neal3k
Well-known
It is not unusual for me to want to cut part of a roll off in my LTM cameras and develop just that portion. It appears that the Leica ABCOO would be just the thing except for the prices. Because they are collector's items, they start over $100.
Has anyone built one?
or
Could anyone provide the measurements of a ABCOO?
Thanks so much.
Has anyone built one?
or
Could anyone provide the measurements of a ABCOO?
Thanks so much.
raydm6
Yay! Cameras! 🙈🙉🙊┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘ [◉"]
Wow, I didn’t know that cutter even existed. Interesting. What’s curious is that I don’t see any Leitz markings on any examples on the net.
dourbalistar
Buy more film
I wonder if a (modified) seam ripper tool would be sharp enough to cut film?
neal3k
Well-known
Seam rippers look promising. Amazon has all sizes; some may not require modification except maybe sharpening. Prices are cheap and worth a try. I'll post again if I have any luck with them
Erik van Straten
Veteran
I have an ABCOO, it is nickle on brass and it comes in a black leather case or pouch, length is 9 cm, length of the grip is 3,5 cm. The "lemmet" is 0,6 cm broad and 6,8 cm long. I've never used it. Because one has to use it in the dark it needs a lot of practise to take advantage of it. It is truly a collector's item. It is not marked, neither is the leather case.
Erik.
Erik.
Dralowid
Michael
I've never quite understood ABCOO because of the need to use it in the dark until you have the film you've cut off into a tank etc. Far better to use a camera that will spool from cassette to cassette.
dourbalistar
Buy more film
Seam rippers may be cheap, but Leica cameras and repairs are not. Proceed with caution! I assume no responsibility for any potential damages.
neal3k
Well-known
Thanks so much Erik.
neal3k
Well-known
Thanks so much to everyone for your responses. I have opened the backs of quite a few cameras in the darkroom and snipped off film from a partially used roll. Then I immediately spool it into my developing tank reel. (Maybe I should plan ahead better or learn to be patient and finish the roll.)
The Barnack cameras won't let you remove a partial roll without the ABCOO or something similar. I'll practice on my "parts only" Zorki. I promise not to use it on the camera in my Avatar. I've got a small 10 camera Barnack collection to choose from and I shoot 95% or more of my 35mm images with them.
Regards to all,
Neal
The Barnack cameras won't let you remove a partial roll without the ABCOO or something similar. I'll practice on my "parts only" Zorki. I promise not to use it on the camera in my Avatar. I've got a small 10 camera Barnack collection to choose from and I shoot 95% or more of my 35mm images with them.
Regards to all,
Neal
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
I wonder if the ABCOO's primary use was for the 250/Reporter; I can see it making sense in that context. It might take me a while to get through 24 or 36 exposures at certain times of the year, but not enough for me to want to develop a partial roll, personally. But 250 exposures? Yeah, sure. Hand me the ABCOO.
farlymac
PF McFarland
One other thing you could consider is to load your own cassettes with shorter lengths of film if you anticipate not taking many exposures before wanting to develop the film.
PF
PF
Hans Berkhout
Well-known
Advance at least oneframe after last picture taken. Advance again, set speed on b, have camera resting in hand facing up, press shutter release with your thumb and keep thumb pressed on release till procedure finished. With shutter now opened film emulsion side is accessible. Stick piece of scotch tape on film, this needs alittle care and practice. Now let go of shutter release, replace lens or body cap. Rewind film. In darkroom feel for scotch tape and that’s where you cut your film.
qqphotos
Well-known
I wonder if you could extract the film cutting tool from an Exakta SLR for this.
Dralowid
Michael
I think you have hit the proverbial nail on the head!
Jonathan R
Well-known
That's very ingenious! I think I'd prefer to stick it on the film back inside a changing bag (I'm using an M, not LTM), but great idea.
zuiko85
Veteran
Wow, can see how difficult cutting off partially exposed film in bottom loader would be. I have done it quite a bit with my half frame Pen F because….well I’ve slowed down a lot and it takes too long to expose 72 frames.
Used to bulk load short rolls, but that hardly makes sense anymore, and aftermarket cartridges are overpriced junk anyway.
Used to bulk load short rolls, but that hardly makes sense anymore, and aftermarket cartridges are overpriced junk anyway.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
Now that I'll agree with. I was lucky enough to grab a sack of FILCAs and IXMOOs back when camera dealers would literally just give them away. Using those made me never want to go back to the little pop-top felt-trap things.
qqphotos
Well-known
I'm trying to make the 10 or so decent reloadable cartridges I have last. I got them from freestyle maybe 4 years ago but the ones they sell are different now, and all the current ones I've found so far are absolute trash. Either the metal is so thin they deform just from using them, or the light trap material just shreds fibers everywhere anytime it's touched, or both.
I've been buying leica brass cartridges when I see them for reasonable prices, which isn't often, but usually the sellers don't know if it's IXMOO or FILCA, and I only find out when it fits the IIIg but not the M2. Also on some of them the spool doesn't have a film-trapping slot, but instead just a spot-welded tab I guess you're supposed to tuck the film end under and fold it over, but these are hard to load and it usually pulls out at the end of the roll.
Coldkennels
Barnack-toting Brit.
I can sympathise. I have a few generic reusables left from the last batch I bought about a decade ago, but they're now reaching the point where they seemingly scratch any film that goes through them, no matter how much I try to clean the light traps. I should replace them, but with what? As you rightly point out, most generics available today are terrible.
Now this is odd. I've never seen a FILCA or IXMOO like this; even my (presumably) late production IXMOO with a grey plastic spool has a proper "trap" for the film. I wonder if the spools have been swapped out at some point? If I were you, I'd use a bit of tape to hold the film in place. Not pretty, but it works.
I also have some FED, Zorki and Zeiss reloadable cassettes, and believe me, nothing is worse than the Zeiss one. The spools on those are a pain in the ass - they have a weird diagonal slice with a nub in it that's supposed to grab the sprocket, and invariably, it never does. FED and Zorki may have kept the same actuation system (which, again, isn't great), but they had the sense to swap to a proper trap.
qqphotos
Well-known
Just to satisfy curiosity -
Tape is fine but sort of precludes using a bulk loader since you'd have to shove the film in and somehow apply the tape through the rectangular opening in the assembled cartridge. With the regular ones it's fine, you can push the cut end through the canister opening right into the spool's "grabber" slot and be on your way. I like using the loader, and my two both have the proper notch and knob to let you twist and lock the canister shut when you're done. I'll probably just keep this one in a drawer as a curiosity unless I find a better spool.
With this it's just barely possible to get a film end slid under the tab and then squeeze a finger or tool in there to kind of sharply bend it back. It will hold if you get it right, but I don't trust it.