The most basic IXMOO-question ever :-)

[ChrisN]

 

[zerobuttons]

Thank you very much, Chris. That looks a LOT like the eBay thingy, Joe linked to. I´ll procure one of those and experiment later, when I have a camera to experiment with - the cassettes won´t fit into the MP film chamber, I´m told, so I won´t even try that.

 

[johannielscom]

This evening I unpacked some IXMOO's that have had a productive life. They are still perfectly fine but need re-blackening.

And I keep forgetting what the stuff is to re-blacken them... Anybody know of a EU-side brand or reseller of the 'black-crud'?

 

[Ljós]

This evening I unpacked some IXMOO's that have had a productive life. They are still perfectly fine but need re-blackening.

And I keep forgetting what the stuff is to re-blacken them... Anybody know of a EU-side brand or reseller of the 'black-crud'?

My my, Johan, when it comes to having black-paint gear, you don't mess around
Some of the IXMOO I have acquired are brassed to the bone... I'll just leave them at that though.

A quick question: when loading the IXMOO without bulk loader, "freestyle" in the darkroom: do you account for "blank" frames on the beginning and end, and how (many)? I am not so much asking about accounting for leader that is going to be exposed when loading. So far, after not having had too much practise, I get some frames at the end of the film that goes into the IXMOO-spool where there are scratches coming from the loading process. So, you with plenty of practise: do you manage scratch-free loads, every time, all the time? Do you avoid to use the last frame(s) for important pictures?

I am aiming for 35 usable frames, since that is best for my filing and contactprinting purposes: still finetuning the length of film to cut and spool.
But so far I am very happy with my decision to go IXMOO and bulk.

Greetings! Ljós

 

[johannielscom]

Ljós, you have a PM!




In answer to your question: I always leave a few shots off the end to avoid scratches on those shots. Sometimes I just snap those last shots off at things I run into at the moment the roll needs finishing since the last bit of the film will be souped after all so I might was well put some frames on there.

 

[zerobuttons]

One more question regarding the identification of IXMOOs:

I have seen described here, that the IXMOO always has an aluminium-coloured top knob, and that the FILCA always has a black top knob.
So far, the IXMOOs I have seen and own have aluminium-coloured tounges.

I have seen pictures of cassettes with aluminium-coloured top knob and black tounges. What are those?

Just wanting to make sure I don´t place auction bids on cassettes I will be unable to use.....

 

[Ljós]

Zerobuttons, that is interesting, I think you are onto something. My sample of FILCAS that I have handled/watched closely is small, but yes, not only is the "knob" black, but the "tongue" also.

By the way, I had to return two cassettes to a dealer because they were clearly marked "N" (sometimes quoted on RFF as "Z", but it really is a "N" for neu/new model), but still were FILCA... 2 millimeter higher than IXMOO.

Judging from Leica's own manual (floating around the net as PDF) you'd think that once a cassette is marked "N" you're golden, and it can't be a FILCA. But beware, they can be FILCA nonetheless.

So the thing to look for is the chrome/black knob, and as per your post, possibly the black/silver tongue. The height difference. And, it seems, whether there is "GmbH" added on the bottom (for Ixmoo).

All the best, Ljós

 

[johannielscom]

This evening I unpacked some IXMOO's that have had a productive life. They are still perfectly fine but need re-blackening.

And I keep forgetting what the stuff is to re-blacken them... Anybody know of a EU-side brand or reseller of the 'black-crud'?

BUMPERDEBUMPERDEBUMP

 

[zerobuttons]

.....
And I keep forgetting what the stuff is to re-blacken them... Anybody know of a EU-side brand or reseller of the 'black-crud'?

Someone here mentioned using the same that you would use for cold-bluing steel (guns, for instance). Have a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluing_(steel)

 

[Tom A]

The "spring tongue" that locks the IXMOO's shut can be black or chrome - no difference in them. The knob on the top is always a chrome knob for the M and a black one for the LTM.
Unfortunately, it is possible to use IXMOO inserts in the LTM cassette - so check when you get them that they are matched. The LTM is taller, by 2 mm and you can't close the baseplate on a M if using these. The extra height is at the bottom of the cassette. The IXMOO has only about 3 mm of wall extending below the slot, while the LTM has about 5 mm.
As for "blackening the cassettes - "Gun blue" can be used, but why. There is no chance of internal reflection - but a fair chance of ending up with very stiff open/close action by doing it. All of mine are various shades of brass, from quite bright to darkish grey - never had a problem.

 

[johannielscom]

Tom,

what do you do with corroded ones? Just sandpaper them? I have some that are corroded

 

[zerobuttons]

Tom,

what do you do with corroded ones? Just sandpaper them? I have some that are corroded

I´m not Tom, but have you tried using the stuff you can buy for jewelry? A solution you can put metal items into, to remove surface corrosion. My girlfriend has some. If you want the name, I can look for it.

 

[zerobuttons]

The "spring tongue" that locks the IXMOO's shut can be black or chrome - no difference in them. The knob on the top is always a chrome knob for the M and a black one for the LTM.
.....

Thank you very much, Tom. This is really valuable information.

 

[sanmich]

To use the cassette on an M6, just put an M2/4 baseplate on it.

 

[ChrisN]

One more question regarding the identification of IXMOOs:

I have seen described here, that the IXMOO always has an aluminium-coloured top knob, and that the FILCA always has a black top knob.
So far, the IXMOOs I have seen and own have aluminium-coloured tounges.

I have seen pictures of cassettes with aluminium-coloured top knob and black tounges. What are those?

Just wanting to make sure I don´t place auction bids on cassettes I will be unable to use.....

Zerobuttons, that is interesting, I think you are onto something. My sample of FILCAS that I have handled/watched closely is small, but yes, not only is the "knob" black, but the "tongue" also.

By the way, I had to return two cassettes to a dealer because they were clearly marked "N" (sometimes quoted on RFF as "Z", but it really is a "N" for neu/new model), but still were FILCA... 2 millimeter higher than IXMOO.

Judging from Leica's own manual (floating around the net as PDF) you'd think that once a cassette is marked "N" you're golden, and it can't be a FILCA. But beware, they can be FILCA nonetheless.

So the thing to look for is the chrome/black knob, and as per your post, possibly the black/silver tongue. The height difference. And, it seems, whether there is "GmbH" added on the bottom (for Ixmoo).

All the best, Ljós

From an earlier post - note the difference in height as well as the difference in the knobs:

FILCA (for LTM) on the left, IXMOO (for M) on the right.

 

[zerobuttons]

From an earlier post - note the difference in height as well as the difference in the knobs:
.......

Thank you again, Chris, for posting these very telling pictures. I notice that the FILCA you show, has no toothing on the top end of the hollow shaft, like the IXMOO has. Do you know whether this is a certain identification point as well as the height and the colour and design of the top knob?

 

[ChrisN]

Reaching back now, but I'm pretty sure that the FILCA in the photo does not have the correct Leica spool. I no longer have that cassette to check, but others may be able to confirm.

 

[Tom A]

Tom,

what do you do with corroded ones? Just sandpaper them? I have some that are corroded

If the outside shell has some corrosion - I leave it alone. heck, it spends most of its time in the dark anyway!. The bottom can get some green stuff on the - usually from residual moisture in the foam pad of the bakelite container (hence - dump the foam pad!).
If the interior of the outside shell - or the surface of the inside shell is corroded - I clean them with 000 steel wool and put some vaseline on them to "wear" in (open and close multiple times and wipe clean afterwards).
Do not rub the shell (inside shell) and the inside surface of the outside shell vertically - it does create small scratches and if they are vertical - they increase friction. Just polish in an horizontal orientation - just as the shells rotate. Less chance of them sticking or jamming.
I have an ultrasonic cleaner and if there is severe "growth" on them, I run the through that (which also removes any blackening that is on the cassette - turns them nice and brassy looking).
The IXMOO and FILCA are quite amazing. They last for a long time. The "death" is usually due to the locking spring being bent out of shape and stop it from locking the cassette shut. If you use IXMOO's only - you dont have to keep them separate - you can mix and match spools, inside shells and outside shells and they still work.
NEVER apply excessive pressure on inside or outside shells when they are apart. It is very easy to bend the edges of the brass and difficult to straighten them out.
Before I lock myself in the dark room - I spend some time checking them out. Mainly that they open and close properly - at least in daylight you can see what's going on!

 

[yossarian123]

I've got six or seven IXMOOs. Most have been polished, there are a couple that don't seem to be brass on the outside (when I tried to polish them they just stayed black). Are there black IXMOO variants?

BTW, here's a shot of the polished cassettes :


IXMOO by SL_Photos, on Flickr

 

[yossarian123]

for corrosion, I use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. It eats right through the corrosion.