Went back and forth between heat guns and a hair dryer for re-leathering an old camera body

I was trying to peel off the old leatherette on a 70s Kodak Retinette that had this gross, gummy adhesive underneath. Tried my wife's hair dryer first since it was right there, and it barely softened the glue after 5 minutes of holding it in place. Switched to my cheap $20 heat gun from Harbor Freight and that stuff lifted off in like 30 seconds without marring the paint underneath. Has anyone else found a specific temp or brand of heat gun that works best for this kind of job?

3 comments

3 Comments

leo_black7616d ago

Ngl, the cheap ones spiking temp is scary. I just stick with my Wagner now.

nguyen.blake16d ago

That Harbor Freight heat gun has worked okay for me too but I gotta say I had one melt a plastic viewfinder on an old Canonet once because I let it sit too long. The cheap ones don't have a thermostat so the temp can spike way over what it says on the dial. I've been using a Wagner HT1000 for the last few years and it's got a low setting that stays around 750F which is perfect for camera leather. The hair dryer thing is a common mistake, people don't realize they need way more heat than 140F to break down that old rubber cement. You're right that 30 seconds is all it takes with the right tool, just keep moving the gun and don't linger in one spot.

beth27614d ago

Learned that the hard way myself. Had a cheap heat gun turn a perfectly good Fed-5 leather into what looked like fried bacon because I walked away for two minutes. These days I set a timer on my phone and keep the gun moving like I'm spray painting, and havent ruined anything since.