Advice about old and sticky wood film holders

[lungovw]

Hello,

In 13x18 cm I have a nice wood camera from Ica, called Excelsior. I don't use it frequently and the slides on film holders are sticky. As the whole thing is fragile I don't want to apply force on them. Any tips about how to reduce friction wood x wood and make them run in and out smoothly? I am looking for a harmless solution, clean and discrete, considering the age and beauty of the camera.

Rgds


Wagner

[Andrew M]

Wagner, I have on occassion rubbed a little bit of candle wax along the track where wood meets wood. I have found this makes a differance and it slides easy

[bspeed]

cake soap, like ivory :)

[Archphoto]

The cause can be low humidity which dries out the wood, esp. if you have central heating.
Candle wax is a great help, so is bee'swax for fornuture (Ikea).

Peter

[Gene McCluney]

I find good old Johnsons Foor Wax paste works wonders on sticky darkslides. I rub a coat on then buff both sides of dark slide with a soft towel. Almost every country should have "generic" floor wax paste available.

[David Karp]

Someone on this forum once recommended rubbing the edges of the darkslide with dryer sheets. I have tried it on plastic modern 4x5 holders, old wooden 5x7 holders, and old wooden Eastman whole plate film and plate holders. Works great. All slide much easier now.

[Jim Galli]

Someone on this forum once recommended rubbing the edges of the darkslide with dryer sheets. I have tried it on plastic modern 4x5 holders, old wooden 5x7 holders, and old wooden Eastman whole plate film and plate holders. Works great. All slide much easier now.

Cool Dave. I can't wait to try that. I've used Carnuba Wax but this sounds cleaner. Plus my wife will be so pleased when she reaches for a sheet and they're all gone :D:D

[David Karp]

. . . Plus my wife will be so pleased when she reaches for a sheet and they're all gone :D:D

:) I just had to replace a box of those things when I used the last couple the other day! The store brands work just as well on darkslides as the brand names.

You see, some fellow hooked me into this 5x7 thing, and I purchased a few extra holders recently. :) The dryer sheets worked great!

[David Karp]

Oh yeah, I know another photographer who uses a Teflon spray. He sprays some on the slide and wipes it down with a rag. I was going to try this, but the dryer sheets were less expensive, and seem to work fine.

[Glenn Thoreson]

I use Lemon Pledge furniture polish. The generic version. Works wonders. I always smooth the edges of the slides first.

[Merg Ross]

Someone on this forum once recommended rubbing the edges of the darkslide with dryer sheets. I have tried it on plastic modern 4x5 holders, old wooden 5x7 holders, and old wooden Eastman whole plate film and plate holders. Works great. All slide much easier now.

Dave, I agree, it does work great. And, like you, I learned the trick on this forum!

[Andrew M]

as i mentioned i just used candle wax or bees wax just because i had it on hand and it worked fine so i didnt need to bother with anything else,, but what are these 'dryer sheets' ? hate to think i am missing out on something cool, LOL

[David Karp]

Dryer sheets = Bounce or something similar. The sheets that you throw in the dryer instead of using fabric softener.

[Kevin Crisp]

Dryer sheets work. Pledge works. Just cleaning them off with Simple Green in the sink and drying them will make them work fine. Take your pick.

[Andrew M]

ah! of course! i have one of those dryer machine thingies hanging on the wall in the laundry--its still in brand new condition because it never gets used LOL, I still dry the clothes with the old fashioned sun shine method

cheers though i will at least look in that section of supermarket to see what they are hehe