Film leader for bottom loaders.

[Nickfed]

On a slightly different tack to the currently active thread on bottom loading......
I don't have a problem with bottom loaders. It wasn't a good idea but it wasn't a bad one and I'm sure it contributes to the compactness of the original Leica design.

But what I don't understand is that I never see any reference round here to film cutters. The first Leica I used was a model I. Fixed lens and separate rangefinder. It had a tool that cut the correct leader on the film. I think it was called ABLON. It was a long time ago. It was like a door hinge. Some time later a saw a guy using a different type of cutter. It was springy with a pivot on the end. I thought it worked better than the ABLON. I don't know if it was Leitz, I assumed the camera was but it might not have been.

My question: where are these tools now? Didn't the FSU make any? They copied everything else, so surely they did this too.

Hmmm. It's a funny time for it, but I wonder if a little toolshop in Chengdu could turn a batch out, or even Chernivtsi for that matter....

 

[richiedcruz]

I use an Ablon to cut leaders for my Leica. I have not heard of the other one that you mentioned, but there must have been plenty of companies offering something like the Ablon when screwmounts were new.

My Ablon cost me more than I care to think about, and that probably discourages most people from using one. I have seen posts on the Leica Forum at Photo.net where people mention that they don't bother with them, because it is not hard to approximate the right size and shape leader without one.

I could probably do without one, if I had to get a factory roll into my Leica for some reason. But it does make for quick work with bulk loaded rolls.

Richie

 

[Mark Wood]

A camera repairer in the UK advertises a new cutting template which looks very similar to the Leitz ABLON (look under Leica Tool at http://www.phoserve.co.uk/) although there is no indication of price. Ffordes (http://www.ffordes.co.uk) are also advertising something which I assume is similar but with no photograph (look under New Items then Leica). Photax also sold a template which looks like ABLON and these seem to crop up from time to time at about half the price of a Leitz original.
So there are still alternatives out there!