I basically did the same thing with the LTM version. For reference, there are no filter threads on the LTM lens hood.
For those interested, the glued name/ID ring had to be pryed off, front element assembly unscrewed and removed, then the hood removed with 3 screws. I turned down the hood in a lathe and likewise 39mm Leica RF style hood from eBay. The 2 pieces fit together and was pinned and glued together. The bond is very robust as I then turned that 2 piece assembly in a lathe to create a recessed mount for a 55mm filter frame.
john_edwards wrote:
That lens is next on my "to Buy" list and I'm wondering, as one who has cut many things with a hacksaw, how did you do this so cleanly?
Thanks.
Hi John,
There was 4 steps to removing the hood & leaving a clean finish -
1. I cut the petals off with an hacksaw as near to the 'base ring' as possible. As you know, this leaves things very rough indeed!
2. I then used a medium gauge metal file to get things a lot smoother. I did this until the outer ring of the hood & the slightly sunken inner ring of the filter holding threads became level (around 20-30 mins). As soon as the two rings 'merged' into one, I stopped filing to prevent damage to the threads (& defeating the whole purpose of the exercise!)
3. I then took a fine gauge sandpaper to take out the marks left by the file. Took about 10 mins.
4. To get a completely smooth, mark free finish, I then polished for about 5 mins with Cape Cod metal polishing cloths (search online). These are pretty cheap & are amazing for shining out any small, scratches or marks from most metals (i use them on my watch occasionally & they make it look like new).
In all honesty, I was surprised how well the whole process went. Took around 2 hours in total with a couple of breaks to rest my aching arm!
One thing I must point out is I COMPLETELY taped up the lens with masking tape beforehand to prevent any of the very fine swarf from entering the lens, or god forbid, marking the glass.
Might a Dremel motor be easier, faster and cleaner?
LeeW wrote:
Hi John,
There was 4 steps to removing the hood & leaving a clean finish -
1. I cut the petals off with an hacksaw as near to the 'base ring' as possible. As you know, this leaves things very rough indeed!
2. I then used a medium gauge metal file to get things a lot smoother. I did this until the outer ring of the hood & the slightly sunken inner ring of the filter holding threads became level (around 20-30 mins). As soon as the two rings 'merged' into one, I stopped filing to prevent damage to the threads (& defeating the whole purpose of the exercise!)
3. I then took a fine gauge sandpaper to take out the marks left by the file. Took about 10 mins.
4. To get a completely smooth, mark free finish, I then polished for about 5 mins with Cape Cod metal polishing cloths (search online). These are pretty cheap & are amazing for shining out any small, scratches or marks from most metals (i use them on my watch occasionally & they make it look like new).
In all honesty, I was surprised how well the whole process went. Took around 2 hours in total with a couple of breaks to rest my aching arm!
One thing I must point out is I COMPLETELY taped up the lens with masking tape beforehand to prevent any of the very fine swarf from entering the lens, or god forbid, marking the glass.
Very cool and a super clean job for having done it all by hand! I have thought about doing this as well... Also, I bought the CV12 in Leica thread mount (LTM) primarily to avoid the huge built-in hood. Without that hood, the 12 is very compact, as is the LTM version of the 15... but so far the M mount 15 is small enough for me. It's a great lens. I loved it on the 5N and use it a lot on my GXR.
