An original FSU cassette for bulk loading

tho60

tho60

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Hello Buddies!

I am considering to buy a 100 feet film roll for bulk loading. I have some original FSU cassettes. E.g. for Zorki-1, Zorki-6, and Kiev-2A. May I try on them, or I should apply modern cassettes instead?

Please share your experiences. ;) Original manuals discuss cassette loading in great detail- then almost everyone loaded the film on his own.

Thanks a lot.
 
If You are talking about the brass FSU ones with lock/unlock gates (Leica/Contax style) - go for it!
You might wanna check for mold and clean them before loading film.
The cassettes with felt lips are not worth it and most modern ones are in this category.
 
My experience with the brass two cylinder reloadable cassettes is that they don't always work. In some cases the cassette made opening the camera base lock very difficult and in other cases the lock couldn't be closed with the cassette inserted. It is also worth noting that Zorki and Fed use different types which are not interchangeable and look very similar.
 
As I wrote, I have some 5 different FSU cassettes. The most peculiar among them was made for Zorki-6 cameras (you can see it in the manual). Its outer case is hold by a spring. Earlier cassettes are of more simple construction.

Original cassettes give you the feeling of 50's and 60's, while modern reloadable ones may be more reliable. I don't feel like wasting some rolls. That's why I have asked you for sharing your experiences.;)
 
I had a couple but never used them as they never felt right, to tight, maybe corrosion maybe that's they way they were made. Not worth the risk for me but I agree they are cool to look at and hold.
 
bgb said:
I had a couple but never used them as they never felt right, to tight, maybe corrosion maybe that's they way they were made. Not worth the risk for me but I agree they are cool to look at and hold.
Click to expand...
The ones I had problems with were brand new-including one supplied with a new Zorki 4.
 
I'm a retired machinist and I think I know the problem. I used to use similar cassettes in a Nikon F. Everything has to fit just right for them to work. Machining tolerances on the cassette, the camera body, the base plate and the latch all have to be exact. In machining error becomes additive. If you're lucky the errors negate each other but often they add up and mess things up.

For FSU cassettes to work they will have to be of the right type and tested for an individual camera. They may work in one camera but not another. One other solution is what engine builders call "blueprinting". Take everything apart and rebuild them to exact tolerances. These cassettes are great when they work. Good Luck. Joe
 
blueprinting is a term i have nOt heard since the days of old, reckon they have a fancy word for it now ;]
One of my cassettes was sort of ok and the other was way out maybe they could have been fixed but too late all gone to a new home now. I think both of mine were brand new NOS.
Maybe look for a different type, you should check out this Youtube clip by Tom Abrahamsson from www.RapidWinder.com he's using Leica cassettes ... I like his method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn-G6g3Om3s&feature=plcp
**** MUST OF COURSE BE DONE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS ****
 
Livesteamer said:
I'm a retired machinist and I think I know the problem. I used to use similar cassettes in a Nikon F. Everything has to fit just right for them to work. Machining tolerances on the cassette, the camera body, the base plate and the latch all have to be exact. In machining error becomes additive. If you're lucky the errors negate each other but often they add up and mess things up.

For FSU cassettes to work they will have to be of the right type and tested for an individual camera. They may work in one camera but not another. One other solution is what engine builders call "blueprinting". Take everything apart and rebuild them to exact tolerances. These cassettes are great when they work. Good Luck. Joe
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. I have a cassette for Kiev-2. Hardly works it for its original camera, but I could use it in an other one. (I have tried it with an exposed film for testing.)
 
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