Removing Zeiss Bumps

[CuS]

Hello!

I recently put together this photo-documentary on removing Zeiss bumps - works pretty well for me.

Its in a flickr album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vivalafilm/albums/72157663835990279


Anyone have a better way or alternate way to do this? I would love to hear about it!

 

[Hatchetman]

Looks like the leather strips off pretty easily. If I tried it it would probably tear apart.

 

[CuS]

Looks like the leather strips off pretty easily. If I tried it it would probably tear apart.

actually, the alcohol make all the difference, it relaxes the leather and de-bonds the glue.

 

[Svenedin]

Thank you CuS, very interesting. I have a number of Zeiss folding cameras suffering from this affliction. I presume that the leather was originally glued with shellac which would explain the brown colour and the fact that the glue dissolves in alcohol. I would be inclined to glue the leather back with the same shellac glue because it may need to be removed again at some point in the future and shellac glue makes this easy. I am not familiar with Elmer's glue as I am in the UK.

 

[bdial]

...I am not familiar with Elmer's glue as I am in the UK.

Elmer's is a brand name for white aliphatic resin "carpenter's" glue.
Agreed that the original bonding agent is likely either shellac or hide glue, alcohol will loosen either one.
For future repair, white glue is reversible with heat and moisture, but that might not be friendly to the camera. It might also promote corrosion, IDK.

 

[Svenedin]

Ah yes. I have used animal glue for antique furniture. It smells quite unpleasant and is a nuisance to make up fresh when only a tiny quantity is needed. It does have useful properties in woodworking and that is that it contracts as it cools and dries and it is, as you say, reversible with heat and moisture. I think shellac is more convenient but I wonder whether it has enough "grab". My concern regarding reversibility is that sometimes screws need to be accessed that are hidden under the leather. It's all very well to glue the leather down really well but it may be that the leather gets totally destroyed if it ever has to come off again.

 

[bdial]

A useful substitute for hide glue is common unflavored gelatin (which is fundamentally the same stuff). You mix it with less water than you would use if cooking with it, as I recall. There are some references to general recipes on luther's websites.
It's a little harder than normal hide glue, but easy to prepare for small quantities. I've used it for gluing leatherette and for small repairs on wood cameras.

 

[Grytpype]

I've been using Permatex "Indian Head Gasket Shellac Compound" to glue both leather and leatherette. It's a U.S. product, but I've always managed to get it (in the UK) from eBay sellers in Eire.

It seems to stick very well, it is very easy to use, and it smells nice! Isopropanol is the best solvent for thinning and cleaning.