Kodak Snap Caps Cassettes

[AnselMortensen]

I related my experiences having bulk-rolled multiple thousands of rolls over a 10-year period.
Your results differ.
Enjoy your plastic cassettes in good health.

 

[AgX]

I even started with plastic ones from the very beginning, even without any information on how to bulk-load at all and without a loader.
But as you say, circumstances, products and experiences may vary.

 

[tokam]

This.
The plastic ones were fiddly and prone to popping open, also.
I don't know the brand names, sorry.

I'd agree that the plastic cassettes can be a bit fiddly. They only have one removable end cap and are fairly rigid which means that it can be tricky to 'expand' the loading lips on the cassette in order to slide the cassette over the film before securing the end cap.

The plastic cassettes I use are over 30 years old and the end caps lock securely with a slight click when locked. Never had one spring open. No makers name marked on them.

I just keep reusing them. Clean out the film slot with a folded post-it note. The fabric in the light traps seems to be holding up well.

At one stage I used to print little labels on the computer with all of the relevant data for the film. Then I found that the bloody labels didn't come off cleanly and left label gum on the cassette. Now I just hand write a brief note on a piece of low-tack masking tape and put this on the cassette.

 

[mshchem]

Andrew Eaton on FB Old and Rare Camera Collector Page posted some pictures of a lot of things including these...

View attachment 293208

I bought 2 of these 10 cassette boxes at least 10 years back, 1 dollar per box of 10. Never opened old stock. Just waiting for me to get back to work .

 

[abruzzi]

At one stage I used to print little labels on the computer with all of the relevant data for the film. Then I found that the bloody labels didn't come off cleanly and left label gum on the cassette. Now I just hand write a brief note on a piece of low-tack masking tape and put this on the cassette.

currently I write my notes on the tongue of the film using a sharpie, but what would be cool is a white shiny plastic label that I could write on with a dry erase pen. (assuming the make sharp dry erase pens…)

 

[Timmyjoe]

I love Kodak Snap-Caps. All I used in the early 1990's. Could walk into B&H and pick up a box of ten, cheap. Must have had fifty of them at one time. Wish I had known they were going to disappear, would have held onto them. Found a box of ten in 2011 and snatched it up, and found 11 loose ones that I also bought. Haven't opened the box of ten yet, but the other 11 are always loaded with Tri-X or Double-XX. As others have mentioned, an easy way to put the cap back on is start at the felt opening, get the cap securely attached there, then run your thumb around the outer edge until you hear it Snap into place, ergo the name Snap-Cap.

Good luck.

Best,
-Tim

 

[r_a_feldman]

On another site, someone recommend Russian metal film cartridges, which you can get from Ukraine by way of eBay.

 

[Fredrixxon]

This.
The plastic ones were fiddly and prone to popping open, also.
I don't know the brand names, sorry.

This probably refers to old ORWO cassettes. They were very fiddly indeed, likely to open when reused. And there was a common problem with straps of velvet - usually falling off, letting light into cassette.

 

[Randy Stewart]

The old Kodak Snap-Cap cartridges for reloading bulk film were no big deal at the time. Until the early 1960s, Kodak and others sold their retail film in such snap top cartridges. Note that both ends were snap-on, and the base end was NOT crimped. Whether you reloaded them or not, you opened them (in the dark) by slapping the cartridge end with the spool end protruding down on a counter and the other end popped off. You reloaded it by snapping the end back onto the cartridge, pinching the cartridge body at the felt trap and starting the cap on at that point. I have at least three dozen of them in a box in my basement right now. When Kodak started staking on the cartridge ends, they continued to make the old cartridges because the staked cartridges were destroyed in the film removal process - same old cartridge. (Frankly, the old Agfa cartridges were made with better material and tolerances, and made much better reloads). Today, the plastic cartridges with screw-on ends seem much more convenient and likely to last longer.

 

[LimeyKeith]

I have been a re-loader for years and believe me, the 'modern' plastice reloadable cassettes are the devil incarnate. The light trap appears to be made out of a cheap felt material that sheds fibres like there is no tomorrow and on most of the ones I've tried the light seal does not fully cover the slot. I still have a couple that I bought in the early 1980's which are of excellent quality and I still use these regularly, supplemented by re-using commercial film cassettes that I buy that have 'tails' still protruding from the light trap.

I am always in the market for the older reusable cassettes but sadly they are as rare as hen's teeth but hope springs eternal as the saying goes (I think).

 

[AgX]

The 'modern' plastic reloadable cassettes are the devil incarnate.

About which brand are you talking? The ones made by AP?

https://www.apphoto.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/APP351120.jpg

 

[LimeyKeith]

About which brand are you talking? The ones made by AP?

https://www.apphoto.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/APP351120.jpg

Amonget others, yes. I bought some AP branded ones from a well respected uk supplier

(https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/search.html?searchterm=AP 35mm Plastic Cassette

and frankly I can't tell the difference between these and the cheap rubbish ones of dubious origins on the well known auction site.

 

[Don_ih]

(Frankly, the old Agfa cartridges were made with better material and tolerances, and made much better reloads)

The Agfa ones might be the best. There are Russian (FSU?) ones that are similar but not as well made - but still very good. The old Ilford ones were very good, also - although half of the ones I have now leak light through the felt.