Well I suspect I might be a bit slow on catching this video, but I just subscribed an hour or so ago, and watched a number of other videos you posted on your channel before I got to this one. Analogue camera repair, refurbishment and restoration is my jam, as they say. I've been doing just that for over 35 years. The only thing I'll suggest is simple - you need to know the the "leatherette" you're working with. And truth be told as you stated from the get go, there are as many opinions on how it should be done, as there are all of the camera models combined from the 50's until the early 2000's. That said, know this too, most leatherette regardless of camera manufacture - is synthetic (99% of them) And there are 4 main types, textured and untextured Plastic/Nylon, fabric backed Vinyl, non fabric backed Vinyl, and something known as Polyester Resin - of which there are fabric backed and non fabric backed versions. Each of the "leatherettes" will act differently, partially because of something called Plastics-memory. Understand, some are heat treated and moulded as they are applied at the factory, some are even embossed to give them the look and feel of leather as they are being applied at the factory, some are already textured prior to being applied to the camera bodies. And the old American Pliobond was indeed used in the 50's (it had a different name in the 50's) and 60's but come the 70's most camera manufacturers switched to a 3M adhesive tape know today as 3M 300LSE or a variation there in, readily found on Amazon and eBay. In the 70's the 3M tape was a relatively thin affair. It was 2 sided with a fabric sandwiched in the centre. Today they have eliminated the fabric. Today, you would use the 3M product in two stages (for home or camera shop repair, not at the factory - they only use a single layer) one layer on the back of your leatherette, another layer on the camera surface. The key is preparation, as is with most things done well. The back of the leatherette needs to be clean, very, very clean, and sometimes you may need to remove the fabric backing of the leatherette, because it is so badly deteriorated that it would be next to impossible to get good flat surface adhesion. It needs to be clean to work, as does the surface of your camera or where the leatherette will find its final home. If the surface of your camera has multiple types of cladding, be it plastic and metal (brass or aluminum) you may need to also apply a primer to the metal because the 3M adhesive attaches (or sets) differently on each surface. So thanks for shedding some light on this topic. Cheers from Canada.
Hi, thanks so much for the information. I still haven’t got around to changing the leatherette on my S2A... i am expecting it to take a few hours, so I’m waiting until I have a few hours free! Not easy with kids!! But thank you for the 3M tape information, I’ll get a roll and try it out. Will post the video on here when I do the leatherette change... I’m not expecting it to be problem free!! We’ll see!
@@the120ist You are a bit lucky with this job, mainly because the Bronica S2A is a chrome polished stainless steel body (same stuff as surgical/medical tools, cutlery, and food grade mixing bowls) So you wont require a primer or metal fixative for the 3M film to attach itself to the metal surface. And the leatherette that was used is a fabric backed textured Nylon. Which means it will be relatively easy to clean the surface of the camera, and you'll be able to carefully remove the old glue and fabric backing of the leatherette using lighter fluid (works best) Apply the lighter fluid with a Q-Tip, then use a dull knife edge to scrape away the old glue and fabric backing. Be careful not to damage the leatherette. If you intend to use a different material altogether then you can skip that part, but which ever material you do use can not be thicker than the material you are replacing. A good choice is a product called - Match 'N Patch / Black leather (link here -www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08KZCY9HR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) or (www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08KZCY9HR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) The rest is easy, cutting up the sheets of 3M 300LSE (I don't know if its sold in a roll) and fitting them to your pieces of leatherette. You'll need a really good pair of scissors, I suggest a good pair of 6" German Solingen barbering scissors, and a sharp Exacto knife with a fine point. Regular steel scissors will get gummed up, and prevent you from cutting the 3M sheets with any accuracy. You can use the Exacto knife exclusively, with a cutting mat / surface, but you will need to clean the blade with Isopropyl alcohol from time to time. Cut the sheets of 3M in sections, so they follow the creases/curves of the leatherette, and don't try to cut and fit one sheet of the 3M to cover the whole back of the leatherette surface, unless its a small piece. You will also need to allow for a tiny gap along the natural folds or creases of the leatherette 1/2mm - 1mm, this will help you bend and fit the leatherette - if you are reusing the original leatherette. No gap required if you are replacing it with new material. After you've cut your pieces of 3M and fitted them to size for both the camera body and leatherette, the trick will be removing the Teflon coated paper backing off the 3M sheets you will be applying (that's the white or translucent side, that side is always face down) then you'll cover one section of the camera surface (at a time) in the 3M, you'll then need to peel off the top coat (the brown wax paper with the 3M logos, this side always facing up) The next part is where all the hard work you put into the prep either helps you or frustrates you. The leatherette you have fitted with the 3M sheets now needs to be fixed to the sticky surface of the camera, only peel a smallish section of the brown top coat from the back of the leatherette. Fold it outwards so that the Teflon coated side is against the exposed sticky surface of the camera, it makes it easier to control as you lay the leatherette down and pull on the paper with tweezers, because what you don't want is air bubbles or air pockets to get trapped between the two layers of 3M. Always start in a corner, its the easiest starting point, and as you are placing and affixing the leatherette down, you can now start to peel away the brown top coat slowly, pressing down firmly as you're moving your way across the surface with your thumb, aligning the leatherette as you go. Once its down and you're happy with it. Grab a small tea spoon and burnish (rub) the leatherette. Good luck.
@@clarhettcoalfield3616 This is fantastic, thank you so much! What a goldmine of information. I'm concerned that the replacement leatherette I have planned for the S2A may be too thick. But we shall see. I won't throw away the old leatherette just in case. Thanks again for the information!
Thank you for this real-world review, as these are the most useful to us. Thank you as well for the other videos on the Bronica S2, especially the focus-screen issue. I used your technique to fix my S2 and infinity focus is now spot-on. Those of us who love film cameras are truly indebted to you. Bravo
Good luck with the re-skin! After this vid I got a lot of messages saying that double sided 3M sheets were the way to go, and I did try it on one camera, but found that after a while it struggles to hold on the corners. So a glue is probably the way forward... who knows really! I don't think there's any failsafe solution. So long as you don't use superglue, you're probably going to be ok!
This was extremely helpful, thanks for doing this test. I have a Yashica Electro 35 with peeling leatherette so this is just exactly what I was looking for.
Great topic to cover, I just recently bought a 60 years old medium format camera and also looking to stick the leatherette back on the edges, very useful informations, thank you
Hope it helps! Still so many different opinions out there. I think the only real no no that almost everyone agrees on is no super glue! Good luck with the repairs.
Great, please do let me know how you get on. I think E6000 is the best choice, if you're going down the glue route rather than the sticky tape route. And I think the glue option is usually the right one!
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Good luck with the reskin. Let me know how it goes! I still haven't done the reskin on my Bronica. It's one the list of jobs. I just need to find a few spare hours!
@@the120ist shockingly it went or at least seems to have gone well but ran outta new seal so ordered more as the mirror dampers and rotating back thing is munted but soon as that’s done she’s all go cannot wait got some of your dulcet tones in the background on the vid 😂😂😂👀
@@paultaylorphotography9499 Sounds like it's gone really well! You'll get hooked on repairing cameras now, you'll be surrounded by piles of un-rescuable camera parts in no time!
Perfectly timed video for me. I have to re-skin an old Edixa Flex and was wondering the same about a choice of glue for the job. Great choice of colour leatherette for your application. Was thinking of a similar colour to Jazz Up my old camera. Maybe a brighter colour to give the old girl a snazzy new coat...lol. Thanks for presenting a good cross section of glues available for this job and future repairs. Cheers from Canada..
Hey! Yeah it'll be interesting to see how the colour works on it. I'm sort of thinking that it will work well with the chrome.... but there's also a purist in me screaming about not re-skinning it in black! I can always change it again, or someone else can if they want it looking original. I know I didn't cover all possible glues, or ways of using them, but I figured it would be enough to spark some debate! I'm still not totally decided what I'm going to use... think it will be a snap decision when I finally get around to doing it!
@@the120ist Not BLACK...lol Well I'm in the process of changing the bellows on a Linhof Kardan Color and I chose a bright red. Germans are too conservative. She needs a splash of colour :)
As a brazilian photographer, here we must concern about heat effect on the glue aging. Even mantaining out equipment out of direct sun light, some glues tend to melt on some heat enviroments, specially when combined with high humidity.
I think the double sided tape will be the best. In Germany we have a so called „contact glue“ from Patex. Both sides must get the glue, after 10 - 15 minutes it feels dry, then both pieces must pressed together. The harder you press the better is the adhesive power! But… if I have to open the camera again it is vey hard to do that… So the tape will be my favourite… But at first I have to find the right color and texture for my camera! Thanks for your video, it helps a lot!
With contact glue in my experience you have to be very accurate in lining up the leatherette as it is an instant bond, some pieces are very complex in shape and can easily be misaligned, resulting in lots of swearing :-)
@@ianwilkinson4602 Thats one of the biggest problems, I know. And a evenly pressing in curves and other special shapes is hard to do... So again, I'm with a thin double sided tape...
@@StudioBonn I didn't know that it existed until I watched the video, good comparisons though. I have only so far had the odd corner to stick down so used super glue with inevitable results. I have one British made medium format camera which is great optically and mechanically, but the leather {in this case } is very poor, but I haven't been brave enough to do anything about it, one day maybe :-) Cheers and keep safe
@@StudioBonn I used the same Pattex Kontaktkleber (thought the UHU from the video was the closest match), however I used it just one sided - put it only on the leatherette. This worked beautifully, you could move it into place and then press it hard with a little plastic jimmy (Spachtel). As I said before - a hair dryer is your friend for this activity. Heat the leatherette before peeling off makes the leatherette flexible and really softens the glue. Use the hairdryer to really dry the new glue before putting the leatherette back - the glue needs to change color completely form that milky light brown to a transparent yellowish tone, then you are ready to go,. Use the hairdryer again to peel it off..... worked very well for me. Thomas
Thank you for that interesting review. On tip I've got when I disassembled my S2A was to heat up the leatherette and glue with a hairdryer before peeling off. The glue on my one got quite flexible and I could easily peal off the skin. I used UHU to re-glue, however used it putting it on the leatherette only. Uhu also gets more flexible once heated up, So I am happy with UHU.
That's a great tip, thank you. I will definitely do that. I'll film the re-skin and post on here soon. I'm a little nervous about it, but what's the worst that can happen right??? Ahem.. So with the UHU, that sounds pretty sensible. Basically with any of those contact adhesives you can weaken the bond by not quite following the instructions right? Did you leave the UHU to dry at all before applying the skin to the camera? Or just glue one surface and go for it?
@@the120ist I left the UHU to dry completely - was a bit impatient, so the hairdryer again :o) - and then put some pressure on it with a plastic jimmy and it worked brilliantly. And the risk is rather limited as you can get complete new skins for the S2A, e.g. aki-asahi.com/store/html/Bronica/SII/index.php And I just put it on the leatherette. You can remove surplus adhesive easier in case you were a bit to excessive. I was afraid to mess up the metal surface of the body. Worked quite well as said... I have a non functional donor S2A for spares and that had some parts of the leatherette replaced by new one fixed with double sided tape. These pieces were not sitting as flat and slick to the body like the glued on ones and were much harder to remove - the original leatherette is quite thin and the tape more than doubles the height. So tape wouldn't be my preferred option as long you don't need to replace entire pieces. Not sure whether you can get the replacements without tape.
I hear you... it will need alcohol or stronger to get all the residue off anyway. I’ll see how I get on when I start, I suspect my patience will dictate the methods to an extent!
Very useful test thank you! I need to stick the edges of the grip for my Lumix camera back down as it is peeling away at the edges. I think I will go with the E6000 or Gorilla Glue.
Good choices I think. I re-skinned my Bronica S2A with a leatherette that already had a sticky backing on it, and it's peeling up at the edges, where the glue is under most stress due to the angles. A good hold is really important at the edges!
Has it come off completely? Or are you just looking to glue the corners back down? If you're starting from scratch, and from a clean base, I'd recommend the M3 double sided sheets. If you pinning down corners, or areas where the leatherette is peeling, go with the E6000
@@the120ist Should I buy an e6000 or e6000 plus? Because the regular e6000 is so much cheaper. I wonder if it's good enough for a minor rubber peel on my Canon M6
Very interesting video! I’m curious to know how Pliobond 25 would work out. It is available on Amazon. I use it to apply new seals and bumpers on my vintage SLRs’.
Pliobond is often said to be really good for this. I couldn't get hold of at the time of making this video. Are you in the US? I think it may be available in the US, but not in the UK. Not sure!
@@the120ist bro my camera is canon 77d and its rubber grip has peeled and came off...can I use the double sided tape to re glue it?. Can you please tell
Really interesting mate. Nothing like your coverage but my yashica635 tripod Mount/ case closer was loose and I discovered it was due to loose screws under the circular leatherette. I super glued it back on after tightening it all up lol 😂
There are dozens of radically different adhesives that are collectively called "PVA glues". The one you tested looks hopeless, but some other ones are MUCH better for the purpose. Similarly, different kinds of artificial leather are available, but the main ingredient of the leatherette produced before ww2 was... PVA (polyvinyl acetate). And PVA is also the main ingredient of some leather repair kits.
I'm sure there are better ones! The difference between the two PVA glues I tried was huge, so I'm sure that much better ones are out there. Not my field of expertise really, hence a lack of proper scientific explanation! I'm just gonna glue stuff down and then rip it off again!
Definitely! Although I have to say, some of the camera's I've re-covered using double sided tape don't seem to have lasted as well as the early ones I did, before this video, using glue. Definitely less mess, and easier to work, but I'm not sure it lasts as long!
Thanks for making this video. I know it took time and effort so thank you for doing it. I appreciate you including bad ideas too. Like school PVA (bad outcome), super glue (horrible outcome) or not following instructions on Gorilla contact adhesive (good outcome). I just ordered some Pli-O-Bond and it should be arriving in a few days. Had I seen this video first I might have gone a different direction.
Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been away for a while. I think the real result of this video, and the discussions on here, is that there really isn’t one single answer! All sorts of glues will give you a range of different results, and ultimately, it’s your camera and you can put just whatever you want on it! How did the pliobond go? Did it do the job?
@@the120ist Yes it did. I followed the package instructions and prepped the surfaces with isopropyl alcohol. I follow Fix Old Cameras channel and he recommended it. Works well but so did some of the things you tried. Once again thank you for making that video. GREAT reference.
Hey the best glue for that is Kövulfix, it’s exactly like the glue the Japanese manufacture used. It doesn’t flow so it won’t get in any mechanics, also it’s easy to remove and reglue.
BTW, your finding that superglue does not release from the metal makes sense. Acrylic adhesives bond extremely well to metal. I learned this when I had to remove some double-sided acrylic adhesive tape when restoring a keyboard. It separated from the plastics without issues but removing the tape from the metal was close to impossible. Superglue can be easily broken by heat but that is likely not an option when working on cameras.
Interesting! I didn't know that glues like superglue formed a stronger bond with metal. It makes sense, of course, but hadn't heard it as a general statement before. It definitely did not want to let go of that aluminium!
My go to is Tightbond III Ultimate Wood Glue. I have used it for years on Leicas, Rolleiflexs. SLRs, box cameras, and folders. Gluing down loose corners/edges to complete reskins. It cleans up with water but is waterproof when cured. No funky fumes. Available at any hardware store.
Hey, I did a video on a full re-skin of my Bronica S2A, you'll find it in my videos page. In that video I went through a few different solvents for cleaning off the old glue and skin. Best solvent for that particular glue I found was methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Other options are terps, white spirit, toluene, lighter fluid, isopropyl alcohol... or even some of the off the shelf glue removers can be quite good too.
For removing the leatherette it's common to use a solvent, like lighter fluid or isopropyl alcohol to soften the glue. So I think there is no such thing as "too strong".
Hey, thank you for the comment. You're right of course, using a solvent is going to be necessary at some point. I was looking for a glue which would allow me to remove the leatherette with some ease, maybe not using a solvent for the initial removal, but using solvent to clean up both sides after. With your comment in mind though, I think you're right, almost all the contact adhesives would be just fine. I stand by my thoughts on the super glue though!!! Evil stuff!
but just think of that process.. getting the leatherette more wet although briefly with the alcohol, then getting underneath... and also trying the start the pull from the corners without it. no thanks
@@michaelmason2799 I agree. I've just repaired a small patch of leatherette one another camera, and had to be so careful with the solvent because it was taking some of the paint off. Plus it turns the glue into a gooey mess. I'm going to try the double sided tape when I do the full leatherette change. I may find that in a few years that double sided tape will have turned to goo, who knows. No 100% correct answer to this one I think.
@@ianzhao5693 Ahh a Pentacon Six, I've never tried one! It's on my list of cameras that I'd really like to take some photos with. Let me know how you get on with it!
Hey, it's called Tesa, bought from Amazon, link is here - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0024NKDCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Described as - tesa 64621-00007-01 Strong Filmic Double Sided Mounting Adhesive Tape, Clear 50mm x 25m
It's definitely a good option. I have found that it's not perfect - on tight corners, where there is more stress on the leatherette, it can come loose. But I don't think there is a perfect solution. And double sided tape does offer you a lot of convenience over glue, for sure.
well, this video was while ago, and I was about to say I have no idea! But I checked back in my Amazon orders, and here's what the listing said: tesa 64621-00007-01 Strong Filmic Double Sided Mounting Adhesive Tape, Clear 50mm x 25m Hope that helps!
Another quick question - got a few cameras now with "gross brown glue" behind their "leatherette" exteriors. What do you use as a "glue remover"??? thanks in advance!
Ahhh the horrific sticky mess hidden by the leatherette! Bad news for you, I don't have a solution! I haven't found a good answer for this. Sometimes standard alcohol or IPA works, I use denatured ethyl alcohol as a solvent for a lot of my cameras. Some say off the shelf glue remover work well. And then you have the nuclear option of acetone. For most glues, heat is your friend (or your enemy if you're trying to keep the leatherette on!), I actually went out and bought myself a hairdryer so that I've got my own and my wife can stop shouting at me for using hers! Getting that glue warmed up definitely makes a big difference, and also allows solvents to interact with the glue more efficiently. For me, the worst I've seen has actually been my Bronica. The glue under the leatherette seemed immune to everything I could throw at it! My guess is that it's some sort of natural hide glue, that has changed chemically over time, leaving it with a toughened stringyness that makes it hard for the solvent to penetrate it. I tried everything on that, and nothing touched it. In the end I basically had to pick and scrape it off using tweezers. Then once I had most of it gone the solvents worked ok to clean up the camera body enough to get some new glue on there. It's a tough job though! No easy answer unfortunately. Good luck with it. Let me know if you come across a good solution!
True! Although I've yet to encounter any glue used on a camera that weakened with anything so simple as water!! That's why I have an arsenal of hard core solvents!! But I do think that general solubility is another reason to avoid glues like school glues and PVC glues. Good thought.
For removing the glue? Or for sticking the leather back down? I would recommend E6000 for all camera leatherettes! But there are other options, such as double sided tape. For removing the glue and residue, I got the best results from MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).
Depends if you want to go glue or double sided tape. Of the glues I would say e6000 would be my choice. But when I eventually get around to doing this re-skin, I think I'm going to go the double sided tape route.
If its not leatherette as on my Pentax SFXn but some type of latex like rubber... tried a standard bostik clear glue no good at all was thinking of Trying some clear silicon like decoraters use next? Any Ideas.... pls
This a good attempt but the caveat is that it doesn’t measure humidity, temperature variation nor time which makes the test inconclusive. The most obvious failure is the Elmers. Some of these definitely would test differently over time. While you want to use one which not too difficult to remove nor do you want one that fails too soon. Only time and conditions will tell.
For sure it's not a proper test! It was also not at all comprehensive, there are obviously a boat load more glues available than I tested here. I was trying to address some of the online chit chat about such things, looking at types of glue, rather than brands or individual glues. I searched for a long time when i was looking for a glue to use, and the overall results were that 1) what they used when the cameras were made is likely unavailable now and 2) there are some incredibly crackpot ideas out there among the general public about what works! So whilst not scientific or comprehensive, hopefully it helps a few people in taking a couple more steps toward making a decision on a glue that won't damage the camera, does an ok job, and is readily available.
This channel doesn't have even nearly enough subscribers considering the quality of the content. Liked & Sub'd EDIT; the problem you'l might find with using tape...leave the camera somewhere hot (which is easy to not do here in UK, but is a challenge for frankly most of the world except the UK) and it will just get really gummy and start to peel off. That's one reason why the camera mfrs mostly didn't use tape to start with.
I would say NO SUPERGLUE near a camera!!!! Looks like E6000 is the winner. My uncle used to use UHU a lot, this was a good video as I was considering this but I like the E6000 results better.
Very interesting review, however, with double sided tape, I believe that it will not come off so easily if left in place for X months or years. In fact, as it dries out, it may actually kinda peel off by itself.
Why not just ask a repair shop? They would need to take the leatherette off, clean the residue and put it back on. No time for experimenting and propably ruin the leatherette in the process
Ha haaaaa! That’s what we love about the internet right? Facebook groups are my favourite… 100 different opinions… and then three weeks later, same question and all 100 opinions all over again. You’ve got to love it!!!
Well I suspect I might be a bit slow on catching this video, but I just subscribed an hour or so ago, and watched a number of other videos you posted on your channel before I got to this one. Analogue camera repair, refurbishment and restoration is my jam, as they say. I've been doing just that for over 35 years. The only thing I'll suggest is simple - you need to know the the "leatherette" you're working with. And truth be told as you stated from the get go, there are as many opinions on how it should be done, as there are all of the camera models combined from the 50's until the early 2000's. That said, know this too, most leatherette regardless of camera manufacture - is synthetic (99% of them) And there are 4 main types, textured and untextured Plastic/Nylon, fabric backed Vinyl, non fabric backed Vinyl, and something known as Polyester Resin - of which there are fabric backed and non fabric backed versions. Each of the "leatherettes" will act differently, partially because of something called Plastics-memory. Understand, some are heat treated and moulded as they are applied at the factory, some are even embossed to give them the look and feel of leather as they are being applied at the factory, some are already textured prior to being applied to the camera bodies. And the old American Pliobond was indeed used in the 50's (it had a different name in the 50's) and 60's but come the 70's most camera manufacturers switched to a 3M adhesive tape know today as 3M 300LSE or a variation there in, readily found on Amazon and eBay. In the 70's the 3M tape was a relatively thin affair. It was 2 sided with a fabric sandwiched in the centre. Today they have eliminated the fabric. Today, you would use the 3M product in two stages (for home or camera shop repair, not at the factory - they only use a single layer) one layer on the back of your leatherette, another layer on the camera surface. The key is preparation, as is with most things done well. The back of the leatherette needs to be clean, very, very clean, and sometimes you may need to remove the fabric backing of the leatherette, because it is so badly deteriorated that it would be next to impossible to get good flat surface adhesion. It needs to be clean to work, as does the surface of your camera or where the leatherette will find its final home. If the surface of your camera has multiple types of cladding, be it plastic and metal (brass or aluminum) you may need to also apply a primer to the metal because the 3M adhesive attaches (or sets) differently on each surface. So thanks for shedding some light on this topic. Cheers from Canada.
Hi, thanks so much for the information. I still haven’t got around to changing the leatherette on my S2A... i am expecting it to take a few hours, so I’m waiting until I have a few hours free! Not easy with kids!! But thank you for the 3M tape information, I’ll get a roll and try it out. Will post the video on here when I do the leatherette change... I’m not expecting it to be problem free!! We’ll see!
@@the120ist You are a bit lucky with this job, mainly because the Bronica S2A is a chrome polished stainless steel body (same stuff as surgical/medical tools, cutlery, and food grade mixing bowls) So you wont require a primer or metal fixative for the 3M film to attach itself to the metal surface. And the leatherette that was used is a fabric backed textured Nylon. Which means it will be relatively easy to clean the surface of the camera, and you'll be able to carefully remove the old glue and fabric backing of the leatherette using lighter fluid (works best) Apply the lighter fluid with a Q-Tip, then use a dull knife edge to scrape away the old glue and fabric backing. Be careful not to damage the leatherette. If you intend to use a different material altogether then you can skip that part, but which ever material you do use can not be thicker than the material you are replacing. A good choice is a product called - Match 'N Patch / Black leather (link here -www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08KZCY9HR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) or (www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08KZCY9HR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
The rest is easy, cutting up the sheets of 3M 300LSE (I don't know if its sold in a roll) and fitting them to your pieces of leatherette. You'll need a really good pair of scissors, I suggest a good pair of 6" German Solingen barbering scissors, and a sharp Exacto knife with a fine point. Regular steel scissors will get gummed up, and prevent you from cutting the 3M sheets with any accuracy. You can use the Exacto knife exclusively, with a cutting mat / surface, but you will need to clean the blade with Isopropyl alcohol from time to time. Cut the sheets of 3M in sections, so they follow the creases/curves of the leatherette, and don't try to cut and fit one sheet of the 3M to cover the whole back of the leatherette surface, unless its a small piece. You will also need to allow for a tiny gap along the natural folds or creases of the leatherette 1/2mm - 1mm, this will help you bend and fit the leatherette - if you are reusing the original leatherette. No gap required if you are replacing it with new material. After you've cut your pieces of 3M and fitted them to size for both the camera body and leatherette, the trick will be removing the Teflon coated paper backing off the 3M sheets you will be applying (that's the white or translucent side, that side is always face down) then you'll cover one section of the camera surface (at a time) in the 3M, you'll then need to peel off the top coat (the brown wax paper with the 3M logos, this side always facing up) The next part is where all the hard work you put into the prep either helps you or frustrates you. The leatherette you have fitted with the 3M sheets now needs to be fixed to the sticky surface of the camera, only peel a smallish section of the brown top coat from the back of the leatherette. Fold it outwards so that the Teflon coated side is against the exposed sticky surface of the camera, it makes it easier to control as you lay the leatherette down and pull on the paper with tweezers, because what you don't want is air bubbles or air pockets to get trapped between the two layers of 3M. Always start in a corner, its the easiest starting point, and as you are placing and affixing the leatherette down, you can now start to peel away the brown top coat slowly, pressing down firmly as you're moving your way across the surface with your thumb, aligning the leatherette as you go. Once its down and you're happy with it. Grab a small tea spoon and burnish (rub) the leatherette. Good luck.
@@clarhettcoalfield3616 This is fantastic, thank you so much! What a goldmine of information. I'm concerned that the replacement leatherette I have planned for the S2A may be too thick. But we shall see. I won't throw away the old leatherette just in case. Thanks again for the information!
If you take anything away from this, take this: DON'T USE SUPER GLUE. Holy hell. Oh, and great informative video. THANKS!
Thank you for this real-world review, as these are the most useful to us. Thank you as well for the other videos on the Bronica S2, especially the focus-screen issue. I used your technique to fix my S2 and infinity focus is now spot-on. Those of us who love film cameras are truly indebted to you. Bravo
Thank you so much, I'm glad you've found my videos useful!
Great comparison, appreciate the work involved in making this video!
Thank you! Hope you found it helpful.
Great comparison and reviews. Quite helpful as I'm getting ready to redo all the leather on my new to me used Hasselblad 500c!
Good luck with the re-skin! After this vid I got a lot of messages saying that double sided 3M sheets were the way to go, and I did try it on one camera, but found that after a while it struggles to hold on the corners. So a glue is probably the way forward... who knows really! I don't think there's any failsafe solution. So long as you don't use superglue, you're probably going to be ok!
This was extremely helpful, thanks for doing this test. I have a Yashica Electro 35 with peeling leatherette so this is just exactly what I was looking for.
Glad you food it useful! Good luck with the Electro!
Very helpful. I’m going for the tape.
I think that’s the best option… but everyone has a different opinion! Let me know how you get on, I still haven’t started the re skin job yet!
Very helpful. Thanks for the effort and info 😊 much appreciated 🙏
Great topic to cover, I just recently bought a 60 years old medium format camera and also looking to stick the leatherette back on the edges, very useful informations, thank you
Hope it helps! Still so many different opinions out there. I think the only real no no that almost everyone agrees on is no super glue! Good luck with the repairs.
Love this! I ended up going with the E6000. Placed my ordered thru Amazon today, will give you an update once complete.
Great, please do let me know how you get on. I think E6000 is the best choice, if you're going down the glue route rather than the sticky tape route. And I think the glue option is usually the right one!
thank you , im so pleased i found you on UA-cam . im just about to reskin a ricoh 500gx this was so helpful .
I'm so glad you found it helpful! Good luck with the reskin. Let me know how it goes! I still haven't done the reskin on my Bronica. It's one the list of jobs. I just need to find a few spare hours!
Thank’s for this comparison! Great work!
Your welcome! Glad you found it useful.
you have a very interesting and engaging way of explaining things. very good speaker! i enjoy all of your videos. keep it up :)))
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the vids!
Thank you so much for making this!
No problem, hope you found it useful
Nice work Nick got this playing in background for inspiration as I attempt the new light seals on the RB 😬😬😬
Ha ha! Great! How did you get on with the light seals? You have to get that beautiful camera back to 100%
@@the120ist shockingly it went or at least seems to have gone well but ran outta new seal so ordered more as the mirror dampers and rotating back thing is munted but soon as that’s done she’s all go cannot wait got some of your dulcet tones in the background on the vid 😂😂😂👀
@@paultaylorphotography9499 Sounds like it's gone really well! You'll get hooked on repairing cameras now, you'll be surrounded by piles of un-rescuable camera parts in no time!
Perfectly timed video for me. I have to re-skin an old Edixa Flex and was wondering the same about a choice of glue for the job. Great choice of colour leatherette for your application. Was thinking of a similar colour to Jazz Up my old camera. Maybe a brighter colour to give the old girl a snazzy new coat...lol. Thanks for presenting a good cross section of glues available for this job and future repairs. Cheers from Canada..
Hey! Yeah it'll be interesting to see how the colour works on it. I'm sort of thinking that it will work well with the chrome.... but there's also a purist in me screaming about not re-skinning it in black! I can always change it again, or someone else can if they want it looking original.
I know I didn't cover all possible glues, or ways of using them, but I figured it would be enough to spark some debate! I'm still not totally decided what I'm going to use... think it will be a snap decision when I finally get around to doing it!
@@the120ist Not BLACK...lol Well I'm in the process of changing the bellows on a Linhof Kardan Color and I chose a bright red. Germans are too conservative. She needs a splash of colour :)
Thanks for making this video. I will need to replace some leatherette soon and this is exactly what I was looking for!
Glad it has been helpful!
Interesting and useful review! Thanks! Keep it up 👍🏻
Thanks 👍👍
Thank you for going to the trouble, very interesting.
No problem! I hope it was helpful. 👍👍
As a brazilian photographer, here we must concern about heat effect on the glue aging. Even mantaining out equipment out of direct sun light, some glues tend to melt on some heat enviroments, specially when combined with high humidity.
Good point. Of course environment has a huge effect. We here in the UK do not have heat issues though!! We have rain issues....
I think the double sided tape will be the best. In Germany we have a so called „contact glue“ from Patex. Both sides must get the glue, after 10 - 15 minutes it feels dry, then both pieces must pressed together. The harder you press the better is the adhesive power! But… if I have to open the camera again it is vey hard to do that… So the tape will be my favourite… But at first I have to find the right color and texture for my camera!
Thanks for your video, it helps a lot!
With contact glue in my experience you have to be very accurate in lining up the leatherette as it is an instant bond, some pieces are very complex in shape and can easily be misaligned, resulting in lots of swearing :-)
@@ianwilkinson4602 Thats one of the biggest problems, I know. And a evenly pressing in curves and other special shapes is hard to do... So again, I'm with a thin double sided tape...
@@StudioBonn I didn't know that it existed until I watched the video, good comparisons though. I have only so far had the odd corner to stick down so used super glue with inevitable results. I have one British made medium format camera which is great optically and mechanically, but the leather {in this case } is very poor, but I haven't been brave enough to do anything about it, one day maybe :-) Cheers and keep safe
@@StudioBonn I used the same Pattex Kontaktkleber (thought the UHU from the video was the closest match), however I used it just one sided - put it only on the leatherette. This worked beautifully, you could move it into place and then press it hard with a little plastic jimmy (Spachtel). As I said before - a hair dryer is your friend for this activity. Heat the leatherette before peeling off makes the leatherette flexible and really softens the glue. Use the hairdryer to really dry the new glue before putting the leatherette back - the glue needs to change color completely form that milky light brown to a transparent yellowish tone, then you are ready to go,. Use the hairdryer again to peel it off..... worked very well for me.
Thomas
Thank you for that interesting review. On tip I've got when I disassembled my S2A was to heat up the leatherette and glue with a hairdryer before peeling off. The glue on my one got quite flexible and I could easily peal off the skin. I used UHU to re-glue, however used it putting it on the leatherette only. Uhu also gets more flexible once heated up, So I am happy with UHU.
That's a great tip, thank you. I will definitely do that. I'll film the re-skin and post on here soon. I'm a little nervous about it, but what's the worst that can happen right??? Ahem..
So with the UHU, that sounds pretty sensible. Basically with any of those contact adhesives you can weaken the bond by not quite following the instructions right? Did you leave the UHU to dry at all before applying the skin to the camera? Or just glue one surface and go for it?
@@the120ist I left the UHU to dry completely - was a bit impatient, so the hairdryer again :o) - and then put some pressure on it with a plastic jimmy and it worked brilliantly. And the risk is rather limited as you can get complete new skins for the S2A, e.g. aki-asahi.com/store/html/Bronica/SII/index.php And I just put it on the leatherette. You can remove surplus adhesive easier in case you were a bit to excessive. I was afraid to mess up the metal surface of the body. Worked quite well as said...
I have a non functional donor S2A for spares and that had some parts of the leatherette replaced by new one fixed with double sided tape. These pieces were not sitting as flat and slick to the body like the glued on ones and were much harder to remove - the original leatherette is quite thin and the tape more than doubles the height. So tape wouldn't be my preferred option as long you don't need to replace entire pieces. Not sure whether you can get the replacements without tape.
@@careypridgeon I was more concerned on using alcohol on the 50 year old leatherette. Hair dryer worked for me, but your mileage may vary....
I hear you... it will need alcohol or stronger to get all the residue off anyway. I’ll see how I get on when I start, I suspect my patience will dictate the methods to an extent!
Really interesting about the tape. I guess it would restrict the ability of the leatherette to stretch and bend around the edges. Hmmmm...
Thank you very much, really great informative video! 😊
Thank you, glad you found it useful!
Very useful test thank you! I need to stick the edges of the grip for my Lumix camera back down as it is peeling away at the edges. I think I will go with the E6000 or Gorilla Glue.
Good choices I think. I re-skinned my Bronica S2A with a leatherette that already had a sticky backing on it, and it's peeling up at the edges, where the glue is under most stress due to the angles. A good hold is really important at the edges!
What is a good recommendation for a 1960s Leica m3 leatherette?
Has it come off completely? Or are you just looking to glue the corners back down?
If you're starting from scratch, and from a clean base, I'd recommend the M3 double sided sheets. If you pinning down corners, or areas where the leatherette is peeling, go with the E6000
@@the120ist thank you for replying ughh this means so much to meeeee
@@the120ist Should I buy an e6000 or e6000 plus? Because the regular e6000 is so much cheaper. I wonder if it's good enough for a minor rubber peel on my Canon M6
Great video! Do you have any idea what is the best way to stick up a Mamiya 645 AFD leather? The are just recently start peeling off 😢
Thanks
Very interesting video! I’m curious to know how Pliobond 25 would work out. It is available on Amazon. I use it to apply new seals and bumpers on my vintage SLRs’.
Pliobond is often said to be really good for this. I couldn't get hold of at the time of making this video. Are you in the US? I think it may be available in the US, but not in the UK. Not sure!
@@the120ist yes I am in the US and Pliobond is available here in several different strengths . Pliobond 25 is what I use for my camera applications.
Thank you
Your welcome! Hope it helps!
@@the120ist bro my camera is canon 77d and its rubber grip has peeled and came off...can I use the double sided tape to re glue it?. Can you please tell
Really interesting mate. Nothing like your coverage but my yashica635 tripod Mount/ case closer was loose and I discovered it was due to loose screws under the circular leatherette. I super glued it back on after tightening it all up lol 😂
It’s possible there may be some super glue on my cameras somewhere from previous fixes... I’m not admitting to anything 👀 😂
@@the120ist 😬
There are dozens of radically different adhesives that are collectively called "PVA glues". The one you tested looks hopeless, but some other ones are MUCH better for the purpose. Similarly, different kinds of artificial leather are available, but the main ingredient of the leatherette produced before ww2 was... PVA (polyvinyl acetate). And PVA is also the main ingredient of some leather repair kits.
I'm sure there are better ones! The difference between the two PVA glues I tried was huge, so I'm sure that much better ones are out there. Not my field of expertise really, hence a lack of proper scientific explanation! I'm just gonna glue stuff down and then rip it off again!
Great video, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Come ooon double sided tape... 🤞
Yes! I was hoping that'd do well. Much less potential mess overall.
Definitely! Although I have to say, some of the camera's I've re-covered using double sided tape don't seem to have lasted as well as the early ones I did, before this video, using glue. Definitely less mess, and easier to work, but I'm not sure it lasts as long!
Thanks for making this video. I know it took time and effort so thank you for doing it. I appreciate you including bad ideas too. Like school PVA (bad outcome), super glue (horrible outcome) or not following instructions on Gorilla contact adhesive (good outcome).
I just ordered some Pli-O-Bond and it should be arriving in a few days. Had I seen this video first I might have gone a different direction.
Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been away for a while.
I think the real result of this video, and the discussions on here, is that there really isn’t one single answer! All sorts of glues will give you a range of different results, and ultimately, it’s your camera and you can put just whatever you want on it!
How did the pliobond go? Did it do the job?
@@the120ist Yes it did. I followed the package instructions and prepped the surfaces with isopropyl alcohol.
I follow Fix Old Cameras channel and he recommended it. Works well but so did some of the things you tried.
Once again thank you for making that video. GREAT reference.
Hey the best glue for that is Kövulfix, it’s exactly like the glue the Japanese manufacture used.
It doesn’t flow so it won’t get in any mechanics, also it’s easy to remove and reglue.
The next one who does repairs on the camera will be thankful too
Ah, thanks! Never heard of that one, but I see you can get it on Amazon. I'll check it out!
BTW, your finding that superglue does not release from the metal makes sense. Acrylic adhesives bond extremely well to metal. I learned this when I had to remove some double-sided acrylic adhesive tape when restoring a keyboard. It separated from the plastics without issues but removing the tape from the metal was close to impossible. Superglue can be easily broken by heat but that is likely not an option when working on cameras.
Interesting! I didn't know that glues like superglue formed a stronger bond with metal. It makes sense, of course, but hadn't heard it as a general statement before. It definitely did not want to let go of that aluminium!
My go to is Tightbond III Ultimate Wood Glue. I have used it for years on Leicas, Rolleiflexs. SLRs, box cameras, and folders. Gluing down loose corners/edges to complete reskins. It cleans up with water but is waterproof when cured. No funky fumes. Available at any hardware store.
Have you used any other adhesives besides this? I have to repair a Rolleiflex.
It's a PVC type glue
Omg how did it hold up on the Leica??? I have an m3 and mine is coming off
As well as the factory adhesive (maybe better). Easy cleanup with water until it dries.@@FarahPasha-j8w
Works fantastic! @@FarahPasha-j8w
Question.. What's the best way to remove the stubborn part of the old one I have..?
Hey, I did a video on a full re-skin of my Bronica S2A, you'll find it in my videos page. In that video I went through a few different solvents for cleaning off the old glue and skin. Best solvent for that particular glue I found was methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Other options are terps, white spirit, toluene, lighter fluid, isopropyl alcohol... or even some of the off the shelf glue removers can be quite good too.
For removing the leatherette it's common to use a solvent, like lighter fluid or isopropyl alcohol to soften the glue. So I think there is no such thing as "too strong".
Hey, thank you for the comment. You're right of course, using a solvent is going to be necessary at some point. I was looking for a glue which would allow me to remove the leatherette with some ease, maybe not using a solvent for the initial removal, but using solvent to clean up both sides after.
With your comment in mind though, I think you're right, almost all the contact adhesives would be just fine. I stand by my thoughts on the super glue though!!! Evil stuff!
but just think of that process.. getting the leatherette more wet although briefly with the alcohol, then getting underneath... and also trying the start the pull from the corners without it. no thanks
@@michaelmason2799 I agree. I've just repaired a small patch of leatherette one another camera, and had to be so careful with the solvent because it was taking some of the paint off. Plus it turns the glue into a gooey mess.
I'm going to try the double sided tape when I do the full leatherette change. I may find that in a few years that double sided tape will have turned to goo, who knows.
No 100% correct answer to this one I think.
Excellent video. E6000 it is!!!
Definitely a good choice! Good luck with your repairs!
@@the120ist Thanks so much. Just got a recently serviced Pentacon six with loose leatherette.
@@ianzhao5693 Ahh a Pentacon Six, I've never tried one! It's on my list of cameras that I'd really like to take some photos with. Let me know how you get on with it!
Really interesting comparison, thank you! Was there a specific brand/type for the last strip of double-sided tape?
Hey, it's called Tesa, bought from Amazon, link is here - www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0024NKDCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Described as - tesa 64621-00007-01 Strong Filmic Double Sided Mounting Adhesive Tape, Clear 50mm x 25m
is 3M double sided the best tape for cameras? to stick the rubber back?
It's definitely a good option. I have found that it's not perfect - on tight corners, where there is more stress on the leatherette, it can come loose. But I don't think there is a perfect solution. And double sided tape does offer you a lot of convenience over glue, for sure.
Hi. Can you tell me wich is the Model of the Tesa tape. Thank you
well, this video was while ago, and I was about to say I have no idea! But I checked back in my Amazon orders, and here's what the listing said: tesa 64621-00007-01 Strong Filmic Double Sided Mounting Adhesive Tape, Clear 50mm x 25m
Hope that helps!
@@the120ist Thanks a lot for your answer. I achieve the same one in my country. I appreciate your help.
Another quick question - got a few cameras now with "gross brown glue" behind their "leatherette" exteriors. What do you use as a "glue remover"??? thanks in advance!
Ahhh the horrific sticky mess hidden by the leatherette! Bad news for you, I don't have a solution! I haven't found a good answer for this. Sometimes standard alcohol or IPA works, I use denatured ethyl alcohol as a solvent for a lot of my cameras. Some say off the shelf glue remover work well. And then you have the nuclear option of acetone.
For most glues, heat is your friend (or your enemy if you're trying to keep the leatherette on!), I actually went out and bought myself a hairdryer so that I've got my own and my wife can stop shouting at me for using hers! Getting that glue warmed up definitely makes a big difference, and also allows solvents to interact with the glue more efficiently.
For me, the worst I've seen has actually been my Bronica. The glue under the leatherette seemed immune to everything I could throw at it! My guess is that it's some sort of natural hide glue, that has changed chemically over time, leaving it with a toughened stringyness that makes it hard for the solvent to penetrate it. I tried everything on that, and nothing touched it. In the end I basically had to pick and scrape it off using tweezers. Then once I had most of it gone the solvents worked ok to clean up the camera body enough to get some new glue on there.
It's a tough job though! No easy answer unfortunately. Good luck with it. Let me know if you come across a good solution!
I guess you should consider also the moisture resistance, as you will probably hold your camera for long periods of time.
True! Although I've yet to encounter any glue used on a camera that weakened with anything so simple as water!! That's why I have an arsenal of hard core solvents!! But I do think that general solubility is another reason to avoid glues like school glues and PVC glues. Good thought.
Wich is the best ...for camera leather gum ( im using Nikon z6mark 2 )
From India
Plase reply me
For removing the glue? Or for sticking the leather back down? I would recommend E6000 for all camera leatherettes! But there are other options, such as double sided tape.
For removing the glue and residue, I got the best results from MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).
So which one is your recommendation?
I think e6000 look good
Depends if you want to go glue or double sided tape. Of the glues I would say e6000 would be my choice. But when I eventually get around to doing this re-skin, I think I'm going to go the double sided tape route.
If its not leatherette as on my Pentax SFXn but some type of latex like rubber... tried a standard bostik clear glue no good at all was thinking of Trying some clear silicon like decoraters use next?
Any Ideas.... pls
See Thomas G, responding to Studio Bonn ⬆
This a good attempt but the caveat is that it doesn’t measure humidity, temperature variation nor time which makes the test inconclusive. The most obvious failure is the Elmers. Some of these definitely would test differently over time. While you want to use one which not too difficult to remove nor do you want one that fails too soon. Only time and conditions will tell.
For sure it's not a proper test! It was also not at all comprehensive, there are obviously a boat load more glues available than I tested here. I was trying to address some of the online chit chat about such things, looking at types of glue, rather than brands or individual glues. I searched for a long time when i was looking for a glue to use, and the overall results were that 1) what they used when the cameras were made is likely unavailable now and 2) there are some incredibly crackpot ideas out there among the general public about what works! So whilst not scientific or comprehensive, hopefully it helps a few people in taking a couple more steps toward making a decision on a glue that won't damage the camera, does an ok job, and is readily available.
This channel doesn't have even nearly enough subscribers considering the quality of the content. Liked & Sub'd
EDIT; the problem you'l might find with using tape...leave the camera somewhere hot (which is easy to not do here in UK, but is a challenge for frankly most of the world except the UK) and it will just get really gummy and start to peel off. That's one reason why the camera mfrs mostly didn't use tape to start with.
I would say NO SUPERGLUE near a camera!!!! Looks like E6000 is the winner. My uncle used to use UHU a lot, this was a good video as I was considering this but I like the E6000 results better.
Very interesting review, however, with double sided tape, I believe that it will not come off so easily if left in place for X months or years. In fact, as it dries out, it may actually kinda peel off by itself.
bit late now but have had good results with copydex
Never too late! Always good to know what has worked for other people. Thanks for the tip! 👍
In the past i have used bostik 1782 clear glue. It is very close to original.
Ooh, good tip, thank you. I'll go see if you can still get that.
lovit
Thanks 👍👍
Hhh
I totally agree.
Why not just ask a repair shop? They would need to take the leatherette off, clean the residue and put it back on. No time for experimenting and propably ruin the leatherette in the process
One hundred different opinions on the internet, NEVER?
Ha haaaaa! That’s what we love about the internet right?
Facebook groups are my favourite… 100 different opinions… and then three weeks later, same question and all 100 opinions all over again. You’ve got to love it!!!
Why you sound like Henry Cavill?
I actually am Henry Cavill… I just put on my old ugly face for UA-cam… 🤣
@@the120ist Fantastic answer, great vid! thank you so much!
@@GLCMedia 👍👍🤣🤣
Why don't you have human eyes
That is a very deep question. I'm going to take some time to think about that.