Where to buy light seals?

[bernardsia]

Does anybody know where I can buy light seals? I have a couple of retro russian and chinese cameras that will do well with some refitting.

Thanks.

 

[whoelse]

Use the material from mouse pad or go bras basah complex, art friend to buy a sheet of pad which look like mousepad and cut yourself. Otherwise, like many of the people, get from ebay around $6 I think. I use the art friend thingy for few of my cameras. Perfect.

 

[Tachi]

Go to Art Friends in Bras Brasah Complex, they sell foam sheets at 9" x 12", cost around $1.

The brand is Foamtastic made by Nicole Company. I have used it to repair Canont QL III with good result.

 

[bernardsia]

Okay. Thanks guys. The artfriend foam will not have tiny pieces dropping off over time right? I am worried tiny specs might keep falling off and going into places with mechanisms or the viewfinder.

 

[kahheng]

Does anybody know where I can buy light seals? I have a couple of retro russian and chinese cameras that will do well with some refitting.

Thanks.

Couple of options:

1. Felt/knitting wool:

Self-adhesive felt (the thicker and fluffier version, not the thin version) is excellent for light traps around the hinge edge of the film door. To line the light-trapping groove of the film chamber, use black knitting wool. A lot of repair shops use these instead of foam. Buy the softest knitting wool.

2. Foam:

I'd suggest you look up Ebay. "Light seal", "replacement seal", "foam seal" searched for under the Camera and Photo section will yield some suppliers.

A good one you can buy directly from is this fella in Japan: http://e.aki-asahi.com/store/html/moltopren/foam.php (check out his replacement camera leather). His prices are really good compared to many of the US sellers. Shipping from Japan is quicker and a lot cheaper than from the US.

Replacement foam is either self-adhesive or not.

For mirror cushioning foam (and only for mirror cushioning foam), you can use a thin sliver of self-adhesive window seal foam, available at DIY shops. One roll lasts forever. Use an X-acto blade to slice thinly. Window foam is low density and is not light tight so don't use it for your film chamber.

Frankly, I think if you check the Industrial/Commercial buying Yellow Pages, you'd come up with something. :angel:

 

[bernardsia]

Kah Heng,

Thanks for the excellent link. I've ordered a set from them already. Heck makes me want to go out buy a few cameras just to use the funky skins they sell.

I've copied and pasted your advice into a file for future reference. Thanks a lot!

 

[kahheng]

Kah Heng,

Thanks for the excellent link. I've ordered a set from them already. Heck makes me want to go out buy a few cameras just to use the funky skins they sell.

I've copied and pasted your advice into a file for future reference. Thanks a lot!

No problem Bernard. Glad to be of help. The Jap guy is actually really reasonable. Whilst the products of US dealers of light seal foam on Ebay have their own pros (like self adhesive types), the pricing is a lot better with this Jap seller. 4 sheets for US$10 is really low. I think you can use them for a lot of cameras. $14 for his kit is equally good.

Yeah the skins are nice arent' they

 

[bernardsia]

The $10 he is charging includes shipping. What a surprise! He is no longer offering the kit though. I need to go figure out what kind of glue to use now. Do you have any idea?

 

[adamadam]

How about gaffer tape

 

[bernardsia]

That is what I am doing now as insurance. But it's pretty troublesome when changing film in the streets. It's a temporary solution, but for the long term, I'll rather get the light seals done properly.