Hamfisted Electro 35 repair help

[james_barber4]

So my lovely little Electro 35 G suffered the "Pad of Death" when I acquired it. I had done a small fix the easy way, but it didn't hold and then had a mechanical issue to boot and ended up pulling the shutter/lens assembly to fix it properly.

 

I've got it all back together, and now it seems to be working properly, except that the battery check button doesn't illuminate. The exposure over/under lights work and the shutter seems to adjust to the light, but no check light. No doubt this is due to my terrible soldering skills. I'll recheck that particular circuit at a later date.

 

So my question is, what type of glue do you use to reattach the leather cover? I would prefer something not permanent, in case it has to come apart again, but good enough to hold it reasonably. I do use the original leather case, so that should help, but is there a glue that is preferred by the experts?

[JDMvW]

rubber cement, done on both surfaces, allowed to dry, then (VERY CAREFULLY) pressed together (you only get one try....

 

Not quite permanent, but durable.

 

Contact cement is more 'permanent", I think.

Edited August 24, 2022 by JDMvW

[SCL]

Some people, including myself, have used Pliobond but it takes about a week for the smell to go away. It really holds though. If you ever decide to buy a recovering kit at some point, they usually come with the adhesive already on the back of the new skin, and if you lightly apply isopropyl alcohol to the metal surface as you attach the new skin, you earn about 4-5 hours for minor repositioning. JDM's suggestion is probably the best one for you at this time.

[m42dave]

Pliobond is often used by camera techs as it can be removed if needed, but sometimes isn't strong enough for stiff, curled leatherette. Contact cement such as Weldwood is better in that regard, but should be considered permanent as mentioned.

[chuck_foreman1]

I found a sort of rubber cement in Europe here called fix/o/gum.. that I have used for this purpose.. it lets you adjust a while and it can later be removed scraped off and lets you start over.

[james_barber4]

Thank you for the advice, I will try with the rubber cement.

[JDMvW]

aw heck--

A progression from beatup to art deco

(no Exaktas were irretrievably harmed in the making of these photographs)