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OT: Leica MP brassing?


h_c

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I bought my MP 2-3 weeks ago or so and the tip of the wind lever is starting to brass.

Nothing major, similar to Jorge Trevino's wind lever on his MP which he took pictures of in

an older thread.

 

Well anyway that was certainly quick..

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Nah, they made it that way on purpose! Back in the good old days you had to work the hell out of a Leica to get it properly brassed. Too many lazy people around now trying to look like they actually take pictures with with a rangefinder camera!...LOL. Try brassing a chrome M2 or M3 body! Now that takes REAL work!
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That is a picture of what I mean by the design flaw. The part on the wind lever that you

can see "heavy" brassing hits the hot shoe part everytime you wind the lever causing it to

peel more. I think it might've even slightly dented the hot shoe too...

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Well, I guess it has to hit somehing, HC. Some of us didn't like it that it used to hit the shutter speed dial. It made nicks around the edge. Leica addressed this problem by making it hit the shoe instead. One cannot escape making choices . . .<div>00BBCZ-21909284.jpg.aaf7739ef2b113e02c4575735ace8213.jpg</div>
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My black MP, bought as a demo in 99.9% mint condition in late 2003 and used by me for I'm guessing 150 rolls so far, has brassing along every edge where my hand rests. Also, the top plate has spiderweb marks (clusters of fine scratches). Original black paint M2s, M3s and M4s with substantial brassing sell for much more than chrome ones, but because of their rarity, not because they have "patina" unless it happened to have been owned by someone famous. From what I've been seeing, the good money is going only for mint MPs. An MP in the condition mine is would get graded KEH Bargain or Shutterbug 8+ and sell for much less than a mint one, despite all the hype that the "patina" looks cool.
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<i>>>well you'll have to start rubbing off the edges to get an even amount of brassing<<</i>

<br><br>

To speed up the process you might glue some fine grit sandpaper patches to the fingertips of a pair of gloves and wear them whenever you grab your MP. It will look like the Elliot Erwitt one in no time at all. Maybe I should patent those and start marketing them? :-)

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