Related Articles:
Gasket Foam Repairs
Bellows Repair Tricks
M. Covington's
Telescope Foam Carrying Case Tips [1/2001]
Originally posted to rec.photo.equipment.medium-format newsgroup 22
February, 1997
Hi,
I need to replace the sealing foam on my Pentax 6x7 TTL prism. Does
someone know where I can find such a foam and how I can apply it?
Thanks,
Olivier
Olivier,
You may be able to get the foam from your local repair shop. I have had
enough of this stuff GIVEN to me by the local shop to replace the mirror
damping foam on 2 Pentax Spotmatic II's, 2 Nikkormats, and 2 Nikon F2's.
It is aparently easier for them to give me the stuff (I offered to buy
it) than
to take on the job of replacing the foam themselves. The shop
is currently
backlogged by four weeks.
Replacement is pretty easy, but must be approached with care
and
PATIENCE.
Most of the old stuff can be scraped off with a flat toothpick.
Be very
careful not to get any of the remnants of the old, sticky foam
on any
optical surfaces. It's hard to remove.
Use nail polish remover containing acetone, or straight acetone
available
from the local hardware or paint store, to clean the metal
surfaces. DO
NOT USE ACETONE ON ANY PLASTIC SURFACES! Dip a Q-tip in the
solvent and blot off the excess. DO NOT aproach your equipment
with a
sopping, dripping Q-tip full of acetone. It will migrate to
places where it
doesn't belong and can cause damage to internal parts and
possibly your
external paint job, if you have a black camera!!
Use the Q-tip to swab the areas where the foam was removed. Try
to get
them down to bare metal. Use a new Q-tip when the old one gets
full of the
nasty black stuff.
After you get the surfaces clean, use some Duro contact cement
(Wal-Mart,
K-Mart) to attach the new foam. Cut the foam to the proper
length. Use
another flat toothpick to apply a THIN coat to the metal and
another
THIN coat to the foam. Each foam should not take more than a
drop of
cement to adequately cover BOTH the metal AND the foam. APPLY
SPARINGLY!
Allow the cement to dry for about five minutes before trying to
mount the
new foam. Be careful when setting the foam in place. It is very
difficult to
move once contact has been made. The lightest touch makes a
pretty
permanent attachment.
That's about it. Take your time and it's pretty easy.
Best regards,
Stew
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998
From: Alex Lewin lewin@viaweb.com
Subject: mirror foam
I just bought a big sheet of adhesive-backed mirror foam, and used
some of it on my FE. The replacement was easy:
1. pulled off most of old foam using tweezers
2. removed old adhesive crud using cotton swabs and acetone (careful
not to drip)
3. trimmed new mirror foam to size
4. attached new mirror foam.
Date: Wed, 27 May 1998
From: dseeber@kiwi.dep.anl.gov (Diana Seeber)
Subject: Foam/Light leaks
Hi, Nikonuts!
For those of you who (like me) like to do things yourselves, when I
discovered my new (used) Nikkormat FTn had a light leak, I went to a local
1-hr photo place and they gave me a handful of empty film cartridges (for
free). Once home, I opened them up & removed the strips of black felt. With
my handy scissors and a bit o' glue, I fixed my problem. No problem!
I feel soooo clever.
Resp'y,
gil
Diana Seeber (School Social Worker, Berwyn IL)
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998
From: Alex Lewin lewin@al2.com
Subject: mirror foam
I posted a while ago saying that I had some extra mirror foam to offer
to nikon-digest folks.
Got lots of mail, sent out lots of foam! I'm afraid I can't send any
more.
But if anyone needs to buy it, you can get it from Micro-Tools. They
are online:
http://www.micro-tools.com/
The foam is in their "Restoration Supplies" section:
http://www.micro-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl/page=restore.htm
They call it "Light Baffle".
They offer a wide variety of thicknesses and styles.
Alex
From: "Bobski" w8imo@kellnet.com
Subject: Re: Cleaning sticky foam
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.misc
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998
There is a product called "Goo Gone" made by Magic American Corp.,
Cleveland, OH 44122, 1.800.321.6330.
It is citrus based and I have been able to remove all sorts of "goo" with
no damage that I have seen..... Give them a call, it's their 800
number.....
Bob
Chad Bender chad.bender@lnk.goexcel.net wrote
>Some of > the foam has degraded and is now stuck to the metal parts. Any ideas on > how to safely remove this residue?
From: "G Colnar" gcolnar@rmi.nospam.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.misc
Subject: Re: Cleaning sticky foam
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998
Goo Gone does work well. It also has a warning that it does contain
petroleum distillates and from the smell of the stuff the amount is
substantial.
|It is citrus based and I have been able to remove all sorts of "goo" with |no damage that I have seen..... Give them a call, it's their 800 |number.....
From Nikon Digest:
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998
From: edward.doherty@dudleycol.ac.uk
Subject: F3 mirror cleaning
John,
I recently had my F3 checked by a Nikon technician at a free clinic at
a photo show here in the UK. The mirror looked pitted at the bottom
where it strikes the (rather crumbly) damping foam. The technician
told me it was actually residue left by the damaged foam and cleaned
it off with a cotton bud and some fluid, but I don't know what the
fluid was. So I suppose the short answer to your question is YES
Nikon will clean the mirror if the UK is anything to go by. If it's
any value to you my viewfinder image was tinted pink due to the
deposits on the mirror and this went when it was cleaned.
Best wishes
Ed.
[Ed. note: cleaning front surface mirror, very tricky, here's a pro
tip..]
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: "SATCHMO" satchmo@wfeca.net
[1] Re: cleaning reflex mirror
Date: Sun Sep 13 19:25:51 CDT 1998
The "gel" referred to is called Flexible Collodion. It is carefully painted
onto the mirror, allowed to dry, peeled off. The usual earlier steps are
still adhered to. Collodion is used in the compounding of some medical
prescriptions, and isn't available OTC. An understanding Pharmacist may help
you. One ounce is a lifetime supply. Store it in the dark, below 86 deg.F.
Joe Canon Arnold
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: dcline@silcom.com (Richard Cline)
[1] Re: cleaning reflex mirror
Date: Sun Sep 13 21:37:34 CDT 1998
"SATCHMO" satchmo@wfeca.net wrote:
I've used flexible collodian and want to assure readers that it is not a
very satisfactory product. One is rarely able to peel off all of the
collodian and the remaining spots can well be worse than the starting
contaminant. There have been several strippable lacquers manufactured
especially for protecting and cleaning optics. One of the most successful
in called Opti-Cote. In tests done at NOTS China Lake about a dozen years
ago The Opti-Cote was shown to be highly effective in removal of most
contaminants.
----- No, I have no commercial interest in the product. ----
Dick
From Medium Format Digest:
From: Mel Brown melbrown@eatel.net
Subject: Response to Mamiya C330 needs the foam replaced in the door
Date: 1998-09-21
Sando, at http://www.micro-tools.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl/page=restore.htm/SID=6007384, you can purchase either the LB-KIT with 5 English (fractional) thicknesses of foam for $20, or their LBMM-KIT with 3 metric thicknesses, plus maybe some other stuff, for $25. Call them at 800-359-2878 for more info.
Mel Brown
From Medium Format Digest:
From: Charlie Ashby caemashby@aol.com
Subject: Response to Mamiya C330 needs the foam replaced in the door
Date: 1998-09-23
I purchased the foam from Mamiya U.S. for approximately $13. Also should be available from Fargo Enterprises in North Dakota. They have a web site but I don't know the URL.
Charlie Ashby
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: "Michael A. Covington" covington@mindspring.com
[1] Re: Camera light tight foam
Date: Wed Nov 18 20:15:00 CST 1998B
Foam for Olympus cameras is sold by
http://www.zuiko.com
for just $6 per kit. You could probably use it with other cameras too,
especially if they're smaller than Olympus SLRs.
--
Michael A. Covington / AI Center / The University of Georgia
http://www.ai.uga.edu/~mc http://www.mindspring.com/~covington
rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Date: Thu Nov 19 05:20:00 CST 1998
From: Paul cavka pcavka01@aardvark.mur.csu.edu.au
[1] Re: Camera light tight foam
Walden0 wrote:
> I have two Ricoh 500 G rangefinder cameras. The lite tight foam around the back > cover of the cameras have become sticky and have just about disolved. Is it > easy to replace ? what would be the easiest way to replaceit ? thanks Russ
The felt stuff from the inside of a film canister works just fine.
Cavka
From Nikon MF Mailing List:
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999
From: David_Powell@ne.3com.com
Subject: Re: Cheapskate answer: Lens Cover/Mirror Foam
I've also had good luck using the "open cell" foam weatherstriping that
hardware stores sell by the roll for window insulation. In crosssection,
the foam is usually about 3/8-inch wide by 1/4-inch thick, and comes in a
long roll with a self-adhesive backing.
This foam is too wide and thick to use as-is, so I:
(1) Cut the proper length off the end of the roll (an inch or so)
(2) Trim to the proper width by using scissors to cut the piece lengthwise
through both the foam and its backing
(3) Trim to the proper height by cutting lengthwise and parallel to the
adhesive backing
(4) Peel off the adhesive backing
(5) Apply (The adhesive will hold well if you first remove all of the old
foam residue from the camera using acetone. Of course, you've got to be
very careful not to drip acetone inside the mirror chamber or on the mirror
itself!)
One roll of foam costs only a few dollars and can handle a lifetime's worth
of cameras!
Also, don't throw away the excess foam that you cut away in step 3 above.
I've found that it is excellent for replacing the light seals around film
doors. Most of these call for the foam to be inserted into a vary narrow
channel. So I just cut a series of slivers about 2-to-3 times as wide as
the channel (and as thick as necessary to be compressed by the film door
when it closes). I then use a flat blade (such as a screwdriver) to push
the slivers end-to-end into the channels. Even though these slivers have no
adhesive backing, they still stay in place quite well. (I once tried using
slivers that HAD adhesive backing on them, but could never get the backing
to behave... it kept catching and clinging to the sides of the channels and
not the base.)
P.S. I use "open-call" rather than "closed-cell" foam since the latter
seems harder and less "giving" that traditional mirror foam.
Hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Dave
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999
From: WdshpBiz@aol.com
Subject: Re: Cheapskate answer: Lens Cover/Mirror Foam
rick@housh.nu writes:
The
replacement is not foam at all, but black velvet. It looks professional
and seems to work very nicely.
Rick, some folks have recommended using the velvet-like material in the
opening of film cassettes. I think even Ed Romney in his camera repair texts
offers this idea. Maybe your repair shop is a former Romney student. ;-)
Another material that hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet is old
computer mouse pads, which are a great source of the closed-cell foam. I've
resisted using the open-cell insulation foam, because it seems to deteriorate
too fast and when it does it creates a crumbling mess. The closed-cell foam
and film cassette velvet seem to be less subject to deterioration.
William Sampson
From Nikon Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999
From: Sover.Wong@swisscom.com
Subject: Re: Cheapskate answer: Mirror Foam
Hello Nikon Fans,
I had to change the foam on all my F2's and even some F3's. I got a large
sheet of anti-static black foam for electronic circuits and cut it to size.
For the F2 mirror box, the size is 4mm x 4mm x 4cm. I stick it on using
double sided tape. For the camera body, I cut a long strip about 3mm x 3mm
x about 10cm and insert it between the groove/slots. It is rather messy to
remove all the old foam though. Nikon should have used better material.
Happy shooting,
Sover
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000
From: jw j.wenger@usa.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: What material to replace foam light seals?
Just saw to use lighter fluid to remove, now need some type of
replacement material.
Date: 04 Jan 2000
From: mceowen@aol.com (McEowen)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What material to replace foam light seals?
>Just saw to use lighter fluid to remove, now need some type of >replacement material.
You can get replacement mirror and light trap foam from
Micro-tools. They're on
the web at www.micro-tools.com
Date: 4 Jan 2000
From: josh@WOLFENET.COM (Joshua_Putnam)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What material to replace foam light seals?
>Just saw to use lighter fluid to remove, now need some type of >replacement material.
I use Isoloss polyurethane foam for replacement seals, available
from McMaster Carr Industrial Supply, www.mcmaster.com. It's
available in a wide range of thicknesses starting at 1/32".
--
Josh@WolfeNet.com is Joshua Putnam / P.O. Box 13220 / Burton, WA
98013
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000
From: "John Stafford" John@Stafford.net
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: What solvent to remove old foam light seals?
For removing any adhesive from cameras, I always try a product called Goo
Gone before resorting to the more drastic solvents such as acetone, etc.
Goo Gone is used to remove old sticky-label residue, among other things,
and won't harm painted surfaces. You can usually find it at any decent
hardware store.
When removing old foam, I'll scoop and scrape the big stuff off using a
small plastic spatula first, then follow with the Goo stuff.
Date: 23 Dec 1999
From: josh@WOLFENET.COM (Joshua_Putnam)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: A question about deteriorating foam rubber
"F. Hayashi" hayashi@u.washington.edu writes:
>Don't know about the EC-TL specifically, but quite a few people mention >replacing foam in cameras yourself. Some have suggested neoprene as an >alternative, from old mousepads and the like.
I have a brief writeup on making your own light seals on my web
page. I use Isoloss polyurethane foam, available from 1/32" up.
My Mamiya Press backs take 1/16" thick, as did my 70mm RB back.
--
Josh@WolfeNet.com is Joshua Putnam / P.O. Box 13220 / Burton, WA
98013
Date: 5 Nov 1999
From: Struan Gray struan.gray@sljus.lu.se
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: Need Advice for Cutting Foam to Build Camera Case
John Ongtooguk, johno@vcd.hp.com writes:
> The flexible closed cell foam is harder to find
Many camping and outdoor stores sell approx 3ft-wide closed cell
foam by the meter for use as a sleeping bag or tent underlay. If your
local store doesn't have it, the places like REI (www.rei.com) or MEC
(www.mec.com) sell it mail order.
Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1999
From: David Albrecht dNaOvSiPdAcMa@writeme.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Subject: Re: Need Advice for Cutting Foam to Build Camera Case
Well foam stores that cater to the furniture trade will often carry
foam intended for instrument cases. It's gray instead of off white
and a good bit more expensive i.e. the place I went to charges
around $4 for 12" x 12" x 1" of it. If you find a discount outlet
for this stuff I'd be interested. As an aside Wal-Mart is carrying some
not bad quality alumninum cases for <$20 ea. The foam in them would
cost more than that to replace. The only cheesy part is the handle
assembly which is all plastic.
Dave
Date: 02 Sep 1999
From: wardcheese@aol.com (WardCheese)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Bronica EC
First off, I am so thrilled to meet another EC user. I bought mine about
3 months ago, and it is just a splendid machine. The issues you are
describing are minor. You have bought a wonderful camera, let me assure
you.
The mirror is sticking to a little piece of damping foam up inside the
body. It gets sticky after about 30 years, for some reason. It's easy to
fix; you can sneak a little piece of transparent tape up in there to cover
the foam.
Since the foam is aleady sticky, it sticks twice as well!
It is still a good idea to have the camera cleaned, lubricated, and to
have the foam replaced. In the UK, here is an excellent resource. They
were very helpful (by email) when I had a minor glitch with mine.
Camera Workshop
28, Worcester Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, England UB8 3TH
Tel: (+44) 01895-859552
EMAIL mbeard@camera-workshop.demon.co.uk
Specializing in classic Bronica 6x6 repairs for Bronica Z, C, D, S, S2,
S2a,
EC, ECTL, and ECTLII
Good luck, and have fun!
From Nikon MF Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 24 May 2000
From: mgb67@webtv.net
Subject: Re: Mirror foam replacement
Took a good look at the mirror foam on my F, well, I didn't have foam
anymore, I had black goo. Took the tip from a previous posting and cut
up a mouse pad. Had to slice the foam pretty thin, probably 1/16 of an
inch or so. Since I have no real reference as to how thick the original
foam was, my question is this, if I am a little on the thick side, will
I cause any problems?
I would think from the channel that the foam fits into that 1/32 would
have been more appropriate, at least that's just an eyeball measurement.
Or should I say, that's about the channel thickness. Add 1/32 for good
luck?
Thanks,
Scott
From Nikon MF Mailing List:
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000
From: "Lawrence Reiss" LReiss@stsi.net
Subject: Re: Mirror foam replacement
Scott,
The foam pad that the mirror strikes is supposed to damp its motion
- in other words to absorb the impact slowly. Mouse pads are
generally made of fairly dense closed cell foam. To the mirror, this
will look like a rather stiff surface and there will be little damping.
The result will be extra vibration induced blur at slow shutter speeds.
A better choice would be either a thin slice of the open cell (porous)
material from a foam paintbrush (as suggested by Rick Housh), or
the polyurethane foam sold as air conditioner filter by Frost King.
To cut these materials, compress them with a metal straightedge
and then slice with a razor. To remove the old foam goo, acetone
works well - but be sure to remove your F's focussing screen first!
The right thickness for these materials is about 4mm - much more
then the 1/16 inch you mention. Again, the idea is to slowly stop the
mirror, not to provide a surface for it to slam against. If the foam is
too thick, then the mirror on the F will not go high enough to catch
on the mirror lock up hook.
The F tends to have a very high mirror vibration level to start with,
so it is especially important to damp this motion. By the way, the
spring that moves the mirror can also be adjusted to minimize the
vibration level.
Is this the foam goo season? I've had four requests to do this
service within the last two weeks.
In any case if you need further assistance, feel free to contact me
by email.
Lawrence
Richard,
Let me try to answer several of your e-mails in this one.
The ground glass you have is for a prism finder. The WLF type have the
numbers the correct way round. You should find the meter works OK, you
just need to read the details in mirror image.
Most of the details on Robert Monaghan's site re: foam replacement apply
to the S2 family. The EC is different, in particular bad foam in the
ground glass is not as big an issue (in my understanding) and the focus
problem is due to different causes.
======================
Replacing the foam damper.
OK I actually have an EC not the TL but these should be reasonably
similar. I would remove the damper "flap". Get yourself a set of
minature screwdrivers, get the better quality ones as the cheapies have
points which damage easily and then make a mess of the screw.
- Remove the lens, WLF and groung glass (for access).
- Place a tissue over the mirror to stop any more bits of foam falling on
it.
- Looking in the lens opening you should see two small screws through a
"rod" along the top of the damper flap.
- Remove one of these screws.
- Place a wire through the now empty hole. This is to stop the rod
spinning round when the damper flap is removed. A bend paper-clip should
do. Put it in from the rear as the flap will be removed from the front.
- Now remove the other screw.
- The flap should now be free apart from the wire.
- OK so now we need to put a wire through the empty hole (with the flap
moved aside). The idea is to stop the rod from spinning around and so
losing tension on the spring. Now we can remove the first wire and the
flap is free.
Reinstalling is the reverse procedure.
=============================================
Focus issues
First make sure the ground glass is in the correct way up. The numbers
reversed in your case.
The foam which holds it in sounds correct. It should be proud as you
described as this puts pressure on the ground glass to hold it in place.
Now recheck the infinity focus. Hopefully it is OK.
If not we first need to check that the lens focus scale is correct. (it is
rare for this to be out).
- OK so remove the ground glass
- now trip the shutter on "B" setting and lock it open.
- Set the lens to maximum aperature.
- Open the back and remove the film insert.
- place the ground glass across the film rails and check that the infinity
focus is correct (it should be).
So now we know the lens scale is correct.
First we need to deal with the sticky rubber bump stop inside the camera.
- Remove the film back
- Remove the lens.
- Trip the shutter on "B" and lock it open.
- You need to place a small strip of tape around the rubber bump stop.
You really want a black matt finish. I used some masking tape which I
then painted matt black with some "hobby paint". The masking tape has a
shortish life but gives a nice matt finish with the paint.
- Now if you look at the back of the mirror at the corner where the bump
stop contacts you will see a small area which is clear of the baffles.
You want to shim this up as required to get the focus right. You will
need some thin metal perhaps some shim brass or some copper sheet, or even
some very thin steel. Cut the small pieces to fit the flat region (3mm by
7mm from memory). You can check it by cocking the shutter then gently
lifting the corner of the mirror and sliding the shim between the mirror
and bump stop. IT it is like mine you will need a layer of shim just to
clear the other metal on the mirror back. Glue it on with super glue or
similar.
Keep checking the focus each time. Add more shims as required.
Once you have sufficient layers to bring it into focus, paint the metal
with some matt black paint. Let it dry overnight (locked open
in "B").
There it is It all sound a bit complicated but is relatively easy in
practice, just work steadily and take a rest when you have been at it for
a while.
Hope it all goes well.
Richard.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Urmonas
rurmonas@ieee.org
From: bobhickey@webtv.net (Bob Hickey)
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001
Subject: Re: Source for Camera Bag insert material.
I tried the carpet, but it tends to make a lot of dust. Now I
went to foam rubber; 6ft.X 2ft cost me $5 and is enough for probably 4-5
big bags. I measure the inside, glue the foam box outside and fold it
into the bag when the glue is dry. The last one, I got a big Domke clone
from Levi for $19. They sell it as a canvas computer case, but it's got
to hold one monster computer.
Looks like a Domke, but $100
cheaper.
Bob Hickey
From: Godfrey DiGiorgi ramarren@apple.com
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001
Subject: Re: Source for Camera Bag insert material.
Go to a camping supply shot and get some sleeping pad material for
padding. Closed cell foam, not open cell urethane. No outgassing and no
tendency to pick up water.
Godfrey
From: "Clint Spesert" clint@icsnode1.carson-city.nv.us
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.35mm
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001
Subject: Re: Source for Camera Bag insert material.
If you want rigid, the best bet is 4-5mm cloth coverd neoprene glued to a
piece of stff 1/8" plastic. It makes a divider about 1/2" thick. You can
stich velcro on it if you want flaps or covers.
If you want to cover something with nylon, go to your outdoors store and
get a 1/2" backpacker sleeping pad. The closed cell foam works great and
is easy to cut with a mat knife.
my $.02 worth,
Clint
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 Subject: Re: [Rollei] light leaks, black chord From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com> To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > From: Richard Knoppow dickburk@ix.netcom.com> * Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2001 > To: rollei@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Rollei] light leaks, black chord > > Found it! > Its amazing that I never noticed this before. > Its hard to spot if you don't know where to look and use a strong light. > Yes, it is hard to see. Rollei was way ahead in using black yarn, which does not turn crumbly or sticky with age like foam rubber used in so many other cameras. It holds up well and is easily replaced if it ever does wear out. Sometimes low-tech is better than high-tech. Bob
from leica topica mailing list: Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 From: John Nford jbuf@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: Cutting Zero Halliburton foam - help! Dear Jeffery: The trick is tp put the foam in he frezzer. when it gets cold with will get very stiff. I alwasy mark out the peices before I put it int the freezer and then onces it gets hard use a very sharp sirrated knife to cut it. nad be sure to undercut so the items fit snuggly. HTH John Jeffery Smith wrote: >I am posting this on 5 different forums, so you can sense my helplessness, >angst, and desperation. About 25 years ago, I bought an aluminum Zero >Halliburton suitcase-like camera case, the type with the charcoal gray foam >inserts. It came with a cheap looking steak knife/paring knife to cut >camera-shaped spaces in the foam. The job I did on it was an atrocity, with >jagged edges, crooked cuts, and spaces that were either too loose or too >tight. I have found the pre-cut, cubed foam inserts such as in Pelican cases >and Adorama cases to be much easier to use. Now, 25 years later, I bought >new foam inserts to try my hand once again at cutting the solid block of >Zero Halliburton foam. > >This piece of foam rubber cost me more than 50 bucks! Can anyone out there >tell me how to measure and cut this stuff so it doesn't end up looking like >a botched crime scene? > >Jeffery Smith
from leica topica mailing list: Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 From: MervinS1@aol.com Subject: Re: Cutting Zero Halliburton foam - help! Put it in a freezer and freeze it solid, then cut it with a very sharp knife or razor blade. Good luck, Mervin Stewart
From Rangefinder Mailing List: Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 From: LRZeitlin@aol.com Subject: Re: [RF List] Cutting Foam for a Zero Halliburton Case - Help! To cut foam use an electrical carving knife. This is the kind with two serrated blades used to carve a Thanksgiving turkey. The moving blades cut the foam without putting any pressure on it. The foam is cut quickly and cleanly without distortion. I've cut numerous camera case inserts with this kind of knife over the years and also [Ed. note: posting just ends here]
[Ed. note: Special thanks to Dom Savage for passing on these tips on Nikon FE foam fixes!] Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 From: Dom Savage dom@gouezeri.freeserve.co.uk To: Robert Monaghan rmonagha@post.cis.smu.edu Subject: Re: FE foam fix Hi Robert, It seems my little text has drawn quite a bit of interest. At this rate I may even re-write it to include extra information! Anyway, I'm more than happy to pass it on, as the idea was to try and get as much info together as possible, so we can keep these great cameras running. ... If you get any feedback, I'd be happy to incorporate it. Regards Dom Firstly I'd like to thank Rick Housh for his comments and tips. What follows are some tips from my own experience of replacing the mirror foam the sits next to the shutter in an FE. As a result I cannot guarantee that these details will be suitable for other models of camera. If somebody knows of a better way of replacing mirror foam, then please share. I don't have that much experience in camera repairs, so please take this text for informational purposes only. If you decide to follow these tips, then on your own camera be it, I will not be responsible if you mess up your camera. If in doubt, take it to an expert! Ok, I'll try and deal with this as methodically as possible. You'll need:
From: Simon Freidin clappingsimon@hotmail.com Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: ever replace light seals ? Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 I did this on a C220. I scraped off the old seal using a cotton bud, then acetone on another cotton bud removed the old glue and last traces of seal. I got self-adhesive seal (imported from Japan, it won't deteriorate) from a camera repairer. 3/32 thick for the piece near the hinge (3/8 x 2 15/16), 1/32 thick for the other 3 edges of the back. I needed to cut strips about 3/32 wide for these edges. I used a non-slip steel rule and a utility knife. I found it helped to remove the latch cover on the inside of the back, but the screws holding it were 'glued' in by the non-reflective paint, so it was tough to remove. I ended up burring one of the screw heads :-( regards Simon r.m.pruitt wrote: I have a Mamiya C33 TLR that needs the light seals replaced in the > back. I > have checked with various repair shops and they charge from $15.00 to > $45.00 > to do this. I have just found a source for the seal and adhesive at > orders@micro-tools.com for $4.95 and would prefer to do the job myself > if it > does not require a pro. It seems a simple enough procedure. Has > anybody ever > did this and do they have any advice that might make the job easier > (assuming it is not a pro job for some reason) ? Thanks for any info > on > this, Richard
From: Tim Daneliuk tundra@tundraware.com Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Recommendations for beginner medium format Date: 18 May 2001 Karen Nakamura wrote: > > "Christopher Bush" cbush@dialupnet.com wrote: > > > She may decide to put in some more money to get one of those crazy-low-priced RB-67s > > that people keep talking about (~$600 with lens and back??!!). > > I just bought a used RB-67 with 120 back and 90 mm f/3.8 lens for $510 > off ebay. The price of RBs has really plumetted. The unit I got is in > good condition. The foam is getting a bit sticky, but is still light > tight. I'm happy. :) > > Karen If that foam is getting gooey - replace it ASAP. The foam is made from a petroleum byproduct which breaks down into a slurry that will trash plastic focusing screens and generally make a mess of things. You can do it yourself or have a repairman do it for minimum $$$ - I would not wait -it gets worse and worse and then makes a real mess... -- Tim Daneliuk tundra@tundraware.com
From nikon MF Mailing list: Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 From: Rick Housh rick@housh.net Subject: Re: Old foam Benny wrote: >Friends, >I came across an Olympus OM enthousiasts website the other day, where they >described having replaced bad foam seals in the film back channels with >multistranded black polyester thread (like those used for women's needle >craft). They claim that it doesn't need any glue to stay in place and of >course it doesn't deteriorate over time either. Anyway, the self adhesive >foam strips are a pain to use because these tend to stick to the sides of >the channels long before you can tuck them in place at the bottom. Perhaps >worth a try? I've been using multiple ply yarn for some time, with success. Here's the start of a thread on the subject at NikonRepair@YahooGroups.com: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NikonRepair/message/2067 - Rick Housh -
From camera fix mailing list: Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003 From: "john hon777666@yahoo.com Subject: light-trap foam Hows about this one folks..on the market in the UK, there is a black foam. It is sold in rolls of about 15 mtr long, about 12mtr wide and 3mm thickness. It is used in the air conditioning field to wrap aroud pipes for insulation..It is called..ARMAFLEX. and if you get the chance to check it out, I think you would be impressed, It might come under a different in the USA..good hunting..John.
From minolta mailing list: Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 From: "starbuck461" ty.starbuck@insightbb.com Subject: Foamies This little bit of info was posted by someone else in reguarding replacing light seals. I took his advice and got the sheet of the self sticking formies, works like a champ!!! had to do a few try's but for 53 cents a sheet who cares. thought this might be of interest to some of you who would like to save a little money. This works for proably for all cameras. Have fun!!!! From: James A. Jones junebug1701@yahoo.com Date: Sun Oct 15, 2000 Subject: New source for light seal foam? Last night I replaced the foam light seals on my XG-7 body because they had, of course, turned to sticky goo. Using a toothpick, I pried up the ends of the seals, grabbed the sticky backing and peeled them off. I have a piece of self-adhesive foam from Fargo that I've used on my Minolta 16's, but it wasn't long enough for the replacement strips I needed. Turns out my daughter had a box of arts and crafts stuff in her room, including several 9 X 12 inch sheets of thin foam in various colors. I asked her if I could have the sheet of black foam and she said fine. This stuff is LDPE (low density polyethelene) and is about 1.5mm thick. I cut several strips 1.5mm wide using an X-acto knife and a metal straightedge. So I ended up with strips 1.5mm square, which wedged perfectly into the upper and lower slots where the film door seats. The bottom seal is about 145mm long, and the upper seal consists of 2 strips, 120mm and 20mm in length, separated by the exposure counter reset lever. There doesn't seem to be any need for the strips to be adhesive, they wedge into the slots and even with the door open they aren't going anywhere. I did have to use a 45mm X 5mm piece of the self-adhesive stuff to replace the seal on the inside of the door near the hinge. I'm pretty sure this stuff could be made self-adhesive by applying double sided tape to it. Now where to get the foam? Wal-Mart, in the crafts department, the brand name is "Foamies". The price? 59 cents! UPDATE: July 1, 2001 Wal-Mart now has "Sticky Back" Foamies sheets. These sheets have a self stick adhesive backing but are otherwise identical to the original Foamies. The stock number for the black sheets are #1019-92 with a price of 67 cents (list price: 99 cents).
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 From: "RICHARD GROGAN\(RPG Photo Svcs\)" muzrik2gr@yahoo.com Subject: [Cameramakers] Re: light seal material for lensboards ect.ect. To: cameramakers@opusis.com "RICHARD GROGAN(RPG Photo Svcs)" muzrik2gr@yahoo.com wrote: Greetings, I recently found some great foam seal material.It is 2mm black 9"x12" for 99 cents a sheet! Foam sticky back EVA sheets available at arts and craft type stores(name withheld to follow rules).I had purchased some high dollar/low quantity stuff on the internet about a year ago,and this stuff from the art and craft store is much denser!! I dont know what the life expectancy is for it,but It will probably outlast me! If interested, contact me off-list and I can provide you with the info on where to get this stuff. I just built some 6X6 lensboards from 1/8" plywood(from a model shop) and covered the backs with this material.Very nice and light-tight. I also built an 8x10 enlarger out of an D2 chassis and an old B&J; Grover camera.Built a coldlight head for it from 2 old Aristo D2 heads and it (the foam) proved itself as a great seal!!It doesn't seem to be affected by the heater in the head. The foam is also available in larger,non self-adhesive form,sheets; I used it to make an 8x10 mask for the glass-top negative stage, so I don't need anti-newtonian glass! This enlarger works great!BTW,does anyone know where I can find a hexagonal focusing rail for an Grover 8x10? The one was missing on the camera I used for the enlarger, so I fashioned one from a shower curtain rod and put brass all-thread down the side of it for a gear track.It works, but I'd really like the hex rail as it would be a touch smoother, I'm sure. Cheers! Richard
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 From: "RICHARD GROGAN\(RPG Photo Svcs\)" muzrik2gr@yahoo.com Subject: [Cameramakers] Re: light seal material for lensboards ect. ect. To: cameramakers@opusis.com For those of you interested,here is the specifics on getting this light seal material. "I recently found some great foam seal material.It is 2mm black 9"x12" @.99cents a sheet! It's: > Funky Foam Fun Sticky Back EVA sheet Item#323907 available at Hobby Lobby. > I had purchased some high dollar/low quantity stuff on *bay about a year ago,and this stuff from > Hobby Lobby is much denser(closer cell)!! I dont know what the life expectancy is for it, > but It will probably outlast me!" There's tons of this stuff if you look for it.It's also available in other colors,so you could use it as padding for filter cases, lens cases, ect.It would work for a tripod head camera pad, or a pad for your SLR bottom;just use your imagination! I've only seen it in the 2mm thickness, but if you contact the manufacturer,it may be available in other sizes....
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 From: "RICHARD GROGAN\(RPG Photo Svcs\)" muzrik2gr@yahoo.com Subject: [Cameramakers] Re: light seal material for lensboards ect. To: "RICHARD GROGAN\(RPG Photo Svcs\)" muzrik2gr@yahoo.com Here's the address for those of you who don't have a Hobby Lobby nearby.You can order online.There's more stuff online than in the stores! Cheers! Richard http://www.craftsetc.com/Store/SearchCategory.aspx?d=50&c;=-1&s;=-1&area;=50/-1/-1&q;=foam