How To Replace Light Seals Camera

Light seal overview

Really? You lot're going to exercise light seals as a subject? Sheesh! This gets asked every week on photographic camera forums. Yep! It does and rather than echo myself, I wrote this guide to replacing light seals to help beginners out. This saves my fingers and the resulting RSI after typing the same answer out a few times a week.
Similar almost things on camera forums, there'southward a lot of bad advice. So let'southward bargain with some of that correct at the start…

"Why do I need to supplant the seals anyway?"

Well the door seals and mirror bumpers in many cameras made from the 1960s onwards were made of cream. Over time the foam decays into dust or sometimes a tar similar substance. As the foam degrades information technology basically turns dorsum into its basic original chemistry which is unremarkably some form of oil. The glue/tar like substance is the foam decaying dorsum to dead dinosaur guts. These cameras are now usually at least 40 years erstwhile so way beyond their expected operating life. It'due south really not surprising some stuff like cream materials and lubricants are starting to show bug.

"I didn't bother replacing the light seals and the camera works ok"

Well pardon me but I adopt to believe that the manufacturer had their reasons for putting information technology in in that location. No manufacturer fits things that aren't needed. If they thought they could salve a few pennies on manufacturing with no downside they'd do it. If they are there they are in that location for a reason. In some cases the seals human action to cutting downwardly grit and dirt.
Second reply to that one – if the old seals are decaying (and near are) so they volition slowly scatter grit as well as nasty acidic tar like droplets all over the cameras insides including your moving picture. The focus screen, mirror and shutter defunction all need to be clean. Precision parts don't generally like being coated in fragments of foam or tar then your camera may exist working. Simply for how long? Some nasty bits of semi congealed tar in the shutter curtains will cause issues soon enough.

"Don't bother buying low-cal seals, I just apply a yarn and glue / a cut up mouse mat / some junk I plant in the shed"

You lot are Scrooge McDuck and I claim my £5 prize! Seriously – y'all are going to invest in spending £x a curlicue on film? Get information technology processed? Are too tight to spend fourth dimension and money to brand sure the camera works and gets good shots. If you honey pic you should be loving the equipment that allows you to shoot it. With no more movie cameras existence made, you might just want to rethink this. Start to see yourself as a conservator of the past rather than a consumer. It's not like Nikon or Pentax are going to bring out a new one next week!
Some cameras did indeed utilise yarn/gum as a seal. If thats what your camera has thats what y'all should supercede information technology with the same. Most Japanese cameras used foam.
So apply the correct materials. Bodges accept consequences, significant excess strain being placed on the door swivel, latches or channels which volition CAUSE light leaks or cause other issues.

"Just buy a pre-cut set up on eBay – they are easy to fit – no demand to research a guide to replacing light seals"

No they aren't, very often these pre-cut sets are very poor quality cream that will decay very apace.

I had a Pentax KX set off eBay when I should take known improve. Paradoxically pre-cut door seals turn out to be harder to fit. Plus the foam decayed into broth inside a few months. On summit of that some of these sets are but not correct with the wrong density of foam. The correct foam is open prison cell blazon foam.

However, some of these kits apply semi-open up or closed-cell foam probably considering information technology's easier to cut. They often miss expensive felt or accept an easy route for cutting rather than doing it correct missing small details. Many of these people have no love in them for classic cameras. They just want to blindside stuff out quick for your cash. If y'all are serious purchase the right materials and exercise it right. With the correct materials, you will be doing the job in one case in your lifetime. It'southward worth spending a bit more and doing the job properly……

And then what's the right way? Read on for a general guide to replacing light seals. PLUS some specific guides for commonly found cameras. Some of them accept their ain special needs for light seal and mirror bumper fitting.

Guide to Replacing Light Seals

Checking your seals

How practice you know if the light seals need changing at all ? Well you lot tin can generally tell by look and feel. The foam should be dark and dry to the touch. If information technology feels sticky or shows signs of crumbling when you lot touch information technology then it needs to be inverse. Run your fingers around the door edges where it fits into the slots – they should be smooth. If they feel rough that'south decaying light seal glue – we'll exist dealing with that later.
Here'southward a pic of a Minolta. You can see the seal on the swivel side of the door is aging. Information technology'due south sticking to the photographic camera body side of the hinge – these demand to exist gone now and replaced. It may look harmless but crumbled up $.25 of light seal tin can cause major headaches. Equally well as shutter rails can be clogged. If whatsoever gets trapped into the shutter curtains you could be facing a repair nib.

getting started

For this guide to replacing calorie-free seals, I will be using a Minolta Ten-700 with rotten seals. Almost all 35mm SLRs utilise a similar approach. At the end of the guide I volition testify some specific models. If in uncertainty supercede similar with similar, you won't become far wrong.
As with whatever camera repair patience and practice is e'er a expert thing. Don't blitz this as a chore and allow plenty of time.
This 10-700 had desperately degraded seals throughout.

For the Minolta X-700 and many cameras you lot tin hands detach the door. If that's possible it makes the task a tiny bit easier. If non it can be a bit more awkward. With the door detached do EXTREME Care. Mind where you put your fingers and call back about what you are doing at all times. You lot don't want your fingers on the mirror or shutter curtains.

Here the lens is off and the camera has its torso cap applied. This volition keep it prophylactic while it gets worked on.

Hither I am feeling the edge of the door where the door fits into the body slots of the camera. You may meet information technology but if this feels rough then that's a sure sign the slot seals are gone. That roughness is decomposable foam, as it decays it turns into a tar like substance that often hardens over time. Nosotros'll deal with that later.

And here'south a visual giveaway – a chunk of the cream is missing on the door side of the swivel. Annotation besides the cream has grey grit on information technology. That's the foam getting sticky and attracting dust particles every bit a issue. This stuff can easily get on your film and result in spots and other defects in the processed negatives.

Masking Upwards

First job to do when replacing light seals is to protect the photographic camera's working parts. I normally employ a piece of card over the shutter opening and seal it downwardly with some low tack tape. Masking tape is good as it's waterproof and non besides sticky. Don't allow the gluey tape to get onto the shutter – that's what the bill of fare is for.
Some camera body work can be adversely affected past Isopropyl Booze. Exercise a pocket-size test on that and if it is unlikely to have bad effects. If information technology does mask the camera body work off equally well. I have only ever seen a single camera finish react badly (Chinon CE-5) but care is ever good.

No guide to replacing calorie-free seals would be complete without cleaning products so here we go. I use a small dish to put some Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) into.
You don't need a lot.

When working with IPA make sure the area is well ventilated and avoid any ignition sources as its flammable.

Removing Old Calorie-free seals

Using a cotton wool bud or a small ball of cotton wool apply some IPA to the slots. DON'T flood the camera you just want to dampen the foam with IPA. Be very careful around the pinnacle slot (nearest the top of the photographic camera) as the seals there can pb direct within the camera. You don't want backlog liquid washing around nigh the viewfinder or the frame counter reset lever.

In one case seals are damped down with IPA go out solitary for fifteen minutes – let the IPA get to work.

Later around 15 minutes the IPA volition take dissolved the glue holding the seals in. On many Minoltas the seals volition stay with their backing tape. Using a small thin screwdriver its possible to get nether the backing tape and bring the seal out in one piece. Other cameras wont be so kind and the seals will plow into a kind of sludge or worse grit.

The best tool to use is a bamboo skewer or cocktail stick peculiarly if the camera body is metal and paint can be damaged hands. On the Minolta Ten-700 being plastic a sparse jewellers metal screwdriver, if used very advisedly – will work well and the Minolta seals can normally be relied on to stay in one slice.

Here you can meet the modest piece of lite seal from the hinge to the frame counter reset push button being pulled out pretty much in one slice.

Heres the frame counter reset lever. The light lite seal goes either side of this.

Y'all need to be conscientious extracting old foam here equally otherwise it can drib inside the camera and gum stuff up. Exist careful using IPA circular this likewise as you don't desire liquid within the camera.

getting ready to make clean

Later an initial scrape the calorie-free seals on this one accept come out almost in one piece though they have scattered crumbly stuff all over the photographic camera rear. This is the reason the shutter is protected.

At present information technology's fourth dimension to do some cleaning of the slots and swivel areas. The seals, every bit they decay, will accept left some drek and gunge behind in the slots. For this function of the task I volition be using some cotton fiber wool assurance and cocktail sticks with some more IPA.

Cleaning body seal remainder

My approach is to accept a small piece of cotton wool, soak it in IPA and so run information technology along the slots using a cocktail stick. It volition require a few goes to practice this. While you lot don't accept to be obsessive it's best to get equally much of the gunk and sludge out every bit is possible. You lot don't want the new seals being contaminated with the old decomposable stuff. This can take quite a flake of time depending on the camera and the calorie-free seal condition. Minoltas are more often than not kind while Pentax light seals can often be horrific. Either way patience and some IPA WILL get the slots clean.

Here you tin can encounter to become the bottom slot clean information technology needed about 7-10 applications of a soaked cotton fiber wool brawl existence pushed through the slot. When doing this on the elevation slot be careful around the viewfinder – some cameras take an open area here were liquid can leak inside to the prism/viewfinder and as well take care effectually the film counter reset lever.

Once the photographic camera slots are clean, clean up the hinge surface area on the camera torso. Some cameras will accept foam attached to the body or in some cases decomposable foam on the door volition have created contamination on the photographic camera body and left a gummy residue.

Cleaning door seal residue

With the photographic camera body clean information technology'due south time to piece of work on the door. As with the camera body slots utilize some IPA using a cotton bud and then give it 15 minutes to get working on the adhesive.

After around xv minutes information technology should be like shooting fish in a barrel to remove whatever decomposable foam seals on the door. Here you lot tin can see one of the door slot seals has simply detached while the swivel seal tin can be picked at with a cocktail stick to remove it. While a small screwdriver will work well on a plastic bodies camera similar the X-700 its best on painted metal surfaces like doors to use only wood or plastic tools.

Here's the chief hinge seal existence cleaned away past using a cotton bud soaked in IPA.

Here's the seal on the X Series Minolta everyone forgets. The latch terminate of the door has a sprung metallic plate, beneath the plate is even so another light seal and these ones crumble badly. To make clean these out use a cocktail stick to scrape abroad under the spring so apply some cotton fiber wool soaked in Isoprop and pushed underneath the spring with a cocktail stick to clean out the balance.

Utilize some cotton wool soaked in IPA to clean upward any remaining residue along the hinge area of the door and don't forget to clean the matching face up on the camera of any residue or tackiness.

cleaning down

Finally run a cotton wool brawl soaked in IPA along the edges of the door, be conscientious not to let this get onto the leatherette on the rear of the door as IPA tin damage the leatherette on some cameras and also crusade the gum holding the leatherette in identify to dissolve. Exist mindful of whatever $.25 of cotton getting torn off on any projecting parts similar the picture pressure plate. Like other parts permit the IPA have 15 minutes to work…

…earlier cleaning downwards with a cotton bud. Keep working this until any roughness has gone and the door edge feels smooth. Yous may need to consider whether any pigment has been stripped past the decaying light seal (it can be acidic and dissolve paint as information technology decays) and brand a judgement if it has as to how far to go here.

cutting new seals

With camera body and door at present clear it's time to create some lite seals. I always employ Japan Hobby Tools foam. It'southward what the cameras were more often than not congenital with in the first identify or at least a near perfect equivalent. The slots seals are usually one.5mm deep cream just 1mm will suffice for nigh cameras, width of the slot is ordinarily around 1.2mm but can vary. The first time you practice this you volition almost certainly cutting these as well thick and then do a single cut and see what the fit is like. For this 10-700 I am using 1.5mm thick open cell foam.

To cut these I utilize a cut mat, an Exacto pocketknife with a fresh blade and a metallic ruler.

Here's a summit slot light seal cut and ready for plumbing fixtures. Cutting it longer than you lot demand, it volition make information technology easier to place information technology (this is one of the headaches with precut seals – in that location's nothing much to hold onto). Once cut remove the backing newspaper and lick the seal and make it quite wet, this volition stop the glue gripping and permit you lot a chance to position it. Don't worry about the wetness, information technology volition dry and set but fine.
Now hold the seal out every bit shown, make certain it's not twisted, you want the shiny side with the glue facing in to the slot and so its sits facing into the camera (eg the glue side goes against the base of the slot). By very gently stretching the seal you should be easily able to get information technology glue side down along the slot.

Y'all need sharp optics and a good light to see the shiny side as you lot position it – only aim for getting the whole seal into the length of the slot – don't worry about replacing light seals in the corners nonetheless.

fitting new seals

Once in position gently press it downwardly using a cocktail stick. If its slips and you realise there's a twist in it, DON'T PANIC, if it was nice and damp with saliva the glue will take a good 5-10 minutes to become a agree, so if you become information technology wrong simply extract it and try again, wet information technology downwardly and outset over again from the acme.

Every bit you GENTLY tamp it downwardly keep a close centre that it doesn't twist or shift around – you lot need to very gently press on it to make sure it goes in flat and smooth and the run the cocktail stick forth the slot to make sure its smooth.

Take extra intendance every bit the light seal goes round corners, if it'due south going to twist this volition be where it happens. Gently pull on the seal to make sure it stays direct and correctly orientated. Utilize the cocktail stick as a guide to gently press it down effectually the corner.

And now trim the latch ends before pressing down. On most cameras the ends of the low-cal seal are NOT at the finish of the slot on the latch side. The seal will normally finish just afterwards exiting the corner. Going correct to the very finish of the slot may brand the door a tight fit when endmost.
The swivel side volition nearly always have the slot seal going to the very end of the slot.

For the meridian slot seal y'all volition need to trim the seal to stop at the frame counter reset lever…

…and apply a short piece of seal between the other cease of the frame counter lever and the end of the slot. Most cameras will have the slot seal on the hinge side running all the way to the stop of the slot (not stopping short as per the latch side).

Here is a finished seal on this X-700. You can run across how the low-cal seal stops either side of the frame counter reset lever and the cream stops only brusque of the full depth of the body slots.

The bottom slot is the same process only easier to manage as there is no frame reset lever to worry about. This X-700 now has ii new slot seals. Now gear up information technology aside and resist the temptation to mess about with for effectually 15 minutes to give the glue a take a chance to dry out and get stuck down.

plumbing fixtures door seals

When it comes to replacing light seals the door seals tin be a problem. Many cameras have different patterns of seals ranging from the simple to the very awkward. Minolta X series cameras have a multifariousness of dissimilar seal layouts on the doors and its all-time to supercede similar with like.

The short article on each camera blazon at the end of this guide to replacing light seals discusses options and varieties. This particular X-700 had seals in the door channels at the hinge. These are normally ane.5mm cream and typically around 3mm wide. Length varies past 10 serial so read the specific fitting information at the end of the article. Heres the lower seal on the door being measured for plumbing fixtures…

…and heres the upper seal existence measured for fitting.

As with the camera body slot seals once cut to size, peel away from the backing paper and lick well. Then apply and position. You see the lower door channel seal runs from border of door swivel to around the curve of the door. The upper seal runs from the edge of the swivel to just past an indent in summit of the door. Information technology'south about level with the metal structure before the film pressure plate.

On an X-700 at that place is a vertical hinge seal fabricated from 1.5mm foam. This is cutting to run from summit to bottom, OVER the door channel seals and run downwardly aslope the hinge. Its typically around 5mm broad. As with the other seals one time cut to size and shape, remove the backing paper, give it a lick then apply and position it.

Finally on an X-700 and well-nigh of the XG and X-x00 series there is a calorie-free seal strip nether sprung plate at the latch end of the door. This is 2mm foam and occupies a space nether the sprung plate as shown. You lot will need to make this quite moist to get information technology under the sprung plate and in position. It butts up to the bend of the door. This is the seal few people know about or replace.

Here's the door hinge seals now completed. One time applied gear up the door aside and give it a expert 15 minutes to dry off.

One time information technology's dry , test the seals by gently poking them with your finger to brand certain they are stuck downward.

Finally use a lilliputian IPA on a cotton ball to make clean off the film pressure plate and use a puffer brush to blow both the door make clean of any stray material

Requite the camera interior a blow out with a puffer brush and make clean whatever stray particles out. Remove the masking tape and card protection from the shutter and supervene upon the door. One time the seals are dry fully you lot can shut the door. Bank check information technology opens again hands. If y'all messed upwardly and a lite seal got twisted you lot may find the door gets stuck past the mucilage.

Get prepare for the adjacent job which is replacing the mirror bumper.

Replacing mirror bumper seals

If light seals are shot information technology'due south a certainty that the mirror bumper will be on its way out also. While lights seals are elementary mirror bumpers are quite daunting for the the beginner.

Its not so much getting the new ones in – it's the headache in getting the quondam ones out! The focusing screen, prism and mirror are all very frail. They mostly cannot have beingness splashed with chemicals without risking damage. This is true of the focus screen which will more likely melt if it comes into contact with IPA. The focus screen can also be easily damaged by tools and even your fingers and then extreme caution is needed here.

On any camera with a removable focus screen I normally remove the screen. The prism may be delicate but information technology'south generally tougher than the focus screen at to the lowest degree. Removing the focus screen for a beginner is itself a gamble.

Getting them out of an X serial is tough. Getting them back in is even tougher with a large risk of damage. In order to get an Ten serial screen out there is a pocket-size clip every bit indicated in the moving picture. Information technology's nigh invisible nether the cream. Pull towards the front of camera while using a small pick to lift screen away using minor slot in screen. You can see to the left of the circle. Very often decayed gummy mirror bumper foam may cause the screen to be stuck downs. This makes it hard and the slightest slip onto the screen even with a soft tool will marker the screen. If this is spooking y'all out then leave the focus screen in and just be conscientious.

With the focus screen out of the way (or not if left in the way) employ a cotton bud. Slightly dampen with IPA to gently apply to the mirror bumper. Leave camera facing up and with cap off to reduce any risks of IPA fumes damaging the focus screen. Give this a skillful 15-thirty minutes. Thank you to the internal light shield Minoltas are harder than virtually. Access is quite limited especially at the edges of the mirror bumper so maximum patience here.

And at present gently make clean off the cream bumper and balance. This tin take a long time with damp cotton buds and cocktail sticks. Be VERY conscientious not to go any muck on the prism or the focus screen. Periodically I use a mini vacuum to make clean any muck out equally I get. A household vacuum cleaner will practise equally well if yous are careful. Hither's this X-700 cleaned upward. You can now meet the focus screen retaining clip at the center at the front of the prism.

The 10-700 similar most Minolta 10 series uses a 1mm thick mirror bumper. Early ones had a thicker 1.5mm bumper. It's normally around 2mm deep (front to back). Its length will be the same every bit the focus screen. Hither'south a fleck of foam cutting to the right depth and being squared upwards against a focus screen for sizing the width.

Early X series used foam but thanks to the internal light baffle making life tough Minolta changed afterwards ones to employ felt which is unlikely to take any problems like decay or rot. With that said I have seen a few where the felt was just rotten and threadbare and so I usually replace with 1mm or 1.5mm foam.

As with the light seals, remove the backing newspaper, give the bumper a nice lick of spit and become information technology nice and wet and and then utilise. Every bit you wont easily exist able to see the ends on many cameras I usually catch the bumper with some tweezers at its center and apply that as a positioning guide.

Hither's this one being applied.

In one case roughly in position use a cocktail stick to get a perfect position. Gently tamp down and exit the camera upside downwardly to dry out alone for 20 minutes.

One time you lot're sure its settled ok it'south time to put the focus screen back in if it was removed.

cleaning focus screen

I ordinarily clean a focus screen if it was contaminated with grit from the old bumper by running it under cold h2o and then cold air blowing it dry to remove any water marks. That will by and large remove loose droppings. Heres the screen being readied for re-insertion.
The shiny side faces down towards the mirror the matt side faces towards the prism.

It's hard to see in photos simply on Ten serial Minoltas the screen is held in place by a torsion bar spring at the rear of the camera. This forces the focus screen forward confronting the retaining clip and these are often hellish to become back in place. The trick is to become the focus screen rear edge into the guides highlighted in yellow then press it backwards and down confronting the prism until it locks in place with the latch at the forepart.

This is the cause of many a scratched screen and then be careful and if you are inclined to existence hamfisted best to leave the screen in – only be careful with the chemicals while cleaning.

Here is the finished chore. A prissy new mirror bumper and a sparkling focus screen. I also normally clean down the prism and mirror while the screen is out merely using breath and a very gently cleaning with a cotton bud.

Blow out and vacuum the camera to get rid of whatsoever possible debris that may have dropped while working on the bumper.

The basics of plumbing equipment light seals are covered in the main guide. This section discusses a dissimilar guide to replacing light seals practical in some of the more common (New age of Moving picture) cameras.

Any questions relating to this guide to replacing lights seals or improvements? Delight permit u.s. know in the comments beneath Mel

Source: https://high5cameras.com/all-articles/repair/guide-to-replacing-light-seals/

Posted by: rudolphbuthe1961.blogspot.com

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