Protecting Vulcanite

[baisao]

<p>The ‘sharkskin’ vulcanite on my IIIc seems dry. Small dents/scratches to the ‘sharkskin’ remain white and are appearing more frequently. What is the best product to treat it with? Are there any potential issues to watch out for?</p>

<p>TIA,<br>

Jim</p>

 

[mukul_dube]

<p>Apparently the use of chemical treatments for car tyres (also vulcanised rubber) was common. I also saw, over forty years ago, an old photographer applying glycerine to his screw Leicas. Common sense says that this should be done lightly.</p>

[SCL]

<p>You might think about replacing it with one of the more durable coverings from Cameraleather (www.cameraleather.com). I did that years ago when I had vulcanite becoming brittle, and the results were gorgeous. Since then I've recovered a number of other (non-Leica) cameras which had coverings beginning to look well past their peak. The job for most cameras isn't hard.</p>

[tom_harvey3]

<p>An associate of mine long ago said that he used just skin oil from around his nose, and he had some early Leicas and Rolleiflexes treated that way...gave it a nice patina.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>In addition to temptations like bright red kid leather, snakeskin, and ostrich, Cameraleather also has a high-tec material that doesn't clash visually with what the original Leica cover looked like ( http://www.cameraleather.com/leica_s/index.htm ).</p>

[baisao]

<p>Tom, nose oil is an amazing thing. It is frequently used on Japanese suiseki to enhance the patina that the stones acquire over time and frequent rubbing. <br>

I am leaning towards a silicone-based treatment. The sharkskin is not cracking and really does not appear to need replacing, just appears to need some moisturizer.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Jim and Tom, I agree that noise oil is a surprisingly useful and very portable surface treatment product. It works to clean (perhaps homogenize) surface films or blotches that discolor the ordinary black finish of M8's, where general cleaning methods prove of little use, and it is a real negtive saver when dust problems are so pervasive on negatives for enlarging (and I presume also for scanning) that nose oil is the only way to effectively get rid of the dust and to make a clean print, without need for retouching. I'm not sot sure that it is very compatible with longevity of the negative, but that is another matter. </p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>You just clean it off the neg with alcohol after printing, after all you do have a lifetime supply. :)</p>

 

[richard_g]

It is a good lubricant for the mounting flange too.

[ken_jeanette1]

<p>Is the nose oil from the outside?</p>

[ray .]

It was called nose <i>grease</i> when I went to school! ;)

[Gus Lazzari]

<p>Good Lord, all this "nose grease/oil" stuff is hilarious !</p>

<p>After many years of experimenting, this is used daily here in the shop: "<strong>Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect</strong>"</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"A specially engineered high concentration of ESPs blend with patented antiozonants to clean, condition, and protect all vinyl, rubber, and plastic surfaces"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Gently clean the camera covering by first appling some Windex onto one corner of an ultra soft micro fiber rag. After it dries, apply a drop of the Meguiar's product to the opposite corner of the micro fiber cloth; proceed with massaging it into the camera covering. Initially a bit slippery, but that goes away as it's absorbed by the "hungry" covering...</p>

[baisao]

<p>Gus, thank you for the instructions! </p>

[john_r._fulton_jr.]

<p>Wow a conversation about nose (Ray, I agree) grease. Nothing finer on earth for a scratched negative. I also thing that nose grease, sweat, and oil from your hands all mix to make a great preservative for vulcanite. In other words the best thing is to USE the camera. :-] Good luck.</p>

[david j.lee]

<p>after a lot of internet research, i decided on a product called "back to black" from a company called "mothers" I got it in one of those car accesories stores in los Angeles. </p>

[harry_zet]

<p>the best is ballistol, a kind of oil for weapons, made out of herbs. you can even drink it if you have problems with your stomach.</p>

[baisao]

<p>I have had difficulty locally sourcing <strong>Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect</strong>. In the interim I have cleaned the vulcanite with <strong>Novus #1 Acrylic Polish</strong>. I have seen Windex damage other types of plastics in the long run and know that Novus #1 is a safe substitute (it is even used in the airline industry to clean and polish windows in a way that will not damage them). Windex may be perfectly safe on Vulcanite as Gus uses it sucessfuly. I'm just a scaredy-cat. </p>

<p>Novus #1 readily absorbs into the vulcanite and is excellent at cleaning. I was surprised at how much grime came off onto the microfiber cloth. I will continue to search for the Meguiar's product. Gus' description sounds ideal.</p>

[john_palsedge]

<p>You can get Meguiar's NXT here:<br>

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meg-g-13224.html</p>

<p> </p>

[kivis]

<p>So I assume leather conditioner is a no no?</p>

[baisao]

It is not leather but plastic/vinyl. I wouldn't think leather conditioner would work well.