DIY Lens cap

[lungovw]

Dear all,

After a good reception of my DIY shutter cloth I decided to upload another one. This time is about making lens caps. It was getting kind of a problem for me how to properly transport LF lenses because I bought quite a few recently.

It is not very different from other lens cap making on the web but there are some details that I consider improvements and lead to a better finish.

http://www.lungov.com/wagner/DIYLensCap.html

I hope you will like it.


Wagner Lungov

[Geert]

Very, very nice!

Thanks for the walkthrough. It will help me improve my own DIY lenscaps.

G

[Turner Reich]

I'm having the same problem and have been thinking of making my own also. Your caps look great, what kind of glue did you use? If I could find pucks of varying sizes premade it would speed up the process. Maybe container or pill bottle caps?

[lungovw]

Turner,

Adhesives: For the velvet, for the leather on the inner part of the cap and also to "close the belt" (only on the overlapping area) I used contact cement. All the rest is done with normal white glue for paper.
Puck: almost anything with the right size will do. I just don't like the idea of using the lens itself. If you use anything that can't hold staples you can tight the leather with cord or something alike.

Wagner Lungov

[Frank Petronio]

You know that you could sell quite a few of those to people here.... and you could name your price.

(All the more if you embossed or gold-leafed their name or logo onto the cap!)

[Colin Graham]

That's so cool, thanks for sharing this!

[Ash]

I'll give you the diameters and you can make mine for me ;)

[E. von Hoegh]

Dear all,

After a good reception of my DIY shutter cloth I decided to upload another one. This time is about making lens caps. It was getting kind of a problem for me how to properly transport LF lenses because I bought quite a few recently.

It is not very different from other lens cap making on the web but there are some details that I consider improvements and lead to a better finish.

http://www.lungov.com/wagner/DIYLensCap.html

I hope you will like it.


Wagner Lungov

A true craftsman. Thank you; you folks are too thin on this earth.

[walter23]

Excellent, thanks for the tutorial. I have an old Turner Reich convertible that could definitely use one of these.

[Paul Ewins]

Hey, thanks for that. I have already made some but there were some refinements to the process that will make a much better job next time. The only thing I can think to add would be to perhaps wrap the puck in kitchen wrap when gluing the cardboard together. This should stop the puck getting glued to the cardboard by any excess glue that seeps out.

[clay harmon]

I used pretty much the same technique to make some leather lens caps for some old verito and vitax lenses about a year ago.

I saved a lot of time and trouble tracking down a puck by just wrapping the front of the lens in two sheets of waxed paper secured with rubber bands. I then just used 4 think strips of cardboard for the ring around the front of the lens and some PVA glue to make the initial band. It was held in place with another rubber band over waxed paper while the glue dried. All I had to do then was trace the exterior circumference of the ring for the end cap piece and secure it with glue. From that point on, I used basically the same technique as you did.

[domenico Foschi]

wonderful Job.
The only problem is the puck for me.
I don't have the tools to make them.
I really think that you should start taking orders.

[Jim Ewins]

They sure are pretty. I just use a piece of 1/4" tk leather for the top and glue thinner stuff around it. I don't feel so bad if one wanders off. Jim

[GPS]

Very good job but not so the material. Leather attracts all kind of molds in humid conditions (rain forest especially but also all tight boxes closed with humid air inside etc.) Plastic is less royal but serves better from this point of view.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

"The only problem is the puck for me.
I don't have the tools to make them."

easily solved, just measure the lens and add 3mm for the fold over and felt then go the the store and buy the right sized PVC pipe or end cap. you can wrap it with tape or poster board to make the exact size, cover with plastic wrap and a rubber band and continue building.

1/4" foam-core makes a good lid, very light weight, easy to cut, takes a fair impact ONCE.

"Very good job but not so the material. Leather attracts all kind of molds in humid conditions (rain forest especially but also all tight boxes closed with humid air inside etc.) Plastic is less royal but serves better from this point of view."

nothing else looks OR fits like leather, plastic and cloth bunch-up around the rim.

[Jim Noel]

Beautiful job. Thanks for the info.
Jim