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john murphy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 05:56 pm: | 
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hello,
i have a nikon f3 that works well but has alot of brassing on the top plate and auto winder?what is the best way to make these items look better?painting,if so what brand of paint?or some other method. |
Glenn middleton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 07:50 pm: |
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The only way to make it look better is to completely refinish all the painted areas. This means a complete stripdown and a respray using satin black acrylic auto paint. Any lettering is then filled with white/coloured paint. I have done this on various 'bitsa' concoctions and the results are very good. If you just try and touch up, the results look crap in my opinion.
However why bother to paint; if the camera is a good old honest work horse, why not just let it be and enjoy using it? That's what I do. |
RJ
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 01:49 pm: |
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John,
It sounds like you mean that the paint has worn off and exposed the underlying brass. Removing the brassing might be fun ;)
I think I favour Glenn's approach - a year ago I thought restoring a camera meant restoring it cosmetically to pristine modern standards. I've since learnt to love brassing and the signs of a vintage camera, rather than perhaps having it hybridised with modern bits.
If perhaps you feel resolute that painting is the only option, then an enamel paint such as Humbrol Enamel Gloss Black (No.21) ; Humbrol Metal Cote (No. 27004) or Humbrol Enamel Satin (No.85) tested to match closely the colour/texture and sheen of your Nikon F3 would be one solution. It would still require a complete respray using a spray pump.
Microtools website also market a few paints with gloss and matt variants for mixing in proportions to your desired texture. I've had a few disasters with these ;)
Best regards. |
guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 09, 2006 - 01:57 pm: |
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The problem with camera paint touch ups is orginally powder paint was used and that makes it very difficult to match. |
David Ritchie
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 09, 2006 - 03:13 pm: |
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John, I have to agree with others that painting brassy areas is not an easy job and can turn onto a disaster. I do not know where you live, but I decided to do some touchup with black paint on a camera back, so I took the back with me to the auto parts store, Pep Boys here in the USA and compared the black on the part to several touch up paints that were available.I found at least 6 or more glosses to select from.Plasti-kote is the brand. The one I settled on was black 3000, but your need may differ. Good luck. |
Al
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 - 02:04 pm: |
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I have had good luck with a sharpie permanent marker and wiping the body down with a auto body cleaner after the ink is dry. Blends right in. |
Wsboyd
Tinkerer
Username: Wsboyd
Post Number: 19
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 10:18 am: |
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Al,
Please define 'Auto Body Cleaner'. |
Henry
Moderator
Username: Henry
Post Number: 28
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 07:55 am: |
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In my experience "touching up" has never been satisfying. It may look great on the workbench, then look pathetic when you take it outside. Not only must the color match but so does the reflectance.
The F3 may be a true classic one day. Let its natural patina be proudly displayed. A classic camera is like my wife of 33 years. She may not be the naive girl I married, but she has certainly matured into a woman I can live the rest of my life with. |
