dave lackey
Veteran
This morning, David Foy, returned my inquiry regarding the availability of BM 160 film. I found his email quite interesting and I am amazed how his hard work is coming along...
With his permission, this is what he shared with me about his BM 160 film:
"Hello Dave
Thanks for getting in touch.
I am in the throes of finishing a motorized winding jig. After about ten years of winding 127 film by hand I just couldn't keep going that way -- five or six finished rolls per hour when everything is taken into consideration, including the very slow process of printing backing paper and then slitting it. And that's on a good day.
The motorized jig should be finished and in production during April. When I left it at the end of January to spend a month away, it was apparently working correctly, so I expect to reassemble it and begin production this month (but since I have spent a year over-estimating these things, it's probably more realistic to say next month).
If you'd like to pre-order, you can do so on the web site at frugalphotographer.com. It gets you in line for film and your payment isn't processed until the film is shipped.
Film is not in short supply, yet. I have three freezers full of 46mm wide color film in bulk rolls, both ISO 160 and ISO 400. I have several thousands of spools on the shelf.
The most serious problem I face is getting backing material for the rolls. It has to be totally opaque, and it and the ink used to print it have to be totally chemically inert, with no residual solvents, so the film isn't fogged. And it has to be extremely thin, much thinner than any of the opaque papers normally available. At the moment I'm using a plastic/foil packaging laminate, which works very well, but it's extremely hard to print since it won't take water-based inks. So I'm using UV-cure inks that tend to clog up the printhead. It's extremely frustrating.
Wish me luck.
David Foy
---
BLUEFIRE PHOTO SCIENCE"
I, for one, will support Mr. Foy in any way I can...
With his permission, this is what he shared with me about his BM 160 film:
"Hello Dave
Thanks for getting in touch.
I am in the throes of finishing a motorized winding jig. After about ten years of winding 127 film by hand I just couldn't keep going that way -- five or six finished rolls per hour when everything is taken into consideration, including the very slow process of printing backing paper and then slitting it. And that's on a good day.
The motorized jig should be finished and in production during April. When I left it at the end of January to spend a month away, it was apparently working correctly, so I expect to reassemble it and begin production this month (but since I have spent a year over-estimating these things, it's probably more realistic to say next month).
If you'd like to pre-order, you can do so on the web site at frugalphotographer.com. It gets you in line for film and your payment isn't processed until the film is shipped.
Film is not in short supply, yet. I have three freezers full of 46mm wide color film in bulk rolls, both ISO 160 and ISO 400. I have several thousands of spools on the shelf.
The most serious problem I face is getting backing material for the rolls. It has to be totally opaque, and it and the ink used to print it have to be totally chemically inert, with no residual solvents, so the film isn't fogged. And it has to be extremely thin, much thinner than any of the opaque papers normally available. At the moment I'm using a plastic/foil packaging laminate, which works very well, but it's extremely hard to print since it won't take water-based inks. So I'm using UV-cure inks that tend to clog up the printhead. It's extremely frustrating.
Wish me luck.
David Foy
---
BLUEFIRE PHOTO SCIENCE"
I, for one, will support Mr. Foy in any way I can...