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David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 153
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 04:28 pm: | 
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Not a question, but a (hopefully) helpful tip: one can restore a lot of nicks, scrapes, etc., on old camera leather coverings by using a "magic marker".
I'm talking about the (real) leather covering on such types of cameras as the folding plate cameras of the 1930s. I have a bunch of these, and most of them came to me with a fair number of such defects in the leather covering.
While not wanting to raise the ire or indignation of certain people (purists) who might be horrified at the suggestion, a simple marking pen (Sanford "Sharpie" in the U.S. or equivalent) is all that's needed to fix most of these flaws. I use both black and brown pens, depending on the color of the covering. As in many other things, easy does it. Just a small application of ink to a nick is usually what's needed.
After it dries for a couple of days, you may notice a purplish sheen to the areas that have been touched up. A quick wipe with a rag dipped in alcohol (denatured alcohol/methanol) will remove this unwanted sheen.
After touching up, it's difficult or impossible to tell that the covering has been worked on.
This even works to some extent to restore chipped black enamel from metal, providing the chipped area is small. Larger areas, unfortunately, require either repainting or just leaving alone. |
Mikel
Tinkerer
Username: Mikel
Post Number: 203
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 06:50 pm: |
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Real leather is best restored by products intended for leather.
Not being a purist, I use a good quality shoe polish.
Purists will google the British Museum for csutom formulations for restoring leather. |
David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 154
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 08:21 pm: |
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So by "products intended for leather" you mean stuff like leather dye? I actually have some of that (Fiebing) now that I think of it. Perhaps I should try that next time ... |
Tom_cheshire
Tinkerer
Username: Tom_cheshire
Post Number: 267
Registered: 04-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 15, 2010 - 05:22 pm: |
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Actually the Marks-a-Lot by Avery is a better marker for these purposes. You don't need to wipe with alcohol if you go over the area with a spit moistened thumb after a second or two of drying time. Doing so dulls the sheen and "off" color. I use marker mostly on metal. The Sharpie marker is good only/mostly where you need a pinpoint tip. Even then I have used the Marks-a-Lot simply by cutting the felt tip into the shape I need with a razor blade. There are other markers, usually off-brands from China, which are even better but, no doubt, they are toxic (considering it takes hours for the smell to finally leave my lungs/smell senses).
As for application, direct "wiping" leaves streaks. Best application method is tapping/dabbing. Sometimes this is a bit hard to do if you are using a new marker because they are a bit too "juicy".  |
Retina
Tinkerer
Username: Retina
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 02:32 am: |
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I have a small business doing leatherwork. To add my 2 cents, I would like to advise that if you use the Feibing's, use less than you think you need. If you use a q-tip, first blot most of the dye off of it onto a folded paper towel.
Like salt on buttered popcorn, it is very easy to add more if you need. |
Magkelly
Tinkerer
Username: Magkelly
Post Number: 5
Registered: 06-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 10, 2010 - 05:52 pm: |
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The only problem with using a black marker, permanent or not is that skin oils will take it back off anything you put on it eventually. Skin oils act like acid. Unless you never touch your camera, not likely, you'll just end up rubbing it off and having to do it all over again eventually.
My solution? A jar of Modge Podge. You can find it at the craft store in matte or gloss with all the glues. It's meant for decoupage but it's a good sealer applied in several thin coats. (You can mix it with water to make it really thin.)It goes on white, but dries clear and once it's on it's pretty tough. I use it to seal a lot of things actually. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 799
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 11, 2010 - 11:00 am: |
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As any collector of antique leather bound books will tell you, the best way to preserve these bindings is to handle the books on a very regular basis. Sealing leather with PVA solutions whilst bonding together friable/degraded leather, can cause problems on camera coverings.Set PVA is not fully reversible, but neither can it be classed as fully moisture proof - sweaty hands and high humidity can produce both a sticky surface and eventually the top surface of the leather can start to come away in places.
If one uses a proper leather dye that fully penetrates the leather followed up with a good quality wax polish, no amount of handling will remove the dye. No matter what you restore, only the use of the correct 'tools' produces a lasting and invisible repair. 'Bodge it and ruin it' is not a phrase that has relevance here in my opinion. |
Stereopost
Tinkerer
Username: Stereopost
Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2011
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2011 - 09:14 pm: |
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I have been cleaning and restoring old Kodak cameras since the 1970s. There is a book I have about collecting old cameras from that date, with a matching price guide from then as well; What I learned from that (and I also do leatherwork!) is to use Meltonian Shoe Cream. Black works of course on most, but the brown shades are a bit more of a challenge- Meltonian came, and still comes I believe, in a variety of colors. It is a cream polish that moistens and emulsifies and dries fairly fast to a nice finish. I have actually gone way out of town to find this product for some special camera restoration work, as it gets harder to find locally. I have not looked it up online, as I still have a lot on hand for what I need. If it dries up, I usually just use neatsfoot oil to re-cream it. |
Fallisphoto
Tinkerer
Username: Fallisphoto
Post Number: 177
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2011 - 10:17 am: |
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I'd like to add that if you use the markers, they soak into the leather instead of sitting on top of it, so if you are repairing snags and minor tears, you can stain them black with the markers and then stick them down with a little diluted glue. The markers don't prevent the glue from sticking to the leather, like shoe polish would. |
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