PDA

View Full Version : Leather Lens Caps and Fungus



fecaleagle
5-Jul-2013, 17:38
I am making standard DIY, cardboard and leather lens caps for my brass lenses. Aside from storing them in the open air as much as possible, are there any tips for keeping fungus out of my caps and lenses?

I don't think spraying/wiping my caps with leather fungicide sounds like a good idea given that I don't know a thing about outgassing with those products, but hopefully you kind folks have some experience and/or tips to share with me.

Alabama is reasonably humid, so moisture can be a problem where I am.

Thanks,
William

Jim C.
5-Jul-2013, 18:23
Poke some breather holes in the cap to prevent condensation ?
Maybe line the inside of the cap with velvet ?
Don't think you can get away from fungus, it's everywhere and if the conditions are right
it will grow. I don't see any harm with wiping the leather with a fungicide, as long as it's
given a chance to dry thoroughly.

Ian Greenhalgh
6-Jul-2013, 16:15
Yeah, don't use caps! Where I live we can have over 250 days of rain a year so fungus is a big issue, lens caps, either front or rear, are a danger in this situation, don't use them, I use UV filters on all my lenses for protection, but I always take them off before the lens goes back into storage. I can't store my lenses in leather/vinyl cases either, I have to store em in a cabinet with a dehumidifier.

alex from holland
6-Jul-2013, 22:34
My collection of lenses has an average age of obout 120 years.
Originaly they all were equiped with lens caps and I have never seen any with fungus before.
Only coated lenses can get fungus which can cause problems. As 99% of the brass lenses are not coated,
there is no risk using lens caps.

Here you find how to make them: http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/2010/08/making-your-own-lenscap-isnt-that.html

fecaleagle
6-Jul-2013, 23:47
Interesting, so you're saying that it's the coatings that fungus takes up a home in. Makes sense. By the way, your post on DIY caps was one of the two that I followed in making mine. Thanks for that and the information!

alex from holland
7-Jul-2013, 00:50
Just curious. What was the other post on caps?

fecaleagle
7-Jul-2013, 08:55
The other tutorial is located at http://www.lungov.com/wagner/DIYLensCap.html. His method and yours are very similar, although I don't have the ability to cut the wooden "puck", and so I used my lens shades/barrels as you did in your post.

Thanks again for your contributions to the community and for your work. I was actually showing your blog to my fiancée last night before you responded to this thread...

alex from holland
7-Jul-2013, 10:23
Thanks! :D

Louis Pacilla
7-Jul-2013, 10:37
My collection of lenses has an average age of obout 120 years.
Originaly they all were equiped with lens caps and I have never seen any with fungus before.
Only coated lenses can get fungus which can cause problems. As 99% of the brass lenses are not coated,
there is no risk using lens caps.

Here you find how to make them: http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/2010/08/making-your-own-lenscap-isnt-that.html


+1

fecaleagle
10-Jul-2013, 11:20
Here's the first finished cap. The inside isn't as pretty, but it is functional and makes for a nice, snug fit.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/9257318050_42753721b9_c.jpg

I used scrap leather (2 oz cow hide) from eBay that was a touch thicker than ideal. I believe it was about 0.8 mm in thickness, so still manageable for stretching, but it's just barely thin enough to allow the cap to fit comfortably. I thought I had used plenty of wraps of tape when sizing the cap, but I still cut it pretty close.

Thanks for the tutorial, Alex! I imagine the subsequent caps will require less guesswork.

Jim C.
10-Jul-2013, 12:17
Where's the logo embossing ?

;)

Nicely done !

fecaleagle
10-Jul-2013, 12:40
Where's the logo embossing ?

;)

Nicely done !

It's an no-name lens, so I made the cap to match. :)