WHY DO LIGHT SEALS AND MIRROR BUFFERS GO GUNGY

DUNKS

DUNKS

Messages
429
Name
Peter
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi. Why should some cameras suffer from this and not others? is it where they are kept, ie atmospheric polution, or just luck. I know some makes are worse than others but sometimes cameras of the same age and make show totally different characteristics.
I have just spent a pleasant afternoon renewing the seals and buffer in a friends canon AE1 and they were just a horrid mess, yet a similar age camera I bought and sold a while ago was perfect and I am certain they had not been renewed.
Anyone have any theories?:shrug:
 
I suppose quality control is better these days, maybe there was more variation in the chemical composition of light seal material in days gone by.
They certainly don't manufacture too many camera parts from materials that breakdown to their original ingredients these days.
I did my Bronica wlf seal and shutter damper, it was nassssty black tar that stuck to everything, but the 120 back seal was dry and just broke up...:shrug:
 
I was talking to one of the dealers ( a very experienced old hand on cameras really). His view was it depends on the material foremost. He said some old cameras had the seal made of black wool; and they lasted far longer than any of the foams.

Some of the cameras had foams which were, I think, of very poor quality ( Contax , I am told for one. I spend an afternoon, like you, Dunk, changing it.)

I am sure the environment has something to do as well; a similar cameras put in 2 different environment, would degrade differently.

I guess heat and moisture aid the degeneration.

Other than that, I know nothing more
 
depends what sort of material they're made of I guess! I would hazard a guess at atmospheric conditions. Damp, acid in the air etc. All take their toll.
 
Yes I find the gungy seals a real pain. Fortunately most of the buffers I have done are the crumbly ones. I usually hang the camera almost upside down on my Benbow so any bits drop out and not in. in my early days of doing seals I did get a gungy blob on the mirror. you only do this once!!!:thumbsdown:
 
We've got some unused foam seals at work. They were made in the 1980s and they've gone gungy. Fortunately, the cameras they were made for are now history.
 
The materials available to camera makers up to recent times were not chemically stable.
some dry up and some liquefy, all will fail over time.

There is just no choice but to replace old seals and foams.
I have re-done my Olympus XA's and my OM1n ...
Fortunately kits of long life foam seals are available on ebay.
 
because god hates togs?

i have a hassy that will probably need the seels being changed within a year. and an ancient yashica copy of a rollei that needs vast ammounts of TLC. Im just wondering if its worth it!
 
AleksanderLoesch said:
because god hates togs?

i have a hassy that will probably need the seels being changed within a year. and an ancient yashica copy of a rollei that needs vast ammounts of TLC. Im just wondering if its worth it!
Click to expand...

There's only one seal in a hassy- in a mag back anyway. It just protects the film when the dark slide is withdrawn. It's pretty cheap to get the job done professionally anyway, but the seals are also user replaceable. Blads rely on a tight fit between the mag back and the body for light sealing. With rough handling or very prolongued use they can need adjustment, but there's only that one seal.

Replacing blad seal.

Source for blad seals.

With regard to most other cameras just check out John Goodman (Interslice on ebay) - he sells replacement seal kits very reasonably and they're made of far more durable materials than were available when these cameras were made. It's definitely worth it I reckon to give your camera a whole new lease of life.

Interslice
 
Y'know, I think I got mine from John Goodman....rings bells.
The name meant nothing to me at the time, but after the deal he emailed me quite a few times for no apparent reason, we talked about camera stuff and he wanted to send me a kit for my Electro, but it didn't need one.
At the time I thought he was a bit weird, I only bought a foam kit from ebay and here he is emailing me every couple of weeks.
I think I got him all wrong, the guy was genuinely looking to help, absolutely passionate about old cameras, and actually a damn fine fat chewer over a pint.
Still waiting for my weekly email chin wag from Jessops, after the 1/2 liter of ilfosol I bought..:shrug:
 
CT said:
There's only one seal in a hassy- in a mag back anyway. It just protects the film when the dark slide is withdrawn. It's pretty cheap to get the job done professionally anyway, but the seals are also user replaceable. Blads rely on a tight fit between the mag back and the body for light sealing. With rough handling or very prolongued use they can need adjustment, but there's only that one seal.

Replacing blad seal.

Source for blad seals.

With regard to most other cameras just check out John Goodman (Interslice on ebay) - he sells replacement seal kits very reasonably and they're made of far more durable materials than were available when these cameras were made. It's definitely worth it I reckon to give your camera a whole new lease of life.

Interslice
Click to expand...

cheers for the linky's! the blads still working (just) so I will look into it soon! its more my yashica TLR i am more worried about, its not a job I can do myself, the light seal has gone gungy and i'm worried its blocked up the shutter release (could just be broken). repair shop it is :LOL:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top