Replacing the pentaprism holding foam

In the Zenit cameras (from the E), the pentaprism is fixed by a metal blade, with a piece of foam between the two. Over time, this foam disintegrates and becomes sticky; worse, it attacks the chromium from the top of the pentaprism. The result is a vertical fuzzy area in the middle of the viewfinder. This foam must be replaced before the problem becomes worse.

After disassembly of the pentaprism, I had to scrape the old foam and clean the metal leg. the paint on the top of prism seems intact, but chromium was attacked through it.

Small refinement: the foam that I use was in a parcel sent from Russia, so I use Russian foam to repair my Russian cameras!

Before I attach the leg, I protect the top of the pentaprism with a small piece of aluminum foil. For my Zenit B, that's all I had to replace the missing chromium, the result in the viewfinder is almost good.

And here is the result on the Zenit 12 (left) or on Christophe's Zenit EM (below).