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Restoring FD/FL Lenses - Colors & Workflow


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Hi,

 

about 10 years ago I started collecting FD/FL lenses, cameras and basically everything photo-related you can think of. I buy a lot of lenses that most people would consider trash - the idea was to create a "lens wall", 8x3 meters in my office however then I started taking them apart, cleaning the elements and realized that a working lens shouldn't be left to die on a wall.

 

Now, there is enough literature and videos on cleaning lens-elements and basically making a lens workable again. Repainting aperture numeration etc is also fairly easy. What I cannot find any reliable information on is however:

 

1) How to strip (let's say an FD 1.4 aperture ring) a lens from it's (black) color

2) How to polish the now naked metal/aluminum, remove deeper scratches etc

3) How to prime the metal for coloring

2) Which brand of paint, what type of paint etc to use to get it more or less into it's original condition

 

I know a lot of people will say "a scratched lens has character" etc - ok, but please let's keep this thread on topic e.g. let's keep this restauration focused.

 

Any advice (without the common "use a sharpie" answer) would be highly appreciated. Have you tried it? What did you use? I also ordered a lot of different enamel paint, model paint, auto-lack repair paint etc and will conduct experiments which I will share here so there will be at least one clean thread on that topic on the whole www :)

 

Cheers,

George

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, first, please be aware that the later, "New" FD lenses, aka nFD, have barrels, aperture rings, and mount bits, that are often made from a composite material, so trying to remove the black probably won't work. But since you mention specifically FL and FD lenses, I'm gonna assume you're probably talking primarily about the breechlock versions. These are all metal and glass construction.

 

Personally, I'd leave the lens alone, but if you feel so inclined you should realize you're gonna have a fair amount of work ahead of you. I've seen some Vivitar lenses stripped down to bare aluminum, and I must admit that the appearance is striking, so there is that.

 

As for removing the paint, you need to realize it's baked-on enamel, so you'll probably have to use something pretty aggressive like paint stripper. And plan on doing multiple applications. To get the last bit of paint off will probably involve using a wire brush or wheel and/or sandpaper. There may be some portions of lenses that are anodized -- something to look for.

 

Once the lens is bare, and you want to repaint it, well there's any number of paints you can go with that'll work. But if you want something as durable as you went to all the trouble of removing, you'll be looking at having to bake on the new paint. Which of course means you'll have to completely strip the lenses down to bare metal, removing all glass, plastic, aperture mechanisms, etc. Now, I don't happen to know if there's a special enamel intended for baking, or if any good enamel will work. I would just try using a good enamel first and see how baking it turns out. Then go from there. Try doing a search on YouTube -- never know what you'll find there.

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IMO, paint ain't what it used to be and duplicating factory finishes is difficult to impossible. Enamels not meant to be baked, shouldn't be. Enamels meant to be baked probably have to be. A true enamel crosslinks when it cures and won't easily dissolve in most thinners. The site is huge, but maybe look here- Anodizing, Plating, Powder Coating, & Finishing Answers That should give you info on prep. Info on baking enamel is hard to come by, but try this one to start- Enamel Coatings and Paints - Walter Wurdack, Inc. Maybe look at appliance enamel and the engine enamels. Also truck and aircraft paints. You might need a catalyst system to get the desired durability. Any of these might need PPE to use safely. You're doing small parts so might need a good airbrush, which is a whole 'nuther thing to learn about. I could make a really good case for just rubbing it out and leaving it alone!
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