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"Vulcanite" and other horrors on cameras of
the former USSR |
Back to vulcanite removal |
| Before you
consider recovering your Fed or Zorki 35mm, you will need to know if
the job will be pleasant, miserable, or . . . impossible. There are 3
types of factory coverings on these cameras, and only one of them is
easy to replace. If you have a fabric covering (black with a tiny herringbone pattern, or a fine pebble grain) then you can breathe easy. It's easy to tell if you have the fabric; for one thing you can actually peel or pry it off, and it will have a light cotton weave visible on the back. The only real effort needed on these cameras is removing the adhesive underneath the fabric, and this can be accomplished with sparing use of a chemical or citrus-based stripper. The other 2 types of covering look as though they are actually part of the camera shell; there is no seam at the edges, and the texture looks like a pack of little worms, with a repeating squiggle. The use of approved eye protection is mandatory if you intend to strip this material, and use extreme caution in the use of sharp tools. Never hold or use a sharp tool in a way that it points toward any part of yourself or anyone else. If you try and chip away at it, you may find that you can carve or gouge out a little piece, revealing a green-tan or grey substance. This is what many call "vulcanite" but it could not be more different than the Leica covering of the same name. Leicas are covered with rubber hardened with sulfur, but Feds and Zorkis are covered with a polyester resin that is very similar to "bondo" putty used in auto body repair. Leica vulcanite can be pried up from underneath, but the "FSU Resin" can only be attacked from the top . . . it is welded tenaciously to the metal body. The only way to really get the FSU Resin off the camera is through the use of a chemical stripper. The citrus strippers are not strong enough. You will have to apply the stripper more than once to get everything off, and you should take care not to get any of the stripper on the raised black edge around the resin. Once you think you have all the FSU Resin off, take a close look in the nooks at the edges. There is always lots of resin hiding here, and you will need a sharp metal tool to get all of it out. It is very stubborn and when you think you have it all out . . . check again! If you think this effort is more than it is worth, you are right. These cameras can be had so cheaply, we suggest the photographer who intends to recover one should ONLY consider starting with a fabric-covered camera! The last type of covering looks similar to the resin covering, but it isn't a covering at all. It's the metal surface of the camera, which has been cast to give the illusion of a separate textured covering. Once you start to scrape off the paint, you will find bright metal underneath. These cameras cannot be successfully recovered, and we don't support them. The proper way to "recover" them is to repaint the surface the color of your choice. You will find many sellers on the internet who have done just that! |