Noob Question: Opening Vintage Ilford Film Cassettes

[Thepng]

Hello,

I just got some vintage Ilford film Cassettes because I have read that they are great for respooling film. How do I open these up? Having a hard time finding a description after a bit of googling...and don't want to mess them up.

Thanks!

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

How do I open these up?

How do we see them?

 

[Thepng]

How do we see them?

Added an image, thanks

 

[AgX]

Press with two fingers at one end the drum firmly together at the slit and with the other hand pull off the cap at the slit. It takes some force at pressing. I rather sit down and put the hand with the cassette on my leg.

Best open the cassete at the end with the protruding stud.

Concerning opening and closing I prefer the plastic cassette with the tightening bayonet (breech lock) cap.

 

[Thepng]

Press with two fingers at one end the drum firmly together at the slit and with the other hand pull off the cap at the slit. It takes some force at pressing. I rather sit down and put the hand with the cassette on my leg.

Concerning opening and closing I prefer the plastic cassette with the tightening bayonet (breech lock) cap.

Success! Thanks for the advice and happy I didn't damage it trying to force it. Squeezing the lips directly seems to not take much force on my particular cassettes.

 

[Bill Burk]

Yes! Those old Ilford films came in very nice reusable cassettes!

 

[MattKing]

Position the cassette with the protruding end of the spool pointing down toward a hard surface.
Squeeze the cassette between your thumb and fingers - firmly, but without distorting the sides very much.
Push the protruding end of the spool hard down against the hard surface, until the cap pops off from the end at the top.
Eye protection is recommended.

 

[ic-racer]

I still have some using from the 1980s and the felt is in great condition.

 

[otto.f]

crown cap opener, the one you use for your beers

 

[JerseyDoug]

crown cap opener, the one you use for your beers

That can distort the cap enough to make the cassette useless for reloading. Back in the day we simply held the cassette with the projection facing down and banged it down hard on the darkroom countertop.

 

[MattKing]

Back in the day we simply held the cassette with the projection facing down and banged it down hard on the darkroom countertop.

The method I described a couple of posts earlier is the kinder, gentler and quieter version of this.

 

[tokam]

I still have some using from the 1980s and the felt is in great condition.

+1

I just gently squeeze the cassette at the end where the spool protrudes and flick off the end cap with my thumbnail. Dead simple.

(Helps if you don't chew your fingernails. )

 

[Craig]

That can distort the cap enough to make the cassette useless for reloading. Back in the day we simply held the cassette with the projection facing down and banged it down hard on the darkroom countertop.

That's what I always did.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

The plastic ones sold by Freestyle are a good option too...
I bought ten many years ago, and one of them didn't adjust well since I got it, so I threw it away.
The other nine have never failed in 12 years, and they're very easy to use.

 

[cmacd123]

I often just push off the cap on those with the end of a fingernail. At the time those were made, Agfa used an almost identical cassette. (spool was sometimes a bit different)

 

[AgX]

I got the impression that the Agfa cassettes from same period are more easy to open, but likely I have to do a blind-test to be sure.

 

[cmacd123]

I got the impression that the Agfa cassettes from same period are more easy to open, but likely I have to do a blind-test to be sure.

My collection have been used so many times that it might be hard to tell. Also I got some of the Agfa ones from Freestyle as USED cassettes, (labeled with various agfachrome labels, (with or without mounting!) that they may not be representative.

{My impression is that Ilford bought the packing machine that they used in those days from Agfa, {typography on the edge printing was similar} and they both likely had the cassettes made in the same factory. AP Photo seems to have also made identical cassettes. (or perhaps made them for both companies?)

the current Ilford Packing machines were also made by Agfa.