Repainting silver Canon Canonete 28
Products used:
Evercoat Formula 27 All-Purpose Filler
Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel
Sand Paper Fine 600
Originally it was supposed to be an Aprils Fools project. I wanted to create a rangefinder that looked similar to Leica CL. Put Leica markings on it and name it Leica X, than present it to you guys on April 1 as a limited edition of anniversary Leica being just released. But the Leica Red Dots where too expensive and I couldn't get the right lettering on the camera. So I just finished the painting and I have a nice black camera.
I took the camera apart. With masking tape I covered parts that I didn't want to pain or didn't know how to paint (ex. strap lugs, lens, interiors). I removed the plastic window. In order to remove Canon and Canonet markings I used all-purpose filler. I put two coats on the surface cleared before with sand paper and paint thinner. I used a plastic spatula because filler was getting into the holes better. I also decreased a dose of hardning agent in order to work with the putty longer. Later on I used sand paper to level the areas with excess of the filler. I gave those areas a pre-coat of paint since I knew that paint is going to be absorbed faster at those places. I sanded those painted areas to get an even coat of paint during final finish. Out of old carton box I made a small painting chamber. After first coat I waited 24 hours for it to dry that I baked the camera in the oven. Why? No idea but it was much tougher to send down the parts later on. After that I put about 3 very thin (mist) coats of paint. After waiting couple of days I put the camera back together.
Since I used matte finish faint oil from fingers and dust can be very clearly seen. Paint even if smooth and well applied still is no match for original strength of black factory paint. The cover-ups of factory markings and engravings came out better than expected. There is no way one can tell what the camera was before unless you are familiar with Canon compact RF or you look at the lens ring. Also after painting lens is very stiff and I lost ISO scale but that's ok. I'm already looking forward to my next project, which is a creation of rainbow rangefinder. But this is something far away, I have to research paints and enamels first.
