Processing a 126 Cassette

[mtjade2007]

I am going to process a 126 cassette with Kodak Gold 100 film in it for a friend. I have tried to twist both ends of the cassette trying to crack it open with no success. I may have to use a little more brutal force with a screw driver blade to open it. I have the film already rolled all the way into one end. I noticed that the film has a back paper rolling along with the film. So I am assuming the film is wrapped in the back paper now. Is it safe to open the cassette in room light now? The film is actually the same as 35 mm film. I can process it with a 35 mm reel with my Jobo processor.

 

[Ian Grant]

The format was just repackaged 828 film.

Break the cassette in half in the dark and use a bottle opener to get into the film end, I always found them easy to open up.

Ian

 

[mtjade2007]

I hope I don't have to break it. Such a cassette is hard to come by. It would be perfect if it can be reused by spooling some 35mm film back into it.

 

[Ian Grant]

They aren't re-usable unfortunately.

Ian

 

[alexmacphee]

Such a cassette is hard to come by. It would be perfect if it can be reused by spooling some 35mm film back into it.

It wouldn't do any good. 126 cassettes work by having just one sprocket hole per frame, which is detected by a small pin in the camera, and which tells the camera when to stop winding. 35mm film has eight sprocket holes every full frame. The camera would attempt to take a picture every single sprocket hole.

 

[AgX]

Finally a way for a more economic use of film...

 

[mtjade2007]

Apparently, I knew nothing about 126 films. It looks like 35 mm film in a 126 cassette. I guess I will just break the cassette and soup it. The films is of course expired and I believe it was poorly stored. It was my friend's 126 SLR that drew my attention. I volunteered (when he asked) to process his film. Now I will just break the hell of it ...

 

[fschifano]

But not in the light! Back in the day, I did a number of these things and the paper backing isn't enough to guarantee light tightness. You need to open the cassette in the dark. The film itself should fit on a 35mm reel. The frames are square, and the sprocket holes aren't really sprocket holes. Like Alex said, the holes are there to tell the camera when the film has advanced the proper distance by engaging a pin in the camera.

 

[mtjade2007]

I made it. I cracked the cassette in room light then opened it in a dark changing bag. Processed along with another roll of film. Unfortunately the 126 film wasn't properly stored (probably in a garage for years) and the entire roll shows some fogging. The other roll of film is perfectly fine. The cassette isn't destroyed. I can give it back to my friend to keep.