Spent 2 hours trying to fix light leaks on my Pentax K1000 before realizing the foam strip in the hinge was just compressed

I cut a thin piece off a black craft sponge and glued it in with a tiny dab of super glue, and now my shots from last Sunday actually came out clean for the first time in months, has anyone else bodged a fix like that on a camera door seal?

2 comments

2 Comments

susan_wells1mo ago

Oh man, I've done almost the exact same thing! I remember reading somewhere that a lot of old camera seals just get hard over time, not just compressed. Someone online said you can use black yarn or even thick string in a pinch if you don't have the right foam. I tried it on my old Minolta and it worked alright, but the glue was a mess. Your craft sponge idea sounds way cleaner than what I did. I bet that little fix will hold up for a good while if you got the thickness just right.

margaretf401mo ago

Wait, did you use yarn too? I tried that once on an old Canonet I had and it looked like a fuzzy caterpillar died in the light trap. The glue was so bad I ended up with little black fibers stuck on the mirror, had to clean it with a q-tip and some lighter fluid. At least your sponge sounds like it went in clean, mine was just a mess of tangled thread and frustration. Honestly, half the fun is seeing if your janky fix actually works or just ruins the camera forever.