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Touching up lenses

Yousuf Abbasi

Yousuf Abbasi

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Is it common to get touched up lenses that show signs of wear around the focus and aperture rings (paint wearing off), as well as other very minor surface wear? If its more work/problematic than its worth to do this, that's okay -- but if its a fairly safe and simple procedure, could you recommend someone near NYC who does this (I am not attempting to touch up lenses myself, would want it done professionally).

Thanks
 
It is very common. There are several ways to touch up a lens.
It really depends on the material and finish of the part you want to touch up.
Most common is aluminum. A lens can be disassembled and the specific part can be stripped and re-anodized. This may not always produce a satisfactory result as there are several different types of anodizing and almost always a different tint to the finish (purple/green).
Common to older Cooke zooms, a painted finish is similarly touched up. A specific part can be removed, stripped, and repainted. It's generally a bad idea to paint over existing layers, especially on a part that has engravings as they will become very shallow and difficult to fill.
One of the quickest, easiest touchups is simply cleaning out the teeth on a lens' focus or zoom gear (assuming we are talking about a cine-lens). A simple tooth brush with stiff bristles will do the trick. Something a bit more abrasive like a steel brush works even better. Be careful with painted parts and brushes as it can ruin the paint quite quickly.
Im sure Abel Cine Tech would be able to help you in New York.
There are plenty of optical service places on the East coast (and the west coast ;)
 
Hi Matt, thanks for the advice. Considering though that the touching up requires disassembling the lenses and then reassembling, could not this pose a risk of something in the lens getting screwed up in the process. The last thing I want to do is take a set of perfectly working lenses and subject them to any risk. So I guess the question is, is it worth the risk (or is there really little to no risk involved)? Thanks again
 
Two answers:

One:
Depends on what part needs touching up and how easy it is to remove.
For example, a Zeiss super speed focus scale is very easy to remove and re-anodize.
Other parts, like the front ring on a Zeiss standard speed require taking apart the entire lens.

Two:
Having the work done by a good lens tech will ensure the lens comes back the same if not better. You should trust the tech you're using. For your lens, it should be more like a trip to the spa, not the surgeon.
 
Of course there is the low budget ghetto method of using a black Sharpie permanent marker. "Not that I would recommend this method on your fine lenses".
 
Re-coating elements is possible, but it will never be the same as it was from the manufacturer. Zeiss, Cooke, Angenieux, etc. all have their own proprietary procedures for coating glass. All the same technique, but just different enough to produce different looks.
Re-coating glass also requires removing the specific element from it's housing and adds extra time/cost/risk etc.
 
Matthew,
I should probably just send you an email but others may be wondering, and it's a somewhat related question to this thread... how full is the schedule over at Duclos? My set of Mark III Superspeeds are in need of overhaul. The last time I had them done was a few years ago at Arri Blauvelt. Wolfgang did the service (I think he's now retired) I'm guessing a disssembly/ grease/ touch up etc. kind of a job.
Just wondering how much lead time you need, and how long I should plan for the lenses being out of service (I understand that there may be hidden issues that lengthen the bench time) Just trying to time it so I miss the minimum number of rental possible.
Cheers,
Harry
 
Harry Clark said:
Matthew,
I should probably just send you an email but others may be wondering, and it's a somewhat related question to this thread... how full is the schedule over at Duclos? My set of Mark III Superspeeds are in need of overhaul. The last time I had them done was a few years ago at Arri Blauvelt. Wolfgang did the service (I think he's now retired) I'm guessing a disssembly/ grease/ touch up etc. kind of a job.
Just wondering how much lead time you need, and how long I should plan for the lenses being out of service (I understand that there may be hidden issues that lengthen the bench time) Just trying to time it so I miss the minimum number of rental possible.
Cheers,
Harry
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