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Restoration ideas?

Horatio

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South Carolina
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My new F100 works great, but may have been cleaned a little too aggressively. Should I try regular Armorall, a specialized plastic rejuvenator, or something homebrew to restore the finish here?
 
I haven't seen that whitening on Nikons before. It's very common on early Minolta Maxxum cameras and lenses. ArmorAll works well on those. Sometimes you have to let it soak in.

Maybe your Nikon skin has been dried out with solvents? I would try ArmorAll to see how that works.
 

I’m thinking lots of rubbing alcohol caused the damage, but who knows. Glad to know ArmorAll will work.
 
That looks like the result of someone trying to remove sticky back syndrome. Looks like they used Naptha or Zippo lighter fluid. Alcohol isn't destructive like that. I used it on my F100 to good effect without any whitening. If all else fails get a scrapper camera and switch backs.
 

Thanks. It’s definitely not sticky, but this is to be my beater, so looks are less critical. I have another F100 in nearly pristine condition and used alcohol on it with no problems. I’ll pick up some AA today.
 
A trip to the auto parts store may be in order. Look for Meguiar's Ultimate Black. Apply sparingly and repeat if necessary.
 
ArmorAll is evil. If it's actually leather, clean it with some real, honest-to-god leather cleaner and protector.
 
I keep my sticky Nikons sticky. In fact my Yashicas have been restored with "Griptac" covering. I'd rather not have a slippery camera....
 
Horatio said:
View attachment 277811
My new F100 works great, but may have been cleaned a little too aggressively. Should I try regular Armorall, a specialized plastic rejuvenator, or something homebrew to restore the finish here?
Click to expand...

I restore lots of cameras. Ive had many that have had faded leatherette. The car stuff is just going to
come off at some point. I Use Americana Gloss Enamels Acrylic paint. You can get it online. I buy
it at Joann Fabrics. Not sure if they have that store in South Carolina. You also need to get a small
angled brush from there too. I have a whole set of different sizes...Lightly paint it..
Don't cake it on or it could become sticky.. ..let it dry overnight...

Heres a Mamiya C33 (before and after)..I just painted last night....
 
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I wouldn't allow armor all (or any other dressing intended for vehicles) within 1000 feet of any camera especially if you actually want to hold on to it. Armor all contains silicone and glycerin that will now get all over your face, hands and subsequently anything else you touch after it. Alcohol and a bit of soap and water will clean it, but it will come back as the rubber ages more. You can't stop the oxidation. If it really bothers you, order up some griptac to replace it.



The C33 was originally gray, not black....
 

I thought it might be slick as eel snot, but it's really not. Thanks for the griptac tip.
 
One thing to think about with Armor All - it often causes some items to crack, and seems to be a dust-magnet.
 
I learned something to day. Now if only I can remember it when I need to.
 
Horatio said:
It's plastic.
Click to expand...

Where the fading happened is not Plastic.. Its a faux leatherette with an adhesive back that
is applied over the plastic. When I restore my cameras, I usually either repaint that part or pull it
off and put new leatherette on it.. You can buy black faux leatherette in a roll... But in the case
of your camera. I would just repaint the leatherette part with black acrylic paint as I shown in my
previous post....

Armour All is not good to put on camera gear and its just going to come off at some point anyway...
 
MartinCrabtree said:
A trip to the auto parts store may be in order....
Click to expand...
I second that!

I bought some product that's supposed to clean/restore faux leather and/or in car's cockpits. Essentially, camera "leathering" is the same stuff used on steering wheels, cockpits, etc. Just be aware of what material you are dealing with. Added benefit: car stuff is way cheaper than camera stuff. The same spray/cleaner would cost triple, if labeled as "camera cleaner".
 
One thing that needs cleared up is the type of faux leather that is on a camera. A Leica may have a vulcanite covering or it may have been recovered with a leatherette. A Nikon F for instance will have a leatherette covering. An N90 will have a rubberized coating as will an F100 though I think they seem somewhat different. The restorative treatment for each type may vary from the others.
 
Vulcanite is, in my understanding, vulcanized rubber. Essentially the same as a tire. „Tire detailing“ from the auto shop.
 
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