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Brassing

pjheller
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Brassing

Anyone have any suggestions to repair some brassing on a camera body? I know it can be left as is (so-called "badge of honour") but just wondering if there is an easy fix to get it looking like new again.

(Note: Also posted this over in the Nikon forum but haen't gotten any responses).

Mar 14, 2023 at 04:37 PM

sjms
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Brassing

Could you describe or put up an image of your issue?

Mar 15, 2023 at 03:44 AM

pjheller
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Brassing

On the back of a Nikon D5, there's a thin strip under the buttons below the rear control panel that has had the black paint rubbed off of it (probably from the body going in and out of a camera bag). Obviously doesn't effect the camera's operation but just being nit-picky about it.

I've seen suggestions including using a Magic Marker, a gun touch-up kit, black nail polish, or going to a hobby shop to get a small bottle of black paint for wrought iron (used on models) and which supposedly perfectly matches the Nikon black.

Mar 15, 2023 at 05:26 AM

sjms
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Brassing

understand it will never look like new. you can do the paint job but there is a high probability that it will wear off faster than the original because of the difference of the application methods.

personally, just look at your camera as the tool that it is. use it, enjoy it. the more you do it the more normal wear and tear will occur. yes, it does show that your actually doing something with it.

Mar 15, 2023 at 06:15 AM

bisticlz
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Brassing

Getting it looking *like new* would probably require stripping and re-painting the whole body. A fix that might make it a little less eye-catching might be automotive paint, in a pen applicator. I've used it to repair, or at least hide scratches in metal surfaces before, and as long as you clean beforehand and control the amount of paint, it can come out looking pretty good.

Mar 15, 2023 at 07:39 AM

jeffbuzz
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Brassing

You can use acrylic model paint to patch small chips and scratches surrounded by otherwise thick, intact original paint. Various blends of black and white, gloss and flat can usually be concocted to match most common camera and lens finishes. Takes some experimentation to get a good match if you want it perfect.

Well aged or heavily rubbed areas are going to be difficult to patch well. You're likely seeing places where paint has been gradually rubbed down thinner and thinner. As noted above, you'd likely need to strip a wider area and fully prime and repaint rather than just blending new into old.

The toughest part would be creating the typically grippy textured finish found on cameras. Getting that on metal usually requires baking it dry. Not something you'd want to do with electronics. So you'd need to remove the outer body cover pieces to paint and bake them dry.

Mar 18, 2023 at 11:17 AM

zugzwang2
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Brassing

You might try to match your camera's finish with auto touch-up paint. This particular paint seems to match the Sony A7 series:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Flat-Rust-Oleum-Automotive-Scratch-Chip-Repair-Marker-0-5-Oz/35734395

I recall seeing a video that described how to apply an extremely thin coat to cover brassing (which I suppose means exposed magnesium alloy for Sony). It might have been this one:

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteMic/videos/painting-the-a7rii-fix-for-scratched-sony/240567934187795/

Mar 18, 2023 at 09:19 PM

jwolfe
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Brassing

Why on God’s green Earth would you want to take away brassing? That’s taking away all the character of your years of shooting.

Mar 19, 2023 at 08:28 PM

Tom Conte
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Brassing

jwolfe wrote:
Why on God’s green Earth would you want to take away brassing? That’s taking away all the character of your years of shooting.

Well to sell it, for one. It's only a badge of honor if you keep the camera.

Mar 22, 2023 at 09:39 AM

chez
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Brassing

Tom Conte wrote:
Well to sell it, for one. It's only a badge of honor if you keep the camera.

Personally if one does not disclose they painted over the brassing when they sell the camera I’d be very suspicious about what else has not been disclosed. I would definitely not deal with the member agsin and would want to be refunded.

Mar 22, 2023 at 10:46 AM

VictorJB
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Brassing

I agree with Chez here. The buyer will feel like you cheated him/her unless you disclosed what you did to the camera. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste any time covering up the wear and just describe the camera as accurately as possible.

chez wrote:
Personally if one does not disclose they painted over the brassing when they sell the camera I’d be very suspicious about what else has not been disclosed. I would definitely not deal with the member agsin and would want to be refunded.

Mar 22, 2023 at 11:13 AM

Tom Conte
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Brassing

Yeah, hey, I wasn't saying don't disclose you did it! Definitely be transparent on it.

Mar 22, 2023 at 12:06 PM


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