Touching up a beaten up zeiss lens

[FlyPenFly]

I'm looking to purchase a Zeiss lens but it looks cosmetically its a bit scratched up. This is one of the newer ones.

Could glossy model paint fix up some of the wear?

[berraneck]

Paint wear on barell doesn´t affect functionality - so why make it even worse by painting it? You´ll never match the same look of paint, unless you paint the whole barell. And that would look even worse than painting just the places with scratches. My advice is to leave it as it is. If you really want to paint it, I don´t think simple glossy paint will do the job - try mixing glossy and matte paint.

[WolverineX]

maybe try color sticks for fixing scratches on car paint?

[hoacker]

[Attila]

I am pretty sure you can't make it to better looking, waste time and I expect worst result than genuine stage.

[iangreenhalgh1]

[OM]

[iangreenhalgh1]

[kansalliskala]

If I had a really bad looking lens, I mean it just looked ugly, not worn but that my dog had chewed the barrel, I could think of painting it.

But: I would use a colour that is distinctly different from original but still esthetically pleasing. Like dark green on black. Don't know which type of paint but I think some for metal, not model paint, definitely not glossy.

[iangreenhalgh1]

[Big Dawg]

I did it with my Vivitar Series 1 135mm f/2.3 lens. But it was in incredibly horrible condition. It doesn't look like a new one would but it did improve the look considerably. I no longer own it but I do not think the present owner would complain that I ruined it!! LOL Go carefully and if in doubt leave it as it is.

[Seele]

I heard of a solution used by gunsmiths, when applied to bare aluminium it makes the surface black, or much darker, without adding thickness. Never used it though, but probably worth looking into.

[martyn_bannister]

[Rolf]

When I get a new "old" lens I always clean the outside with gun oil (weapons oil - hope that these are the correct terms in English) - for example with Ballistol. Helps a little bit to make the lens more shiny.

http://www.ballistol.de/index.php?article_id=95&clang=0

[walter g]

Most stores that sell Gun Oil also sell Blueing or Bluing there are 2 different spellings. But I've never tried Bluing on a lens before. If I remember correctly if you use Bluing you need to go over it with Gun Oil.

[SXR_Mark]

Birchwood Casey make "Super Black" touch-up pens for aluminium. The "Flat Black" is good for touching up marks on lens rings created when disassembling lenses. The "Gloss Black" is too gloss for most lens outer barrels, but has some uses. I find the adhesion is not good enough for covering up large areas of bare aluminium unless you leave it for days to dry really thoroughly.

The lens in this thread was touched up using these pens, but I cleaned it all off again because it didn't look any better!

Mark

[RioRico]

I am simple and lazy and cheap. I wipe down old lenses with a clean soft cloth. Then I use black indelible Magic Marker to touch-up any brassing. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for casual inspection.

Damaged knurled rubber grip rings are greater problems. Sometimes they must be glued and magic-markered. Sometimes they must be removed and replaced. My worst but simplest was a Vivitar-Komine 90/2.8 macro with a decayed ring. I replaced it with... silver duct tape! Just the right width, not elegant at all, but it works, and I doubt that anyone would consider stealing it.

[Big Dawg]

[Nordentro]

I kind of like the old lenses with a little paint loss, marks and bumps.
It tells a story

[dude163]

I agree

[Orio]

Why bother?
If you are going to use it, then use it, who cares wear... if you are going to sell it, it won't be some makeup that will make a buyer think that it's a newer lens than what it really is.

I also have to add that often worn lenses are more pleasurable to use because you don't freak out as much about treating them with velvet gloves as you do when the lens looks new...

[Pancolart]

Allow me to disagree a bit. Many times manufacturer tried to keep low production costs and time. Some materials can be replaced, some functions can be improved. But to do it well that is the issue. I think restoring old lenses can be art.