MPP technical vi camera before & after pics

I thought I would share the before and after images of my 4x5 camera I have stripped, cleaned and painted.
I may of devalued it but I'm not to bothered if I have as it's to keep.

I stripped it down completely (except the lens as that's the next thing on my list) and ended up finding a couple of thing broke which weren't to bad to put right. It had a lot of dust and was in desperate need of a good clean and oil on the moving parts. I also took the leatherette off and spray painted it instead giving me easy access to the hidden screws for future repairs. I thought I would have to replace the bellows as they were pretty bad and had green mould inside and out but they cleaned up nice.
I did a lot of internet searching to what oil to use on the moving parts and ended up using WD40 dry oil which worked a treat and up to now has not attracted any dust. The parts when I first got it were really stiff and was in poor condition but now it all moves really smooth.

It's been a good experience and a fun project to do and at times had to take a chances with the removal of certain parts as I was unsure if I had to pull a pin out etc and could I damage things doing so. I tried looking on the internet for how to's but I couldn't find anything on the MPP myself.

I took an image using it the other day and will develop it as soon as I get chance.


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Fire-engine red - you won't lose it easily in a field! I suppose some purists might argue about the leatherette replacement and painting the front standard, but I'd rather see the camera out and about than sitting on a shelf in 'original' condition. As a VI it is a few years older than I. Maybe I need a new paint job...

There is some structure in the shine of the sprayed surfaces. How did you prepare the naked body parts?

grahamp said:

Fire-engine red - you won't lose it easily in a field! I suppose some purists might argue about the leatherette replacement and painting the front standard, but I'd rather see the camera out and about than sitting on a shelf in 'original' condition. As a VI it is a few years older than I. Maybe I need a new paint job...

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I certainly won't lose it . I suppose it will be a love hate thing with some people but it's just a personal thing.

AgX said:

There is some structure in the shine of the sprayed surfaces. How did you prepare the naked body parts?

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I gave the metal body parts a wavy effect to give a little texture to the look. I used a dremel drill with a grinding disk for that.