Take up spool replacement problem

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MSch

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I´m cetainly breaking some rules here but I´m doing it in bona fide (I assume ..). Ihave several good RFFs one of theme is a Contax llla - its a post-war German gem of a camera. And now I have a problem! I have misplaced the take up spool somewhere. The original Contax llla spool!! Cant find it anywhere!
Can somebody of you be kind and tell me 1. were to find a new original Contax spool or an equivalent, or 2. can I use Kiev spools as replacement? Yuri Boguslavsky sells Kiev spools which according to him work fine with Kievs and all Contaxes - but he obviously ment the pre-war Contaxes. 3. or tell me about any configurations you know could solve this problem. I´m desperate! I wouldnt like to break anything inside my beatiful Contax llla.
I would be utterly greatfull for any usable information concerning my problem.
Sincerely yours MSch
 
In a pinch, the plastic core of a normal 35mm cartridge will also fit. It doesn't have the right slot for the tip of the film, though, so tape is your friend. Or trim the tip of your fresh film to fit the center slot in the spool.
 
I'm probably shooting myself in the foot since I'm looking to buy some more of these, but if you purchase one of the post-war metal film cassettes for contax, they usually contain as one of the parts the same take-up spool that originally came with your camera. The following link shows one of the cassettes, although it isn't clear if he is selling with the take-up spool or not. In any event, the price for that one is pretty high even if it has a post-war spool.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CONTAX-CASSETTE...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35a8bed791

The added benefit is that if you use the cassette with the takeup spool, you can shoot partial rolls and unload without a darkroom or changing bag. Of course, you can use the takeup spool by itself too.

Good luck!
 
The spool in the metal cassettes is slightly smaller and shorter than the regular Contax-branded spool. However, it will work.

Actually, any Zeiss Ikon 35mm film cassette (prewar or postwar) can be used as a takeup spool in the Contax (I, II, III, IIa, IIIa), Contaflex (TLR and SLR), Contarex, Super Nettel, Tenax II and Nettax (35mm rangefinder).

Zeiss Ikon wisely didn't feel a need to redesign the film cassette every time it released a camera, unlike some other camera makers.

These film cassettes show up frequently on eBay, and I wouldn't pay more than $10 for one. Often, you can buy several for $25 or so. The eBay seller in the previous message sells under several monikers. I think this is overpriced by about $25 -- even with the instructions.

In a pinch, the spool from a roll of film and some tape work fine.
 
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ZeissFan is right - I pulled out my IIa and IIIa and both spools are larger in diameter than the cassette spool. My IIIa has a spool that is otherwise identical to the cassette spool, with the slanted "quickload" slot that catches the film by a sprocket hole - I had assumed that since they looked the same at first glance, they were the same. This spool and the cassette spool were the same height. The spool in my IIa doesn't have the slanted slot, although it is the same shiny black plastic I associate with post-war Contax and is stamped "Contax Made in Germany" on the flat end. It is a little taller than the cassette spool on the top end (the end that engages the winding mechanism).
 
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