DIY: genuine leather for your old Praktica!

Last friday I felled with my Stihl 051 AVEQ some trees in my garden. After the work I recognized that the soles of my Viposa safety boots were broken. Okay they're old and I've got the same boots twice. I considered what I can do now with the boots, because the leather is still good and has got a wonderful patina. So I cut the leather from the sole and made today a new "leather bra" for my Porst FX 4 aka Praktica Nova 1B, because the Porst/Praktica doesn't have a real leather, just this faux leather or whatever.
The "new" leather is thick but very smooth, it's a dream! But I've made some little mistakes at the processing. It was my first time to work with genuine leather.

DIY: A tarpaulin leather

Everybody knows the bags from Freitag and Ortlieb, which are made out of used truck tarpaulins. This material is robust, tough and water-repellent.
I didn't have an old truck tarpaulin, but I have got a tarpaulin from a broken AS-MOTOR 21-165/3 lawn mower.

I've used this material for a new leather for my Praktica LTL3.

DIY: A taped camera

Many people taped their cameras to hide the camera name or the chrome parts.
But I taped my Porst Compact Reflex S (made by Cosina) to replace the old leather. The tape is in fact for table tennis bats and is from Schöler&Micke. I've already used this tape at my Praktica LTL3.



At the back of the camera I put the Kate Moss portrait by Richard Avedon for the cK be campaign from 1996.

DIY: A Rivet Bomb Exa

Do you want a camera in the style of B.A. Baracus from the A-Team?
Yes, you want the bad attitude look!

Okay, you just need an old rivet belt.
I used an old belt from H&M, which was wasted. First I removed the rivets from the belt. I thought that I might put the rivets on the old leather from my EXA 1c, but this is very difficult.
So I had an other idea.
First I painted the body with red color, next I glued pieces of the belt on the body.
Admittedly it looks strange...




















"I love it when a plan comes together!"