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View Full Version : tachihara disassembly? powdercoated brass?



austin granger
17-Jun-2004, 22:03
OK, here's an odd one for you. Without going into the whys (I'm not sure I want to open up a can of worms discussion on camera aesthetics), can anyone with a tachihara tell me how difficult you think it would be to disasemble and then reassemble your camera? The second part of my question is whether anyone sees any difficulty in having brass bits powdercoated. Well, there it is; I hope I haven't offended any brass lovers out there...

Donald Miller
17-Jun-2004, 23:16
I have disassembled and refinished several cameras. These range from a couple of 8X10 Deardorffs to a 12X20 Korona...I doubt that your camera would be any more difficult. If you have questions about your ability to reassemble then I would recommend making photographs of key componants before disassembly.

Now on to your second consideration. Powder coating will undoubtedly add additional dimensional bulk to the metal parts. This would probably affect the camera operation in the area of racks and pinions, shift mechanism, and possibly other closely mated metal parts...this is apart from aesthetic considerations which I view as a matter of personal preference.

Ralph Barker
18-Jun-2004, 09:23
A quick look at my Tachi suggests that disassembly should be fairly simple. But, I agree with Donald - document progress with macro shots with a digital.

The larger issue, as Donald mentions, is the bearing surfaces and the fit of adjoining parts with the added dimension of the powder coating. If those parts are left uncoated, I'm not sure that you'd end up with the appearance you want. I'll admit, though, that a "Black Paint Tachihara" (ala Leica collectible fame) would have a certain appeal..

Dave Schneider
18-Jun-2004, 16:21
If what you're after is the black color look at chemical methods. I don't recall the chemicals involved but I know from my days in railroad modeling there was a chemical process to blacken brass. We used it on brass surfaces to look more realistic but maintain electrical conductivity. I won't add thickness the way a powder coating would.