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on Jun 17, 2022 23:16:48 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 17, 2022 23:19:08 GMT by lumiworx
Before taking anyone down a rabbit hole with a question, here's some prefacing details...
I've used multiple suppliers of custom and/or 'replacement' coverings over the years, as well as having hand cut and installed my own bespoke leathers and letherette. Over time some of those suppliers have come and gone, or have changed their offerings or availability for any number of reasons. Most notably of late, is Aki-Asahi, who have ceased selling to buyers in the US until shipping via Japan Post is resumed. Currently that service is on an indefinite hold due to Covid issues. (and no, he won't offer any other shipping methods at all)
The remaining players I'm aware of have either a severe limitation in choices of colors, materials or patterns/textures, or dont have the specific camera model skins available -or- the quality just doesn't match what I prefer to use. In other words, I'm hoping there are sources for precut coverings I'm unaware of, or someone has some hands-on experience with crafting/cutting machines that can offer some guidance on whether it's foolish folly to even consider that route.
As it stands right now, I have roughly 8 bodies that need new 'clothes', and at the price it would cost to buy a bunch of precut kits, I'm considering whether the cost of a machine could be a reasonable and justifiable expense. I've already found some potential raw materials to use, and I already have some for a one-off recovering project to assess it as workable material, but I hate getting too far behind with these little projects that sit and are soon forgotten. I'm not really up for hand cutting and fitting that many in one go.
I'm aware of several places to get sheets, like Japan Hobby Tool and Micro Tools, and there are a couple of very limited models produced by Milly’s (UK) and one place in Canada, but otherwise the ones that have precuts come down to Hugo Studio or CameraLeather.com (which seems to be hit and miss on getting an order processed).Any thoughts or ideas... or fresh suppliers of quality coverings?
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Group: Moderator
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Status: Long, long time Contax and Yashica user; glad to be here and hope to contribute.
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on Jun 18, 2022 8:36:32 GMT
Posted: Jun 18, 2022 8:36:32 GMT
Hi Randy,
I don't know them from experience but on Ebay there's a US supplier under the name of customcameracovers who supplies leathers for Contax models so might be worth checking.
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on Jun 18, 2022 9:38:42 GMT
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2022 12:25:55 GMT by Deleted
I'm in much the same position, but maybe worse, in that I need covers not just for my own cameras but for others I repair. So here's my thoughts. I've used most of the suppliers at various times and have never been 100% happy with any of them. Aki was my preferred supplier but even his could be a bit hit or miss sometimes but, having fitted a few hundred of his over years of doing repairs, I got to know the quirks (like needing to pre-bend them and where to use extra adhesive and how to position them). But now he's off the list. I did try and email him to see if he would ship a quantity of covers by FedEx but didn't even get a reply. As for the other suppliers. I did use CameraLeather.com recently but the only way to order is to send an email to Morgan and have a discussion with him about what you want. He responded pretty quickly. HugoStudio I've used twice, once recently. The first time I wasn't impressed with the quality but I used them again as my customer wanted a specific colour and they had it. This time the leather quality was OK but there was an error in the cutting. But they did recut it and sent me a free replacement. Milly's Cameras here in the UK would be an obvious choice for me to use but I don't like his leather. I get a lot of cameras sent to me for repair that has his leathers fitted and they are nearly all appallingly fitted by the owners which suggests they are difficult to fit correctly. I've used them and I can fit them correctly but you have to be very careful not to stretch them while fitting. He does supply some sheet materials that are better and I have used them to hand cut one-off projects. There's someone in France who is producing covers. I don't know anything about them but this is their ebay page www.ebay.co.uk/usr/antikea_photo. There's also one in Germany which I did get a leather sample from. It wasn't leather but some cheap PU leather like that used for upholstery. I wouldn't use them. But this is their ebay page www.ebay.co.uk/usr/young_kamerafuchs. As for cutting your own. You need to be really committed to this route. I'm already 6 months into the process and I'm still not successfully cutting my own covers. First, there is the choice of cutting machine. There are knife cutters like Cricut (cricut.com) that I guess would work and, if you are looking to cut only small numbers, that's probably worth looking at. The other option is a laser cutter which is the route I've taken. With no previous experience of using a laser cutter, the learning curve is steep. I bought a used machine that was already set up but still it's taken a lot of hours to get it cutting anything like successfully and I'm still not 100% happy with the results. Cutting your own covers with a cutting machine also requires that you have drawings of the shapes you need. I don't know about the Cricut cutters but with laser cutters this is usually a .dxf file which is loaded into the laser cutter software. Creating such files from scratch needs CAD software. I'm using QCAD but it's another steep learning curve if you're not familiar with CAD software. A few comments about materials. If you are looking at using a cutting machine, obviously, make sure it can cut the materials you intend to use. The Cricuts seem pretty flexible with different cutting heads. With a laser make sure you don't try and cut anything with PVC in it or you'll probably die trying. And that includes most of the imitation leathers you can buy including those you mentioned from Japan Hobby Tools etc. |
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on Jun 18, 2022 19:06:40 GMT
Posted: Jun 18, 2022 19:06:40 GMT
Hi Randy, I don't know them from experience but on Ebay there's a US supplier under the name of customcameracovers who supplies leathers for Contax models so might be worth checking. Thank you for the pointer Graham. As it turns out, that seller and HugoStudio seem to be one in the same company. Both are located in the same city, with identical listings in color and materials. The eBay pages are mostly what's available in a shorter selection of colors/materials for fewer body styles than their full list - mostly Yashica and Contax - like they're selling off 'overstocked' items or seconds under another name. Thank you for your insight @peterr. I have to agree with your assessment on quality and supplier preferences. In their zeal to get the perfect fit on precut covers, they seem to have decided that every camera model they sell for is destined to fit whatever sample body they measured to produce their templates, so It can be frustrating to use them. My biggest issue is the shiney finishes and the too-thin and too-stiff materials that just don't look, feel, and handle like the originals they replace. I put the standard and recycled leather versions in that same assessment, not just the synthetic stuff. I don't mind using synthetics as long as the perform as functional grips, and not just pretty embellishments. I took a brief look at the Cricut brand cutters and read some how-to articles on the process, and found they use SVG files in the software. That's far different from cad files, and much simpler to create - assuming one is handy with drawing programs, like CorelDraw or Inkscape. With quite a bit of experience in 3D modeling, I'm comfortable using cad files in multiple formats, but they can be a royal pain to do when measuring by hand and translating those numbers into a 2D file with reasonable accuracy. There's no way of getting around that part of the process without a massive amount of effort to scan, translate, and then converting to get there. With SVG's, I can scan a physical piece or a hand-cut pattern with a standard desktop scanner and 'trace' the outline in software to create an underlying digital pattern to follow and edit into something useful. I have a couple of those already, and will shortly try one for a print-and-cut on paper type pattern to cut a covering, so presumably I can use existing SVG's to import them into the cutting software. There are some reasonably priced used cutters available in earlier models than what's new on the market, but I haven't gotten deep enough into it yet to see what they can produce, given the limited choices of good materials I'd use. Not that my only choice would be leather or some other animal skin/hide, but they are harder to find at the right thickness without breaking the bank. It would be great if there were some synthetic alternatives that were't PVC or vinyl, and landed somewhere in the 'natural materials' camp like rubber, but sadly there's no raw natural non-leather materials that have textures or patterns to make them a gripping surface. Well, I shouldn't say that as a blanket statement... I just haven't found any sources yet. I may have to just try a used bladed cutting machine if some of the links provided here leaves me without other sources, or if something new doesn't pop up in a reasonable time frame. I applaud you on trying the laser, but that might be too much of an investment for my meager needs as a hobbyist shooter and collector. |
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Group: Administrator
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Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on Jun 24, 2022 20:59:59 GMT
Posted: Jun 24, 2022 20:59:59 GMT
A quick update... After looking a bit deeper for precut covering sources - those covered here and anything else I could find - it seems to confirm that the number of folks offering kits for a larger lineup of models are either of lesser quality than I prefer, or are difficult (or impossible) to order from, so...
I found an original version of a used but fully working Cricut Maker, which can handle leather or synthetic/leatherette up to 3-4mm thick, without breaking the bank to buy and ship it. I also have a few fresh accessories on the way to cut and hold material so that I can evaluate the process and the results. Even if I fail miserably, I'm hopeful I can resell the machine without losing anything more than the time invested to experiment. It's also time to revisit leather/leatherette sources for sheets of raw goods to use. I've watched a couple of videos of crafters actually cutting thin leather from Hobby Lobby, but those can be a bit tricky since they were/are split skins that were still 'fuzzy' on the reverse, but I suppose the good news is that the machines didn't fully choke during the process and foul the job.
If anyone in the US has a secret source for 1.5 ounce , .75-1mm leather - preferably stamped/finished on the back side - please pass it on and I'll be happy to take a look.
Video - cutting leather scraps:
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