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Ricoh 500GX - Re-furbishing the leather and the light seals

What the body normally looks like (thanks to Camera Wiki for supplying the below first image, I forgot to take a before shot):

This camera was the last in the 500 series lineup and manufacturing started in 1976.   Common aging issues with this camera are the light seals leaking like mad, and the leather coming detached.  These are the two problems we will address in this fix, let’s get started.

To get the front plate off you have to remove:

3 screws from the aperture ring (2MM Flat Head Required), and then remove aperture ring.

4 screws from the Shutter Ring and the 2 plastic screw holders (philips 2mm), and then remove shutter ring.

2 Pieces of leather from the metal body.

4 Screws from the metal body face.

Remove the front plate:

Give the front plate a good clean up on both sides before putting it back on to the camera.

Place back on to camera insert 4 face screws and tighten.

You are now ready to apply leather:

I drew out the diagram from the original leather on to the back of the new leather.  I choose the wrong leather for the first two trials, and screwed up the third trial.  The fourth take was a charm.

The first batch of leather was far too thick.  This was purchased from a hobby store for $4.  Failure 1.

After failure 1 I swapped from using Cement Glue to trying out Carpet Tape.  Now this worked quite well for anything but curved surfaces (the edges of the camera) and the tape is useless if you touch it with your fingers (oils etc) so this was failure 2.

I was sick of buying leather from the hobby shop it just wasn’t the right stuff.  I was about to give up.  Then when at a salvage/thrift shop, I saw cheap pleather purses and handbags, and it came to me.  CUT THEM SUCKERS UP.

Now I have plenty of faux leather to stuff up on.

This is how I organise the camera parts to keep sane.  Little plastic sleeve protectors separate each category of parts.

The final drawings for the winning try.

Looking good, section 1 is a go.

Everything re-attached.  Very pleased with the results.  Jobs like this are definitely worth trialing on cheap cameras that don’t mean much to you.  This camera cost me $15 at the same shop I bought the hand bag leather from to re-furb it.

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Canon FTb QL Film Camera:

I purchased this film camera a few day ago off of the Australian equivalent of Craig's List.  It was a great deal, however the camera was very dirty, rusted in some areas and overall not extremely well kept.  Using a paint brush I removed most of the dust from the film carriage (a strong blower will remove the rest).  Using isopropyl alcohol I cleaned around all of the joints and underneath the shutter release, shutter speed selector, winder and rewinder.

The next step was to respray the back of the camera as it had a bit too much rust to be happy with.  Normally I would not touch a vintage camera up with any paint as it can effect it's resell value, however in this case I would not have resold the camera so it was best to make it more durable for the long term.

Step 1: Sand down any rust effected areas.  Use a light grit 230+, so as not to damage the metal frame itself.

Step 2: Rub the area down with mentholated spirits, acetone and then dry.

Step 3: Cover the camera with a  plastic bag and mask off any areas that you need to.  Take your time with this step, as you don't want to get paint on precision areas of the camera.

Step 4: Walk away from the camera, come back in a couple of hours and recheck that you have masked everything off properly.

Step 5: Set your camera up on a work bench ensuring it is at belly height.  You don't want to have to bend over when applying spray paint, it will cause imbalanced swooping motions and be harder to control the whole process.

Step 6: Mask off the work bench ensuring that there are no areas you would be unhappy to have affected by the paint.

Step 7: Spray that sucker down with gentle sweeping motions left to right.  Do not spot spray, do not point spray, always sweep spray.

Step 8: Apply 2nd and 3rd coats approximately 5 minutes apart from each other.

Step 9: Allow to cure for up to 36 hours.

Step 10: Buff newly painted area down with VuPlex, isopro, and micro fiber cloth.

I am happy with the outcome and while it does take time and patience, it is well worth it.

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Dalmore for Christmas... that'll do.

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Endeavour Seasonal Series - Vintage Beer 2013

http://www.endeavourbeer.com/home.htm

This is a one off release with great thick foam and lovely light golden colour. Sweet aromas of fruit and barley.  Up front there is a bitterness that mixes well with the barley flavors, this doesn't linger and makes for a sessionable beer with a good amount of complexity.

I give this beer 4 out of 5 summer hops!!!

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Tasting the brand new Changing Tides by Sail and Anchor vintage 2013. This is a seasonal beer through and through and should be on every Christmas Day lunch table. Will match amazingly with Roast Turkey. On the nose: Caramel and Christmas Cake. At 11% Alc Vol this beer will put you on your... quite fast. It's full of flavour, rich thick malt with a slightly sweet after. A very complex seasonal beer, that you must try soon.

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Parker Coonawara Estate Terra Rossa First Growth: Cabernet Sauvignon

It was great to spend a session with Phillip Lehmann (wine maker Parker Estate) and Jonathon Hesketh (managing director WD Wines).

We tried a spread vertical of the First Growth, but I will only write on the 1990 vintage.  It is interesting to note that unlike many premium wines Parker will not produce a vintage of first growth if the fruit is not up to standard.  Almost 2 out of 5 vintages will be passed up every year, as they will not compromise on quality.

1990: After 23 years of tender loving care in the Parker Estate Cellar, I can honestly say this wine can age with the best of them.  This vintage was one of the best in that decade and expresses dark cherry and a forest berry drive down town.  The primary fruits have left the building, but what's left is beautiful subtlety that bursts with flavor.  This wine could perhaps be my mascot for Silky Smooth...

You can find this wine on Auction every now and again for $100-$150 and your local Dan Murphy's will also stock it occasionally on their Langtons Wall.

93/100 Berry Drive Points

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McLaren Vale Associates Squid Ink Shiraz (2006) 14.5% Alc/Vol

This was my pick for the weekend. Unfortunately I didn't capture a very good image of it but I have a new phone that should fix review photos for this this week.

This Shiraz was just pure brilliance.  Bright floral nose.  Straight away I got this brilliant taste of blackberry pie.  The fleshy mouth feel, was well balanced by tannin, and once again there were more dark fruits.  We were eating blocks of chocolate around this time of night, but I swear I got a little hint of Dark Chocolate from the finish of this beautiful wine.

91/100 (Blackberry Pie Points)

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Burleigh Brewing Co. Black Geraffe (Coffee Lager) 5% Alc/Vol

Straight from the Burleigh Brewing Co. tonight we try this delicious and intense coffee lager.  We tasted these in standard wine tasting glasses which didn't give the beer much room for head, and I need to also point out that I may have left it in the freezer too long when trying to chill it before dinner.

On the nose I get nothing but coffee and malt.  The same could be said for flavor however it has a nice subtle caramel finish. Look, this dark lager won't be for everyone and certainly wouldn't make a great session beer, but what it aims to do it does, spot on.

I give this lovely dark coffee infused lager 8/10 Hops.

Imagine the world’s two most popular brews coming together in one glass.

We did. To make it happen, first, our friends at Zarraffas Coffee expertly roast hundreds of kilos of the finest organic Mexican Arabica coffee beans.

After being allowed to rest for four days (the roasted beans, not our friends), the beans are ground on-site at the brewery so none of the fresh intensity escapes, before being added to our brew.

Then we add a unique combination of American hops, caramel, chocolate and toffee malts before fermenting the blend with our own lager yeast.

The result is a sumptuous, 'long black lager', with long legs and a Burleigh head.

Above excerpt from the Burleigh Brewing Co. Website.

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While wine color can be deceiving this chart gives good insight on what you can hope to expect after inspecting the violet hue. 

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Who is #beukema

Great question, I am glad you asked. My name is John Beukema and I am a training specialist for wine, whisky and beer in the business I work for. Hard life I know.

Come with me on a tasting journey every week. We will go through some of the worlds best as well as some of the quiet giants.

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“There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren't as good as others.”

-Raymond Chandler

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Singleton of Glen Ord 12 YO - 700ml @ 40%

Produced by Glen Ord the last remaining single Malt Distiller on the Black Isle, this whisky puts the smooth into silky smooth.  Although it is creamy as opposed to silky.  I tried this on ice and then neat.

The nose is quite fruity, blackberry perhaps.  An excellent entry level whisky for any punters just getting into the scene.  If you want to get your friends on to the whiskey band wagon with you, this is perhaps the perfect gift.  With it's extremely soft mouth feel, it warms up very gently on the back of your mouth, and just then you start to taste the walnut.  The lightest hint of brown sugar comes out on the finish.

Really a quite excellent single malt, but if your a peat pirate this will not stand up well.

89/100

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While you can enjoy wine just as well from a Jam Jar, finding the perfect glass to accompany your wine for the evening can add a lot to the experience.

Types Of WIne Glasses 

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This weekend was all about bread and wine!  Using Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois' book on Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I expanded on the Rye Bread recipe for this sensational Crusty Rye.

Not only do their recipes support the easiest home made breads in the world, they are also easy to manipulate to your own personal tastes.

We ate this bread with Annie's Lane 2006 Riesling and Potato and Leak soup.

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Sunday must read:

Handy tool for all Hotel Management students and future Restaurant Managers. Share & Impress your guests.

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Voyager Estate: Shiraz 2008

Not the most well known winery world wide, Voyager Estate is just south of Margaret River trapped inside of the Chardonnay Triangle.  This cool climate Shiraz is so consistent vintage to vintage that I was expecting nothing but royalty, and it did not disappoint as this was the standout for the night.

The aroma included blackberry and cassis, and my nose could live and die inside the glass.

The palate was all about dark cherry and white pepper with a hint of cedar and oak.  The finish was beautifully christened with dark chocolate and tannin and a hint of espresso.

Well done!

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Borsao: Tres Picos Garnacha (Grenache) 2010

The fruit for this amazing red wine are harvested from some of the older Garnacha vines situated on the slopes of Moncayo Mountain.  The yield of fruit is quite low at less than 2 tons per acre.

On the nose you pick up some amazing floral and herbal notes.  It's as if standing in a field of lilies and roses.

This wine is dark purple, dark dark purple.  The lush blueberry explosion is out of this world.  Never in my years have I experienced so much dark forest fruit so condensed and with such a lovely creamy mouth feel.

Not one to cellar for more than a few years as it is ready to drink right about... now.