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Glue red dot?

dtp06

New member
My apologies if this has been posted somewhere before but I could not find a matching thread w/ a search.

I am wondering if anyone has any first hand experience w/ glueing the plastic red dot back onto a lens. My 35 cron needs to have it reattached and was thinking regular super/crazy glue would easily do the trick w/ some long-nose curved pliers.

I'm going to defer to those that are more experienced w/ this particular issue as the last thing I want is a messy and/or damaged result. If you have some specific steps, would love to hear it, thanks!
 

tele_player

New member
I did it on my 35 Cron, and my only caution is, use the tiniest amount of super glue. I used a little too much, and got a tiny smear of it on the black nearby.

I'm waiting for a new dot for my Rigid Summicron, I plan to do this one perfectly.
 

dtp06

New member
Will do, thanks. I would assume just the tiniest dab right in the middle of the dot? Did you use a fine pair of pliers?
 

Alfonso

New member
Out of curiosity, where can you get a replacement red dot? i have a 40mm 'cron begging to have its red dot restored...
Thanks!
 
I have used a toothpick to put just a small drop of glue in the middle of the red dot: no smearing and after three years the red dot is still there.
I got the replacement dot from the local Leica distributor.
 

dtp06

New member
I got mine from Ken Hansen when I bought the lens through him. He was great in that he sent it in a small plastic bag after the lens had already arrived (*small plug: he is definitely one of the best Leica re-sellers to deal with so don't hesitate to contact him!).
 

robertwright

New member
go get some coloured map pins and cut them in half. Exactly the same but not "Leica".

It kills me that a 3500 dollar lens has the pip fall off- on two lenses. Can't they actually anchor it into the barrel? It just sits on top, and this is the thing you always put a finger on to align the lens.

:banghead:
 

rulnacco

New member
As others have said, your local Leica distributor will probably send you a red dot for free. I've not asked Leica UK for one, but they did send me a replacement frameline preview lever for my M6 when the plastic bit in the centre fell out and got lost, and didn't charge me a penny.

I got a red dot for my rigid Summicron from my local dealer, who had a stock he'd procured from Leica several years back. I talked with someone who has a bit of expertise with materials science, and he recommended staying away from Superglue/Crazy Glue. He said the bond does tend to deteriorate over time, and recommended epoxy glue (or Araldite, as we call it in the UK).

As I had some lying about, I used that and a toothpick to apply a bit of it to the back of the dot. I carefully used my fingers, as tweezers seemed a bit slippy and unable to grip the dot quite correctly. That procedure worked fine, and my Summicron is now happily restored to its original condition!
 

jaapv

Subscriber Member
Officially it should be contact glue; Superglue can damage anodized metal around the dot.
 

250swb

Member
They way to glue the dot is to apply glue to the lens with a pin, then pick the dot up using the sharp tip of a new scalpel blade or a sharp pin. Don't carry glue on the dot to the lens, if you drop it or it shoots out of your tweezers it will end up anywhere except the right place.

Steve
 
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