Is light seal foam expensive everywhere?

Slightly off topic: I'm looking for self adhesive (but not necessary) camera leatherette. In EU?

miha said:

Slightly off topic: I'm looking for self adhesive (but not necessary) camera leatherette. In EU?

Click to expand...

See here (Germany):

@Andreas Thaler exactly what I was looking for! Thank you.

koraks said:

@Andreas Thaler on the topic of sourcing foam for this purpose, what would you recommend? Note that OP is in Europe like both of us.

Click to expand...

This sounds promising (microtools Germany):




Light baffle means light seals?

Eugen Mezei said:

It is not about the OPs mistake. As I mentioned I see this specific mistake in every text written by people from the Netherlands. Being it postings on forums, webpages, PDFs, etc. I am genuinely curious why this is so. It must have a reason.

Click to expand...

The apostrophe gets thrown in because the Dutch form of the plural is often written that way. So the correct Dutch plural of Euro is in fact "Euro's". Many Dutch people don't realize that the apostrophe has a different function in English and should be omitted in this case.

Eugen Mezei said:

It is not my intention to offend anybody

Click to expand...

Appreciated and noted.

In the UK there is Polar Bear Camera who sell sheets of light seal foam and repair tools,

https://polarbearcamera.com/collections/light-seal

Andreas Thaler said:

This sounds promising (microtools Germany):

Micro-Tools Europe Tools | Light Baffle | buy online

Light Baffle - This light baffle of imported material is found in most fine cameras. Comes in a 10"X5" /25cm x 12cm self-adhesive sheet. This is the original black light baffle Japanese camera manufac

www.micro-tools.de

Click to expand...

Light seal

Andreas Thaler said:

Micro-Tools Europe Tools | Home page | Miniature Tools for Camera and Watch Repair

Tools and Miniature Tools for Camera Repair, Watch and Optical Repairs. Spare Parts and Supplies.

www.micro-tools.de

Click to expand...

Mirror bumper

They translate two different things to the same words. Close enough, though.

BrianShaw said:

Light seal

Mirror bumper

They translate two different things to the same words. Close enough, though.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

koraks said:

Yes, although I do agree with @Eugen Mezei that it makes sense to fix a problem only if it exists. I have used cameras with very abysmal light seals that still didn't show any light leaks, and I left it at that. Should I have replaced them? Maybe, if I wanted to restore the camera to a like-new condition. But if you're in it for the photos, and the photos are fine, there's something to be said for just leaving it alone.

Click to expand...

Some have said, and I tend to agree, that some of the “light seals” are really intended as dust seals and the light sealing is primarily engineered by the door design, as one example. Not that way in all cases, of course. Like you report, I’ve also used cameras with ragged foam without light leaks. The one situation where I’ll always change the foam is when it starts getting gummy or is crumbling.

Andreas Thaler said:

I also have to face the topic and have already ordered material for cutting from microtools.de. Up to now I can't say whether it's a good fit.

The challenge will be to cleanly remove the rotten old stuff and to cut the light seals to fit precisely and especially to completely replace them. The thickness of the stripes also has to be right.

It would therefore make sense to get a suitable set at the beginning.

My last camera repair shop used black string for light seals, which probably lasts longer.

Click to expand...

Trick is to wipe hand sanitizer gel on the tape before installing to make the adhesive slippery, then it evaporates and adheres.

Eugen Mezei said:

I do agree to replace/repair something not in working order. But why suppose it is in non-working order before you tried it? In this same context, I find it always amusing when people buy a Leica and even before putting a film into it they already ask where they can CLA it.

Click to expand...

Just yesterday I gave back a M3. Honestly the camera is working in right order . I just cleaned it by dusting and let it sit on my working desk for a week .
Th user is really happy to see it back and got cleaned.

Perhaps , there is some psychological magic from my table ?

Bill Burk said:

Trick is to wipe hand sanitizer gel on the tape before installing to make the adhesive slippery, then it evaporates and adheres.

Click to expand...

I really need to get into this. There are already some cameras waiting for new stripes. If I don't get over myself, the sticky stuff will become a phobia

Andreas Thaler said:

I really need to get into this. There are already some cameras waiting for new stripes. If I don't get over myself, the sticky stuff will become a phobia

Click to expand...

There are a lot of cameras that have had back seals replaced but the inner seals have been left rotten. I feel better when I have done all the work.

Bill Burk said:

There are a lot of cameras that have had back seals replaced but the inner seals have been left rotten. I feel better when I have done all the work.

Click to expand...

One example of this is the Olympus OM-1. The foam under the top plate against the pentaprism can decompose and destroy the silvering on the pentaprism.

Exactly and the Pentax screw mounts have foam between prism and ground glass. If you don’t get it out while you’re in there it’s going to crumble and leave specks on the focus screen.

Eugen Mezei said:

Where comes the idea of anything has to be replaced, no matter if it works or not? Did you put a film in that camera? How you know those seals are not perfeclty light thight?
Also, where comes the idea that you can buy only online? Go to a store with office supplies or the supermarket near you and buy a mousepad. Or you will find some on the flea market. Some cameras also are better served with a thick black wool thread.
And not least, where did all Dutch got the idea of separating the s for plural?

Click to expand...

Thanks for your answer, and sorry for my belated reply.
1. You're right, I don't actually know if it's light tight (you made a little spelling error of your own there) because I haven't put a roll of film in. I guess I'm the type of person that likes to anticipate, do it right and not take any risks, because I'd like to actually use this camera to take nice pictures. Looking at the state of the light seals, it's just my guess that they're insufficient. Maybe they're sufficient for now, but won't be at some point in the future. The point is, I wouldn't like to find this stuff out only after I took pictures of events in my life, and I think it's important to look after your camera and take care of it every now and then.
2. Right again, I did look in a few stores but I could probably put more effort into that. Would a mouse pad really work, isn't that foam too firm? I thought it would be easier to just buy something that has an adhesive back in the first place, and buying from an online shop where it's actually called "light seal foam" would ensure that it's actually the right stuff for the job, at least that's my thought process.
3. I genuinely thought that plural words needed an apostrophe, English is not my first language but from now on I'll think about you every time I'm about to type it like that lol.
4. Thanks for your suggestion about shining a light through it, don't know why I didn't think of that, but that would be a good test.
5. Please go easy on me, I'm fairly new to analog photography so I don't have the equipment/knowledge to develop myself or mess around with making rolls of film smaller. That's also why I don't want to test it with film, because I'm letting the lab develop it and it's quite expensive.

Andreas Thaler said:

Would you like to tell us which camera it is, since @reddesert correctly says that the type of seals and systems are different?

Click to expand...

Thanks for your contributions to this thread, I appreciate your advice! It's a Ricoh FF-3 AF (compact camera), but if I have a large sheet I'll probably also replace the foam in my Pentax K1000 SLR while I'm at it.

I paid only eight dollars on EBay for a pre-cut complete replacement seal kit for my Pentax 6X7. Nearly all the work involved was simply removing the old gasketing and throughly cleaning the surfaces, where Q-tips and PEC film cleaner came into play, plus some compressed air.

You don't want just any kind of thin black foam, but something intended for this specific purpose. Some types of foam break down prematurely and produce horrible dust issues. If you need sheets, there is also a US Micro-Tools site.

DREW WILEY said:

If you need sheets, there is also a US Micro-Tools site.

Click to expand...

It's worthwhile to note OP's location, which is relevant to the question he asked. I see you and several others may have missed it. It's not sensible to order an item like this from the US. Shipping, inspection costs and taxes would end up costing several times the item price.

Koraks - No, I did not miss it at all. I stated that Micro Tools ALSO has a US presence, for sake of those potentially seeking similar materials here. Others already gave the links to the equivalent German Micro-Tools site. Lots of what they offer is European to begin with. I imported and sold some of those same lines myself, but generally in the bigger sizes.

I saw a tip on this site but not in this thread to tape off the shutter box, before starting to remove the old foam, seems prudent

DREW WILEY said:

Koraks - No, I did not miss it at all. I stated that Micro Tools ALSO has a US presence, for sake of those potentially seeking similar materials here. Others already gave the links to the equivalent German Micro-Tools site. Lots of what they offer is European to begin with. I imported and sold some of those same lines myself, but generally in the bigger sizes.

Click to expand...

I think Micro Tools in the US has a larger offering than in Germany.

I've bought am from a UK eBay seller iirc, wasn't very expensive. I use black thread for most seals though. And I also routinely replace them when I get a new old camera, it's less work than a test film after which, if it's fine, I still won't know when leaks will show up and potentially ruin a negative or if the degraded mirror dampener will be a problem for the mechanism.

I got a black foam sheet from a craft store (Hobby Lobby) here in the U.S. for 99 cents. I believe it is 8-1/2" X 11". The thickness is perfect for fitting into the channels in the body of a camera and for making the other seals.

You may have a craft store there with a similar product.

I don't use any adhesive on the channel seals. They stay put without it. I use E6000 to glue the other seals in place.

PM me if you want details.)