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Trinovid rubber armouring (1 Viewer)

Noah's dove

Noah's dove
I have a pair of 8x20 which are 1 year old but have only seen light use,mostly in the house for garden birds and passing ships. The rubber armouring is coming away on one of the barrels,any suggestions on how it should be reattached as this is not covered under warranty.
 
I have a pair of 8x20 which are 1 year old but have only seen light use,mostly in the house for garden birds and passing ships. The rubber armouring is coming away on one of the barrels,any suggestions on how it should be reattached as this is not covered under warranty.

Very carefully, and with a good household cement. Make sure it's specified for both rubber and metal to get a good bond. Cover the lenses with caps or guards, to prevent mishap. And lightly clamp, or hold in place with light taping, for at least 24 hrs. Should be OK, as this is the very method I used on my Zeiss FLs (after sending them in for a short lived "repair").
 
I have a pair of 8x20 which are 1 year old but have only seen light use,mostly in the house for garden birds and passing ships. The rubber armouring is coming away on one of the barrels,any suggestions on how it should be reattached as this is not covered under warranty.

Are you sure it's not covered!

Just sent my 8x32 trinovids for a service myself, again he rubber was beginning to come loose - my only gripe was the fact that the rubber was rubbing against the focus wheel.

Have you tried contacting leica about this?

Matt
 
Thanks for that guys, I have not contacted leica as it states in the warranty that armouring is not covered, by household cement do you mean superglue?
 
... by household cement do you mean superglue?

That may be a little aggresive, but if you are VERY careful it should work. The one I used on my FLs was called "Household Contact Cement". I think the most important thing is to (PROTECT THE LENSES) and check what surfaces it is designed to work with (it needs to be good for both metal and rubber, as you are endeavoring to attach one to the other). Another possibility is "Super Strength Adhesive", by 3M. Make sure the surfaces are clean and dry, and better to use a slow acting adhesive than a typical fast acting "super glue". If the area that is lifting up is small, then apply sparingly to the surface with a toothpick or Q-tip -- finesse is the key. And don't feel like you have a defective piece of merchandise as this level of service is all you're likely to receive from the service shop under warranty anyway. Indeed, my repair worked, whereas theirs did not!

PS. I don't know what after-market facilities are in your area, but if something is not on warranty you may find a "binocular/optics repair shop in your area if you are uncertain about initiating repairs yourself. And finally, you could always send it back to Leica for service; though not covered under warranty, they will service for a fee.
 
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Thanks for that guys, I have not contacted leica as it states in the warranty that armouring is not covered, by household cement do you mean superglue?

You might be better off with a silicone-based cement. Loctite makes a clear-drying product sold as "Extreme Repair Adhesive" at Home Depot. I have used it with success in gluing name plates onto the rubber armor of binoculars and it works very well. Dried overbleed rubs off.
 
All of the above recommendations are fair enough

But I'd still contact (email) Leica service dept first, although general wear and tear of the rubber isn't covered it seems fair that leica should remedy
peeling rubber, especialy on a more recent model.

Matt
 
Actually I fully agree with you, because the more I think about it this peeling is not caused by wear and tear, and Leica should repair them.
I am going to contact them and wil report back, once again many thanks to you all for these replies. It is so pleasant to be on such a calm and stable forum, try dpreview and the Nikon forum, phew!!!
I bought a Nikon D40 and had problems with my first body but they were nothing compared to some of the responses I got when seeking guidance on what to do, did another post on Sat, first in a while to see if anyone else had encountered problems.
I got a reply telling me that a 747-800 had crashed in Kenya so was that badly made as well !!!!!
Keep the forum a pleasant place,
regards donald
 
Actually I fully agree with you, because the more I think about it this peeling is not caused by wear and tear, and Leica should repair them.
I am going to contact them and wil report back, once again many thanks to you all for these replies. It is so pleasant to be on such a calm and stable forum, try dpreview and the Nikon forum, phew!!!
I bought a Nikon D40 and had problems with my first body but they were nothing compared to some of the responses I got when seeking guidance on what to do, did another post on Sat, first in a while to see if anyone else had encountered problems.
I got a reply telling me that a 747-800 had crashed in Kenya so was that badly made as well !!!!!
Keep the forum a pleasant place,
regards donald

Nice words. Good luck, Donald. And let us know how you make out.
 
You might be better off with a silicone-based cement. Loctite makes a clear-drying product sold as "Extreme Repair Adhesive" at Home Depot. I have used it with success in gluing name plates onto the rubber armor of binoculars and it works very well. Dried overbleed rubs off.

Loctite makes some useful glues, especially for rubber to metal, which I have used to repair the "bubbling" and loosening of the rubber covering on my Nikon 8 x 30 EII's. They come with a useful brush to apply the glue with also.
Bob
 
Latest is that I spoke to Leica UK today, told that I should return them and they will assess whether the fault is a result of poor build. They are as new and were purchased on 06/06/06, okay I know the date has biblical meaning but I actually thought they were older than that, 11 months is to me poor quality for such an expensive pair of bins. Will keep you posted on the outcome, again thanks for all the suggestions but to be honest I worry about diy repairs of this nature that could make a future warranty claim invalid,
regards donald
 
I would think a setup like Leica would sort it out for you, they are very good here in the UK and always very helpful.
DONT go messing it up with glue or they wont look at it after you messed it up.
good luck
 
I received my Leica,s today, one month on from posting them. I feel it is a long time but maybe I'm being picky.

I also think that is a pretty long time, particularly considering the fact that it is a manufacturing problem. Anyway, I hope they are OK now and will last! Enjoy.
 
It might seem like a while but first class doesnt mean first class anymore dont forget. Giving it 2-3 days (maybe a week) for postage either end and I'd say that was pretty good. But then maybe I'm not that fussy.
 
They were posted to Leica by Royal Mail Special Delivery -next day, on 8th May and posted back on Wed 6th June. If they had required something major I would understand but to glue the rubber armouring ?, perish the thought if they ever do need something major, long time to be without when you have no back up compact, now there's a question, which budget compact is best?
 
...... now there's a question, which budget compact is best?

Pentax Papilio 6,5x21 are not quite as compact, but they are light and offer great value. In addition, their close focus ability may come in handy even when your other binoculars are not away for repairs.
 
Your not going to believe what I have noticed tonight, to my horror, the armouring on the other barrel is lifting, why oh why did they not fix it when they had them ??????
I didnt even check them when they came back, thinking that Leica would ensure that they were fully inspected,
here we go again !!!!!!
 
Thanks for that guys, I have not contacted leica as it states in the warranty that armouring is not covered, by household cement do you mean superglue?

Please don't use Cyanoacrylates (superglues) near optics, as it 'outgases' and may leave a mist /fog on surrounding objects which is nigh on impossible to remove (not good for expensive lens coatings). Silicone is probably the best bet, or hot melt glue, if you must use a glue.

Superglue vapour is used in forensic science to reveal latent fingerprints on glass and other tricky surfaces. The vapor polymerises to produce a white deposit.

Superglue and expensive optics don't mix and are best avoided !!

Regards

Mark
 
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Please don't use Cyanoacrylates (superglues) near optics, as it 'outgases' and may leave a mist /fog on surrounding objects which is nigh on impossible to remove (not good for expensive lens coatings). Silicone is probably the best bet, or hot melt glue, if you must use a glue.

Superglue vapour is used in forensic science to reveal latent fingerprints on glass and other tricky surfaces. The vapor polymerises to produce a white deposit.

Superglue and expensive optics don't mix and are best avoided !!

+1

I was going to post this... until I saw that it already was. Superglue is something you will definitely want to avoid using anywhere near optics.

Even though you won't be using it anywhere near the lens surfaces, I would find any alternative possible before using superglue/krazyglue as a last measure of desperation.
 
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