What do you do with your film containers?

[Roger Hicks]

I can't find uses for all of them -- like others, I store various things in 'em -- so I save them because they look so useful and then periodically throw 'em away (nowadays, recycle 'em) in large batches. I like the idea of giving 'em to craft shops, though.

I remember reading many years ago (in Amateur Photographer) about a photographer at Heathrow Airport who insulated his loft with them. As far as I recall, that was in the days when some films still came in proper screw-top metal containers, and plastic was just coming in.

Cheers,

R.

 

[glchua]

They are used to contain liquid soap, vitamin pills, batteries, lens cleaning cloth, medicine....

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

When I was in college 12 yrs ago, I worked at the one hour photo lab at a Meijer store, which is a midwestern USA chain of big supercenter type stores. One day a little old lady came in and asked if we had any film canisters. She only wanted the translucent ones, not the black ones like Kodak used back then, so we gave her a bunch of Fuji canisters. She said she was doing crafts projects with them.

A couple weeks later, she comes back in and gives each of us the thing she made with them. Each canister was marked on the outside with a label: "Stool Sample"

Inside was a little wooden 3-leg stool! I wish still had mine to photograph for you guys to see, it was hilarious!

 

[MPerson]

35mm black ones for my bulk loading. 120 black and 35mm translucent ones are purloined by the wife for her seeds with any spares going to the Allotment society.

 

[Vincent.G]

OMG, that's hilarious, Chris! I can imagine the initial hesitation to pick up the bottle when reading the words, "stool sample".😀

 

[nikon_sam]

Has anyone ever placed a small piece of Dry Ice in one of them...
It's fun and somewhat harmless...do it outside...cap side facing down...I'm guessing the Fuji ones work the best...

 

[Haigh]

I recycle mine.

 

[ethics_gradient]

They make a good case for a pair of headphones (earbuds).

 

[ruby.monkey]

I do keep a couple of the white translucent tubs around to use as ghetto diffusers for the pop-up flash on my dSLR.

 

[dmr]

I use the Fuji ones to carry a small amount of hand sanitizer.

Also occasionally use them to carry coins, a few $$ of quarters fits just fine.

I use them to hold little pieces and stuff when I'm working on jewelry (or cameras). 🙂

And (>>SHOCK<<) I use them to carry exposed rolls of film after one case where I think some gunk contaminated the slot in the cartridge.

 

[rbiemer]

I use them as storage for small stuff: batteries, earbuds, etc.
The rest of them I give to the equipment room at the camp I cook for; they are typically used to carry spices while on the trail.
I haven't seen any new ones in some time but I remember seeing lids you could put on the Kodak plastic canisters that turned 'em into salt and pepper shakers.
Rob

 

[Spavinaw]

I have a set of the salt and pepper shakers I kept in my desk at work. Seems like they came from Porters, but I'm not sure.

 

[sara]

I once used some as paint pots, I give them to mum to store things but most of the time I throw them away :/

 

[pevelg]

I just hoard them. While some get used for small miscellaneous items, the majority just sit in a box. Don't have the will power to toss them.

 

[pevelg]

I just hoard them. While some get used for small miscellaneous items, the majority just sit in a box. Don't have the will power to toss them.

I even discovered how to get double the canisters. When I get a new film, I toss the canister in a box. After using film, I take it to a local lab and give instructions that film does not get cut. The lab usually rolls up the film into a new canister. Thus, 2 canisters per film!!! 😀

p.s. That is not a good idea if you scan film as it becomes a serious pain to keep the film flat afterwards!!! 😡

 

[rbsinto]

I've very cleverly fashioned my film cannisters into 42,784 pairs of excellent Salt and Pepper shakers.

 

[SteveM_NJ]

keep a few dozen in the dark room for my reloads from bulk film,

keep a few here and there for storage of small items, as mentioned by others,

the rest go into plastic recycling. (wonder what they become in the 'second life')

 

[3rdtrick]

I use them some for storage and also the quarter thing but my most common use is holding the gas pump handle on while I am at the self serve station. I always used the gas cap but now they are fastened to the vehicle. I keep a few 35mm cans in the door pocket just for this.
Pete

 

[kossi008]

Well, I used to do the recreational combustible thing, then I just used to toss them, but now I'm just collecting them as a token. Don't know why, and I do find uses for some of them. But the rest... well I guess I'm trying to impress myself.😀😀😀😀😀

 

[coelacanth]

I use them to store quarters. I store some spare light bulbs for my motorcycle. I have a couple of them marked "IIIf" for rolls prepared for Barnack Leica loading. I store exposed films with [X] mark when I travel. My GF who's a preschool teacher takes them for her kids. My cat loves them.