DIY Re-lacquering brass lenses

[lungovw]

Hello,

For those seeing vintage brass lenses more as current instruments than archeological findings, I uploaded one page where I describe a procedure for re-lacquering them. It can be homemade. The only less than usual things are the lacquer itself (but I give some tips about where to find it) and an airbrush, that doesn't cost a fortune and anyone can get good results with little practice.

Hope some of you will find it useful.

http://www.lungov.com/wagner/DIYBras...acquering.html

Best wishes


Wagner Lungov

[Peter K]

The problem with epoxi resin laquers is you will never get this special golden hue of old brass lenses. It looks always "restored". But if one uses the original laquer, collodion dissolved in amyl acetate - also called Zapon-laquer - one gets this special hue after some years.

Zapon-laquer can also apllied with an airbrush but it works with a brush too.

[RichardRitter]

Depending on the lacquer used the brass can go green in time under the coating.

[IanG]

Depending on the lacquer used the brass can go green in time under the coating.

Just like the way the first Ford metallic silver cars rusted through the cellulose lacquer (well in the UK & Europe anyway).

Richard is right some lacquers are actually very slightly porous to moisture. Acrylics are generally the best.

Ian

[goamules]

Thanks Wayne, I have been thinking of relacquering a couple of my lenses. I was also thinking the lacq used on brass instruments would be good. Yours look great. But I would like to hear more from Peter about the original process and chemicals. Where is amyl acetate found?

To me, polishing a brass lens has nowhere near the justifiable controversy of refinishing a gun or fine furnature (which one should never do). It's more like refinishing a fine classic car. Do you suppose whoever wins the rare Bugatti this month will leave 40 years of dust and rust on it? I don't think so. Also, sometimes the "patina" people are so agog about on a particular lens is actually fairly recent, forming after a previous owner polished off the original lacquer. If a lens has it's original lacquer, there won't be much "patina", only a mellowing of color, right? I was in the Navy, and we polished our brightwork before entering every port. Why? Because after weeks at sea an "ancient-looking" patina had formed. The point is an old brass lens may have been polished dozens of times over the years.

Anyway, some of my lenses have only portions of the original lacquer, with ugly splotches and green verdigris over large portions. To me, unless it's a rare lens like my Holmes Booth & Haydens, no harm is done by polishing and protecting.

My personal rules for not polishing are:
- A rare lens such as a Harrison Globe
- An uncommon or much older lens with any original finish
- A lens with 75% remaining original lacquer in decent condition

Can someone provide the definitive method used in the 1800s to lacquer?

Thanks,
Garrett

[GPS]

I would not recommend with a light heart to anybody a complete disassembly of old brass lenses or baking them on 150°C. Both has its dangers and in many cases is not possible. Old lens rings can be stubbornly sticked and demand very special care to take off the lens. You never know what kind of shims (sometimes primitive) you disturb, what kind of tension you induce with the heating etc. Unless the lens needs internal cleaning it's always best to let it be in one piece. Sorry for the b moll.

[Peter K]

Can someone provide the definitive method used in the 1800s to lacquer?

Since Christian Friedrich Schönbein's invention of the nitrocellulose, 1846, many things where made from this. E. g. the flexible base for photographic materials. So it's one of the first "plastic" widly used. Also as mentioned before solved in amyle acetat, alcohol and aether or acetone as laquer for metals, wood and paintings. And also used in medicine to close small wounds.

But be carefully, the solution is highly inflamble and explosive!

Peter K

[BarryS]

I bought a can of Staybrite Brass Lacquer and I'm planning on using it to lacquer some brass camera parts and possibly a few lenses. I pretty much agree with Garrett's guidelines for refinishing lenses. I'll be trying this on a couple of magic lantern lenses to see how well it works.

[lungovw]

Thank you all for your comments. I will append most of them to the page and make it more informative.

Rgds

Wagner

[Gordon Moat]

On my HB&H the only thing I cleaned up was the mounting flange, since that had some very sticky substance on it. I like the brownish patina, which does not adversely affect the operation of the lens. The optics are perfect and clean.

On my old Zeiss Tessar 21cm f4.5 that lens is black finished. I did apply some white out to enhance the numbering for the aperture adjusting ring, though the lens is otherwise un-restored. I had debated polishing the lens, and decided against it.

An old lens, like an unrestored car, is original once. After restoration, it is a different thing, which some will see as better, and a few will see as worse. As an old Bugatti with low miles, it would be tempting to simply clean it up and not restore it. There is at least one old Ferrari 250 GTO still used in vintage racing that has been steadily maintained, but never restored. Whether something is better restored or original is something more of personal taste, though sometimes the buyers market dictates one choice over another.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography