Topic: View finders and super glue... I have a problem.

[This-is-damion]

My Polaroid 600 SE Viewfinder (aux viewfinder for the 75mm lens) fell apart.

The viewfinder is made up of two peices and the front bit you put your eye to fell off.   I had to fix it quickly and so used superglue around the metal rim and then pushed the two bit together.

Looks the inside has now misted up and is fogged.

I take it i have knackered this?

Any idea if this will clear, can be fixed?

 

[gregor]

ouch... The 'fogging' is from the superglue.  I don't know of any solvents that will remove it unfortunately. I ran into this problem as well although in a much less costly way - when flipping a lens in a holga...

[Francois]

Superglue vapors will stick to just about anything.
I know there are some superglue solvents out there but I have no idea of its effect on the lenses. Check a very well stocked hardware store or a model maker's store.

Just as a fun fact, the superglue trick is used on a daily basis by police to extract fingerprints on objects that can't be dusted. The marks are permanent, 3D and very easy to photograph under the correct lighting conditions.

[Photo_Utopia]

As you've found out superglue fogs clear plastic.
Indeed some police departments use superglue fumes to stick onto glass to recover fingerprints!
 You could try cleaning it with acetone which is a known superglue solvent, but this may further damage the plastic/glass.
Didn't they use canada balsam to glue lenses-in the olden days?

[Phil Bebbington]

Damion, I feel your pain. It took me an age to find one and that was with a lens. They ain't common or cheap. 

[moominsean]

i hate super glue. it just plain doesn't work, and it sticks to everything except what you want it to stick to. i have a mamiya viewfinder with the same problem...the screws sheared off so the base isn't attached. haven't really figured out a viable solution yet.

[Miller]

Eeeeek, most nail varnish removers have acetone and has worked for me in the past.... Personally I use quick setting Araldite epoxy resin for my bonding nowadays...

[Francois]

i hate super glue. it just plain doesn't work, and it sticks to everything except what you want it to stick to. i have a mamiya viewfinder with the same problem...the screws sheared off so the base isn't attached. haven't really figured out a viable solution yet.

Toothpicks in the holes?

When I use Superglue, I always apply it with the tip of a round toothpick one micro drop at a time.
Also, to keep the stuff from plugging up the tiny tube, I keep it in the fridge door. Works wonders.

By the way, most superglues will actually melt plastic...

While solvents will remove it, it might also damage at the same time. I would put more trust in a Cyanoacrylate De-bonder than nail polish which I know will permanently whiten some plastics... and permanently melt some others. (acetone is used to melt acrylic)

[Skorj]

Not that you need to hear this now, but they usually just screw together... Skj.

[This-is-damion]

Eeeeek, most nail varnish removers have acetone and has worked for me in the past.... Personally I use quick setting Araldite epoxy resin for my bonding nowadays...

If only I had listened...........I got some superglue remover to get the bonded pieces apart.

Nail polish remover  - with acetone - removed it within seconds.

Posted by: Skorj 
Insert Quote
Not that you need to hear this now, but they usually just screw together... Skj. 


then I found the retaining screws -and screwed back together!

Works perfectly now.

Thanks all.




 

[Miller]

That was cheaper than a new viewfinder and you can pass it on to a lady friend...

Double bubble as they say in East London... LOL

[Windy]

From the title of the thread I thought (for one horrible moment) that you had managed to get your eyelids stuck to the viewfinder 

[LT]

superb - nice one Damion. Bet that's a huge relief.

[Francois]

From the title of the thread I thought (for one horrible moment) that you had managed to get your eyelids stuck to the viewfinder 

I could just imagine the lineup at the emergency room 

But seriously, it must feel good to get rid of all the crazy glue traces...

[This-is-damion]

One happy man here!!

[sethasaurus]

i hate super glue. it just plain doesn't work, and it sticks to everything except what you want it to stick to. i have a mamiya viewfinder with the same problem...the screws sheared off so the base isn't attached. haven't really figured out a viable solution yet.

Superglue aint good for anything not involving fingers. If you want to see fingerprints, great. If you want to stick your fingers to ANYTHING, great. Otherwise, forget it. Oh, there was one TV ad a while back that showed an elephant being suspended by a shackle that had been 'Superglued' together but you can't believe anything you see on TV..

I've found a very good polish for removing scratches from plastic surfaces - toothpaste.
Put some on a cloth and try it on your scratched cellphone screen, for example (don't press too hard!).
I haven't tried this with 'superglue fog' but I suspect is should work alright. A buffing wheel on a Dremel tool would be just the thing, I'd say.

[Francois]

Actually, superglue fog is just that: superglue. So a superglue solvent should work fine.

It always makes me laugh when I hear and see all the horror stories concerning this stuff
Even though I had a few mishaps with it, it was never anything very serious.

Worse case I've seen around the house was my dad with the actual tube glued to his fingers
He spent all evening with sandpaper trying to remove the massive blob of gunk he had stuck on himself