Re- chroming dials and knobs to look new

[chippy]

I have noticed a couple of places; one in UK from memory and one somewhere else—maybe Japan I think that can restore Leicas.

Repaint them and CLA, re-silver rangefinders and replace vulcanite with identical vulcanite albeit not using the Malaysian tree resin used in the original vulcanite—sounds good if one wants to or needs to.

But does anyone know how, if and where one can get the nickel or chrome (as the case may be) dials and knobs refinished in the manner which looks original? Or can new ones be purchased?

This question from me is related to LTM’s, both with and without rangefinder models.

I know people have their different views on whether to restore or not and I hope it doesn’t just turn into that without answering the question at hand on how, if and where.

But I think its horses for courses; sometimes cameras (cars, furniture and all manner of other things) are just ugly and could do with a restore (some people sent their cameras back to Leica I understand to do just that) and at other times they are best left alone because the character they exude it enough. I have some old wooden Thornton Pickards field cameras that are in both conditions. I prefer to leave the un-restored ones as are as they look great! But the shiny ones look fantastic too

[nikonhswebmaster]

please don't deliberatly post in white, those of us using black text on white cannot read your posts...

It is a bug in the message board software.

:) :)

[chippy]

please don't deliberatly post in white, those of us using black text on white cannot read your posts...

It is a bug in the message board software.

:) :)

arrr...sorry

my spelling is so bad i wrote it word (to use spell check) and pasted here...it came up as black and i could not read it !!!so i changed it to white.

is there anything i can do? or just have to write straight into the box online?

[peterm1]

A decade ago I was visiting Germany. Frankfurt to be precise, and being a Leica fiend even then, I made the point of spending time looking around camera stores of which there were quite a few (some with many lenses that I had heard of but never seen like the Summarex.)

Anyhow some did have spare parts for sale and amongst the bits and pieces I bought a new shutter speed dial for my M3. (My original one had become brassed by the film winding lever which can rub against it in the M3: All before I bought it of course - I would never be so clumsy ;) ) The thought occurs that some of these stores may be on line these days or at least you could check out local store directories on the internet and ring a few up or email them. I did not find it hard to get English speaking assistance and distance is much less a barrier than it was then.


EDIT: You may wish to scan thru this list - it may help if you are willing to give it a try.

http://www.acecam.com/germany1.html

Evidently the term you are looking for is kameraspeicher (camera store)

In fact on reflection, this kameraspeicher in Frankfurt looks suspiciously like the one I mentioned above. (They just happened to have a photo of the store front from 1997 on the home page and this is just about when I was there. If so I found them to be helpful and friendly.) In fact what I specifically recall about this store was that it had a front window FULL of Leicas and Leica lenses and accessories, instead of the one or two you typically see here (if that.) I just about wet myself with excitement.

http://www.foto-hobby.de/

And they have their "Kontakt" details in the main menu. cheers

And by the way, back then Andrew, I was living in------Adelaide. Small world.

[nikonhswebmaster]

arrr...sorry

my spelling is so bad i wrote it word (to use spell check) and pasted here...it came up as black and i could not read it !!!so i changed it to white.

is there anything i can do? or just have to write straight into the box online?

Well there are some spell checkers you can install in IE. But we are used to spelling errors...

An online spell checker is sure handy however. Firefox has one built in.

[john neal]

chippy,

probably cheaper to buy NOS knobs from DAG Camera than trying to get them rechromed anywhere. Don has lots of stock and is very helpful.

[landsknechte]

arrr...sorry

my spelling is so bad i wrote it word (to use spell check) and pasted here...it came up as black and i could not read it !!!so i changed it to white.

is there anything i can do? or just have to write straight into the box online?
Try pasting from Word into Notepad, and then cutting and pasting into the forum from Notepad. That will get rid of any formatting that Word puts into it, and turn it into plain text.

[Luddite Frank]

Speaking as an old-car & talking-machine hobbyist, having parts rechromed or re-nickeled is EXPENSIVE.

Your old parts must first have the original plating stripped, any pitting repaired (or buffed-out, which removes/blunts detail, such as knurling), then re-plated.

Small pieces sometimes go missing in the plating tank... sometimes they dissolve altogether.

If you are dead-set on having your Original hardware re-plated, you might consider some of the small-batch, DIY plating kits from Caswell
(caswellplating.com).

If you can find decent knobs a la carte, that is probably the most economical way to get nice knobs.

Good luck !

Luddite Frank

( I was considering re-knobing one my my black III's, but the more I look at that camera, the brassed knobs are part of it's "history"... I have a chrome III that I probably will replace the top shuttter-speed dial: the present one is scratched and peeling, and is hard to read. )

[chippy]

thanks,
yes no doubt if the parts can be found it sounds the way to go if they 'do per say' need replacing. taking the chrome of the knurled knobs doesnt sound like much fun or good result occuring. interesting DIY kits tho...has to be something i can re-chrome around here :cool:



yep small world Peter! not that i have ever been to Europe .now that i think of it i still havnt been to Kangaroo Island hahaha! for other folks its an Island that if it wasnt for the sharks an notorious strong currents its almost swimming distance from near Adelaide.

great leica site, anything that is an alternative to evilbay is great- i have two or three online shops like that now that look like great places to spend vast amounts of money :D