About postprocessing film... How do you cut negatives, scissors, guillotine or something else?

[MrFus]

I have used scissors to cut my 120 negatives for archival and scanning (3 frames per strip), and so far I have not suffered any "accident" but it's kind of nerve-racking for me to do it.

I can't see really good what I'm doing, the hands get all sweaty and clumsy while getting worried about not going straight and fingerprints, etc...

How and what devices do you use to split film?

 

[grat]

The forum is trying to insert my amazon link as a media item.

Search for "Matin Multiple Slide Film Cutter". Let's try this link

Put it on top of a light source, and go to town.

 

[MattKing]

+1 for the Matin cutter. I've been using one for years.
The thumbwheel advance won't work for long, but it remains easy to move film through it precisely.
It even works well with transparency film.

 

[Moose22]

I'mma give this a try.

I find scissoring nerve wracking and annoying. I never considered it before, but it's like the scissors hide one edge of the exposed film or other and I'm never sure I'm right in the middle. This thing might make this little panic moment better.

 

[BAC1967]

I use a 35mm movie film splicer. This one doesn't have the perforation guides so you can line it up perfectly for the cut. Still cameras don't line up the perforations with the frames like movie cameras do so you will want an older one without the guides or one you can remove them from.

 

[bdial]

I use a Fiskars scrapbooking paper trimmer over a small light box. Unlike a guillotine cutter, it supports the film on both sides of the cut.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Left handed scissors over the light table.

 

[ic-racer]

I have always uses scissors. I almost always cut between the frames, but if I do trim a little into the film gate area, I have comfort knowing that I don't own a camera that would have displayed that portion in the viewfinder.

 

[greg zinselmeier]

35mm is tough, “no matter” how you do it, or what you use. Move on up to “cool” with 120 film much easier.

This made think of 30 years ago commercials……. (digressions) I think kool cigarette coined “ come on up to kool” or “move on up to kool” . Something like that.

 

[greg zinselmeier]

I knew a guy who used x-acto knife at the light table with a jewelers head band magnifying thing a ma jig. He looked . . . Draw your own conclusions.

 

[Sirius Glass]

35mm is tough, “no matter” how you do it, or what you use. Move on up to “cool” with 120 film much easier.

This made think of 30 years ago commercials……. (digressions) I think kool cigarette coined “ come on up to kool” or “move on up to kool” . Something like that.

Yes, 120 film is much Kewler, but it is even easier to trim 4"x5" film to separate negatives.

 

[markbau]

Whatever scissors I can lay my hands on, hold the film up to the light and cut between the frames. Often I do it while the film is still hanging up or lying on a Lightbox. I don't see the need to buy anything to do what is a simple job.

 

[MattKing]

Cutters like the Matin unit are particularly well suited to my needs, because my right hand lacks the dexterity to either use scissors or hold the film while I use scissors in my left hand.
My right hand can, however, handle the blade on the Matin cutter.

 

[greg zinselmeier]

Yes, 120 film is much Kewler, but it is even easier to trim 4"x5" film to separate negatives.

What’s Kewler than kool ? Ice-cold! Ha!!

 

[abruzzi]

I used scissors until I started buying film that was precut. 35mm was occasionally challenging, especially very dark images, i.e. thin negatives. Never had issues with 120.

 

[logan2z]

I've just been holding the film strip by the edges in my left hand over my lightbox and carefully cutting between the frames with a pair of scissors in my right hand. It's about the only thing I haven't screwed up yet while developing my film at home

 

[DonW]

Been cutting 35mm and 120 film with scissors for close to 60 years.

 

[gone]

Scissors are easy to use IF you have good light. Don't even think about it if you're squinting in low light.

 

[AgX]

I use a Fiskars scrapbooking paper trimmer over a small light box. Unlike a guillotine cutter, it supports the film on both sides of the cut.

Could you explain how that works?
I have not yet come across this tool yet, but from photos it looks opaque. Or is the base transparent enough to see the frame spacing?

 

[Agulliver]

I use scissors, and I will admit to having the odd mistake in perhaps cutting a mm or two of image with 35mm film. A small number of mistakes in 36 years of film developing isn't bad. I find that as I get older, my ability to focus close up isn't what it was. Plus a lot of my photography now is gigs shot in a dim jazz club so the frame edges aren't always easy to see. 120, 127 and 110 (I do them all too) are no problem.

If and when I have the space to build a proper dark room (or if I am successful in persuading the local arts centre to install one) I will either go the light box route or get a small guillotine type device I think.

One thing is I use sharp craft scissors, one thing the wife doesn't mind me borrowing from her craft supplies. She probably cuts much thicker materials with them.

35mm I cut into strips of anything between 4 and 6 and store in those sheets that fit into ring binders. Six is the max per row, and is my usual number....I'll do a shorter strip at the end of a film or if there are 8 negatives left after I've done a few rows of 6 I'll do the final two rows of 4. I don't really like doing less than 4. For 120 it's rows of three 6x6 or two 6x9 in similar sheets.

 

[AgX]

One thing not to overlook: rollfilm existed many decennia before any dedicated cutting-device (I know of...) was on offer.

 

[belichten]

+1 for the matin cutter, best investment in a while
works great for me
i use it for 35mm and 120 film

 

[Ernst-Jan]

A pair of scissors.

 

[foc]

If using a scissors, put an A4 size sheet of white paper under where you are working. It will act as a backlight/light table.
The knack for using scissors is to hold the negative gently by the edge just prior to where you want to cut and of course a sharp scissors.

 

[bdial]

Could you explain how that works?
I have not yet come across this tool yet, but from photos it looks opaque. Or is the base transparent enough to see the frame spacing?

The one I have is similar to this one;

It doesn't show well in this picture, but the area under the cutter's guide bar is clear, and the base has a slight relief under the the cutter which shows pretty accurately where the cut will be, so it is just a matter of placing the film so that the cutter path lies between the frames. The orange piece on the left is a fold-out fence with a scale that extends horizontal capacity to 300 mm or so.

Photo copied from this website https://www.cathleenkick.de/Werkzeug/trimmer-papierschneider/Fiskars---Sure-Cut-Paper-Trimmer.html