Coating the Bared Aluminum Adapter

cellotone · Expire: 2020-09-24

My Kinoptik 25/2 came with an adapter made by aluminum with no coating, obviously the reflection was affecting the image quality. I painted it with an ultra flat black paint (can't using flocking material due to the tightness inside of the barrel) , now I can see the contrast and sharpness have been significantly improved:

All pictures were not edited.

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Shots taken before the painting:

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yoyomaoz · Joined: 31 Jul 2018 Posts: 89 Location: Adelaide

A few refinements I can suggest. The first is to use a prep coat to increase the adhesion of any paint to prevent it from flaking. One good one is ESP (Easy Surface Preparation) which is painted on the surface then wiped down after a short amount of time. The paint is then painted on over it. I don't know how this stuff works but its makers claim that it is so good you can actually paint glass which normally is not possible without peeling. I have not used it on glass but I have used it on glossy paint as an alternative to sanding it and I can say that there it works very well and is obviously much easier than sanding. It is generally available at hardware stores. Another name brand product that does the same thing in much the same way is Penetrol.

Another alternative I have used instead of paint is a chemical designed to color aluminium black. One place to get it is a gun shop. Birchwood Casey make it and it is (logically enough) called "Aluminium Black" and it comes in small plastic bottles. The active ingredient is selenium which I believe is pretty toxic so it pays to take care. Having said this I have never had any problems when using it. Just swab it on, wait for it to do its stuff then wipe it down. The result should be satin or matt black depending on the composition and degree of polish of the aluminium. The advantage is that while this stuff can scuff of it will never flake or peel. In fact I frequently use it on the exterior surface of lenses where they have previously been scuffed to dress them up a little. It seems robust enough not to have to worry about wear too much even in high wear areas like exteriors.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

Aybody else amused a post by cellotone is answered by yoyomaoz? Laughing

for "Aluminum Black"!

cellotone · Expire: 2020-09-24

aidaho · Joined: 29 Apr 2018 Posts: 456 Location: Ukraine

For the same purposes I'm using heat-resistant spray paint (for barbecue grill) from the closest shop.
When there is enough space, I'm applying self-adhesive anti-creak tape as flocking, then paint over.

For oblique angles paint alone is better than the insides of the black cheap adapters (and lens shades), and painted ghetto-flocking is better than just the paint.

Likely not the very best solution, but I haven't really felt the need to improve it.

cellotone · Expire: 2020-09-24

yoyomaoz · Joined: 31 Jul 2018 Posts: 89 Location: Adelaide

cellotone wrote:

aidaho wrote:

For the same purposes I'm using heat-resistant spray paint (for barbecue grill) from the closest shop.
When there is enough space, I'm applying self-adhesive anti-creak tape as flocking, then paint over.

For oblique angles paint alone is better than the insides of the black cheap adapters (and lens shades), and painted ghetto-flocking is better than just the paint.

Likely not the very best solution, but I haven't really felt the need to improve it.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I agree, mine also is "Likely not the very best solution." The paint is Krylon Industrial Acryli-Quik Ultra Flat Ultra Black, I ordered online, picked up in a store nearby. The paint is also easily washing out by Acetone, which can find in drug stores or supermarkets. I did several times to re-do the painting until satisfied, spray on it then flow a touch up for the uncovered, and uneven spots after few hours. Sofare, happy about the result. BTW, the adapter was very meticulously custom made, somehow just did not paint.

I do not think the solution used by the poster is a bad one, its just that I have painted the inside of lens hoods with flat black paint and found that it has a tendency to peel or flake over time unless the surface is somehow primed or prepared first. This is not a big deal of itself I suppose and can in any event be fixed by stripping and repainting though it runs the risk of getting paint flakes in places they should not be (inside the camera)

You have also chosen a good paint. I have used Krylon spray paint myself - the one I am particularly familiar with is a Krylon wrinkle paint which reproduces the black wrinkled effect you sometimes see on outside of some old lens hoods. This paint is now a days most often sold in auto parts stores and is used to spray paint car rocker covers etc when these are being reconditioned by car enthusiasts. In any event it makes the lens hood look beautiful as it does with rocker covers. (photo below). The only disadvantage is that to do the job properly the object being painted needs to be kept warm for an hour or two after spraying as this heating produces the wrinkling as the paint cures and dries. This can be done in a warmed up kitchen oven or counter-top electrical oven. In any event my point is that I know Krylon as a high quality product but I am not proposing you use Krylon's wrinkle finish paint for the inside of the lens adapter barrel - a good quality flat black paint such as you have used should suffice for this. I have mentioned the wrinkle paint here mainly because others may be interested to try it on the outside of lens hoods if they want to match the finish found on some old hoods from the 1950s and earlier.

Gardener · Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Posts: 950 Location: USA

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

Thanks yoyomaoz for Krylon Crinkle paint!

cellotone · Expire: 2020-09-24

cellotone · Expire: 2020-09-24

yoyomaoz · Joined: 31 Jul 2018 Posts: 89 Location: Adelaide