Hi Allan
Best info is probably to PM Theo - he's on top of everything, but the meantime:
1. Theo put some adhesive backed desiccant strips in my camera. You have to take off the main body screws to get at those.
2. 7 and 8 have rubber o-ring seals, and a couple of uses I'm aware of:
(a) Can purge the camera with argon etc using these as ports
(b) You can buy (or may have received) a metal desiccant tube that screws into one of these - I keep mine attached to camera permanently with cut up desiccant inside I replace every few months rather than opening camera. Here's a pic:
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?um=1...d=0CJsBEK0DMBY
3. as per (a) - better for purging I believe
4. Not sure - Theo best for comment - suspect not - probably just assembled in clean and dry environment - any argo filler would eventually escape with time
5. Might be worth taking back off camera to see if your desicccant is double side adhesive. There is no rechargeable pouch etc ala SBIG I'm aware of - just the desiccant tube on exterior option
6. Opening camera can of course. Do you have an air conditioned room you could use - just that bit dryer. Inner chamber is the most critical as long as you do a ramped cool down and warm up each use. Unlikely you'd get much moisture through the screws in a few mins?
7. Low humidity day would help (or having air con on perhaps)
8. I put desiccant and argon in mine. You can buy small disposable argon cylinders and valve sets at Bunnings in the tools section. I've read a post on IIS somewhere where Theo talked about getting a large plastic bag of argon from local welding shop and doing assembly in the large bag. I find purging after having camera open works well.
The only time I've even been BAD with my camera was when it was new and I didn't have all the filters and spacers. I ran the camera without the 12mm window a number of times, along with fiddling with it (open to atmosphere) in damp dewy summer conditions (while trying filters, MPCCs, spacers etc - stuff I should have done at home, not in the field, armed with 20/20 hindsight). I then had problems with moisture inside the camera, but not the optical chamber.
Nowadays I would never open the camera in a damp environment and not without changing desiccants. I got the impression from Theo argon is an extra generally unnecessary step, but once you have a small cylinder its no big deal. We've got 500L of liquid argon at work, but I've always wondered how the heck I could get any of it home to play with
