Restoring my vintage Nikon 7x50 advice required

[DaveL59]

Ah over here the firm likely would be named "Bodge-it & Leggit" 😉 

Edited November 10, 2020 by DaveL59

[MrZuiko]

On 10/11/2020 at 18:23, DaveL59 said:

If they are anything like the swifts it'd be one piece and the join would be in the hinge area and under the prism housing but these are a slightly different shape in that area, perhaps

Hi guys,

Quick update.......I've been working hard for days to produce a workable template but there's too many complicated curves/shapes to cover in a single skin even with a seam or two.

Nikon UK have been fantastic in trying to locate spare leatherette or a template I've had 8 emails from them updating me etc etc!

Intrasights want £75 but due to covid-19 I've been laid off for the second time so have to watch my pennies!........so now it only leaves the spray rubber paint route,I would obviously thoroughly clean them,couple coats of their undercoat and then 3-4 light coats of top coat.......I've been told that if I undercoat first then the top coat will last longer.

Would you guys paint them?

 

Regards Ash.

[DaveL59]

hi Ash

ouch re the job, I so know the feeling having been laid off myself in August. The Nikon does seem to be an awkward shape to try to make a covering for, especially if there's little give in the materials used. The rubber paint may well give a reasonable and usable finish to tide you over since it can be removed when you are ready to take the plunge on getting them redone in leatherette. Do take care in masking off the optical and mechanical components.

Have you worked out the cost of the rubber paint before firming up on this route? You may find you need 1x primer and 2x top coat depending on how well it covers and how many layers you need to apply to get a good finish, it may only cost a little more to get Intrasights to do the work. Certainly when overhauling my TAL-M scope I used more cans of top coat than I'd expected and that was regular hammerite white.

[MrZuiko]

Hi Dave,

If it were a zeiss 7x50 or similar two piece body then it would have been a piece of cake! I've used leatherette before restoring cameras like the original Olympus trip 35 do you remember those lol!

The cost of the paint would be  £23 from that well known auction site....you can buy it in Halfords cheaper but the paint that I've found is an American brand which people use on car bonnets,wheels etc so I know it's hard wearing not that my bins will be ill treated....I've had another idea......black camo tape which sticks to itself....maybe that's another way forward? I might bite the bullet and have intrasights do the job for me 3 week turn around tho!...the bins only cost me £52 and they are of high quality so.....to be honest I'd rather not paint them just don't know how they would get around all those curves.....maybe the use a little heat treatment to soften up the leatherette? I'll email Intrasights this morning...I think they deserve a proper leatherette finish!

Ash.

[MrZuiko]

Just found this tape off that well known auction site for less than £6.00 black Tape Self-Adhesive Wrap Non-Woven Stretch Bandage I might buy some because I'm interested now as to see what it would look like and I wouldn't have to take the chance and post my bins away....could get damaged or worse lost!

your thoughts please.

Ps I've just bought some as it was the last remaining roll!

 

Ash.

Edited November 17, 2020 by MrZuiko

[DaveL59]

Hi Ash

yeah I expect heat would be used to form the covering into the awkward areas, you may even be able to do similar with a cool iron tho you'd be gambling on the results of course. It should be possible but for sure a skill to get a good smooth layup and you'd need to hold the body in a jig so you can exert the required stretch etc.

I get what you are saying re price paid vs cost to restore, I have several binos that cost  under 30 yet with a little work have restored nicely, but I've not had to recover the body on any so far.

I do recall the trip 35mm tho didn't have one. I used to have a Pentax ME super way back when 🙂

[DaveL59]

3 minutes ago, MrZuiko said:

Just found this tape off that well known auction site for less than £6.00 black Tape Self-Adhesive Wrap Non-Woven Stretch Bandage I might buy some because I'm interested now as to see what it would look like and I wouldn't have to take the chance and post my bins away....could get damaged or worse lost!

your thoughts please.

 

Ash.

no idea on the tape, it could ride up in handling but then again cheap and would make them look different. Could go for the Camo look even 😉 

[MrZuiko]

Hi Dave  I've bought some  black Tape Self-Adhesive Wrap Non-Woven Stretch Bandage,it should stay put and you can get a good tight wrap....lets face it your not going to want this wrap on a rifle only to have it slip 😬 blacks good with me...no camo here.....you never know I might have started a new craze!........I've still got the rubber shoulders and lens surrounds to go back on.

It's only £6 and worth a shot....I might even like it!

I'll post a photo when I'm finished.

Back in the film days I've had everything from the original Nikon F which had no electronics F2,F3,F4 the F3 was my favourite of all time even NASA used them in their space program I should have kept my film gear as now the prices are through the roof..........my D300,D2H AND D2xs cost less than my F3's!!

I'm going off topic and will get myself in trouble lol 😇 thanks again it's good to talk!

 

Stay safe.

Ash.

[MrZuiko]

9 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

no idea on the tape, it could ride up in handling but then again cheap and would make them look different. Could go for the Camo look even 😉 

Hi Dave,silly question but I think I'll have to split them to make a better looking job,I'll do one half and re-attach then the other is this as simple as just unscrewing the screws!

 

Ash.

[DaveL59]

sort of. Under the trim cap piece at the eyepiece end you'll likely find something like this:
 

The red arrow indicates where the set screw would be. You need a small jewellers screwdriver to undo that before trying to undo the larger hinge screw. Ideally a quite wide bladed screwdriver to undo that large screw else you can chew the slot. Be careful tho as the grub screw in there can easily split, being small, brass and pretty old. A drop of penetrating oil well before trying might help.

Not sure on yours if the other end will be similar or if the centre pin will just slide down complete. I'd expect it may well be fixed and have a screw each end. If yours is tripod mount threaded the end screw at the objective end will be different as it'll have a larger threaded hole in the centre.

When you come to reassemble you'll need to tighten this large screw to get the hinge to the right tension and ideally the setscrew will align with its previous indent, may help to make a small mark on the arm so you can orient it to about the original spot.

Note that these are CF bin's, I've not had to strip an IF bino so there may be some differences but the principle should be pretty similar.

[MrZuiko]

Cheers Dave,a very detailed report!! I might just loosen the screws that are on the top first as I only want to take off one side at a time so that I can wrap the tape around the body to get a better wrap!

I'll see if google can shed any light on the subject 😉 I don't need any more dramas lol.

 

Ash.

[DaveL59]

are you thinking the screws that hold the hinge to the barrel?

I'd not do those unless you know how they are secured on the inside, could be tapped holes or could be a nut that'll drop loose. Also if they aren't refitted exactly then you will affect the collimation as the barrel will be out of line vs the central hinge. Easiest will be to undo the screw top and bottom of the hinge then slip the two sides apart. Once wrapped/painted then simply reassemble and the two barrels and hinge should retain the alignment.

[MrZuiko]

Morning Dave,

You must have read my mind.........yes the hinge! I'm gonna leave it all well alone and do my best with everything in situ as I have no idea how the hinge would have been fixed at the factory and i don't want to find out!😬 I've just had a message regarding the tape that I have purchased.......I choose black from the drop down list only to be told after that the colour is picked at random!........so I could have a camo pattern...lets hope it's not pink!

Ash.

[MrZuiko]

Afternoon all,just a quick update I'm about to cover the bins with leartherette as I have made a new template with a couple of "cuts" to allow me to cover in one piece and get around the prisms etc,knock on the door and the "black camo tape" I ordered has come.........a very quick wrap and here is the result.......please bear in mind if I were to go this route I would take my time......and yes I would order from a different supplier so I know I'll get black and not camo design.

I have to admit it doesn't slip and feels good, would secure the end where I started with a little glue and cut it in around the hinges etc.

What do you think....? go with this or order black..........or leatherette?

[DaveL59]

actually it doesn't look bad at all, certainly would make them fairly unique and disguise the size a little bit 🙂

Down to you tho really. If you can get good leatherette and template it to fit well I guess that'd return a touch of class for what is an excellent bino and may not need recovering again in a very long time.

[markse68]

4 hours ago, MrZuiko said:

What do you think....? go with this or order black..........or leatherette?

Looks like it belonged to a mummy  Won’t the edges lift or get sticky and annoy you? Guess it depends how well you can do the leatherette- that would be preferable to badly fitting leatherette but my choice would be good fitting leatherette I think. Certainly would be unique looking though 

Mark

[MrZuiko]

Morning Dave and Mark, I know what you mean about the leatherette a touch of class it's just the contours!

I did a dry test fit with the new leatherette skins......looks real good.......what would be the best regarding the glue I bought a tube of Evo-Stik Sticks Like Adhesive - Clear either spread thin layer of glue on the body in small patches and lay down the skin and repeat or on the leatherette....I'm thinking on the body so I can keep the skin away from the body so I don't get in a mess without the skin sticking itself together as this stuff will stick like f*@k I guess there's only one way to find out! 😬.

Ash.

[DaveL59]

hmm I thought contact adhesive you normally spread on both and let it go tacky then apply. Tho that doesn't really allow any positioning, once you apply you're kinda stuck and yeah pun intended 🙂

I've sometimes applied to one part (the bino, say) and then applied the covering and taped it down tight to keep pressure until the glue sets. You need to use a tape that isn't going to strip the finish of course, masking tape perhaps. Also be careful of glue seep at the joins of the tape will get glued too. I've just ordered some PU leatherette to redo the grip on my Minolta M9000 camera handgrip as picking it up today the OEM rubber has split and broken away in parts. I don't use it any more but the OCD part of me can't leave it like that. This one tho is self-adhesive
Camera Replacement Self-adhesive PU Leather 0.5mm Thin [BLACK] Restoration DIY | eBay

 

[MrZuiko]

Hi Dave,

I would feel happier using glue on one side against using  the self-adhesive type as I'll know its stuck and not going anywhere! the leatherette I've got is double the thickness at 1.2mm or do you think if it's thinner it will make the contours easier?  I've just measured the skin and it's bigger than the sheet on offer! so I'll have to go with what I've got.

Ash.

[DaveL59]

I expect the thinner will be easier to work into the awkward shapes but you can probably persuade it with some pressure using the back edge of a warmed table knife. Warming the sheet before applying may help too depends how flexible it is. Keeping the pressure applied until the glue sets, perhaps more awkward but should be possible. The thicker one you have may well be more durable and also a better match for the rubber that was removed so give a better finish.

For what I want this for tho, on a camera that hasn't seen use in some time, the one I ordered will do and I may well run a trace of glue around the edges just so it stays put 😉 I've a few binos where the corner/edges had lifted slightly and did the same, tease a little contact glue in with a toothpik and pressure till it sets off, they've stood up to handling and now don't look tatty.

[MrZuiko]

Well it's plan B now as the leatherette refused to stick to the body,I don't want to use contact glue as it can become messy very quickly!......so that leaves me with 3 choices............I've got some black bandage tape on order and wrap them.........paint them with "rubber paint"....umm I don't think so..........use them taped with bandage and then when I find a new job as I found out today that I won't be going back to my old job because of the latest lockdown 😫 send them off to be recovered in leatherette by the experts!

I'll post a new picture when I have administered first aid 😉

Keep safe people Ash.

[DaveL59]

Hi Ash

so the evo-stick wouldn't hold the covering to the body at all?

I've used Bostick leather adhesive on some of mine to re-fix lifted sections and that's worked just fine. You do need to secure things in place while the glue sets tho with enough pressure so there's good surface to surface contact. What's the back edge of the leatherette like, smooth and shiny or fabric. If very smooth you may need to roughen it so the glue can key to it, some sandpaper would do that just fine.

Sorry to hear re the job, know that feeling myself,  unfortunately 😞 

Edited November 25, 2020 by DaveL59

[MrZuiko]

Morning Dave,

No the evo-stick was slip sliding all over the place! funny thing is I've used the evo-stick to clad our fireplace with pallet timber no problem!. The back of the leatherette is fabric.....I'm in two minds whether  to give it one more go with some contact adhesive so it grabs it....like you said I'll only get one shot as I've got a good working template to use or just wait for the black bandage to arrive as I quite like the feel it's sorta non-slip and warmer than leatherette if you know what I mean! at the end of the day it's just cosmetic and I can change the colour if I get bored 🤣.

While I'm here Dave I've got my eye on a pair of Swift Saratoga 8x40's model 801 to add to my collection any thoughts? I took out my Tento 8x40's the other night as I wanted to see if what the clouds were doing before I got out my astrophotography rig, great little binocular I like Russian optics I see in your signature you like them too always fancied  Tal-1 but hard to come by now........right gonna check out the classifieds as I've always wanted to make my own 6"-8" dob I enjoy working with wood....Ooops going off topic again!

Re job thanks Dave time to look for another job.

Ash.

[PeterW]

Few mm  thick neoprene foam held on with carpet tape, stop cold fingers (I have this on my monopod ball head. I you’re going to use tape, use Gorilla brand, my wallet is almost completely made of the stuff, lasts much longer than generic duct tapes.

Good luck

Peter

[MrZuiko]

Hi Peter,

The tape I would be using is the same as the "camo" bandage but in black, I quickly wrapped the binocular in to see if it would work,It's sticky and can follow the contours and if I wanted at a later date get them covered professionally in leatherette as the bandage will easily come off.

Thanks Ash.

Edited November 26, 2020 by MrZuiko