help. another "what is this?" 8x10 film holder/contact frame

[eddie]

hi all,
i got another item i am not sure how it works. it looks like a standard film holder on one side and a contact frame on the other. it has glass in it and the bottom flap is fixed (it does not flap:) )

how and why do i use it?

thanks

eddie

[Glenn Thoreson]

I think that's a Kodak/Graflex pressure film holder. I think.....

[Peter K]

Hi Eddie,
that's a single plate holder. In your third pic it's open. Remove the glass and insert a photographic plate with the emulsion side down. Close the holder with the two metal pieces and you can take the picture.
Cheers,
Peter

[Jim Galli]

Kodak made glass plates for scientific use for many years. A glass plate is a perfect registered known plane. I hope some of the collodion guys will comment whether these are useable for that process.

[Vaughn]

I have several of these -- I believe that they are to keep film perfectly flat in the camera -- a glass plate would not be registered properly if used in place of the glass that is there...too close to the lens relative to the GG. The down side is that there are two more surfaces to get dust on...not forgetting the possibility of scratches (so use out in the field is a little dicier.)

But they also make good contact printing frames.

Vaughn

[Petzval Paul]

I am pretty sure that is what Robb Kendrick uses for making tintypes. You can see on his website, there is a video where he seems to be loading one of these in his 8 x 10 (the two springs give it away). Glass plates, however, are thicker and - as mentioned above - may not fit. I have no personal experience with these but I think it would pretty ideal for calotype negs, provided the chemicals didn't react with metals.

- Paul

[Jim Jones]

I've never used one of these, but suspect it may be for using halftone screens to make halftone photos.