4x10 cut darkslide method

[Andrea Gazzoni]

Hello, I read here and there people mentioning this as the cheapest way to shoot 4x10 on 8x10 film, but I can't find any "how to" page here.
Can someone point me to a thread or a link explaining this tecnique?

thank you in advance and nice 2009 to all
Andre

[Robert Oliver]

I made one for a 4x5 film holder using a dremel with a rotary cutting bit and careful measuring. Make sure you sand down the rough edges real well..

my 4x5 one broke after a couple of trips, I don't think the composite dark slides are strong enough to handle my wear and tear.

an aluminum or metal dark slide would hold up better, but it would require the correct cutting tools.

[Vaughn]

Here is a photo of my modified darkslide. It is a metal darkslide -- less likely to break -- one can even see a bit of a dent that would have broken other darkslides.

Note the rounded corners (one is marked, the other is by the "A" and "B"). The rounded corners will make easier to insert the slide in the holder. The width of "A" was determined by just drawing a line on the inserted darkslide. It is needed to maintain the light seal. I used a jeweler's saw to cut the slide.

How people use these can be found using the search function of the forum. Lots of info. Try searching using the words "4x10 modified darkslide".

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21068&d=1230135613

Vaughn

[Mark Woods]

Very nice Vaughn! I've been thinking about this for sometime and your solution appears to be a really good one.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've posted a description with a picture over on APUG--

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum44/50106-8x10-sliding-back.html#post626300

[Vaughn]

David, I noticed that you did not round the two corners. Any significant (or otherwise) problems caused by it? I rounded mine because the original slides have rounded corners -- might be over-kill. About the the only problem I think that might arise from sharp corners is snagging on the light trap material.

Vaughn

PS...if you cut a metal darkslide, you will want to take a Sharpie or other black marker and black-out the cut edges of the darkslide to reduce the chance of reflecting light (the other types of material are black all of the way through.)

[David A. Goldfarb]

I haven't had any problems with the pretty-much-square corners on mine. I guess I insert it by the rounded corner first, and it goes right in, and line it up so the handle end goes in with no problems. I did smooth the edges with fine sandpaper, so that probably prevents any snags.

I've also made one for my 8x10" Mido holders, and that one works well too.