Diana camera repair question

December 24, 2008 9:01 AM

Ouch! Just snapped a piece off my Diana camera. Can I just glue it back?

I still don't have the hang of loading this thing, and I snapped the bottom piece off, the part that holds the film (on the left) and the takeup spool (on the right). It still fits, and is held together by the camera when closed, but it's even harder to load than usual while trying to hold the piece on.

My question is: can I just superglue the doohickey back into place, or is there some reason I would want to keep it removable?

Also, as long as I'm asking, I can't find the manual. (Yes, I am a hot mess today.) I have a request in to the company, and I've found plenty of vintage manuals online, but does anyone know where to find a manual for the "remake"?

posted by JoanArkham to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

If I'm picturing this correctly, you might be able to superglue it, but you might also want to add a thin piece of felt or some other opaque material to prevent light leaks. If there's room inside, without impeding the film, you can glue it in there. Otherwise, you can glue it to the outside.

There will likely be a lot of leverage on the join, so gentleness will be key.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 9:23 AM on December 24, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks! It fits together perfectly, I just snapped off the tiny little tab that keeps it in place.
posted by JoanArkham at 9:31 AM on December 24, 2008

Response by poster: Just to wrap this up...I requested a manual from the company, and mentioned the broken piece. They are sending a replacement manual and replacement part for free!
posted by JoanArkham at 1:43 PM on December 29, 2008