Re: New Member - ME SE restoration question

[Lasse Karlsson]

HI Chad, welcome to the list!

Sorry I can't help you with the seals, but some other list members should be able to 
give you advice.
With that kit you are well prepared to get going in photography.
Please report how the restoration goes/went.

Good luck!

Thanks,
Lasse

From: "Chad Kealey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Pentax Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 5:35 PM
Subject: New Member - ME SE restoration question


> Hi, new member of the list here, trying to get up to speed.  Anyhoo, 
> I'm also very new to the world of photography.  I've been wanting to 
> get into it for some time and got the shove when a neighbor of my 
> parents gave me a box of "old camera stuff" that her late husband had 
> used.  Inside was a mostly well-preserved ME SE along with a nice 
> little collection of lenses, including two SMC lenses (a 40mm f3.5 and 
> a 50mm f1.7), two Sigma lenses (a 28-84mm f4 and a 75-200mm f5.6) and 
> some other seemingly generic 135mm lens.  Anyway, after getting it 
> checked out at the local camera place, I loaded up some film and went 
> on vacation to Southern Cali and Las Vegas.
> 
> After getting the vacation pictures processed at the same shop, though, 
> it turns out that the ME has some serious light leakage issues.  Upon 
> further inspection, the counter guy noted that the light seals around 
> the back of the camera and the mirror cushion were decomposed to a 
> icky, black, gooey state.  Since I have some somewhat-related 
> experience (I worked as an electro-mechanical tech for more years than 
> I care to recall, fixing photocopy & fax machines and also microfilm 
> cameras & readers) I figured I'd try replacing those seals myself.  I 
> ordered a "universal" kit from MicroTools and should have it in a few 
> days, but I'm looking for someone who's done this before to be sure 
> that I replace *all* the seals that I need to fix the problem.  Other 
> than the two noted (the back cover & mirror cushion), are there any 
> other seals that should be replaced?  Any tips, advice, or warnings I 
> should be aware of?
> 
> Thanks for any help that you can provide.
> 
> -Chad Kealey
> 

New Member - ME SE restoration question

[Chad Kealey]

Hi, new member of the list here, trying to get up to speed.  Anyhoo, 
I'm also very new to the world of photography.  I've been wanting to 
get into it for some time and got the shove when a neighbor of my 
parents gave me a box of "old camera stuff" that her late husband had 
used.  Inside was a mostly well-preserved ME SE along with a nice 
little collection of lenses, including two SMC lenses (a 40mm f3.5 and 
a 50mm f1.7), two Sigma lenses (a 28-84mm f4 and a 75-200mm f5.6) and 
some other seemingly generic 135mm lens.  Anyway, after getting it 
checked out at the local camera place, I loaded up some film and went 
on vacation to Southern Cali and Las Vegas.

After getting the vacation pictures processed at the same shop, though, 
it turns out that the ME has some serious light leakage issues.  Upon 
further inspection, the counter guy noted that the light seals around 
the back of the camera and the mirror cushion were decomposed to a 
icky, black, gooey state.  Since I have some somewhat-related 
experience (I worked as an electro-mechanical tech for more years than 
I care to recall, fixing photocopy & fax machines and also microfilm 
cameras & readers) I figured I'd try replacing those seals myself.  I 
ordered a "universal" kit from MicroTools and should have it in a few 
days, but I'm looking for someone who's done this before to be sure 
that I replace *all* the seals that I need to fix the problem.  Other 
than the two noted (the back cover & mirror cushion), are there any 
other seals that should be replaced?  Any tips, advice, or warnings I 
should be aware of?

Thanks for any help that you can provide.
-Chad Kealey