Nikon F3: Brass or Nickel under the paint?

[skahde]

I noticed that early worn Nikon F3 show brass under the paint while higher serial numbers, as my own example (193xxxx) show a bright nickel-coloured allloy on all parts worn through. Anybody knows anything about a change in materials and when it occured? I know from my many FM/FE's that the brass covers got quite easily dented so it may have been a change for the better.

BTW, I have reblackened the bright corners with Ballistol Quick Browning for iron and steel sucessfully and it is much more durable than repainting. Just swipe it on continuously to the bright spot with a small brush for a few minutes, clean with a wet/moist cloth and the bright spots are black.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

F3 vs F3/T?

 

[reddesert]

To my knowledge, Nikon used a type of copper-aluminum-silicon alloy for the chassis of the FE/FM series of cameras, and probably for many of their cameras after. I'm not sure about the material used for the top and bottom plates. Denting has a lot to do with the thickness of the material used. Whether the revealed color is yellow or silvery may have to do with the specific alloy composition, or even the environment the material is exposed to.

What we call "brassing" is not always revealing brass - Brass is rather heavy (dense) and not particularly stiff for its weight. It's very ductile and resistant to galling which makes it easier to machine and a good material for threaded moving parts like lens helicals, filter rings, etc.

 

[skahde]

What we call "brassing" is not always revealing brass - Brass is rather heavy (dense) and not particularly stiff for its weight. It's very ductile and resistant to galling which makes it easier to machine and a good material for threaded moving parts like lens helicals, filter rings, etc.

Let's put it this way: Nikon changed the composition of F3-covers (not T-models) from a yellowish alloy to a bright one some way through the twenty plus years of its production run for what reason ever. Look up used bodies and compare the serial numbers, it's an obvious difference once you noticed it.

I did a quick search through auctions myself:
Yellow wearspots
1665067 DE3
1716141 DE2
1224714 DE2 bright wear on back
1535921 DE2
1604702 DE3
1622217 DE2
1584334 DE3

Bright wearspots
1736518 DE3, unclear, only slight wear.
1739472 DE3 deep scratches
1747579 DE3
1927557 DE3

This would date the change in alloy to somewhere between 171x and 173x in the Mid-Eighties.