On Restoring...

I use black "Darice Foamies" sheets sold in craft stores. I have no idea if it is open or closed cell but it works fine for camera seals.

I found some in a dollar store a while back and bought enough to last me a long, long time but it's pretty cheap anyway. Darice makes it with and without an adhesive back. I usually use non-adhesive.

I cut it with a circular knife & steel rule and use G-S Hypo Fabric Cement (with needle point applicator) for adhesive in film door grooves, etc.
 
There is the issue of compression.
I think the closed cell foam requires more pressure on the back ... possibly warping its shape ?
... or does if used it needs to be really thin, 1mm ?
Most generic foam sheets that I have seen is closed cell dense with small pockets ... not easily compressed.
I think people like Jon Goodman don't use that type of material
 
I’d add to that mega list a pair of good magnifying glasses. Makes those tiny parts BIGGER
 
Hi, I have an old Graflex missing it’s ground glass. I know this will be extremely difficult to replace.
Does anyone have any alternative suggestions?
I’ve read a few threads in other places that talk about Perspex or coated glass.
 
Hi Heidi, I make ground glass screens onquite a regular basis for all sorts of cameras from MF to 15"x12" or larger, I typically make over a hundred every year.

The original Graflex ground glass was always quite coarse and dim, a new one can add approx 2+ stops in brightness.

Ian
 
use sadle soap on the leather. vin
 
For those that picked up a cheap photosensor audio device (photoplug or vmfoto) and find reading the output a little kludgy ... and are not afraid of a bit of electronics ... I found reusing some of the components with an Oscilloscope a solution (you can get for less than $50).
I got a Time machine
 
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A note for cameras with leatherette that's sticky but otherwise in good condition... This is apparently typically due to migration of plasticizer out of the PVC material of the leatherette.

Get some high grade isopropyl alcohol. I use 91% isopropyl from Amazon, or Walmart when they have it. Lower concentrations may work, but probably take more effort. Rub with cotton balls lightly soaked in the alcohol, until it stops taking black gunk off. Do it in stages, wiping with a paper towel every so often. The paper towel and the cotton ball may leave fibers behind, but just keep wetting it with the alcohol and wiping it off, but not enough to have alcohol running off the body. Eventually, the cotton ball(s) (it may take more than one for a given small area) will stop taking off black stuff. Wipe it off and move on to the next section. For small areas and corners and the like, use a q-tip instead of a cotton ball.

Eventually, it'll all come clean and feel much nicer to the touch. Give it a light, final rub down with the alcohol, wipe dry, and then let it dry for 24 hours, or at the very least overnight. The alcohol will readily dry over several hours. Afterward, the leatherette will be very very dry. A little beeswax (from the craft store, look in the beading section) rubbed on it, then buffed with a piece of cloth, will make it much nicer to touch.
 
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A note for cameras with leatherette that's sticky but otherwise in good condition... This is apparently typically due to migration of plasticizer out of the PVC material of the leatherette.

Get some high grade isopropyl alcohol. I use 91% isopropyl from Amazon, or Walmart when they have it. Lower concentrations may work, but probably take more work. Rub with cotton balls lightly soaked in the alcohol, until it stops taking black gunk off. Do it in stages, wiping with a paper towel every so often. The paper towel and the cotton ball may leave fibers behind, but just keep wetting it with the alcohol and wiping it iff, but not enough to have alcohol running off the body. Eventually, the cotton ball(s) (it may take more than one for a given small area will stop taking off black stuff. Wipe it off and move on to the next section. For small areas and corners and the like, use a q-tip instead of a cotton ball.

Eventually, it'll all come clean and feel much nicer to the touch. Give it a light, final rub down with the alcohol, wipe dry, and then let it dry for 24 hours. Or at the very least overnight. The alcohol will readily dry over several hours. Afterward, the leatherette will be very very dry. A little beeswax (from the craft store, look in the beading section) rubbed on it, then buffed with a piece of cloth, will make it much nicer to touch.
That is how I do it.....Posted this in another thread........ How to Clean Sticky Rubber
 
That is how I do it.....Posted this in another thread........ How to Clean Sticky Rubber
Ah, excellent! I did a search but I didn't see anything come up. Most likely because I was looking for "leatherette," but the process is indeed pretty much the same for rubber.
 

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