Reloading film packs?

[Whiteymorange]

Probably a dumb idea, but the old film packs that bill h gave me last spring got me thinking. I shot all of the (16!) shots in the Plus X pack and while they were fogged (went belly up in 1976) I got excited by the idea of refilling the pack and shooting new stock. I didn't tear any of the tabs, and when I took the film off the backing sheets, I cut it to leave a flap to which I might attach a new sheet. I know I could just tape on new film, but the positioning seemed to be pretty important and I'm a clutz at times. The original sheets were long by about .25" and I didn't end up losing much of the image (fogged anyway, as I said.)

Here's the rub. The original film was very thin stock, to allow for the tight radius bend of the pull-through and for the pack to contain 16 sheets. Has anyone tried this? I don't have a lot of dead film sitting around for trials and I don't really want to blow through new sheets. I figure I might be able to get away with 12 sheets in a pack - what I believe was the standard on most packs anyway.

Just wondering... New Plus X is on a fairly heavy base. Would anyone care to suggest a thinner one?

 

[removed account4]

hey whitey

did you ever buy that aero film from mrfoto1 on eboink ?
it is really !! thin and might be the right thickness for your project.

john

 

[gordrob]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on how the film packs were assembled. This link is one of the few that refers to the process - near the bottom by MakingKODAKfilm.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-15255.html

Gord

 

[Whiteymorange]

Putting them back together is pretty simple, actually. The provision is there for the photographer to take out one sheet and reassemble the pack if shooting a subject that required some urgency in printing. The issue is making the film go around a pretty tight circle at the bottom of the pack and slide up between a metal sheet and the back of the previous picture.

I think I'm going to simply go for it with a couple of sheets of something I already have - maybe FP 4 or Efke 50. I've given away most of my Forte/Foma/J&C, etc. pack gleaned from other photographers cleaning out their stock. Now all I have to do is find the time...

 

[mopar_guy]

It has been suggested that 5 inch aerial roll film could be used to "reload" film packs. Look at the following thread:

http://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtopic.php?t=2464

 

[mhcfires]

The older film packs were 12 sheets/pack. I still have some packs of Verichrome Pan in my freezer and they are all 12 sheet packs, so are the older Tri X and Plus X. Good luck with your project.

 

[BrianShaw]

Interesting notion...

Have you seen this:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=aPRfAAAAEBAJ&printsec=description&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[BrianShaw]

... or this:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=mz...=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[Whiteymorange]

Interesting notion...

Have you seen this:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=aPRfAAAAEBAJ&printsec=description&zoom=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

You gotta love a guy with a first initial, a name, another initial and a last name: J. Henry S. Parker.

Thanks to everyone for the enthusiastic support... I can't believe I'm the first to try this, however. Any spectacular failures out there?

 

[premo]

I tried this using Aristo edu ortho because it's thin backed, and being ortho, can be loaded under a red safe-light. I figure after I get the process straightened out I can try aero film.