Cracked vulcanite restoration on Leica M2

<p>I've got this beautiful Leica M2 which was owned by a gentleman for over 30 years. The camera is still in pristine condition. Apparently he kept it in its original eveready leather case all the time. The only damage seems to be some bulging and cracked vulcanite on the back. <br /><br />This M2 has now replaced my M6 which I was using without a case. <br /><br />Is there a way to preserve M2's cracked vulcanite from getting damaged any further, but still withstand daily use? What kind of glue should I apply through the cracks?</p><div></div>

<p>How about ditch the original and re-cover it? cameraleather.com sells nice replacement leatherette / vulcanite </p>

<p>Chris is right. The vulcanite will only continue to deteriorate. Cameraleather.com is the place to go and they will recover it for you if you are sqeamish ablut DIY.</p>

<p>You could try some of the suggestions here:<br>

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/032b.shtml<br>

One UK repairer has re-created Vulcanite using a modern resin and can replace the old material using the traditional method, though this is more expensive than the stick-on coverings sold elsewhere:<br>

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Leica/vulcanite.html</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Chris, Roger, and Richard, thanks for the suggestions, but the vulcanite on the rest of the body is in perfect condition, not even one single crack, so it would be a shame to strip it off for a replacement cover. I am already following Andrew Nemeth's suggestions on vulcanite care (i.e., using dubbin for treatment).</p>

<p>My question is on treating the cracks. Does anybody know if there is a rubbery but liquid, preferably black glue that I can run through the cracks?</p>

<p>Cheers,<br>

Koray</p>

<p>Vucanite is unstable and its deterioration over time is a natural process. There are the brassing and neurotic schools of thought that deal with this problem. </p>

<p>The former sees vulcanite deterioration as the equivalent of brassing on black paint Leicas and silvering scratches on chrome Leicas--namely marks of professionalism, signs that the camera has been used to take pictures and not simply left on a self to be only admired for decades. If I recall correctly, the late Al Kaplan only had his Leicas recovered by Camera Leather when there was hardly an vulcanite left. </p>

<p>The adherents of the neurotic school will spend hours on all fours with a magnifying glass looking for the tiny vucanite piece that fell off when they removed the ever-ready half case to change film.</p>

<p>I am a bit of both schools. I use hand creams that I get in business class to keep the vulcanite supple. I glue pieces and bulges down with fairly slow drying glue and use a toothpick to retain the original mock leather look. I use a marker for blackening,</p>

<p>For bulges, first make the vulcanite supple with lotion or oil. Then take a toothpick, stick in the glue and then apply under the bulge and press down. Rub off access glue with your fingers. Clean your fingers before touching your camera again.</p>

<p>If you opt for recovering, don't bother with fresh vulcanite process, except for compelling aesthetic reasons. Vulcanite is a lousy camera cover. Not only is it not stable, it does not have as good a grip as the newer materials. </p>

<p> Morgan Sparks of Camera Leather in Vermont does a brilliant job of recovering. He has a great variety of covers, including one that is close to the original vulcanite in looks. </p>

<p>Try your local body shop. We have all types pf plastic repair epoxies. As most cars produces today are mostly plastic. Most of the epoxies are black.</p>

<p>A tube of "Liquitex" applied with a piece of wet sponge repairs the bare spots with a faux grain pattern. Several thin coats work well. Liquitex is an artist acrylic available in craft and art supply stores in many colors. Mixed with hot water one is able to thin the mixture. Brushes and sponges are cleanable with plain water. I have repaired vulcanite and leatherette on several occasions. Let dry overnight!</p>

<p>one of the old fixes for this problems is hard black wax. Melt the necessary amount into the crack and "sculpt" it a bit with a knife to match the adjacent area. Its cheap, durable, and almost invisible when done...</p>

<p>Cameraleather can supply a piece that will cover only the back door. It worked very well on my M4. However, it's a bit of a chore to remove all of the old vulcanite. It won't hurt to try one of the suggestions above as a quick patch. If that doesn't work, remove the door from the back of the camera, scrape off the old vulcanite, clean the metal with some solvent and put the cameraleather piece on. </p>

<p>'If you opt for recovering, don't bother with fresh vulcanite process, except for compelling aesthetic reasons. Vulcanite is a lousy camera cover. Not only is it not stable, it does not have as good a grip as the newer materials.'</p>

<p>To be fair, there are plenty of Leicas out there from the 30s and earlier with intact Vulcanite, so the stability seems pretty reasonable, and I like the grip (especially the 'sharkskin' texture on my IIIc). We don't know how well the CRR 'Vulcanite' replacement will wear (it uses a 'modern synthetic resin' which they claim 'should allow it to have an equal if not greater life span than the original') - might need to check back in half a century or so! But it's certainly not a DIY job, and significantly more expensive than the Cameraleather alternative.</p>

<p>Yeah, I like my vulcanite too, but for vintage Leica look and feel, above purely utilitarian reasons. </p>

<p>People ought to read Lutton's description of how vulcanite is applied. The shell is heated. So when it is over the camera has to be calibrated from scratch. I suppose this once made sense, but with modern adhesives it seems a bit Rube Goldbergian. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Yeah, I like my vulcanite too, but for vintage Leica look and feel, above purely utilitarian reasons. </p>

<p>People ought to read Lutton's description of how vulcanite is applied. The shell is heated. So when it is over the camera has to be calibrated from scratch. I suppose this once made sense, but with modern adhesives it seems a bit Rube Goldbergian. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Alex, thanks for the advice, I too have something from each school of thought! :-D</p>

<p>Patrick, Paul, Will, and John, thanks for all these suggestions, I will update this thread once I achieve some sort of success!</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>Koray</p>

<p>I've applied black "shoe goo," (for repair of running shoes), using a toothpick.</p>

<p>Aki Asahi in Japan sells replacement coverings that very much resemble the original vulcanite at a bargain price. You can just replace the vulcanite in the back door if you don't want to disturb the rest of the camera (which I wouldn't).<br>

I have used their products several times and always had great results.</p>

<p>Travis</p>

<p>If you want an "authentic" covering, you've had several suggestions.<br>

If you want the most amazingly "grippy" covering, the most practical covering for a camera that you will actually use, get Cameraleather.com's "Griptac" covering.<br />Feels like it's glued to your hand.<br>

Comes in black and gray.<br>

Absolutely the best.</p>

 

<p>All this information for a few cracks and a slight bulge? It's essentially a hard rubber, not especially unstable, and it's not a bad covering texture.<br>

I would quite happily use a little super glue /cyanoacrylate, at least on the cracks. You can locally mask the bulge and soften the vulcanite with a hair drier & push it down onto whatever adhesive seems sensible. I have used 5 minute epoxy on thin mylar sheet pushed in from the edge, when the edge is part of the bulge.</p>

<p>Thanks for all responses, mission now complete. I opted for black silicone sealant, pushed underneath the lifted vulcanite using a thin plastic sheet, acting like a spatula. It is soft, cures slowly, and holds parts together perfectly! Plus, you can clean it easily during/after application, and it can be applied on cracks without any mess!</p>

<p>By the way, Aki Asahi's #4008 leatherette <a href="http://aki-asahi.com/store/html/M2/LeicaM2.php">looks awesome on M2</a>! Thanks for the tip, Travis!</p>

<p>Cheers!<br>

K.</p><div></div>

This topic is already well covered, but just for the sake of future reference, I was quite impressed with the results of using 'Liquid-Electrical Tape" which had a more matching semi-matte appearance once it had dried. It's quite strong as well. It's most likely also silicone based, but I am not completely sure.