Light sealing material for old reusable casettes

[MCB18]

I have some old Ilford casettes that I suspect may have a light leak from bad light seal felt. Do any of you have suggestions for a replacement material? Thanks!

 

[abruzzi]

I found this link for sheet film holders. I don’t know if it would work for 135 cassettes:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[MCB18]

I found this link for sheet film holders. I don’t know if it would work for 135 cassettes:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

just seeing a link to the McMaster Carr site, not a specific product

 

[VinceInMT]

just seeing a link to the McMaster Carr site, not a specific product

I clicked on it and got this:

 

[BrianShaw]

That’s a peculiar thing that happens at some e-commerce sites. It’s happened to me before where the item I looked at is shown via the link on my computer /phone but the link I posted goes to their front door. Must be in our cache or something? Why the copied and pasted link is different stymies me.

 

[eli griggs]

I have some old Ilford casettes that I suspect may have a light leak from bad light seal felt. Do any of you have suggestions for a replacement material? Thanks!

Have you tried to 'clean' them by passing a length of medium duty masking tape repeatedly through the felt lips of each canister, to raise the felt as it removes any grit or particles that may be lodged in it?

Velvet ribbon, VERY GOOD VELVET RIBBON, that does not shed threads from edges, when cut is an option, you might consider, as well.

I suggest you use a good glue that does not harden upon drying and thinly coat a small patch of Japanese tissue papers, 100% Gampi, Paper Mulberry or Kozo fibers back the ribbon with this, which can, when cured, then be glued onto the lips of the 35mm canister and the trimmed out.

One last option is to go to a Walmart, Costco or drug store that does in house processing and ask for opened cassettes, regular and disposable camera types and cannibalize those, knowing that they've been only once used.

Good luck and anyone that tries either option let the rest of us know your experiences and durability of your repairs, please.

.

 

[MarkS]

Are reusable cassettes that hard to find/expensive these days?

 

[MCB18]

Are reusable cassettes that hard to find/expensive these days?

yeah, hence me wanting to save these ones.

 

[snusmumriken]

I have some old Ilford casettes that I suspect may have a light leak from bad light seal felt. Do any of you have suggestions for a replacement material? Thanks!

First, I learned the other day that Foma sell old-fashioned metal 35mm cassettes - check their website. Might be your easiest solution?

Second, experience would lead me to suspect distortion of the body, and consequent poor fit of the end caps, before the felt. Why do you suspect the felt specifically? In any case, you’ll presumably need to open out the body to fit new felt, so it would be a good move to find a piece of dowel the right size to act as a form when re-forming the shape.

 

[eli griggs]

First, I learned the other day that Foma sell old-fashioned metal 35mm cassettes - check their website. Might be your easiest solution?

Second, experience would lead me to suspect distortion of the body, and consequent poor fit of the end caps, before the felt. Why do you suspect the felt specifically? In any case, you’ll presumably need to open out the body to fit new felt, so it would be a good move to find a piece of dowel the right size to act as a form when re-forming the shape.

Also, rubber bands as clamps, and small post-it pads for keeping newly glued felts apart

 

[Don_ih]

Second, experience would lead me to suspect distortion of the body, and consequent poor fit of the end caps, before the felt.

I'd normally agree with that but old Ilford cassettes have very good end-caps and the way the opening is bent makes it very rigid and secure (both sides). Normal cassettes can get a little bowed out on the flat side - but these ones don't have a flat side.

Compare:

(photo from here)

 

[guangong]

I haven’t reused standard cassettes for decades, but if in doubt about lip I would simply replace cassettes. Cassette cheaper than film. The only reusable cassettes I use: Leitz and Zeiss...no felt because film doesn’t touch cassette...but they are camera specific.

 

[MCB18]

First, I learned the other day that Foma sell old-fashioned metal 35mm cassettes - check their website. Might be your easiest solution?

Unfortunately, they don’t seem to ship these to the US. This would be extremely cool though!

 

[snusmumriken]

I'd normally agree with that but old Ilford cassettes have very good end-caps and the way the opening is bent makes it very rigid and secure (both sides). Normal cassettes can get a little bowed out on the flat side - but these ones don't have a flat side.

Compare:

View attachment 350427 (photo from here)

When Ilford switched to those single-use cassettes, I laid in a stock of 100 reloadable metal ones, not quite as stiff as Ilford's, but pretty good. Gosh, that must be 40 years ago now. Seems I have 51 in use and 49 new ones left, so they should see me out. Apologies that the foregoing will seem smug and unhelpful to the OP, but really it amazes me how I already had a siege mentality back then!

 

[eli griggs]

I haven’t reused standard cassettes for decades, but if in doubt about lip I would simply replace cassettes. Cassette cheaper than film. The only reusable cassettes I use: Leitz and Zeiss...no felt because film doesn’t touch cassette...but they are camera specific.

The Leica cassettes are slightly longer than the standard cassette, so if you use the standard cassette, in a Barnack (and likely) a M that takes them, include a small cone shaped flashlight type spring in the bottom of the cassette bay, so your film/cassette does not 'drop' the images into sprocket holes.

 

[guangong]

The Leica cassettes are slightly longer than the standard cassette, so if you use the standard cassette, in a Barnack (and likely) a M that takes them, include a small cone shaped flashlight type spring in the bottom of the cassette bay, so your film/cassette does not 'drop' the images into sprocket holes.

I have been using standard cassettes in Leica M cameras since mid 1960s, first time I ever heard about the need for a spring.

 

[Don_ih]

I have been using standard cassettes in Leica M cameras since mid 1960s, first time I ever heard about the need for a spring.

The spring or shim is for use in thread-mount Leicas. They tend to run the image rectangle onto the edge of the sprocket holes, otherwise. It's a little annoying and fixed by using Leica reloadable cassettes (the cameras are designed for those). I don't think it's a problem in any M camera.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

The spring or shim is for use in thread-mount Leicas. They tend to run the image rectangle onto the edge of the sprocket holes, otherwise. It's a little annoying and fixed by using Leica reloadable cassettes (the cameras are designed for those). I don't think it's a problem in any M camera.

Don, I found the perfect (for me) shim in a rubber or plastic garden hose washer. The brand is Hozelock, a UK firm.

Don't forget that there are two Leica cassettes, FILCA and IXMOO. FILCA is a little taller and won't fit M models. IXMOO will go into Barnack models and is fine in my IIIf but a little loose in my II.

 

[guangong]

The spring or shim is for use in thread-mount Leicas. They tend to run the image rectangle onto the edge of the sprocket holes, otherwise. It's a little annoying and fixed by using Leica reloadable cassettes (the cameras are designed for those). I don't think it's a problem in any M camera.

I have never in over 60 yrs experienced this problem using regular cassettes or Leitz cassettes with LTM Leicas, Ms, or Canons. Nor, for any other rangefinders, such as Nikon or Contax. I have no Nikon cassettes. Never have I experienced an image running into sprocket holes. Perhaps such a problem could result from not loading camera properly rather than a cassette problem.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

I have never in over 60 yrs experienced this problem using regular cassettes or Leitz cassettes with LTM Leicas, Ms, or Canons. Nor, for any other rangefinders, such as Nikon or Contax. I have no Nikon cassettes. Never have I experienced an image running into sprocket holes. Perhaps such a problem could result from not loading camera properly rather than a cassette problem.

No. It arises simply because the earlier Leica cameras have a "higher" space to accommodate the cassettes. There is no problem with Leitz cassettes: they are "higher" than what you call regular cassettes. My IIIf has a baseplate with a flange that keeps the film up in place inside it: my II does not and needs a shim when I put regular cassettes into it. Nothing to do with loading.

 

[Don_ih]

I have never in over 60 yrs experienced this problem using regular cassettes or Leitz cassettes with LTM Leicas

That's great. It's definitely something that happens with LTM Leicas, in spite of that. It consistently happens with my Barnack Leicas (pre-C LTMs) - I can't remember if it happens with the C, F, or G. (Mainly because I don't care.)

Even Eisenstaedt put up with it:

Sometimes, the frame can overlap the edge of the sprocket holes.

And I didn't know about these contact sheets before a minute ago, when I decided to look, because I knew he used an LTM Leica. He obviously didn't care much.

 

[snusmumriken]

That's great. It's definitely something that happens with LTM Leicas, in spite of that. It consistently happens with my Barnack Leicas (pre-C LTMs) - I can't remember if it happens with the C, F, or G. (Mainly because I don't care.)

Even Eisenstaedt put up with it:

View attachment 350683

Sometimes, the frame can overlap the edge of the sprocket holes.

View attachment 350684

And I didn't know about these contact sheets before a minute ago, when I decided to look, because I knew he used an LTM Leica. He obviously didn't care much.

It happened to HCB too. I clearly remember instances at an exhibition in London in the early 1970s, where the image was printed to include the rebate, and the image overlapped the sprocket holes. Made a big impression on me. Strangely, I can’t find any examples online. It’s as though they have been clipped and sanitised since his death. This was the closest I could find.

 

[Don_ih]

It’s as though they have been clipped

You mean like this one:

Why is the other side of the negative cut off?

 

[guangong]

To repeat, never had this happen in 60 years with Leica IIIA, IIIC, IIIF, various Canon rf cameras, Nikon rf, or Contax 2a.
I just don’t see how sprocket holes can be exposed if film is being held in place and advanced with sprockets. I can see it happening if haste in loading causes sprocket holes not to be engaged. Since sprockets are out of sight with Leica LTM I can see this happening if in a hurry. Knock on wood...hope it never happens to me.

 

[snusmumriken]

You mean like this one:

View attachment 350728

Why is the other side of the negative cut off?

That's a famous/infamous exception to his self-imposed 'no cropping' rule. No, I mean it's as if at some point HCB and/or Magnum - who I assume still control what HCB images are available online - have decided that cropping to tidy the edges is acceptable. That's the only explanation I can think of.

I wouldn't want to ape it, but I love how seeing the sprocket holes in the print makes you aware that this thing came from the inside of a little metal camera, that it's an instant of time caught in there.