Do You Find Toyo Film Holders very Tight with Maco IR820c Sheets?

[Andre Noble]

The Maco IR sheets are very difficult to load into my new Toyo sheetfilm holders, while the maco sheets readily load into my Fidelity holders.

I think it is because of a narrower slit width on the Toyo's combined with a slightly thicker sheet thickness of the polyester based maco IR sheet films. Anyone else with similar experience?

Half the Toyo loaded maco sheets were under a bit of physical stress as I loaded them in a humid harrison pup tent. (humid because of the perspiration of the neccesary prolonged loading time using the tight Toyo holders) Secondly, I wonder of these stresses will show after development as marks across the sheets?

[Gene McCluney]

I would be inclinced to say that the Maco sheets are cut to big, but just slightly. Maco takes film product made in bulk for other applications and has it custom cut to popular sheet-film sizes. It is entirely possible they are off by a fraction of an inch, which would be enough to make it tight in some holders. You should take a sheet of the Maco film and lay it on top of a sheet from Ilford or Kodak (doesn't matter what emulsion), and compare the physical dimensions.

[Andre Noble]

Gene, you are right - I think. The Maco sheets are definitely a fraction of an inch too wide for my new Toyo holders - ruining about 8 expensive sheets as the film plane was curved on the last batch.

I was mistaken - it's not a problem of Maco sheet thickness, but either the toyo holder being too small or the maco ir820c sheets being too big or both.

When I put the darkslide back in after exposure, the darkslide got underneath the bulged out Maco film that a few sheets ended up coming out of the toyo holder entirely and falling inside the bag bellows.

If the toyo holder are too small, back to B&H they will go.

[Gene McCluney]

Gene, you are right - I think. If the toyo holder are too small, back to B&H they will go.

The Toyo holders are highly regarded. It's the film, not the holders. Just try the holders with ANY Kodak, Fuji or Ilford film, processed negatives or unexposed sheets, just to see how well they slip in. 4x5 film, depending on emulsion varies in thickness, the Toyo holders can accommodate this. But....major brand sheet film is cut to very exact tolerances. Maco products perhaps are not.

Once you satisfy yourself that the film is the culprit, you could trim the film in the dark in your darkroom to make it work.

[Andre Noble]

Upon actual comparison, the Maco sheet is cut about 0.5mm wider than my Ilford FP4 sheets.

There is scarely any play in the width of the Toyo fil holder with the FP4+ sheets, but the Ilfords fit the Toyo film holder perfectly indeed.

Not so with the oversized Maco IR820c sheets- perhaps it was a bad run?

Thanks for your above feedback, Gene.

[Nick_3536]

If you can find them you could check the Ansi standards for both the holder and the film. Assuming this is 4x5 both have standards. The problem is the standards have some tolerance +/-.

[JPlomley]

Slightly off topic, but I just received four new 4x5 Toyo holders about three weeks ago, and the hydrocarbon odor is still persistent. Hope this outgassing is not an issue for film fogging.