F3HP foam question: When to replace?

[shawn_rahman]

I switched focusing screens on a recently acquired, used F3HP, and as I was

putting the new screen in, a piece of the foam on top of the mirror came off and

on to the mirror. It was slightly "gooey", but it came off the mirror pretty

easily.

 

Is this piece of foam (on top of the mirror) for dampening effect, or light

sealing? Also, is this now a sign for me to go ahead and replace the foam, or

should I wait until performance is hampered before having this camera CLA'd.

The camera is in otherwise superb shape, and has never been serviced.

 

Thank you!

[alan_chan4]

As soon as the form has become sticky, it should be replaced. Fallen into pieces mean you should wait no longer. If it got stick to the screen, it will be damaged permanently as there is no effective way of removing them w/o damage the screen.

[alan_chan4]

BTW, the mirror foam acts as cushion and light seal too.

[arnabdas]

A sticky mirror foam buffer that's turning to goo will make the camera insides dirty. Because they get sticky as well, you may have problems with delayed mirror return etc. They should be replaced at the first sign of deterioration.

 

the foam is easy to replace, I did that twice with my Pentax K1000. If DIY (much cheaper) you can get supplies here https://www.micro-tools.com/store/mainframe2.aspx

 

Alternatively, KEH (http://www.keh.com) of Atlanta will happily do it for you at a higher expense.

[lee hamiel]

Time to do it either by you or someone else.

 

A lot of threads in the archives about doing it yourself or having service.

 

Good Luck

[Michael R Freeman]

If you are comfortable with eBay, go and search for seller ID "interslice" (Jon Goodman). Lots of folks here (including myself) have used his seal kits. The small $6.00 kit is all you need (and then some). It comes with a full set of instructions, and he will ship it for FREE in the USA.

 

Since you were able to remove the finder and swap screens, you probably have the manual dexterity and skills to replace simple camera foam/seals. ;-)

 

Because of the removable finder, it is comparatively easy to replace mirror foam on an F3. Do the rear door channel and hinge seals at the same time (lock the shutter open on "T"). If the mirror foam is goop, then the doors seals will be as well.

 

Good luck.