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Hai
Tinkerer
Username: Hai
Post Number: 36
Registered: 05-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 09:29 am: | 
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My Olympus OM 100/2.8 rubber grip is loose. Is there a way to make it shrink? I prefer not to use glue...
Thanks,
Hai |
Greyscale
Tinkerer
Username: Greyscale
Post Number: 15
Registered: 07-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 02:55 pm: |
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This is a shot in the dark ...
I don't know how to shrink rubber, but there are several chemicals that can swell rubber, methylene chloride (primary ingredient in many paint strippers, but may now be banned in Europe),for instance. Perhaps an application of a small amount of such a chemical to the inside of the rubber grip and left on for two minutes or so, followed by a thorough rinse in soapy water, might swell the inside of the rubber enough to make it grip the lens barrel. The rubber should be thick enough to prevent distortion of of the outside of the grip. But this is a try-it-at-your-own risk sort of thing.
At the print shop where I work, we use a methylene chloride-based substance to repair low spots in neoprene press blankets, I think most rubber lens grips are also neoprene, so this might just work. |
Brcamera
Tinkerer
Username: Brcamera
Post Number: 9
Registered: 08-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - 08:09 pm: |
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I usually apply a very light spot or two of Pliobond to the inside of the rubber ring. The rubber ring can be removed if needed for repair in the future. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 827
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 10:16 am: |
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The two or three drops of Pliobond or suitable contact adhesive is one way, the other is to wrap a narrow strip of double sided tape around the lens barrel. When you have gone completely around the circumference leave an extra couple of inches of tape and backing free - then cut the tape. Carefully remove the extra adhesive tape from the backing and cut the adhesive tape off at the overlap leaving the backing in situ. This will leave you with a free 'tail' of backing and a complete wrap of tape plus backing around the lens - now fold the 'tail' over and through 90 degrees just past the join/overlap. Carefully slide the rubber grip into place and gently hold firm whilst slowly pulling out the backing from between rubber ring and barrel, then apply pressure to ensure adhesion between tape and rubber ring.
This will provide a firm hold to the focus ring, but still allow the ring to be removed with a wooden cocktail stick should the need arise.
The above method was used during factory assembly of lenses that had rubber rings held by double sided tape.
Do not start applying solvents to aged rubber rings - The swelling effect is very transient, but more importantly the solvent is likely to cause the aged rubber to become brittle and cracked. |
Rene_apilado
Tinkerer
Username: Rene_apilado
Post Number: 4
Registered: 08-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 08:48 pm: |
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I don't know if this would work on Olympus rubber grips but it's worth a try.
I've been able to shrink Nikon manual focus lens rubber grips by heating them with a hair dryer. This might seem contrary to common sense, but Nikon lens rubber grips actually expand when soaked in water, and drying them out will make them shrink again.
I would also suggest using double-sided tape even if you have successfully shrunk the rubber. |
Hai
Tinkerer
Username: Hai
Post Number: 37
Registered: 05-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 02:09 am: |
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Thank you all for your good advices. I was trying to work the rubber grip and it was so brittle that it broke in few places, so I had no option but to glue it with a contact cement I also use for leatherette (The kind I know is easy to remove). |
Teraforce88
Tinkerer
Username: Teraforce88
Post Number: 22
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 04:19 am: |
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I'll have to see how the above suggestions work for my Minolta lenses. I have a couple of 50mm f/2s, both which got loose focus grips. I fixed one of them by cutting(!) the grip, cutting out a bit of excess section, and then supergluing the grip back on the focus ring. (There's nothing important under the rubber grip on these particular lenses) |
