Kodak Tourist No 18 question

I am looking at an auction site Kodak Tourist No. 18.

As I see it, it is a single speed shutter model, not the better lens and shutter of the later model "II"

My main concern is, will this Tourist No. 18 model, originally in 620, take the 120 supply spool at all?
Many seem to use the Tourist II with 120 supply spool.
Are the (earlier) "No.18" internals the same?

Note: potential pinhole project,

I assume by No. 18 you mean the first post war Tourist (retroactively called Tourist I). I have never seen the "No. 18" used on any Tourist.

I always respooled 120 film for mine and it is doubtful that a 120 spool will fit. Both the diameter and the length of a 120 spool are greater. Be cautious on claims of fitting a 120 spool into a 620 camera, especially a Kodak. As 620 was a marketing ploy to lock folks into buying Kodak film, they were particularly careful to make the film chambers only fit the 620 spools.

There are cameras that were designed for both types of film, notably the Foldex-20. These make great tools for respooling the film and can be picked up for around 20 bucks.

The Tourist can be modified to accept 120 film with a Dremel tool and a bit of patience. I've done several. I still have one body that needs a lens and shutter that I moded a couple of years back. The original shutter gave up the ghost and I never replaced it. You are welcome to it for cost of postage, all you need to do is swap your lens to it.
If you are going to modify your own, only open up the feed side, leave the take up side alone and get a 620 spool. It's a real PITA to change out the wind mechanism to a larger pawl for 120 spools.
Also, The Tourist has a larger view finder than the Tourist II. When looking try to get one with a 4.5/105 mm Anaston lens with a Flash Kodamatic shutter.

Just have to say I'm completely baffled by the No. 18 designation, as I've never heard of that before. But sure enough at the moment there's one offered as a "No. 18," one is a "#18" and another is an "S18". Anyway, the No. 18 is in fact the first generation Tourist. You can tell by the shape of the viewfinder housing on top of the camera.

My experience is that most 620 cameras (I have several, Brownie Hawkeye, Kodak Reflex II, Adapt-a-Roll 620) will accept a 120 supply roll with the rim of the spool trimmed down flush with the paper backing. I've seen a number of references to some cameras being tight enough that they won't accept the very small extra length of the 120 spool, and some folks have sanded the spool flanges thin to accommodate this. With flanges trimmed for diameter and sanded for thickness, any 620 camera should accept the result (and a few might be able to use the empty spool for takeup, if the advance key will grip) -- but the effort to make both modifications, to every roll of 120, seems to me more than what's needed to respool the film. Of course, if you don't have any 620 spools...

BTW, a couple of the online film sellers offer fresh film that's been respooled for you, at a price that seems reasonable when you consider they include a genuine 620 metal spool (commonly $10 empty if you can find one) as well as the labor for someone to get the film wound the right direction onto that correct spool. If you have a camera that's so tight it won't take a diameter-trimmed spool, I'd be tempted to get at least one roll of this stuff, so as to obtain a second 620 spool for your own respooling.

The Kodak Tourist models are definitely the exception to what Donald posts. A modification to the camera is required if you are going to squeeze a 120 spool into there.

MattKing said:

The Kodak Tourist models are definitely the exception to what Donald posts. A modification to the camera is required if you are going to squeeze a 120 spool into there.

Click to expand...

If you trim both the diameter and thickness of the 120 spool to the same dimensions as the 620, I don't see any reason it wouldn't fit, unless the slightly larger diameter of the film/paper part of the roll is significant (too-tight tensioning spring, for instance). Other wise, same diameter and same length will fit.

Again, though, if you have 620 spools available, it's probably less work to respool than to sand the flanges thin enough.