Repairing 8x10 holder

Toffle · Jun 5, 2016

I'm looking for a solution to replace the cloth tape that attaches the loading flaps on an 8x10 Graflex Kodak-branded film holder. The original tape has worn away on one side of the holder, and no doubt the second side is soon to follow. The holder is otherwise in good shape, so I think it's worthwhile trying to rehabilitate it.

It seems most book binding repair tapes I've seen online are some combination of the following:

plain white (which doesn't seem very light-proof to me)
too gummy (like electricians tape, stretchy and gooey, and will pull away over time... I've tried)
too bulky, which could interfere with the loading of the holders into the camera.

What have others here done?

Cheers,
Tom

removed account4 · Jun 5, 2016

hey tom

i only use book binders tape / book repair tape
here in the states it can be found here:
http://www.talasonline.com
http://www.gaylord.com
i've bought things from both ...
while i've never bought from brodart,
http://www.brodart.ca/Library-Supplies/Book-Care-and-Repair-Supplies/Tapes/
they seem to carry the same sorts of stuff without the ever-present hassle
of cross border shipping ( us to canada ) and tariffs.

good luck !
john

Old-N-Feeble · Jun 5, 2016

I use black cloth hockey tape. It's cheap and comes in several widths. You'll still have to trim it though. Avoid stretching it as it's applied... lay it on easy.

Ian Grant · Jun 5, 2016

I use shutter curtain material, off-cuts from making shutter curtains for Thornton Pickard shutters and MF/LF focal plane shutter curtains.

Ian

pdeeh · Jun 5, 2016

Filmoplast-T, Black Book Repair Tape/Self adhesive bookbinding cloth

Toffle · Jun 5, 2016

Good solutions all. The speed at which you've responded tells me this question has been answered before, which is odd, because my "Advanced Search" yielded nothing particularly useful.

On closer examination of the holder, it is apparent how well made these holders were, as the wooden flaps are planed out by the thickness of the tape, which would alleviate my concern #3 above. This puts a lot of faith in a very thin section of the binding tape, though, as there is room only for about 1/8" of tape on the cut-out area of the wooden flaps. I trust in your confidence that this will work. I will check with Brodart (being Canadian) and see what happens.

Cheers,
Tom

paul ron · Jun 5, 2016

http://www.demco.com/goto?BLS172881&ALL0000&es=20160601151150065615

cowanw · Jun 5, 2016

If you happen by Hamilton, we can do it in a few minutes. I have time supply. Re the white tape , the tape itself has no role in light tightness.

Toffle · Jun 5, 2016

Thanks for the offer, Bill. Bit of a drive, but I'll see if my travels take me your way in the near future. A friend of mine is a retired librarian, and might just have access to what I need.

General question to all: is a strip of tape roughly 1/8" wide really that secure in holding the flap in place during repeated opening and closing? (Looking at my holder, I have the feeling they used some sort of magical glue, because it doesn't seem remotely possible this side of Hogwarts.)

Cheers

John Koehrer · Jun 5, 2016

Doesn't the tape wrap around the end and extend an 1/8" or so down the side on your holder?

Toffle · Jun 5, 2016

John Koehrer said:
Doesn't the tape wrap around the end and extend an 1/8" or so down the side on your holder?

Ah, yes. So it does. Thanks for pointing that out, John.
I'm still convinced there's wizardry involved.

Repairing 8x10 holder

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