The Importance of Replacing Light Seals.

Pioneer · Dec 14, 2017

I am seriously impressed with your diy ethic Cholentpot.

I am an old, shade tree mechanic myself.

Fix it so it works, everything else is secondary.

I once owned a Ford LTD with a front seat that would fall over backwards if you didn't hold on tight to the steering wheel. The floor was a tad rusty (northern Minnesota car) so new bolts were not the answer.

I built 1x4 bracing from pallet lumber that sat on the floor behind the seat. It never fell over again.

The kids were young and limber at the time so they had no problem getting in and out of the back seat. In fact, they preferred it after having that seat fall on their legs a couple of times.

Life was simpler then.

Cholentpot · Dec 14, 2017

Truzi said:
I thought you sealed it with bubblegum.

Would...would that um..work? I mean I'm asking for a friend...

Cholentpot · Dec 14, 2017

Pioneer said:
I am seriously impressed with your diy ethic Cholentpot.

I am an old, shade tree mechanic myself.

Fix it so it works, everything else is secondary.

I once owned a Ford LTD with a front seat that would fall over backwards if you didn't hold on tight to the steering wheel. The floor was a tad rusty (northern Minnesota car) so new bolts were not the answer.

I built 1x4 bracing from pallet lumber that sat on the floor behind the seat. It never fell over again.

The kids were young and limber at the time so they had no problem getting in and out of the back seat. In fact, they preferred it after having that seat fall on their legs a couple of times.

Life was simpler then.

You'd love my car.

'05 Malibu Classic. I replaced the stock radio but the replacement only comes on when the temp outside is above 45. But it comes on everytime after you turn the car off. Also, the hazard switch is a little off (broken) so I keep flashing LEDs in the glovebox. Better than my last car...or was it two cars ago...Could not idle so I would have to park and rev at red lights.

Fix it till it works is a good motto. My lawnmower is built from 3 or 4 different machines. It backfires, which is good 'cause it scares all the wildlife away like the Blue Angels do before they take off. You should see my film scanning rig.

Pioneer · Dec 15, 2017

I drive newer cars now.

I'm getting too old to suddenly be looking at the dome light while passing an eighteen wheeler on a two lane.

MattKing · Dec 15, 2017

I wonder how many people there are out there who are too young to know what a dome light is?

RalphLambrecht · Dec 15, 2017

Cholentpot said:
I've been wondering about the importance of replacing light seals.

In my SLRs over the years I've done it time and time again. No issue, a few hours of work and good as new. I just got an XA2 in the mail, camera works fine and I passed a roll of HP5+ through it and see no light leaks. However, the seals are basically gone and need replacing. Issue is that the XA series has much tighter tolerances than the SLRs I've worked on.

Should I poke around and try to replace or just leave and let be? I never bought any kits, always fabricated myself out of foamies and used film can felt.

Camera if fun to use BTW but I'm not seeing the awesome lens that people go on about. Guess I'll need to run more rolls through it!

I had a few oldNikon FMs with totally dicinegrated light seals. All I did was clean out the sealing channels real good with lighter fluid and alcohol and then painted the channels flat black, turning them into light traps. That's all it took to get them light tight again and, I'm sure this solution will last longer than new seals.

E. von Hoegh · Dec 15, 2017

MattKing said:
I wonder how many people there are out there who are too young to know what a dome light is?

Or "three on the tree".

E. von Hoegh · Dec 15, 2017

RalphLambrecht said:
I had a few oldNikon FMs with totally dicinegrated light seals. All I did was clean out the sealing channels real good with lighter fluid and alcohol and then painted the channels flat black, turning them into light traps. That's all it took to get them light tight again and, I'm sure this solution will last longer than new seals.

Most older Nikons, F, F2, Nikkormats will be light tight without the foam; they relied on a labyrinth to keep the dark inside. The fm- series is likely similar.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 16, 2017

E. von Hoegh said:
Most older Nikons, F, F2, Nikkormats will be light tight without the foam; they relied on a labyrinth to keep the dark inside. The fm- series is likely similar.

Yes, that's what I said.

Wayne · Dec 16, 2017

Pioneer said:
I am seriously impressed with your diy ethic Cholentpot.

I am an old, shade tree mechanic myself.

Fix it so it works, everything else is secondary.

I once owned a Ford LTD with a front seat that would fall over backwards if you didn't hold on tight to the steering wheel.

My first car, a 68 Montego, had the same awesome feature.

BrianShaw · Dec 16, 2017

MattKing said:
I wonder how many people there are out there who are too young to know what a dome light is?

Or wing windows...

Pioneer · Dec 16, 2017

Wayne said:
My first car, a 68 Montego, had the same awesome feature.

My LTD was a 69 so it must have been a Ford manufacturing feature at that time.

RalphLambrecht · Dec 17, 2017

BrianShaw said:
Or wing windows...

that was before parking brakes became emergency brakes and dashboards became instrument panels.

Cholentpot · Dec 17, 2017

RalphLambrecht said:
that was before parking brakes became emergency brakes and dashboards became instrument panels.

Blinkers are now turn signals.

Theo Sulphate · Jul 22, 2018

How many remember curb scrapers?

Anyway, back to light seals: I'm fond of small diameter tight yarn in the channel and pliobond. Anyone do that? At my former workplace I've seen plastic bottles with angled nozzles that would be perfect for injecting pliobond in the channel, but don't know where those bottles can be found. Ideas?

Cholentpot · Jul 22, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
How many remember curb scrapers?

Anyway, back to light seals: I'm fond of small diameter tight yarn in the channel and pliobond. Anyone do that? At my former workplace I've seen plastic bottles with angled nozzles that would be perfect for injecting pliobond in the channel, but don't know where those bottles can be found. Ideas?

I've used syringes of all kinds. My foamies are holding up, some are nearing 4 years of service.

Truzi · Jul 22, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
How many remember curb scrapers?

Anyway, back to light seals: I'm fond of small diameter tight yarn in the channel and pliobond. Anyone do that? At my former workplace I've seen plastic bottles with angled nozzles that would be perfect for injecting pliobond in the channel, but don't know where those bottles can be found. Ideas?

I used yarn a couple years before I joined this site - though I think I got the idea from this site. It seems to work well, though I used some relatively generic rubber cement.

Helios 1984 · Jul 23, 2018

Theo Sulphate said:
How many remember curb scrapers?

Anyway, back to light seals: I'm fond of small diameter tight yarn in the channel and pliobond. Anyone do that? At my former workplace I've seen plastic bottles with angled nozzles that would be perfect for injecting pliobond in the channel, but don't know where those bottles can be found. Ideas?

I did that with my Prakticas, however, I only apply glue at ends of the channels.

The Importance of Replacing Light Seals.

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