The ELDIA is a giant pain the keister.
I got one practically unused (I now know why) and found the instructions on the Orphan Camera Site. The instructions are only vaguely useful, so I had to play around with it a lot to discover the "secrets" to using it for direct contact slides from negatives.
The spools are far too loose to hold the film at tension. Try to spool-up 10 feet as suggested and it wildly unravels from the feed spool once in the body of the copier. You must have constant tension over the sprocket to get proper frame spacing (1 barely audible click for a half frame, 2 clicks for full frame images).
This necessitated my doing the following:
Using some self adhesive black velvet, I used one of the spool bottom as a template to cut 4 circles of the velvet, I then peeled the backing off and stuck one on each spool bottom. I then took a sharp craft knife and cut out the center of the spool hole to go down over the stud that holds the spool in place on bottom of the chassis. This created a bit of drag, but not quite enough.
So, I then stuck the other two over the knob holes on the underside of the lid and also cut out the holes for the spool knobs to protrude from the top when snapped-on the chassis. This pushes down on the very, very slight collar around the winding knobs.
This now provides enough hold-back tension to keep either spool from unspooling and ruining the spacing. I have a feeling I will be adding another layer when these wear-down...
I also found out that the threading path, which is not specifically addressed in the manual, is a tiny slot just in front of the back, glass pressure plate. I had been trying to thread it over the bars and it obviously would have scratched the heck out of the copying film stock when advanced. Once you get it in the slot and engaged with the sprocket, it is literally HELL to get it out without destroying the emulsion, so it's probably best to load it with no more than 36 exposures or risk damaging a lot of film or having a heart attack or both.
When you load the film, looking down with the pressure plate open and away from you, the left-most spool must be loaded EMULSION IN (ANTI-CLOCKWISE) and coming off the bottom of the spool, into the slot, over the sprocket and into the right-most chamber. The right-hand spool takes up CLOCKWISE over the top of the spool, winding up EMULSION OUT.
The negative slides into the two very tiny channels that are under the clear copy glass.
YOU MUST release the gate to wind the film to the next exposure or scratch the heck out of your negative!
When you try to load the spools, trim the film to a short, narrow section about 1/2 inch across and insert it through the narrow gap of the spool ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE (over hand) and then bend it back to wind-on the film. If you try to load it any other way, it simply slips out and causes much colorful language.
Also, I am going to use some black paper tape to seal the lid onto the body after loading it. The security of the lid inspires exactly ZERO confidence and who needs a "jack in the box" film ejection while trying to make slides?
I have yet to figure out the function of the red window in the back of the unit. When loaded, it shines on the copy stock, not the negative strip you are duplicating, so it is of very little use for aligning or confirming framing of the negative.
You are better off holding the top of the unit (while open) up to a safe light and positioning the negative than risk some bright, white light sources that would be required to punch through both the unexposed stock and to the negative.
Finally, mark your first frame somehow or you may wind up with too much film to fit on a processing reel if you forget where you started making images.
Kodak 5302 or 2302 is Positive Print release film that can still be purchased to make the slides. It's Ortho, so you can work under a OC safelight. I think the Film Photography Project sells some pre-loaded cassettes of this stock, but am unsure if they will sell you a 100 foot roll. Try and see...
You will have to make exposure tests with a known light source (enlarger or bare bulb) and try developing it in a full strength print developer like Dektol for 2 minutes to start.
I spend the day figuring this out, so no examples to show, but hopefully something soon...
Hope this helps someone.
I got one practically unused (I now know why) and found the instructions on the Orphan Camera Site. The instructions are only vaguely useful, so I had to play around with it a lot to discover the "secrets" to using it for direct contact slides from negatives.
The spools are far too loose to hold the film at tension. Try to spool-up 10 feet as suggested and it wildly unravels from the feed spool once in the body of the copier. You must have constant tension over the sprocket to get proper frame spacing (1 barely audible click for a half frame, 2 clicks for full frame images).
This necessitated my doing the following:
Using some self adhesive black velvet, I used one of the spool bottom as a template to cut 4 circles of the velvet, I then peeled the backing off and stuck one on each spool bottom. I then took a sharp craft knife and cut out the center of the spool hole to go down over the stud that holds the spool in place on bottom of the chassis. This created a bit of drag, but not quite enough.
So, I then stuck the other two over the knob holes on the underside of the lid and also cut out the holes for the spool knobs to protrude from the top when snapped-on the chassis. This pushes down on the very, very slight collar around the winding knobs.
This now provides enough hold-back tension to keep either spool from unspooling and ruining the spacing. I have a feeling I will be adding another layer when these wear-down...
I also found out that the threading path, which is not specifically addressed in the manual, is a tiny slot just in front of the back, glass pressure plate. I had been trying to thread it over the bars and it obviously would have scratched the heck out of the copying film stock when advanced. Once you get it in the slot and engaged with the sprocket, it is literally HELL to get it out without destroying the emulsion, so it's probably best to load it with no more than 36 exposures or risk damaging a lot of film or having a heart attack or both.
When you load the film, looking down with the pressure plate open and away from you, the left-most spool must be loaded EMULSION IN (ANTI-CLOCKWISE) and coming off the bottom of the spool, into the slot, over the sprocket and into the right-most chamber. The right-hand spool takes up CLOCKWISE over the top of the spool, winding up EMULSION OUT.
The negative slides into the two very tiny channels that are under the clear copy glass.
YOU MUST release the gate to wind the film to the next exposure or scratch the heck out of your negative!
When you try to load the spools, trim the film to a short, narrow section about 1/2 inch across and insert it through the narrow gap of the spool ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE (over hand) and then bend it back to wind-on the film. If you try to load it any other way, it simply slips out and causes much colorful language.
Also, I am going to use some black paper tape to seal the lid onto the body after loading it. The security of the lid inspires exactly ZERO confidence and who needs a "jack in the box" film ejection while trying to make slides?
I have yet to figure out the function of the red window in the back of the unit. When loaded, it shines on the copy stock, not the negative strip you are duplicating, so it is of very little use for aligning or confirming framing of the negative.
You are better off holding the top of the unit (while open) up to a safe light and positioning the negative than risk some bright, white light sources that would be required to punch through both the unexposed stock and to the negative.
Finally, mark your first frame somehow or you may wind up with too much film to fit on a processing reel if you forget where you started making images.
Kodak 5302 or 2302 is Positive Print release film that can still be purchased to make the slides. It's Ortho, so you can work under a OC safelight. I think the Film Photography Project sells some pre-loaded cassettes of this stock, but am unsure if they will sell you a 100 foot roll. Try and see...
You will have to make exposure tests with a known light source (enlarger or bare bulb) and try developing it in a full strength print developer like Dektol for 2 minutes to start.
I spend the day figuring this out, so no examples to show, but hopefully something soon...
Hope this helps someone.
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