css9450
Veteran
I've been experimenting with my new Holgamods film cutter; this model slices 120 film down to 127 size for use in the popular 4x4 TLR cameras such as the Baby Rolleiflex and Yashica 44, as well as the multitudes of Vest Pocket Kodaks, Baby Brownies, Brownie Starflashes, Imperial Satellites and countless other consumer-level 127 cameras sold during the heyday of the format. Check your closet; you might have an oldie but goodie lurking way back there! Let's spool up some film and give them a try.
With 127 film all but extinct (just when it looked like Rera Pan 100 was here to stay, suddenly its just about disappeared!), the next best alternative is to slice 120 film down to size. This is really two operations: First, we have to get the film out of the 120 backing paper and trim it to its new 46mm width. Secondly, we have to roll it onto some 127 backing paper (new, trimmed-to-size, or vintage) and cut the ends to length as needed. Lastly, we roll it onto a 127 spool and its ready to go into the camera!
I fooled around for awhile with the popular cigar-cutter method made popular by some Youtube videos. I found it very frustrating and haphazard. It was difficult to maintain a constant width, it was difficult verify a correct width, and the thickness of the blade meant the cut tended to wander and make the film get wider and wider as it went through the roll. Scrapping that idea, I built a simple guillotine cutter which sliced the film with a razor blade while I turned the spool on a little spindle. Clever, and I liked that I was able to do the cutting with the room lights on. But the tolerances of my simple device weren't close enough to maintain the correct width either, and I tended to chew up as many rolls as I cut successfully.
Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a pre-made film cutter. This is the Holgamods slicer, which comes ready-made in the correct size to produce 127 film. So far, it works like a charm! So I made this How-to in hopes it helps everyone and perhaps some good suggestions can be made to improve the process. Comments are welcome!
Here's how the cutter looks. There is a plastic acrylic base, and a plastic cover which fits precisely over the two guiderails seen at the top of the base. The blade is kept oriented at an angle; it can be seen here towards the back of the base. Be aware also that I have placed a layer of clear packing tape over the surface of the cutter's base, to provide a slicker surface for the film to go over. This was recommended by Randy of Holgamods and it prevents rub marks from the film against the plastic base if you squeeze it too hard while pulling the film through.
Let's get started. This all has to be done in the darkroom! (This was my "practice" 120 roll which I had sitting around from some earlier project)
Open your roll of 120 film and unroll it looking for the tape where it begins. You'll need to carefully unpeel it from the backing paper. If you've ever developed 120 film, you'll have no problem with this. Set aside the paper and save it for later. You can cut it to width for rolling 127 film into.
I just fold over the excess tape. This end will get cut off later since its going to get a few fingerprints on it anyway.
Place the end of the film emulsion-side down on the base of the cutter, between the two guiderails. Place the foam-padded lid down onto the film, and press gently. You'll feel (or hear) the blade "pop" through the film.
Now, the fun part. Pull the 120 film through the cutter, nice and smooth. Don't squeeze down too hard on the cutter, because you don't want to introduce rub marks on the film. Do, however, keep a hand on the lid so that the film doesn't ride up and over the blade! The width of the cutter between the guiderails is exactly correct for 120 film, so it should cut nice and straight, but just in case, don't try to pull it left or right. Keep it straight.
Eventually, you'll come to the end of the roll and you'll be left with a long roll of 127 with a long coiled strip of 16mm film attached to it. If you have a use for 16mm, feel free to save this and use it. Its perfectly good. Otherwise, cut the 127 free from the remainder and get ready to re-roll it onto your 127 backing paper. We'll trim the end to the correct length at that time also. Stay tuned for Part 2!
With 127 film all but extinct (just when it looked like Rera Pan 100 was here to stay, suddenly its just about disappeared!), the next best alternative is to slice 120 film down to size. This is really two operations: First, we have to get the film out of the 120 backing paper and trim it to its new 46mm width. Secondly, we have to roll it onto some 127 backing paper (new, trimmed-to-size, or vintage) and cut the ends to length as needed. Lastly, we roll it onto a 127 spool and its ready to go into the camera!
I fooled around for awhile with the popular cigar-cutter method made popular by some Youtube videos. I found it very frustrating and haphazard. It was difficult to maintain a constant width, it was difficult verify a correct width, and the thickness of the blade meant the cut tended to wander and make the film get wider and wider as it went through the roll. Scrapping that idea, I built a simple guillotine cutter which sliced the film with a razor blade while I turned the spool on a little spindle. Clever, and I liked that I was able to do the cutting with the room lights on. But the tolerances of my simple device weren't close enough to maintain the correct width either, and I tended to chew up as many rolls as I cut successfully.
Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a pre-made film cutter. This is the Holgamods slicer, which comes ready-made in the correct size to produce 127 film. So far, it works like a charm! So I made this How-to in hopes it helps everyone and perhaps some good suggestions can be made to improve the process. Comments are welcome!
Here's how the cutter looks. There is a plastic acrylic base, and a plastic cover which fits precisely over the two guiderails seen at the top of the base. The blade is kept oriented at an angle; it can be seen here towards the back of the base. Be aware also that I have placed a layer of clear packing tape over the surface of the cutter's base, to provide a slicker surface for the film to go over. This was recommended by Randy of Holgamods and it prevents rub marks from the film against the plastic base if you squeeze it too hard while pulling the film through.
Let's get started. This all has to be done in the darkroom! (This was my "practice" 120 roll which I had sitting around from some earlier project)
Open your roll of 120 film and unroll it looking for the tape where it begins. You'll need to carefully unpeel it from the backing paper. If you've ever developed 120 film, you'll have no problem with this. Set aside the paper and save it for later. You can cut it to width for rolling 127 film into.
I just fold over the excess tape. This end will get cut off later since its going to get a few fingerprints on it anyway.
Place the end of the film emulsion-side down on the base of the cutter, between the two guiderails. Place the foam-padded lid down onto the film, and press gently. You'll feel (or hear) the blade "pop" through the film.
Now, the fun part. Pull the 120 film through the cutter, nice and smooth. Don't squeeze down too hard on the cutter, because you don't want to introduce rub marks on the film. Do, however, keep a hand on the lid so that the film doesn't ride up and over the blade! The width of the cutter between the guiderails is exactly correct for 120 film, so it should cut nice and straight, but just in case, don't try to pull it left or right. Keep it straight.
Eventually, you'll come to the end of the roll and you'll be left with a long roll of 127 with a long coiled strip of 16mm film attached to it. If you have a use for 16mm, feel free to save this and use it. Its perfectly good. Otherwise, cut the 127 free from the remainder and get ready to re-roll it onto your 127 backing paper. We'll trim the end to the correct length at that time also. Stay tuned for Part 2!
dave lackey
Veteran
Wow!
THAT IS COOL!
Charles,
That is a great write-up! Photos make it absolutely simple to understand.
Thank you for this and I can hardly wait for Part 2!!
THAT IS COOL!
Charles,
That is a great write-up! Photos make it absolutely simple to understand.
Thank you for this and I can hardly wait for Part 2!!
dave lackey
Veteran
Charles, have you got a link to where you bought the slitter? It looks pretty efficient to me...
santino
FSU gear head
I Love stuff like this !
css9450
Veteran
Charles, have you got a link to where you bought the slitter? It looks pretty efficient to me...
He sells them on Ebay (that's where I got mine). Also at his site holgamods.com There's also available a bunch of different size shims so you could customize it any way you want. Need only 16mm film? With more blade holders you could cut probably three strips from one roll of 120.
Yep, I have more pics to take this weekend. The re-rolling process is kind of fun!
css9450
Veteran
OK, Part 2 of this process involves rolling the trimmed 127 film and its paper onto a 127 spool.
I didn't have much counter space in my improvised "darkroom" (actually, just a restroom at my office). I know some people tape or pin the paper to the wall or door, but after some thought I decided to use this metal strip I found at Home Depot. I can lay out the paper and fasten it in the daylight and bring it into the darkroom to place the film upon it. I decided to use clothespins to hold the paper and film but I suppose magnets might work as well. The metal strip holds the clothespins well.
Unroll the paper backing and lay it down on your metal strip, table, wall or whatever flat surface you decide to use. Again, I chose this metal strip because it holds the clothespins well.
Fasten both ends of the paper and add two more clothespins to indicate the start and end of the film. Locating them is easy if you're just "recycling" an old roll of 127 paper; just put them where the old film started and ended. Otherwise, you'll have to measure. It might not have to be "perfect" but you don't want to err too much because it will create issues.
Hint: The factory-made 127 film is a little over 2 feet in length, or 62cm. The beginning of the film is taped 12 inches back from the tip of the paper roll. You probably don't want to stray too far from this number; too little leader and you risk light leaks while loading. Too much leader risks cutting off the first frame if you're using a camera that uses the red window to count frames. A camera such as the Baby Rollieflex which has a tab that detects the start of the film might be a little more forgiving in that it'll never cut off the first frame but on the other hand, you probably don't want unnecessary leader on there if its not necessary. So stick to the 12 inch leader.
Now all operations after this point have to be in the darkness. I also forgot to mention you need to bring a little square of tape into the darkroom with you to secure the beginning of the film)
Place the beginning of the film on the paper and hold it there with your "start" clothespin. Roll the film down onto the paper as straight as you can in the dark. Eventually you'll come to the "end" clothespin. Fasten that end of the film also with the clothespin. Again, there might be some small tolerance for longer films, depending on your camera. One more frame? Perhaps. Keep in mind that too much film and/or paper will make the finished roll fatter than normal and thus vulnerable to light leaks. And you especially don't want to find out the hard way the camera will jam if there's several more inches of film that it can't handle in the film chamber! So try to keep the film close to the right length.
Use scissors to trim off the excess after the "end" clothespin. If you recall, I already trimmed a little earlier after I pulled the film through the 127 cutter; now we're just fine-tuning the length.
Now in this next picture, I'm checking to be sure I have the film centered correctly on the paper. To ensure that it is light-tight, the factory-made rolls of 127 film (120 too) have some overlap on each side of the film. The paper is about a millimeter wider on both sides! The easiest way I've found to verify this is by checking both sides by feel. Check carefully each end of the film and adjust as needed. You should feel the paper sticking out under the film by a little bit on both sides. If not, loosen the clothespin and move the film.
Continued...
I didn't have much counter space in my improvised "darkroom" (actually, just a restroom at my office). I know some people tape or pin the paper to the wall or door, but after some thought I decided to use this metal strip I found at Home Depot. I can lay out the paper and fasten it in the daylight and bring it into the darkroom to place the film upon it. I decided to use clothespins to hold the paper and film but I suppose magnets might work as well. The metal strip holds the clothespins well.
Unroll the paper backing and lay it down on your metal strip, table, wall or whatever flat surface you decide to use. Again, I chose this metal strip because it holds the clothespins well.
Fasten both ends of the paper and add two more clothespins to indicate the start and end of the film. Locating them is easy if you're just "recycling" an old roll of 127 paper; just put them where the old film started and ended. Otherwise, you'll have to measure. It might not have to be "perfect" but you don't want to err too much because it will create issues.
Hint: The factory-made 127 film is a little over 2 feet in length, or 62cm. The beginning of the film is taped 12 inches back from the tip of the paper roll. You probably don't want to stray too far from this number; too little leader and you risk light leaks while loading. Too much leader risks cutting off the first frame if you're using a camera that uses the red window to count frames. A camera such as the Baby Rollieflex which has a tab that detects the start of the film might be a little more forgiving in that it'll never cut off the first frame but on the other hand, you probably don't want unnecessary leader on there if its not necessary. So stick to the 12 inch leader.
Now all operations after this point have to be in the darkness. I also forgot to mention you need to bring a little square of tape into the darkroom with you to secure the beginning of the film)
Place the beginning of the film on the paper and hold it there with your "start" clothespin. Roll the film down onto the paper as straight as you can in the dark. Eventually you'll come to the "end" clothespin. Fasten that end of the film also with the clothespin. Again, there might be some small tolerance for longer films, depending on your camera. One more frame? Perhaps. Keep in mind that too much film and/or paper will make the finished roll fatter than normal and thus vulnerable to light leaks. And you especially don't want to find out the hard way the camera will jam if there's several more inches of film that it can't handle in the film chamber! So try to keep the film close to the right length.
Use scissors to trim off the excess after the "end" clothespin. If you recall, I already trimmed a little earlier after I pulled the film through the 127 cutter; now we're just fine-tuning the length.
Now in this next picture, I'm checking to be sure I have the film centered correctly on the paper. To ensure that it is light-tight, the factory-made rolls of 127 film (120 too) have some overlap on each side of the film. The paper is about a millimeter wider on both sides! The easiest way I've found to verify this is by checking both sides by feel. Check carefully each end of the film and adjust as needed. You should feel the paper sticking out under the film by a little bit on both sides. If not, loosen the clothespin and move the film.
Continued...
sepiareverb
genius and moron
This should be a sticky.
css9450
Veteran
Now that the film is down and fastened to the paper, its time to roll the spool onto it. Thread the spool onto the little tab at the End of the paper roll (its easier to do this before you turn off the lights). Careful; its easy to bump it and the spool will slip off and disappear into the darkness! Center it as best as you can in the dark, and start rolling it onto the paper, following the natural curl of the paper. If it helps at the beginning, move the clothespin forward a little at a time until you're confident you've got it centered correctly. If it indeed feels like its getting jammed its probably just off-center and you'll have to unroll it a little and re-center it.
Soon you will come to the "end " of the film. This is the loose end which is never taped. Its a little tricky to do in the darkness but you have to catch the loose end into your roll and continue on with the film rolling up within the paper. Tuck the film into the paper roll and remove the clothespin. If you don't have the film tucked in securely it'll spring up and coil away from you and you'll have to retrieve it in the dark and fasten it down again!
Keep rolling the film and paper onto the spool feeling from time to time that it seems to be all centered on the spool. Try to keep it rolled on as tight as you can but keep in mind it'll pull out of the clothespins if you tug on it!
Soon you will approach the "beginning" of the film and you might get a kind of buckling like in this picture. This has happened to me every time, to greater or lesser degrees. No problem; just wait until you're a couple inches from the clothespin and then take the clothespin off. Roll some more film on. The buckle will be gone.
Before you roll on the very last of the film, stick your little square of tape on there to secure it. This is the beginning of the new roll!
Finally, roll on the rest of the paper leader and fasten the loose end of it with a little tape. You're done! Turn the lights back on. Be aware that your re-spooled film probably isn't rolled as tightly as one from the factory, so as such it might not be as light-tight as one straight from the factory. Always load your camera in very subdued light.
Soon you will come to the "end " of the film. This is the loose end which is never taped. Its a little tricky to do in the darkness but you have to catch the loose end into your roll and continue on with the film rolling up within the paper. Tuck the film into the paper roll and remove the clothespin. If you don't have the film tucked in securely it'll spring up and coil away from you and you'll have to retrieve it in the dark and fasten it down again!
Keep rolling the film and paper onto the spool feeling from time to time that it seems to be all centered on the spool. Try to keep it rolled on as tight as you can but keep in mind it'll pull out of the clothespins if you tug on it!
Soon you will approach the "beginning" of the film and you might get a kind of buckling like in this picture. This has happened to me every time, to greater or lesser degrees. No problem; just wait until you're a couple inches from the clothespin and then take the clothespin off. Roll some more film on. The buckle will be gone.
Before you roll on the very last of the film, stick your little square of tape on there to secure it. This is the beginning of the new roll!
Finally, roll on the rest of the paper leader and fasten the loose end of it with a little tape. You're done! Turn the lights back on. Be aware that your re-spooled film probably isn't rolled as tightly as one from the factory, so as such it might not be as light-tight as one straight from the factory. Always load your camera in very subdued light.
css9450
Veteran
Hope this helps! I am sure there are many ways to do this so if you have any suggestions to streamline the process, let's hear 'em, thanks!
dave lackey
Veteran
css9450
Veteran
I should probably mention that if you're using a camera which uses the red window to count the frames, you'll either have to use a factory-printed paper backing, or draw new numbers onto the paper if you've cut down a roll of 120 paper. I highly doubt the 120 numbers will be the right spacing! Maybe best to save some old Kodak backing paper and keep re-using it over and over. Treat it gently!
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Way more work than its worth to keep using an ancient camera. I'd think you'd have a lot of dust on the film and maybe fingerprints and scratches from all that handling.
dave lackey
Veteran
To each, his own, right?
Charles, I think you have done a marvelous job, and it is appreciated. There are folks around actually cutting 120 film down to 127 and selling to the likes of B&H Photo. So, yes, there are others with maybe different techniques.
However, it is encouraging to see your diligence and success at getting something that works comfortably.
As you mentioned, there is a certain amount of fun involved, as well as a sense of accomplishment. I remember developing my first roll of film. At the time I thought it was way too much trouble, a huge PITA, actually.
But, now, I enjoy the process. It is the journey that I enjoy like most things in my life.
I am looking forward to crafting my own 127 film using your techniques. Thank you again for sharing!
Charles, I think you have done a marvelous job, and it is appreciated. There are folks around actually cutting 120 film down to 127 and selling to the likes of B&H Photo. So, yes, there are others with maybe different techniques.
However, it is encouraging to see your diligence and success at getting something that works comfortably.
As you mentioned, there is a certain amount of fun involved, as well as a sense of accomplishment. I remember developing my first roll of film. At the time I thought it was way too much trouble, a huge PITA, actually.
But, now, I enjoy the process. It is the journey that I enjoy like most things in my life.
I am looking forward to crafting my own 127 film using your techniques. Thank you again for sharing!
css9450
Veteran
Perhaps, but its fun if you like tinkering with stuff. Its sort of like shooting with a 4x5 camera. Lots of extra work... Or the people who run 120 film through ancient 118 or 124 folders. Why bother? They probably already have a camera built into their phone anyway.
Hogarth Ferguson
Well-known
why cant you leave the film on the backing paper and cut them both at the same time?
css9450
Veteran
You might be able to do both at the same time, but you'd have to add a shim to make the width a little greater. The paper is slightly wider than the film is, and if you cut both at the same time with the stock configuration you'd end up with film that is about a millimeter narrower than normal. Is that a problem? It could be... It depends on your processing reels. If its too narrow, it'll slip off the spirals, at least on the stainless-steel reels. Not sure about the plastic reels though. Might dull the blade quicker too but that's not a big problem. Its might be worth an experiment!
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Thanks for this! If you are doing a lot of these I might suggest making the jig the same width as the backing paper - that might keep the winding on track right from the start?
dave lackey
Veteran
To each, his own, right?
Charles, I think you have done a marvelous job, and it is appreciated. There are folks around actually cutting 120 film down to 127 and selling to the likes of B&H Photo. So, yes, there are others with maybe different techniques.
However, it is encouraging to see your diligence and success at getting something that works comfortably.
As you mentioned, there is a certain amount of fun involved, as well as a sense of accomplishment. I remember developing my first roll of film. At the time I thought it was way too much trouble, a huge PITA, actually.
But, now, I enjoy the process. It is the journey that I enjoy like most things in my life.
I am looking forward to crafting my own 127 film using your techniques. Thank you again for sharing!
Btw, Ilford should be announcing the 2018 ULF program soon.
I specifically asked if they would have backing paper available, too, and they said yes! So, we shall soon see.
wjlapier
Well-known
Thanks a lot for the tutorial. I'm hoping for a slitter from 70mm to 120--similar slitter but I think different seller. Plenty of 70mm film and more backing paper than I can count.
You did a great job explaining how to do it.
You did a great job explaining how to do it.
shawn
Veteran
Thanks for the instructions. I just purchased a different film slitter and will be trying this out after it arrives.
I had mine built for 120-> 127 and Minox as I will shoot my Minox B again too.
Shawn
I had mine built for 120-> 127 and Minox as I will shoot my Minox B again too.
Shawn