Loose Dark-Slide Locks

[Martin Miller]

I have some 8x10 Fidelity Elite film holders less than a year old with loose dark-slide locks. These are the L-shaped rods that you rotate to keep from inadvertantly withdrawing the dark slide. It seems to me that many years ago they simply screwed into place with a standard helical thread so that you could remove them when loose and put something on the threads to tighten them back up. The locks on these new holders rotate but are not removable by unscrewing. Anyone have good ideas as to how to tighten them? I haven't yet had a disaster but one is just waiting to happen.

[Mike Troxell]

Get some large rubber-bands and slip one over each film holder. As you said, the darkslide locks are just disasters waiting to happen. I ruined several exposures when I first started using a LF camera until someone told me about using rubber-bands to secure the darkslides.

[darter]

Rite-way film holders with integral button locks are a clever alternative, though not available in 8x10. The locks on Toyo-View film holders are still of the screw in type and can be tightened. I find that they work pretty reliably and, according to a trustworthy British supplier, the holders themselves offer superior film flatness.

[John Kasaian]

Revert to the old wood Graphlex made for Eastman Kodak holders, They offer more bang for your buck anyway! :-)