View Full Version : Painted FED 3a
I've finished painting my camera last week. I was itching to paint it for the longest time. We got a couple of nice days in Toronto so I thought I'd take advantage of it. :) This is my second attempt at painting. I learn a little bit more each time. :)
I'll try and post some instructions with pictures later on. I'd also like to thank Laika for some tips on filling in the engravings.
jpbob100
04-09-2006, 09:29
Nice job......I mean really nice job. Almost makes me want to get another fsu....well, almost. :)
squeaky_clean
04-09-2006, 09:29
Looks great! I've considered tryong to paint one myself... My fed 5. Any tips or instructions you want to share would be great.
Man that looks great! Good color choice. Like Chris asks, any tips? How did you prep the surface? Did you use an under coat? Jim
The olive drab looks good on that camera. I like the extention on the shutter release.
darkkavenger
04-09-2006, 10:20
It looks absolutely great! Congratulations :)
kvanderlaag
04-09-2006, 10:53
Looks like a Bessa!
Very smooth! Wouldn't mind doing up my Z6 or something.
Brad Bireley
04-09-2006, 11:55
Love that olive!
Austintatious
04-09-2006, 12:54
THAT is one mighty fine look'n FED !! Love it.
Charles
captainslack
04-09-2006, 14:57
Looks great!! More people should use that olive drab on their cameras. It works really well.
lmd91343
04-09-2006, 15:24
Looks great!
How did you remove the chrome? I used swimming pool acid.
I like your soft shutter release button. ;)
[QUOTE=kvanderlaag]Looks like a Bessa![QUOTE]
Only Betta!
Ian
leica M2 fan
04-09-2006, 17:41
I've finished painting my camera last week. I was itching to paint it for the longest time. We got a couple of nice days in Toronto so I thought I'd take advantage of it. :) This is my second attempt at painting. I learn a little bit more each time. :)
I'll try and post some instructions with pictures later on. I'd also like to thank Laika for some tips on filling in the engravings.
Makes me want to try painting my FED 2, the chromy steel stands out really nice. I also like the shutter release extension , Great. :cool:
Very well done! This has got me thinking, would the forum benifit from a knowledge base of some kind? A collection of technical documentation writen by RFF members? This would make for a great doc. I know there are 1 or 2 RFF members with some great docs on the FSU lenses. There is an impressive amount of knowledge and skill on RFF.
Wow! Thank you eveyone for the comments. I'm sure most people can do a better job though. The soft shutter release is actually a screw from a computer case that attaches your drives. :p
This is the general break down..........
1. Sand the original finish with 120 grit sand paper (most of the chorme or plating is still intact. Just a little brassing here and there).
2. Clean.
3. Apply etching primer.
4. Wet sand with 600 grit wet sand paper.
5. Clean
6. Apply finish colour.
I'm gonna be working on a more detailed set of instructions soon. I hope to have it up by this weekend.
P.S. kvanderlaag..........I did a Zorki 6 also. :)
I've finished painting my camera last week......
Sweet! :) ... The olive colour does look nice. Congrats.
Fedzilla_Bob
04-09-2006, 23:24
What brand paint is that?
kvanderlaag
04-09-2006, 23:30
Ohhh, geez.
Be still, my beating heart.
...you do custom jobs? I'll pay! :P
That looks absolutely great!
Both look really good to me. I always like the Olive. Now you can toss 'em back in the Bay as "Very Rare Military yadda-yadda" and triple your money. [joke] Did you retain the original cover on both? Well done. Inspiring indeed.
Wow! Thank you eveyone for the comments. .....I'm gonna be working on a more detailed set of instructions soon. I hope to have it up by this weekend.
P L E A S E.
Cheers,
Ruben
What brand paint is that?
I used Krylon spray paint.
http://www.krylon.com/main/product_template.cfm?levelid=5&sub_levelid=12&productid=1843&content=product_details
I did keep the original covering for the Zorki and the FED. With the Zorki, I peeled the skin off before I painted it. The FED's vulcanite was still in good used/aged condition so I didn't bother to remove it. Just taped and paint. :)
Robert Vote
04-11-2006, 00:08
how did u realize the perfect look of the engravings?
It is really a p e r f e c t job!
robert
MinorTones
04-11-2006, 08:45
Whoo! Very well done.
-Mitch
Great job on the Fed 3a, w3rk5!!!
Joseph
TVphotog
11-08-2006, 20:37
I am digging that olive drab. I think I may go with a flat or semi-semi-gloss finish on the next paint job. Maybe panzer gray;)
Rodinal Addict
11-08-2006, 20:58
Did you bake the parts in a warm oven after you applied the paint? I've heard that this makes the paint harder.
Robin
TVphotog.........panzer gray would look cool. Flat black would look kinda neat also. Whatever you decide on painting it by all means post it up here. I'd love to see the finished results.
Robin......I don't recommend you baking any paint unless the manufacturer says so. I think people who bake the paint just want it to cure faster. I personally would perfer to let paint cure naturally.
TVphotog
11-09-2006, 12:13
An oven gets much to hot, even at the lowest setting for paint. Not to mention what will happen if the paint melts and drips into your oven... I use an old food dehydrator to 'dry' my paint. With flat paint it really doesn't matter. When using a gloss paint it helps quite a bit. The warm enviroment helps the paint flow out better resulting in a higher gloss with less orange peel. I leave it in the dehydrator at least overnight (for enamels) to sometime even weeks(for Laquers). The dehydrator will only get to about 150 degrees and by using the slots on the top you can reduce that down to around 100 degrees. Once I have decided that the finished piece has cured enough I unplug the dehydrator and allow the piece to cool to room temperature before removing it. The soft paint is very easy to mar with fingerprints. By allowing it to cool you will not have to worry about leaving fingerprints in your brand new paint job.
Oh, hey, I forgot to ask. Did you mask the shutter speed dial or did you remove it before painting. I haven't had the best results with masking. I have been looking at how to remove and re-install the shutter speed dial but I haven't had much luck. On all my Fed 3s it seems that the shutter speed dial is a press fit and should be easy to remove... I haven't been able to budge one yet though
Superbus_
11-09-2006, 12:31
Congratulations, I need something like that, great colour and fantastic look of your camera.
Oh, hey, I forgot to ask. Did you mask the shutter speed dial or did you remove it before painting. I haven't had the best results with masking. I have been looking at how to remove and re-install the shutter speed dial but I haven't had much luck. On all my Fed 3s it seems that the shutter speed dial is a press fit and should be easy to remove... I haven't been able to budge one yet though
I masked the shutter speed dial. I think the dial is on for good.
I wiped down the shutter speed dial with a degreaser and then used a wide masking tape to cover the whole dial. I then used my thumb nail to trace around the dial. Make sure it's a good tight seal before you start to cut around it with a sharp utility knife or razor blade. I hope this helps. :)
Congratulations, I need something like that, great colour and fantastic look of your camera.
Thanks. :)
A very nice job :cool: , That really suits the 3a a treat , I can see that I'm going to have to go the extra 5 yards with my FED 2 to even get near matching that .
Paul
Thank you Paul. I'm sure yours will turn out better. Just take your time. It only takes 1 second of carelessness to cause hours of repairs. I'm sure we've all been there.
olive bessa r3a owners better look out now! The Russians are Comming! The Russians are Comming!......excellent job.:D
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.