Re Taping Film holders

I have a lot of used film holders (Lisco Regal II, Fidelity Elite, and the like). Some of the older ones have developed light leaks that appear to be through to the tape hinge.

Has anyone had experience with re-taping these plastic film holders? Are there supplies available for such a repair?

I've retaped a number of mine - it's easy to do.

But you should check the holders first to determine where the light leaks are. The tape is merely a hinge - it does't form part of the light seal. So if your holders are leaking light, then the core problem is something other than tape.

There are a number of choices for the tape you use to repair holders. Many people use ordinary black photo tape (basically a form of masking tape). I have also used plasticized fabric tape and narrow duct tape. If you can find it, book repair tape should be excellent for this application.

Most standard tapes are 3/4' wide - this is wide enough to repair the hinge on one side of a holder, so you have to use two strips of tape to do the entire holder. If you can find wider tape, that makes the job a bit simpler although you may have to trim excess width with an x-acto knife.

shicks5319 said:

I have a lot of used film holders (Lisco Regal II, Fidelity Elite, and the like). Some of the older ones have developed light leaks that appear to be through to the tape hinge.

Has anyone had experience with re-taping these plastic film holders? Are there supplies available for such a repair?

Click to expand...

Actually the tape does nothing to shield light. That function should be the domain of the light trap(s) attached by the tape. If you are experiencing edge fogging, I would suspect the dark slide is not completely or correctly seating in the traps. Perhaps a good cleaning will solve the problem(s).

Perhaps a more probable cause is the seating of the holder on the camera. Take the camera less the lens into a dark room and illuminate the interior with an open source light bulb like a xmas tree 7-Watt ( I use my Mini-Maglite with the lens assembly removed). Look for leaks around the back with the film holder in place with the dark slide in place and removed. Good hunting.