What to do with Empty Boxes and Canisters

afrank · Nov 26, 2012

Hi all, I bet I am the only one that has lots of empty film boxes and cannister lying around.

Any artsy ideas on what to do with the boxes? What about the canisters, besides geo-caching?

I also keep the film rests, any idea for those?

Thanks!

StoneNYC · Nov 26, 2012

afrank said:
Hi all, I bet I am the only one that has lots of empty film boxes and cannister lying around.

Any artsy ideas on what to do with the boxes? What about the canisters, besides geo-caching?

I also keep the film rests, any idea for those?

Thanks!

No but speaking of geocaching, is there a geophotocaching? Like where you leave a photo or slide or 120 frame and someone comes and trades it with theirs and so on? That could be neat

~Stone

The Noteworthy Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

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Helinophoto · Nov 26, 2012

I keep the 120 spools and 35mm canisters in a waste-bag where I develop the film, not sure what to do with them though, always good to have a spare spool when you get a new 120 camera, and a spare 35mm canister for bulk-loading, other than that.....dunno.

I toss just about everything else (backing paper and the end of the 35mm film that I cut off).

CronoZero · Nov 26, 2012

I've seen some people carefully open 35mm cartridges, glue/epoxy a magnet inside, and use it as a fridge magnet. I'd like to do that, but I uh...don't open the cartridges carefully at all.

tkamiya · Nov 26, 2012

For some reasons, it feels SO WRONG to throw away those 35mm plastic containers and 120 spools. I have TONS of each.

I think it's an illness all film photographers catch when they are exposed to D76.

afrank · Nov 26, 2012

The spools and backpaper I keep to re roll 60mm Positive Film myself. But the boxes and 35mm left overs I have no use for, I though someone out there could have already come up with a use for them.

tkamiya · Nov 26, 2012

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Alan Klein · Nov 26, 2012

StoneNYC said:
No but speaking of geocaching, is there a geophotocaching? Like where you leave a photo or slide or 120 frame and someone comes and trades it with theirs and so on? That could be neat

~Stone

Well, some geocachers when they hide their cache, leave a disposable film camera in it. That way, when other cachers find it, they take a picture of their group and put it back in the cache. Months later, the original hider, returns to get the camera and has a record of all the finders which he can post on the geocaching site for that cache.

erikg · Nov 26, 2012

Nothing creative, but I do put all of that into the recycling. And the cat loves the 120 spools.

bobwysiwyg · Nov 26, 2012

Put holes in the canister lids and use them for salt and pepper shakers at your next formal dinner. place film spools beside each place setting as elegant knife rests.

edcculus · Nov 26, 2012

for now I'm saving the plastic 35mm film canisters to turn them into baby rattles and other toys. It seems like such a waste to throw them away though.

Everything else goes though. I mess up the end of the actual film canister when unloading to do anything with.

BoxBrownie · Nov 26, 2012

I've been saving the black ones to put liquid emulsion in meaning I don't have to keep opening/warming up the whole lot (when kept in the original container) each time. My wife uses them to keep different buttons and beads in.

Sirius Glass · Nov 27, 2012

Wow man, like wot Cheech and Chong say, keep your stash in the canisters. Duuude.

David Lyga · Nov 27, 2012

I use them to test films but exposing an inch or so and then processing that clip in the plastic canister. Do this in darkness...do not trust them to be light-tight. - David Lyga

Sirius Glass · Nov 27, 2012

David Lyga said:
I use them to test films but exposing an inch or so and then processing that clip in the plastic canister. Do this in darkness...do not trust them to be light-tight. - David Lyga

Especially the translucent ones.

Muihlinn · Nov 27, 2012

use the leftovers to test fix baths.

benjiboy · Nov 27, 2012

I put mine in the trash.

BMbikerider · Nov 27, 2012

Plastic containers come in useful in the Workshop for storing those endlessly variable small nuts, bolts and washers that accumulate over time

Mike Wilde · Nov 27, 2012

I once kept the newly unique to me empty 35mm cassettes, and would tear the ends off and squash them and then stick them along a moulding rail that ran near the ceiling of my old darkroom. Now that the variety of films I find/are offered any more is shrinking I keep that collection in a drawer.

Similary I keep unique to me 120 backing paper sections taped to spare old quad paper pad backing cardboard. I keep then in a filing cabinet, and look at them once in a while.

I keep any non-crimped 35mm cassettes for reloading. Some are over 25 years old now, and still work well. Other crimped ones with an inch or so of spool end tail hanging out for reloading I now keep to reload as weel, since finding a nice leader retriever at Freestyle a few years ago. I keep the empty cassette box limited to about 50 units, with the film canisters to match.

Spare canisters I give to the scout groups in our area from time to time. They use them for storing spices for thier field mess kitchen kits.

I keep about 20 respooled 120 backing paper and spools. I do reload from slit down bulk 70mm from time to time.

Five or six empty rolls of 120 backing paper folded back on itself and some masking tape and a staple gun have been used to light proof a window frame or door, and still alow the window or door to be operated in some imprompu darkrooms that I have set up in the past.

E. von Hoegh · Nov 27, 2012

Why, save them of course. Don't worry, you'll find something to put in them.

Bob Carnie · Nov 27, 2012

when the containers were the screw top to metal containers , we used them to make salt peter and other ingredients , combined made perfect launching bombs for rocks and stones.
now I am going back to my youth when this was a popular thing to do .. put a tube into the ground, make the concoction in the photo can, put a wick on it and place at bottom of the tube with wick out to lite, put rocks on top to photo can, light wick , send rocks over houses to land on cars driving down steet... who says the kids today are assholes .. I think we invented that.

Maris · Nov 27, 2012

Re-spool the backing paper onto 120 reels and sell the combibation on Ebay to people who want to do homeopathic photography.

EASmithV · Nov 27, 2012

Hoarde them like crazy.

ROL · Nov 27, 2012

afrank said:
Any artsy ideas on what to do with the boxes?

Nothing artsy unfortunately, and how would I know being a photographer?

Practically though, it's too bad some sort of resource clearing house (APUG, LFPF) isn't available for the film boxes. Every one starting out in LF always faces the same dilemma (and asks the same panicked question here and on LFPF), how to store and transport your first exposed sheets before your initial unexposed box is empty.

Marc B. · Nov 27, 2012

Wish you were close-by, and had a hoard of 4 X 5 and 8 X 10 sheet film boxes to unload.
I could use about 2 or 3 of each size.

Marc

What to do with Empty Boxes and Canisters

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