The light seals and the mirror damper pad on Dad’s old Miranda Fv looked a bit… shady, if you’ll excuse the pun. I haven’t yet got the first test film back from the film laboratory, but I’ve had this nagging suspicion that the condition of the seals had already caused light leaks.
I wasn’t unprepared for that, though: some months ago I bought a light seal kit from Cam Spares. So, because I already had all the needed materials and tools, I decided to tackle the task of light seal replacement for the Fv.
With proper materials (and good instructions, see here for an example) the task was surprisingly easy, the hardest part of it being fitting the ~1,5mm strip of foam to the grooves on the long sides of the film compartment. I may need to devise a special tool for that, if I ever need to re-seal an another camera.
The mirror damper pad replacement may be a bit easier on Miranda than on other SLR makes because of the removable viewfinder. While I was doing that I took the opportunity to remove and clean the focus screen in a warm, mild dishwashing liquid solution. Never, ever, EVER use any kind of solvent on these plastic screens, you’ll damage them beyond repair!!!
The seal types I used:
- 2,5mm foam for the mirror damper pad.
- 1,5mm laser cut foam strip for the film compartment top and bottom seals.
- 1mm felt for the viewfinder sealing and for the film door ends (red arrows on the last picture).
Now I just need a new film…
