Leica M6 bubbling issues

[stevenjeong99]

Hi, my Leica m6 titantium body has some bubbling issues around the the little metal door that can open that covers up the film compartment. Does anybody know if the issue could be fixed? Or do I have to replace the component? Thanks!

 

[BradS]

Don't worry about it. It has no effect on the the photos made with the camera. Just use the camera and enjoy life.

 

[stevenjeong99]

haha I know but this one is gonna be in my display case so I was just wondering if it could be fixed. I wouldn't care if it was a camera that I use on daily basis but this one will probably stay in a case so I wanted it to look spotless but thanks for the reply!

 

[Axelwik]

First world problem.

 

[stevenjeong99]

First world problem.

It was my dream camera and i bought it with my hard earned money and trust me it took a long time for me to afford this haha

 

[Pieter12]

Have you tried contacting Leica? They may be able to refinish it.

 

[stevenjeong99]

Have you tried contacting Leica? They may be able to refinish it.

I thought about it but I heard from some people that it takes months to send it, get it repaired, and receive it..

 

[brian steinberger]

Don't worry about it. It has no effect on the the photos made with the camera. Just use the camera and enjoy life.

This ^^

 

[Don_ih]

It was my dream camera and i bought it with my hard earned money

But you don't use it?

Bubbling skin could be a sign of oxidation. Make sure to keep some silica gel packs in your display case.

 

[MFstooges]

But you don't use it?

Bubbling skin could be a sign of oxidation. Make sure to keep some silica gel packs in your display case.

i never touched a Leica before but as far as I know titanium is quite resistant to corrosion. It could be that he takes too many photos of hot ladies and the camera got to the boiling point.

 

[George Collier]

I have a black M6, an early model, which has bubbles on top surface near the mounting shoe. And I've seen it before on M6's. Not a problem for me, except a bit annoying for a camera of the caliber of Leica. Can you return it? Also, was the price fair, considering?

 

[Pieter12]

I thought about it but I heard from some people that it takes months to send it, get it repaired, and receive it..

It seems like the camera sits on a shelf, so the time away shouldn't be a burden.

 

[Don_ih]

titanium is quite resistant to corrosion

The door is made of titanium, also? I have no idea. I also have no idea why they'd use titanium.

 

[MFstooges]

The door is made of titanium, also? I have no idea. I also have no idea why they'd use titanium.

Not sure as I never touched them before. Or it could be titanium colored brass

 

[Pieter12]

Hard to find a definitive answer, but I believe the top and bottom plates are titanium-plated brass for the later cameras. First issue is probably zinc. But certainly not sold titanium. The body and the rear door are probably identical to all the other M6 models, not titanium or even plated since it is painted black. Some of the bits you see when removing the bottom plate inside might be titanium or titanium plated, not sure why.

 

[koraks]

this one is gonna be in my display case

You could 3D print a copy, polish the surface and fix all imperfections to make it look picture perfect. With the right kind of paint job it can be made to look virtually identical to the real thing. That way, you could free up this camera for taking pictures without having to worry about its appearance. Or if you prefer something closer to the real thing, CNC machine a copy from a block of aluminium.

Alternatively, you could modify the lighting in your display case so that the blemishes don't stand out, or simply tilt/turn the camera in such an angle that they're facing a wall (assuming it's not a 360 degree walkaround exhibit). Assuming that from all other angles the camera looks pristine. If someone wants to take it from its display case, point out the lock on the case which is there for a reason, and also emphasize the risk of finger grease or corrosive traces in human breath causing corrosion over the centuries to come.

In all seriousness; isn't there a Leica museum in Wetzlar that carries the burden for all of us to maintain a collection of pristine Leicas of various models, so the rest of us can use our cameras, worrying about what we use them for instead of how they look?

I apologize for not understanding the first thing about the hobby of camera collection. It's a gene I'm afraid I was born without.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

The plating is probably nickle or nickle-tungsten.

You can still get chrome plating in the USA but you will pay through the nose.

 

[stevenjeong99]

yeah its not actual titanium but titanium plated brass from what i know. I decided to look around repair stores and see if they have any junk m6 from which they can take out the back plate and replace mine with. I did see some broken m bodies at some local repair stores a few months ago.. The back plate is a plain black one thats on any other leica m6 so it shouldn't be too hard to find a replacement. But thanks for all the ideas!

 

[mshchem]

There's people who paint Leicas. If it was me I would buy an original Leica leather eveready case and just use the bottom. Those cases are very nice fitting and feel great. Also no screw on the bottom of the case so they sit flat.

 

[250swb]

The door is steel and plated the same way as all other black chrome doors, so you could look for a replacement, the door simply unclips. As the door is steel it's similar to the problem of bubbling on the body itself. In this period Leica plating over zinc, brass, or steel wasn't very good and can bubble all over the camera on black chrome, silver, and titanium models so having it only on the door is a warning sign. To that end I wouldn't exacerbate any other potential problems by putting it into a closed cabinet with an old leather case because leather does harbour fungi and a closed environment probably isn't a good idea, fungi is killed by UV light and dry air.

 

[guangong]

You could 3D print a copy, polish the surface and fix all imperfections to make it look picture perfect. With the right kind of paint job it can be made to look virtually identical to the real thing. That way, you could free up this camera for taking pictures without having to worry about its appearance. Or if you prefer something closer to the real thing, CNC machine a copy from a block of aluminium.

Alternatively, you could modify the lighting in your display case so that the blemishes don't stand out, or simply tilt/turn the camera in such an angle that they're facing a wall (assuming it's not a 360 degree walkaround exhibit). Assuming that from all other angles the camera looks pristine. If someone wants to take it from its display case, point out the lock on the case which is there for a reason, and also emphasize the risk of finger grease or corrosive traces in human breath causing corrosion over the centuries to come.

In all seriousness; isn't there a Leica museum in Wetzlar that carries the burden for all of us to maintain a collection of pristine Leicas of various models, so the rest of us can use our cameras, worrying about what we use them for instead of how they look?

I apologize for not understanding the first thing about the hobby of camera collection. It's a gene I'm afraid I was born without.

From my understanding, the contents of the Leica museum were sold off by one of the series of Leica owners some years ago.
I can understand collecting some rare Leica esoterica, such as Leitz rifle for Leica, or a 250 exposure version. While I have an assortment of Leitz stuff for Leica…finders, adapters, etc…, these were accumulated, not collected.

 

[snusmumriken]

I fully agree with this post: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/leica-m6-finish-bubbles-corrosion.116250/#post-1537195. Life is short.

 

[Pieter12]

You could 3D print a copy, polish the surface and fix all imperfections to make it look picture perfect. With the right kind of paint job it can be made to look virtually identical to the real thing. That way, you could free up this camera for taking pictures without having to worry about its appearance. Or if you prefer something closer to the real thing, CNC machine a copy from a block of aluminium.

Alternatively, you could modify the lighting in your display case so that the blemishes don't stand out, or simply tilt/turn the camera in such an angle that they're facing a wall (assuming it's not a 360 degree walkaround exhibit). Assuming that from all other angles the camera looks pristine. If someone wants to take it from its display case, point out the lock on the case which is there for a reason, and also emphasize the risk of finger grease or corrosive traces in human breath causing corrosion over the centuries to come.

In all seriousness; isn't there a Leica museum in Wetzlar that carries the burden for all of us to maintain a collection of pristine Leicas of various models, so the rest of us can use our cameras, worrying about what we use them for instead of how they look?

I apologize for not understanding the first thing about the hobby of camera collection. It's a gene I'm afraid I was born without.

And totally ruin any collectible value in the process.

 

[250swb]

You could 3D print a copy, polish the surface and fix all imperfections to make it look picture perfect. With the right kind of paint job it can be made to look virtually identical to the real thing. That way, you could free up this camera for taking pictures without having to worry about its appearance. Or if you prefer something closer to the real thing, CNC machine a copy from a block of aluminium.

Ok a great idea, except the door also has attached the ISO dial, the pressure plate, and the electrical contacts necessary to make it work, so yes a simple job

 

[mshchem]

It's a tool not a jewel. I use nice clean fresh non-fungal half cases ( the tops are stored, useless to me) on all my 35mm cameras.

All the horrible poisonous plating chemistry was changed 8n the 90's, I have a Hasselblad 501cm, that has a tiny bit of chrome lift. I'm the only one who notices it

Get out and use the camera, and use a half case to protect it.