Scratched viewfinder K100D

georgweb · 10-13-2008, 07:36 AM

Sigh of relief,
I finally managed to fix my scratched viewfinder, so wanted to let you know:

The VF on the K100D is from a rather soft plastic material. Therefore it is scratched easily, but fixed easily also (with patience).

The scratching must have occurred in the camera bag, so beware how you throw the cam into the bag!

I've polished the scratches out with acrylic glass polishing paste on several cotton swabs. In the end I've used only very few paste (or just the residue) and more and more alcohol and less and less pressure. Finally, I can see through my VF almost like before (it's got a slight matte look now :-)

All the best, Georg (the other)

Mike Cash · 10-13-2008, 07:51 AM

More and more alcohol and less and less pressure.....that's a good philosophy.

brownargus · 10-14-2008, 02:27 AM

Originally posted by georgweb

The VF on the K100D is from a rather soft plastic material. Therefore it is scratched easily, but fixed easily also (with patience).

That's why I have equipped my K10D with a Giottos Schott glass screen protector. My wife destroyed her screen (on an Optio 555) when it simply fell over onto something sharp - the camera now no longer functions. I didn't want this to happen to my camera. At around £24 in UK, the screens are excellent value for money.

John

georgweb · 10-14-2008, 03:50 AM

Mike Cash you're right, alcohol alleviates the pressure - fair enough that this does not work on a regular basis :-)

John / BrownArgus, 'muliticoated Schott glass' does sound very tempting. You are reffering to a screen protector. I have one of 3M and it does OK. However a simple plane glass (MC Schott of course :-) to insert in front of the optical viewfinder would be nice too.

Inafinus · 02-03-2010, 01:38 PM

Sorry to dig up a (very) old thread, but I didn't want to make one specifically for the purpose.

What acrylic polish do you recommend? I've got the exact same problem and I'm not sure what I should get to get my camera back up to a use able standard!

georgweb · 02-03-2010, 06:32 PM

G'day Inafinus,

accidently I have had a recent conversation with Peter/starbase218 who had the same problem and he finally tried it with simple toothpaste (which is a micropolishing paste too) and said it worked out allright.

I am still wondering how much that plastic peace would cost as a spare part from Pentax and how hard it is to replace it.

Good luck with that viewfinder,
Georg

manteiv · 02-03-2010, 06:40 PM

I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too

Inafinus · 02-05-2010, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by manteiv

I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too

Can you confirm this will work? I've got a big ol' bottle of brasso and it would be very convenient if I could just use that.

And toothpaste? What? Really...

rfortson · 02-05-2010, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by manteiv

I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too

+1 for Polywatch. Works great. I can also vouch for Brasso and toothpaste, but Polywatch is cheap and made for this purpose. I'd use it if you can find it.

Inafinus · 02-08-2010, 12:12 PM

Tried with the brasso and it has completely destroyed the viewfinder... Going to have a go polishing a little more and see if I can salvage it. Failing that, I'll order the Polywatch and see what that brings.

But, it's probably likely I'll be trying to pick me up a cheap K20D shortly because I can't afford a K7 as it stands currently. Oh well

Ninja'd- Had a go with the toothpaste and it's back to the state it was at roughly. At least I can actually see through it now I guess...

Gerbermiester · 07-23-2012, 06:15 PM - **1 Like**

Hello all,

I thought I'd add some more info to a thread that just won't die!

I recently bought an old k100d with a scratched up viewfinder to use as a second body at wedding shoots. Lo' and behold, when it arrives on my doorstep and I take a peek through the viewfinder it is indeed scratched, and scratched badly. I was expecting the scratches to appear as little lines visible when I looked through, however, looking through the viewfinder, all I could see was a foggy blur. (So foggy, in fact, the camera could only be considered inoperable).

Well, crap.

I contacted Pentax Canada in search for replacement parts. They replied as follows:

"If you plan to install if yourself, the part nbr. is 0076570 L7, eyepiece rear lens, cost $16.46 ea.,
plus s/h $10(Fedex) plus applicable taxes. We have stock on hand."

Great! I thought, until I looked up the service manual for the camera online, which outlined how to replace the part. It's a big job. I would have needed to remove several pieces of the camera's body to get access to the viewfinder, and in some cases, would have had to de-soldered wires. A bit risky for my taste. I've heard that other Pentax bodies permit easier access to replace the viewfinder, but sadly, not the K100d.

Well, crap again.

After reading a few other reviews online, I decided to polish the glass instead and hope for the best. The only product that I had heard a first-hand report with positive reviews was a product called Novus Plastic Polish #2. I ended up ordering it, half expecting that I'd need to replace the viewfinder anyway (the viewfinder was really really scratched up). But for $7 Canadian, why not take a shot on the plastic polish first?

It worked. Perfectly. It didn't make the viewfinder better, it made it like new. I was flabbergasted.

If you have a scratched up viewfinder, buy Novus Plastic Polish #2. It is an amazing product.

Here is how I polished my viewfinder:
1) I took out five or six cotton swabs (the kind you might use to clean your ears) and set them down on a clean surface.
2) I took my air blower bulb and blasted out any dirt that might have still been on the viewfinder.
3) I placed a small amount on polish (about the size of half a green pea) upon the cotton swab's head.
4) I very gently rubbed the polish left and right, then up and down on the viewfinder screen.
5) I wiped away the polish from the viewfinder with the clean side of the cotton swab.
6) I took a new swab and put some polish on that one too.
7) I rubbed to polish in small circles all around the viewfinder, again, very gently.
8) I wiped off the excess left on the viewfinder with a clean cotton swab.

And thus my viewfinder was fixed.

I'm still baffled over how well it worked.

kharry2012 · 09-06-2012, 10:22 AM

This thread saved my camera today! Last weekend I noticed that my K100D's viewfinder was blurry. I wiped it with a lens cloth and the blurriness remained. I took it home and examined it and discovered that the viewfinder was scratched up (it got scratched in my bag by the camera strap I'm pretty sure). I ordered the Novus Fine Scratch Remover #2 from Ebay seller amplifiedparts (Tempe, AZ) as soon as I read this thread. It arrived today and I immediately got the q-tips out and went to work. I am happy to report that it worked perfectly and that my K100D's viewfinder is crystal clear again. I use manual focus lenses 99.9% of the time so a clear viewfinder is critical to me. So thanks for this thread and thanks especially to Gerbermiester for the very specific instructions!

Gerbermiester · 09-09-2012, 05:10 PM

Glad to hear it kharry2012.

I've found so much useful info on this site in the past that it's nice to know I can give some back every once and a while.

As an update to my original post, It's been two months since I've repaired the viewfinder using Novus #2 and the results look just as good as the day I polished it. There is absolutely now yellowing, clouding or fading whatsoever.

Perfect!

vladimiroltean · 03-28-2013, 01:06 PM

Hi, sorry for reviving this thread again. Needless to say I am in the same situation with my K-x, and am confronting with the problem as to which product to buy: only the Novus 2, or the complete package of 3? I figured I wouldn't need the 3, but I'm wondering a little about 1.

Gerbermiester · 03-28-2013, 11:21 PM

I'd only buy the #2.

Could you use #1 (fine scratch remover) after using #2? Yes, you could. But, it really isn't needed. #2 already fixes the problem. I personally wouldn't want to touch the viewfinder any more than I need to.

I think you are correct in assuming that you wouldn't need the #3 (heavy scratch remover). I would think that it would be too abrasive.

02-08-2010, 12:12 PM	#10
Inafinus Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Crieff, Scotland Posts: 41	Tried with the brasso and it has completely destroyed the viewfinder... Going to have a go polishing a little more and see if I can salvage it. Failing that, I'll order the Polywatch and see what that brings. But, it's probably likely I'll be trying to pick me up a cheap K20D shortly because I can't afford a K7 as it stands currently. Oh well Ninja'd- Had a go with the toothpaste and it's back to the state it was at roughly. At least I can actually see through it now I guess... Last edited by Inafinus; 02-08-2010 at 01:32 PM.

07-23-2012, 06:15 PM - 1 Like	#11
Gerbermiester Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: British Columbia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 377	Novus Plastic Polish #2 will fix it Hello all, I thought I'd add some more info to a thread that just won't die! I recently bought an old k100d with a scratched up viewfinder to use as a second body at wedding shoots. Lo' and behold, when it arrives on my doorstep and I take a peek through the viewfinder it is indeed scratched, and scratched badly. I was expecting the scratches to appear as little lines visible when I looked through, however, looking through the viewfinder, all I could see was a foggy blur. (So foggy, in fact, the camera could only be considered inoperable). Well, crap. I contacted Pentax Canada in search for replacement parts. They replied as follows: "If you plan to install if yourself, the part nbr. is 0076570 L7, eyepiece rear lens, cost $16.46 ea., plus s/h $10(Fedex) plus applicable taxes. We have stock on hand." Great! I thought, until I looked up the service manual for the camera online, which outlined how to replace the part. It's a big job. I would have needed to remove several pieces of the camera's body to get access to the viewfinder, and in some cases, would have had to de-soldered wires. A bit risky for my taste. I've heard that other Pentax bodies permit easier access to replace the viewfinder, but sadly, not the K100d. Well, crap again. After reading a few other reviews online, I decided to polish the glass instead and hope for the best. The only product that I had heard a first-hand report with positive reviews was a product called Novus Plastic Polish #2. I ended up ordering it, half expecting that I'd need to replace the viewfinder anyway (the viewfinder was really really scratched up). But for $7 Canadian, why not take a shot on the plastic polish first? It worked. Perfectly. It didn't make the viewfinder better, it made it like new. I was flabbergasted. If you have a scratched up viewfinder, buy Novus Plastic Polish #2. It is an amazing product. Here is how I polished my viewfinder: 1) I took out five or six cotton swabs (the kind you might use to clean your ears) and set them down on a clean surface. 2) I took my air blower bulb and blasted out any dirt that might have still been on the viewfinder. 3) I placed a small amount on polish (about the size of half a green pea) upon the cotton swab's head. 4) I very gently rubbed the polish left and right, then up and down on the viewfinder screen. 5) I wiped away the polish from the viewfinder with the clean side of the cotton swab. 6) I took a new swab and put some polish on that one too. 7) I rubbed to polish in small circles all around the viewfinder, again, very gently. 8) I wiped off the excess left on the viewfinder with a clean cotton swab. And thus my viewfinder was fixed. I'm still baffled over how well it worked.

09-09-2012, 05:10 PM	#13
Gerbermiester Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: British Columbia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 377	Glad to hear it helped Glad to hear it kharry2012. I've found so much useful info on this site in the past that it's nice to know I can give some back every once and a while. As an update to my original post, It's been two months since I've repaired the viewfinder using Novus #2 and the results look just as good as the day I polished it. There is absolutely now yellowing, clouding or fading whatsoever. Perfect!

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10-13-2008, 07:36 AM	#1
georgweb Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,386	Scratched viewfinder K100D Sigh of relief, I finally managed to fix my scratched viewfinder, so wanted to let you know: The VF on the K100D is from a rather soft plastic material. Therefore it is scratched easily, but fixed easily also (with patience). The scratching must have occurred in the camera bag, so beware how you throw the cam into the bag! I've polished the scratches out with acrylic glass polishing paste on several cotton swabs. In the end I've used only very few paste (or just the residue) and more and more alcohol and less and less pressure. Finally, I can see through my VF almost like before (it's got a slight matte look now :-) All the best, Georg (the other)

10-13-2008, 07:51 AM	#2
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	More and more alcohol and less and less pressure.....that's a good philosophy.

10-14-2008, 02:27 AM	#3
brownargus Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK Posts: 55	Originally posted by georgweb The VF on the K100D is from a rather soft plastic material. Therefore it is scratched easily, but fixed easily also (with patience). That's why I have equipped my K10D with a Giottos Schott glass screen protector. My wife destroyed her screen (on an Optio 555) when it simply fell over onto something sharp - the camera now no longer functions. I didn't want this to happen to my camera. At around £24 in UK, the screens are excellent value for money. John

10-14-2008, 03:50 AM	#4
georgweb Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,386 Original Poster	Mike Cash you're right, alcohol alleviates the pressure - fair enough that this does not work on a regular basis :-) John / BrownArgus, 'muliticoated Schott glass' does sound very tempting. You are reffering to a screen protector. I have one of 3M and it does OK. However a simple plane glass (MC Schott of course :-) to insert in front of the optical viewfinder would be nice too.

02-03-2010, 01:38 PM	#5
Inafinus Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Crieff, Scotland Posts: 41	Sorry to dig up a (very) old thread, but I didn't want to make one specifically for the purpose. What acrylic polish do you recommend? I've got the exact same problem and I'm not sure what I should get to get my camera back up to a use able standard!

02-03-2010, 06:32 PM	#6
georgweb Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Berlin, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,386 Original Poster	G'day Inafinus, accidently I have had a recent conversation with Peter/starbase218 who had the same problem and he finally tried it with simple toothpaste (which is a micropolishing paste too) and said it worked out allright. I am still wondering how much that plastic peace would cost as a spare part from Pentax and how hard it is to replace it. Good luck with that viewfinder, Georg

02-03-2010, 06:40 PM	#7
manteiv Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 39	I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too

02-05-2010, 09:42 AM	#8
Inafinus Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Crieff, Scotland Posts: 41	Originally posted by manteiv I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too Can you confirm this will work? I've got a big ol' bottle of brasso and it would be very convenient if I could just use that. And toothpaste? What? Really...

02-05-2010, 09:49 AM	#9
rfortson Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Houston TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,129	Originally posted by manteiv I use a product called Polywatch, it is used to polish acrylic or plastic crystals on wrist watches. It works great. Any local watchmaker or repair facility has this product. Alternately, you can also use a product called Brasso or Silvo, it is sold in hardware stores to polish metal or brass, it works great too +1 for Polywatch. Works great. I can also vouch for Brasso and toothpaste, but Polywatch is cheap and made for this purpose. I'd use it if you can find it.

09-06-2012, 10:22 AM	#12
kharry2012 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 55	This thread saved my camera today! Last weekend I noticed that my K100D's viewfinder was blurry. I wiped it with a lens cloth and the blurriness remained. I took it home and examined it and discovered that the viewfinder was scratched up (it got scratched in my bag by the camera strap I'm pretty sure). I ordered the Novus Fine Scratch Remover #2 from Ebay seller amplifiedparts (Tempe, AZ) as soon as I read this thread. It arrived today and I immediately got the q-tips out and went to work. I am happy to report that it worked perfectly and that my K100D's viewfinder is crystal clear again. I use manual focus lenses 99.9% of the time so a clear viewfinder is critical to me. So thanks for this thread and thanks especially to Gerbermiester for the very specific instructions!

03-28-2013, 01:06 PM	#14
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465	Hi, sorry for reviving this thread again. Needless to say I am in the same situation with my K-x, and am confronting with the problem as to which product to buy: only the Novus 2, or the complete package of 3? I figured I wouldn't need the 3, but I'm wondering a little about 1.

03-28-2013, 11:21 PM	#15
Gerbermiester Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: British Columbia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 377	I'd only buy the #2. Could you use #1 (fine scratch remover) after using #2? Yes, you could. But, it really isn't needed. #2 already fixes the problem. I personally wouldn't want to touch the viewfinder any more than I need to. I think you are correct in assuming that you wouldn't need the #3 (heavy scratch remover). I would think that it would be too abrasive.