Cuchulainn
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I've no pics for this just at the moment, but after Nick asked, I thought I'd give some details on how I flocked my Yashica Mat.
For the uninitiated, flocking is a way of cutting down light scattering inside optical instruments. Most cameras have at least the film chamber painted matt black and the Mat is no exception. However, the paint used is pretty flat and actually scatters a fair bit of light. This decreases contrast and can cause blooming if a strong light source is in the frame. Flocking uses a velvet style material to greatly decrease the light scattering inside the chamber. I used DC fix black velour from Wilkinsons: http://m.wilkinsonplus.com/wilkinsonplus/product/detail.do?itemId=0309578 It's cheap, dark and doesn't shed (much - I will probably need to be paranoid with the first few films through the camera as it's good but not perfect). Two other advantages are that it's thin and self adhesive. You don't need to cover every last surface in the film chamber, the more the better though. I cut the material roughly to shape and, with the backing paper in place, pressed it firmly to the corners with my fingernail. This left enough of a mark to let me trim the piece for a better fit. I then lightly dampened the adhesive before placing the pieces into position. This allowed me to move them a bit during initial placement. It does mean that you will need to repeatedly smooth them down as the adhesive dries out though. It's also important not to cut the material flush to the film guides or it will cast a shadow on the neg. I'll need to trim one side slightly because of this. I guess setting back 4 or 5 mm should be a good compromise.
Not every camera will need it, but for those that do, it's an easy and painless procedure. In the case of the Mat, a quick look on Flickr will show the before and after results and why it's worth it!
For the uninitiated, flocking is a way of cutting down light scattering inside optical instruments. Most cameras have at least the film chamber painted matt black and the Mat is no exception. However, the paint used is pretty flat and actually scatters a fair bit of light. This decreases contrast and can cause blooming if a strong light source is in the frame. Flocking uses a velvet style material to greatly decrease the light scattering inside the chamber. I used DC fix black velour from Wilkinsons: http://m.wilkinsonplus.com/wilkinsonplus/product/detail.do?itemId=0309578 It's cheap, dark and doesn't shed (much - I will probably need to be paranoid with the first few films through the camera as it's good but not perfect). Two other advantages are that it's thin and self adhesive. You don't need to cover every last surface in the film chamber, the more the better though. I cut the material roughly to shape and, with the backing paper in place, pressed it firmly to the corners with my fingernail. This left enough of a mark to let me trim the piece for a better fit. I then lightly dampened the adhesive before placing the pieces into position. This allowed me to move them a bit during initial placement. It does mean that you will need to repeatedly smooth them down as the adhesive dries out though. It's also important not to cut the material flush to the film guides or it will cast a shadow on the neg. I'll need to trim one side slightly because of this. I guess setting back 4 or 5 mm should be a good compromise.
Not every camera will need it, but for those that do, it's an easy and painless procedure. In the case of the Mat, a quick look on Flickr will show the before and after results and why it's worth it!
