Kowa Super 66 Light Seal Install Help

Before doing anything, save time and frustration, please read general install/removal help.
Kowa Super 66 Light Seal Install

For more information on purchasing these kits film back  and camera body

Kowa Super 66 – Body – Film Back

I always recommend to take pictures where the foam is placed on your equipment before you remove anything.

Also, never use any metal tools ie. dental picks or small flat screwdriver blades to remove old foam. It will scratch and damage the paint/coating. Use only wooden tools like toothpicks, and bamboo tools. You can hand sand hardwood to a sharp point or chisel edge as needed.

Camera Body – 4-Piece Kit

The only foam used externally on this camera body is located on the finder frame. Visible when you remove the film back, and focusing screen assembly.  This frame is glued to the body casting with a commercial grade adhesive. I used some solvents to test if the adhesive could be easily softened so the frame could be removed to no avail. It would take much time (hours) to remove the frame which needs to remain perfectly straight as when first installed.

There lies the problem in replacing the front mirror cushion, and the left/right mirror frame foam. It is very difficult to remove all the old foam from the frame. Whatever works for you. I found it best to lay the camera on the left side when removing the old foam from the right or left sides. On its side, you will not so easily contaminate the mirror with the old foam debris.

The front mirror cushion was easier to remove by using a dental mirror to see the foam. I used a bamboo tool to pick at the foam. When most of the foam is removed, I use solvent on a Kimwipe wrapped around a bamboo tool to remove the remaining debris.

It is very important to remove all of the old foam so the new seal lay perfectly flat. See the pic of the rear pic of the finder left seal after removal.

The last body seal you will install is the back frame seal. That seal needs to butt up against the F/R frame seals the best you can.

Film Back – 6-piece Kit

Foam is required on the removable back cover, and shell, which attaches to the camera body.

Removable Back Cover
2 x 2mm T 100mm L

Film Back Shell
2 x 2.5mm T at the latch end
2 x 1.5mm T L/R channels

As I looked at the film back for making a kit, it was best if non-adhesive foam was used. More info on that here soon.

The shell requires 2 foam pieces applied at the latch, and hinge ends of the back cover. The L/R hinge end channel foam seal on my back cover, measured 36mm from the start of the channel. However, on the latch end, those seals measured 25mm on each side.

The most important and time consuming work is removing the old seals. Focus on clean, clean, clean. Clean the old residue from the door channels, mirror cushion area, door hinge area and anywhere else you are replacing the seals. The finest adhesive in the world will not adhere to that sticky, gooey residue that was once a quality light seal. Proper installation will give you thousands of light tight exposures.

USCamera light seals are only made from the finest black open cell foam Made in Japan. We have searched everywhere for other products for cameras and tested many samples of open cell foam. No other foam we have found even comes close.

Shop all USCamera light seals.

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