Bronica S2A getting a new leatherette - the full re-skin!
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- čas přidán 12. 05. 2022
- Remember that video I did about glue? One year later I've finally done the S2A re-skin!
By re-skin, I mean removing the old leatherette, the faux leather covering on the camera, and replacing it with a new leatherette.
Anyone who owns a Bronica S2 or Bionic S2A, or any of the others in the series, or any other vintage camera for that matter, will probably have experienced the leather starting to lift off as the glue gets old. Well mine was getting really scruffy. I did a fair bit of touching up, sticking corners down and such like, but I always wanted to fully replace the whole thing.
So, finally, I did it. I got two sheets of a replacement faux leather type material, and began the process.
Getting the glue off the camera was possibly the hardest part, but I went into this knowing that it was going to be tough, because I've done a couple of panels before. So I had a full armoury of solvents ready! As always, I wanted to avoid acetone where possible because it melts literally everything... and after testing a few options I decided to use MEK - methyl ethyl ketone.
Full disclosure - MEK is pretty much just as dangerous for camera parts as acetone! But I was very careful with it, only using cue tips and applying MEK to small areas at a time, making sure it didn't leak and spread into other parts of the camera.
I actually thought the MEK was less destructive than acetone, I don't know if that's chemically accurate or not, but when I've used acetone in the past it seems to strip paint and plastic pretty fast, where as this MEK didn't seem to do any damage to anything. Who knows. Use at your own risk!
Anyway... the camera has a new coat! Let me know what you think of it!
Leatherette was bought from Milly's Cameras, who also sell some really useful bits for general camera repairs and maintenance, you can find them here: cameramill.co.uk
Fun fact, those leather punches are sometimes called dinks. So you have been dinking around with you Bronica S2. On the serious side the camera looks good with that snake skin. I like the look of those old Hasselblad style cameras.
Ah no way! I didn't know that. I do love dinking things.
Looks killer! A unique one and only. Great colors.
I LOVED the chrome!
Thanks! I do kinda like it. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to see past those tiny imperfections where I didn’t do a great job… need to get over it for now I guess. I expect I’ll rip it all off and start again soon enough!
The chrome did look amazing right? But it was so hard to keep shiny, even for the couple hours that it was like that. Finger marks everywhere. You would spend your life polishing it?!
This looks soooo good!! The snakeskin is a super cool look. I didn’t mind the bare chrome look either!
Thanks man! I’m actually looking forward to getting it out in daylight and sort of standing back and taking it all in. You know when you have your head buried in a project and it’s hard to get a proper view of it! Film is loaded, I’m heading out with it today!
I've cut many leathers for many different cameras. I found a great website in France ( where I live) that does offcuts of real leather. They sell everything to do with leather goods and a vast amount of punches in different sizes. Ive done the ones like yours with the glue already which saves time. I'm in the middle of an Olympus flex which has brittle what I would call paper leather. So in order to make a template I have to use a sticky tape. Patience and time are needed as if it's hurried it will look amateur. The S2a is one of my favourite cameras. I bought another one a few months back for parts. It was the all black version. Two metal parts had dried grease and once that was sorted it works now. It's mint as well so I was very lucky. Great video. Glad you like using it.
This is the first camera that I've re skinned, and it was a lot more work than I expected. As you say, time and patience required, both of which i was prepared to put in. But as can be expected, if I was to approach the job again I would do it better, and know more about what i was likely to face. And sadly, I suspect I will have to do the job again sooner rather than later, because I won't be able to look at the little imperfections in this one for long without doing something about it!
My S2A is still my favourite camera, and I only decided to change the leatherette because I know this one will be with me for a good long while.
Thanks for the info!
oh my gosh ,that's awesome!
Thanks! It's growing on me! There's a big part of me that thinks you shouldn't mess with vintage cameras like this, that you should keep them in their "proper" form... but I figured that the leatherette would eventually need changing anyway, and is a new coloured skin any worse than a new black one? Took me a long time to find something just a bit different, but not too garish!
Looks great!
Now about that Kiev 88, if you’re planning to sell it after the video, let me know. I’ve been after one for aaaages
Ha! No problem, I'll let you know when I'm done with it!
When naked, it looks like Terminator's camera!
Looked good all shiny right? If only the leatherette wasn't covering so many screwholes!
I’ve never heard of the Analogue Swap Meet, I’m surprised. Too late now but I’ll keep my eyes open in future. A bit of trek from Sussex but in future I could stay over at my son’s near Tamworth.
Sorry, maybe I didn't say that one cleary! Analogue Spotlight - analoguespotlight.com
Still this weekend, and still in Worcester, but maybe next time they put on an event? I expect the next big one will be the one at the Photography Show in Birmingham, same as last year.
Oooh ok, not heard of that either to my shame. I’m not a fan of the big photography show, done it a few times and didn’t really get much out of it. I prefer smaller ones where you can chat a bit and compare notes.
@@Nick_r It's run by a few film enthusiasts around the country I think, supported by the Sunny 16 Podcast folks, or maybe it is the Sunny 16 folks. But they were the group behind the Analogue Spotlight section of last year's Photography Show. And as I understand it that was so successful and popular that they're doing it again this year and branching out to new independent events, like this weekend. I didn't make it to the Photography Show last year... I get my free pro badge each year but I find it hard to justify the day away from working. But as there is this analogue element to it now, I will probably make more of an effort.
I'll be taking the video camera, along with the S2A, to this weekend's event, and will be posting a vid all about it on here, so you'll be able to see everything that was going on. Maybe come along for the next one!
@@the120ist Yeah, I may well do that. There is a mini one down this way in Folkestone run by Nik and Trick but haven’t tripped over any film only groups. Thanks for the heads up, I’ve subscribed to them now :-)
wow!!! super!
Thanks!
4:15 I like how the Bronica is! 😁
It looked good naked right? I think it would be a nightmare to keep clean though. Every time I touched it I left finger marks. You would be forever polishing it!
Looks very cool great job, I've just got myself an S2A with nikkor pc 75mm, hope I don't come across any problems with it just yet. I was wondering if the lens hood is a bog standard 67mm or is it original to the lens as I need one.
Cheers new subscriber
Congratulations! You're going to love that camera!
The lens hood I have for my 75mm is just a collapsible no brand thing off amazon or something, screws into he filter thread, which as you say, is 67mm. Not original.
tbh it looks pretty cool without the leatherette. I might just remove it all when the time comes to replace my leatherette
It does look pretty cool with all the polished metal! But I worry it would be a nightmare to keep free of fingermarks! Definitely an option though.
Cool video! What do you advice to stick the little loose parts?
I think you watched the glue video right? For little bits like that I would always go for a contact adhesive, E6000 or Evostik contact, easier than messing about trying to cut out tiny pieces of double sided tape!
@@the120ist Yes, indeed, after this one and the comment 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
@@studiojege287 Glad to hear it!
Six months later how is the new skin holding up? Are the edges peeling away?
Not bad you know. It does curl up on the tight corners, such as the back of the WLF hood, but so far it sticks back down again when I press it down. The sticky backing on the faux snake skin is definitely not quite up to the shape twists and turns of the S2A. If I was to do it again I think I would try to get a plain leatherette and either a more powerful 3M sheet of double sided stuff, or go with one of the glue options.But it's still there, it's staying on, for now!!
I wish i actually managed to fix my bronica S2A could never get the focus right after a couple months of trying. Its a beautiful paperweight though.
What happened?? Don’t give up on it. It will work! Can I help at all?
@@the120ist haha its okay i have accepted defeat. Your videos were extremely helpful. I tried all the fixes, someone who had it before me did some damage i think, potentially around the mirror frame. In the end the focusing screen cracked. I have an all-in-one focus screen/ ground glass but that doesn't work either.
@@MM-mo9hn Nooo! Never give up! Where in the world are you located? If you could get it to me I'd be happy to take a look at it, see if I can do anything?
@@the120ist I'm in Australia. Is there a way to DM on youtube ? i could send you pictures of how broken it is. I don't really have a functioning focus screen, the one i have doesn't seem to work and the original is broken. The frame that holds the mirror in is dented in in one of the corners. i suspect due to trying to put a different screw in.
@@MM-mo9hn on my channel page there should be an about section with my email address. If you can’t find it there, it’s hello at the120 dot ist. Send me photos! I’m sure there’s a way of fixing it!
Leica called it vegan python, sounds more expensive than faux snake skin. (Although I cannot imagine a python eating grass)
Ha ha! Vegan python, I like that. Although I'm not sure how vegan or otherwise this cheap plastic stuff I've used is!
@@the120ist For a 24k Leica Lenny Kravitz edition Faux Snake Skin can't do. It needs something flashier.
@@Martin_Siegel Oh of course!! Sadly my $250 S2A just doesn't warrant anything flashier.... the poor thing!
@@the120ist You can call it vegan anaconda or cobra ;)