's brush and dabbed a thin coat over the hole on the exterior and interior of the bellows. After it had dried, I gave it a second "dabbing" just like the first. For the small holes, it seamed to work well, but for the really worn out areas it had be put on really thick and I never could eliminate all the leaks.
As soon as I dabbed it on, I cleaned the cheap artist's brush with lighter fluid. It actually cleaned up pretty well.
Oh yeah, give the bellows plenty of time to dry before closing it. |
Lucadomi
Tinkerer
Username: Lucadomi
Post Number: 18
Registered: 10-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 06:53 pm: |
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Yea,
I checked with a led light from inside the bellows and luckily there seem to be very limited damage, very few pinholes. Hopefully the liquid tape will do the trick. I will let it dry overnight.
Thanks Denny. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 192
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 - 09:19 pm: |
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Hey Lucadomi,
There's another product out there that is no doubt very similar called "Plasti-Dip". It comes in different colors, but of course for our purposes black is best. I bought some in a spray can to repair light leaks in the shutter of an old Canon rangefinder camera I own. It actually goes on very thin and it took three applications before I had totally eliminated all the pinholes (there were eleven). What I did was spray a small amount onto a paper plate, and then using a medium-stiff artists paint brush, I worked it into the shutter fabric. I have just recently acquired an old Ansco folder, and while the bellows have no light leaks yet, they creak a bit when I open up the camera, so I'm thinking about using it in the future as the case arises.
Somebody at one of the repair forums -- it might have been this one -- recommended that I use the Plasti-Dip for patching up the old Canon rf shutter. So it's been used in camera repair before. |
Mr_flibble
Tinkerer
Username: Mr_flibble
Post Number: 46
Registered: 10-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 12:56 am: |
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I've used LET to fix pinholes in bellows and shutter curtains. Applying with a brush or q-tips.
The bellows on my Kodak Vest Pocket were in a rough way, and it required several layers of LET over the course of several days to close all te holes. I don't think folding up the camera is a good idea now.
Is lighter fluid a good thinner for this material? The LET is getting a little thick in the pot ;) |
Lucadomi
Tinkerer
Username: Lucadomi
Post Number: 19
Registered: 10-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 08:55 am: |
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The "Plasti-Dip" seems interesting. I might want to use that too if the Liquid Tape does not dry well.
Thanks Cooltouch. |
Rlc
Tinkerer
Username: Rlc
Post Number: 134
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 10:47 am: |
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I have used Plasti-Dip successfully on pin holes in cloth shutter curtains. Never dilute Plasti-Dip though as it becomes translucent.
Richard |
Mr_flibble
Tinkerer
Username: Mr_flibble
Post Number: 49
Registered: 10-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 11:21 am: |
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Don't worry Lucadomi, LET dries to a dry supple rubbery coating. |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 199
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 02:55 pm: |
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I used the Liquid Electrical Tape on an Ansco Viking 4.5. What I found was that not only did it take multiple applications to seal the holes, this caused quite a build-up on the corners of the bellows folds. Even after letting it dry for a week, after only one day of sitting closed up, the LET pulled away from the bellows when it was opened. Haven't messed with it since.
PF |
Lucadomi
Tinkerer
Username: Lucadomi
Post Number: 20
Registered: 10-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 04, 2012 - 06:29 pm: |
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I put one layer last night and it seems to work. The pinholes were really small and they are all well closed except for one that was a little larger and will need a second layer.It does dry well, but I see that it probably would be a problem with larger holes in the bellows.
Thanks everyone for all the very useful information. |
