How do I mount film in a cigar humidor lid?

KC2PED · Jul 6, 2016

For my first cigar humidor camera I used scrapbook photo corners to hold the film on the bottom of the lid. It worked but I found that it took a lot of film handling in the changing bag to get the four corners nailed down. I have another camera in the works and am trying to figure out a better way of holding the film in place. The only thing I have come up with so far is folding some black foil to serve as top and bottom tracks and taping it to the inside of the lid but I am worried that it might not hold the film flat enough. Does anyone have a better idea?

pdeeh · Jul 6, 2016

KC2PED said:
photo corners to hold the film

that is close to genius.
(scurries off to local stationer)

kier · Jul 6, 2016

was your concern with the photo corners over fingerprints? If so, you can get some cotton gloves that are used for film handling or archival work. Without setting up a way to mount a 4x5 film holder, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better option.

Truzi · Jul 6, 2016

I did something similar with a small cigarillo box. I went to a hobby store and got some thin strips of balsa wood (actually, it was some hobby wood a bit stronger than balsa). I cut a couple strips so they fit snugly inside the box. Just drop the film in, and wedge the strips on top of it on the long edges. If the soft wood wears down, it's cheap enough to cut some more.

This gave me a border at the top and bottom, but worked well and was easy enough to position while working in a changing bag.

TheFlyingCamera · Jul 6, 2016

You could also fashion a film holder of sorts out of 4-ply mat board (get the solid black type of board - doesn't have to be archival, just solid color). Cut it to the size of the inside dimensions of your cigar box. Then cut a window with beveled edges so that the inside dimension of the window is a little smaller than the size of your film.
Cut a second sheet of 1 ply or 2 ply with the same outside dimensions as the 4-ply mat. The thin board should be about the same thickness as your film.
Cut a straight-edged window in it the exact dimensions of your film. Cut a small semi-circular divot out of one edge of the window in the thin board so you have a slot to get under your film.
Glue the thin board to the bottom of your cigar box.
Cut a notch in the thick board to make it easy to lift in and out of the cigar box. Trim the edges of the 4-ply board so that it is snug when inserted.
Put your film in the window in the thin board, then press the 4-ply board on top to hold the film in place.

KC2PED · Jul 6, 2016

My concern was with the possibility of scratching the emulsion with all the handling necessary to get all four film corners under their respective photo crners.
I already use nylon gloves to guard against getting skin oils on the film.
The way I figure it the less I handle the film - with or without gloves - the better

kier said:
was your concern with the photo corners over fingerprints? If so, you can get some cotton gloves that are used for film handling or archival work. Without setting up a way to mount a 4x5 film holder, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better option.

KC2PED · Jul 6, 2016

This is what I have figured out so far:
I can get basswood from the art supply store in strips 1/32"x1/4"x24" (have to buy five to get the one I need)
I have a sheet of 4"x5" cardboard that came with Fomapan film and is thicker than a sheet of film
I can cut the cardboard to the green shape and mount the strips slightly more than 4" apart
The beveled corner will help to get the film started between strips
Then I attach a strip of basswood so that it hangs over the film by 1/16"
In essence I am creating the tracks of a film holder

mckay3d · Jul 6, 2016

How about using a standard cut film holder and attach it with velcro?

KC2PED · Jul 6, 2016

My box isn't big enough to get a film holder in there even if I remove both dark slides and hount the holder with exposed film in the dark bag. I don't have much more than 5" in either direction and the box is shallow so the thickness of the film holder would eat up more of my 31mm focal length than mounting the film right on the lid.

mckay3d said:
How about using a standard cut film holder and attach it with velcro?

Truzi · Jul 6, 2016

Maybe you could get a septum from a Grafmatic or Kinematic, and epoxy a magnet inside the box to hold the septum steady (assuming it's steel). Then you could load the film out of the camera and drop it in place.

NedL · Jul 8, 2016

TheFlyingCamera said:
You could also fashion a film holder of sorts out of 4-ply mat board (get the solid black type of board - doesn't have to be archival, just solid color). Cut it to the size of the inside dimensions of your cigar box. Then cut a window with beveled edges so that the inside dimension of the window is a little smaller than the size of your film.
Cut a second sheet of 1 ply or 2 ply with the same outside dimensions as the 4-ply mat. The thin board should be about the same thickness as your film.
Cut a straight-edged window in it the exact dimensions of your film. Cut a small semi-circular divot out of one edge of the window in the thin board so you have a slot to get under your film.
Glue the thin board to the bottom of your cigar box.
Cut a notch in the thick board to make it easy to lift in and out of the cigar box. Trim the edges of the 4-ply board so that it is snug when inserted.
Put your film in the window in the thin board, then press the 4-ply board on top to hold the film in place.

I use variations on this theme in many of my box cameras. Works well and the film would be held from all four sides ( not that it matters much if the film has a little curve in a pinhole camera, as long as it's not too extreme or enough for it to pop all the way out ). I use "double black" mat board that is solid flat black all the way through.

KC2PED · Jul 8, 2016

I like that idea
by mounting rare earth magnets to both the cigar box and the septum the septum would self align when I attached it and be square with the camera so I would get level pictures (assuming I get the camera level)
I have also seen somewhere that someone took apart a leaky film holder and was able to use the film rails and septum but so far I haven't seen anyone selling leaky film holders so will have to get to the flea market this weekend if it isn't raining

Truzi said:
Maybe you could get a septum from a Grafmatic or Kinematic, and epoxy a magnet inside the box to hold the septum steady (assuming it's steel). Then you could load the film out of the camera and drop it in place.

How do I mount film in a cigar humidor lid?

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