#camera restoration

[icant-thinkof-anything]

Working on restoring this Kodak Brownie Bullet Camera that belonged to my grandmother, and maybe get it in working condition. I have size 127 film on the way, I hope I can finish this by the time it gets here

[beukema-blog]

Canon FTb QL Film Camera:

I purchased this film camera a few day ago off of the Australian equivalent of Craig's List.  It was a great deal, however the camera was very dirty, rusted in some areas and overall not extremely well kept.  Using a paint brush I removed most of the dust from the film carriage (a strong blower will remove the rest).  Using isopropyl alcohol I cleaned around all of the joints and underneath the shutter release, shutter speed selector, winder and rewinder.

The next step was to respray the back of the camera as it had a bit too much rust to be happy with.  Normally I would not touch a vintage camera up with any paint as it can effect it's resell value, however in this case I would not have resold the camera so it was best to make it more durable for the long term.

Step 1: Sand down any rust effected areas.  Use a light grit 230+, so as not to damage the metal frame itself.

Step 2: Rub the area down with mentholated spirits, acetone and then dry.

Step 3: Cover the camera with a  plastic bag and mask off any areas that you need to.  Take your time with this step, as you don't want to get paint on precision areas of the camera.

Step 4: Walk away from the camera, come back in a couple of hours and recheck that you have masked everything off properly.

Step 5: Set your camera up on a work bench ensuring it is at belly height.  You don't want to have to bend over when applying spray paint, it will cause imbalanced swooping motions and be harder to control the whole process.

Step 6: Mask off the work bench ensuring that there are no areas you would be unhappy to have affected by the paint.

Step 7: Spray that sucker down with gentle sweeping motions left to right.  Do not spot spray, do not point spray, always sweep spray.

Step 8: Apply 2nd and 3rd coats approximately 5 minutes apart from each other.

Step 9: Allow to cure for up to 36 hours.

Step 10: Buff newly painted area down with VuPlex, isopro, and micro fiber cloth.

I am happy with the outcome and while it does take time and patience, it is well worth it.