Help please: cracked istDS

smc
Posted 12/07/2009 - 19:58 Link
I managed to crack the top plate of my istDS, near the strap lug. Does anyone have any advice on which glue to use please - hopefully something that will give an "invisible" mend.
gartmore
Posted 12/07/2009 - 20:15 Link
I dont think anything will give an invisible mend, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure the top cover isn't structural so my choices might be superglue in the first instance. A tiny drop and press firmly either side of the break keeping your fingers out of the way. If that doesn't work then there is the messier choice of a 2 pack epoxy resin.

A professional repair with a new top plate and screen and switches etc. might well be more than the camera is commercially worth. Bloody awful really.

Good luck! Incidentally, how did it happen?
Ken
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
Edited by gartmore: 12/07/2009 - 20:16
polchraine
Posted 12/07/2009 - 20:38 Link
As Gartmore suggests - superglue BUT chose a gel one rather than a liquid.

If you are able, gently prize the crack apart and use a needle to spread the glue on the faces in the crack before pushing together and holding for a few minutes.

Also, it may be worth putting some masking tape on te outer face over the crack and with a scalpel trace the crack - that will stop any glue getting on the face.
.
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George Lazarette
Posted 12/07/2009 - 20:53 Link
My *ist D dropped from a chair onto a carpeted floor with a flashgun mounted on it. A part of the top plate under the hotshoe was torn right off.

I sent it to Pentax and after a couple of weeks it came back, all cleaned up, with a new plate and looking like new. The cost was about £80.00, and it came with a guarantee.

Something to consider.

G
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.
gartmore
Posted 12/07/2009 - 20:59 Link
George Lazarette wrote:
My *ist D dropped from a chair onto a carpeted floor with a flashgun mounted on it. A part of the top plate under the hotshoe was torn right off.

I sent it to Pentax and after a couple of weeks it came back, all cleaned up, with a new plate and looking like new. The cost was about £80.00, and it came with a guarantee.

Something to consider.

G
Well, I'd go with that, but remember Pentax dont do repairs any more.
Ken
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
smc
Posted 12/07/2009 - 21:06 Link
Thank you all. I will try superglue and report back.

The damage was a sideways hit onto a wall as the camera was hanging on my shoulder. The strap lug too most of the force but looks slightly bet, which probably cracked the plastic.

Who does repair Pentax cameras these days?
George Lazarette
Posted 12/07/2009 - 21:21 Link
You can still send it to Pentax, I think, but they employ a third party to do the job.

G
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.
fatspider
Posted 12/07/2009 - 21:28 Link
Subgscribers to Pentax User" get several benefits, one of which is 20% off the cost of camera repairs, and yes it still applies if sent to the third party JPSS.
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smc
Posted 12/07/2009 - 22:02 Link
Thanks for the information. I'll try gluing it and see what happens.
smc
Posted 25/07/2009 - 19:51 Link
Thanks to all for the comments above. A tiny amount of Superglue gel applied with a pin did the trick. Not an invisible mend, but it looks strong and the camera will probly die before this comes apart. Thanks again.

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