How did these boxes fasten?

[David Hughes]

Hi,

The title says it all but I'll add that I have given a lot of thought to it and a piece of string through the holes seems the obvious answer. Here's the box in question:-

String seems obvious (and explains why it is missing) but I wonder if there was some special something to do the trick.

Secondly, the camera and ERC fit nicely but would it have been protected with a layer of corrugated cardboard?

Regards, David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

All the images I find on google of these Zorki boxes show only the holes, but no cord or other locking mechanism.

I guess a cord was used as a sort of 'first sale' seal.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If I remember correct, it was string with sealing wax seal.
Our family FED-2 box is the same.

 

[peterm1]

The string has disappeared because in Soviet Russia it was very difficult to get spaghetti. And very easy to get FEDs and Zorkis.

The old joke about communism from Poland (which I may have recounted here before) was that "Before communism, shops read Butcher on the outside sign and all you found inside was meat. Now under the communists the same shops read meat on the outside sign and all you find inside are butchers."

 

[randolph45]

The string has disappeared because in Soviet Russia it was very difficult to get spaghetti. And very easy to get FEDs and Zorkis.

The old joke about communism from Poland (which I may have recounted here before) was that "Before communism, shops read Butcher on the outside sign and all you found inside was meat. Now under the communists the same shops read meat on the outside sign and all you find inside are butchers."

🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 I LIKE IT

 

[Dralowid]

Two brass spit pins through the box and then those fibre washers, as seen on old legal box files...bit of string winds round...maybe?

 

[Brambling]

If I remember correct, it was string with sealing wax seal.
Our family FED-2 box is the same.

plastic or lead filling, sealing wax crumbled, therefore it was placed on a plane, did not hang on threads.

 

[David Hughes]

Thanks everyone. Now we've got the answer something completely different will appear on ebay as BNIB. ;-)


Regards, David

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Peter M, your own joke was off the taste. During holodomor people eat roots. And in Leningrad people eat people.
In Russia they have a word for letter M.

 

[Darthfeeble]

You could install something like the Billingham closures, large snaps that are available at most hardware stores.

 

[mpaniagua]

Something like this?

 

[Dralowid]

Something like this?

That's what I meant but to quote the Kiev Survival Site, the string would have been Yak string.

 

[Pentode]

That's what I meant but to quote the Kiev Survival Site, the string would have been Yak string.

I’m almost certain you’d need bigger string than that to tie up your yak.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,


I used to use the twiddley/twisty fasteners years and years ago; the picture took me back. But I remember how they failed and the boxes I've seen are too pristine.


At the moment my money's on string and one of those metal crimped seals or similar.


Regards, David

 

[David Hughes]

You could install something like the Billingham closures, large snaps that are available at most hardware stores.

Thanks, although I've no idea what they are like; I did a search and now know when all the schools in Billingham close for the holidays...


Regards, David

 

[Dralowid]

No yaks in Billingham.

Stationery (or stationary) closures are an art form in themselves, like film we must ensure they survive in the digital age...stand up those with a Gestetner Operators Proficiency Certificate!

 

[peterm1]

By the way, my wife who is Russian just told me that "Zorki" means something like, to quote her very rough attempt at explanation: "....to be very good with your eyes and see far away and not miss anything" As rough as that explanation is of what the word "Zorki" connotes I suppose its not an altogether bad name for a camera if you happen to speak Russian.

If you think it is unusual to have such a comparatively lengthy explanation that's because you do not know my wife. I think her motto is never use one word when 350 will suffice and even better if double that number can be contrived to be used. I am not sure if this is a Russian tendency or just that of my wife.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,


I always thought it meant the same as "остроглазый" but there you are...


Have you thought of getting her to translate "FED and Leica"? There's a pdf of it here:-


http://www.sovietcamera.su/src/Fed_leica.pdf


Regards, David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Doesn't "Laika" translate to "Traveling companion"?

[edit]Ah, no...it's "Barker", derived from "to bark" ....
But I like the idea as "Leica" being a faithful traveling companion

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Man, I would love to own a string of Yaks. Imagine the kids who would come to ride them!