Hasselblad interior paint problem

[pgomena]

Greetings, all --

I bought a very lightly used Hassy 503cx kit about 18 months ago, and noticed just yesterday that the rubbery anti-reflection surfaces on the vertical walls inside the body on both sides of the mirror have developed a series of long cracks through which I can see bright aluminum. I'm in the process of contacting Hasselblad USA service about this, but thought I'd ask fellow APUGers if they've encountered similar problems, what might cause it, and if it is economically repairable.

Peter Gomena

 

[rbarker]

I've not seen or heard of the problem, but that doesn't mean a lot. FWIW, I suspect that Hasselblad will be your best source of info and/or repair.

 

[cconnaker]

You should ask this question on the Hasselblad photo.net forums because there is a guy named David Odess (http://www.david-odess.com/) who is a certified Hasselblad repair tech and he could probably answer the question.

 

[pgomena]

Thanks, cconnaker -- David Odess was extremely helpful. My beloved 'Blad will survive.

Peter Gomena

 

[Mark Feldstein]

Soooooooooooo, what did David tell you? Inquiring minds wanna know.
Mark

 

[pgomena]

He basically said it's kind of a PITA to repair. The cracks are cause by age/shrinkage in a very thin rubbery anti-reflective material called "palpas." Camera body must be completely disassembled, but palpas replacement can be done in the course of a complete body service. The material itself is not terribly expensive, but the labor costs are a factor. He quoted me what I thought was a reasonable price for the effort. I won't quote his prices here because that's his business, not mine. He suggested I buy some flat black model paint to touch up any bright metal showing through the cracks as a temporary repair. That's what I'm going to do for now.

Peter Gomena