Dark Slide Material

[Lenny Eiger]

I got these Kodak 8x10 holders from a fellow here. The are wood, fairly light, except that they have metal dark slides. Waste of weight.... I looked over at one my Lisco Regal II's and the slides are made out of this flexible, not particularly brittle, material.

Do any of you know what this stuff is called, and better, where to get it? I may have to cut it to the right size, and glue a top on, but I figure that wouldn't be too hard. Then all would be well...

Any ideas?

TIA,

Lenny

[Nathan Potter]

Lenny, I've always assumed that most of the slide material is phenolic. But maybe I'm not sure about that.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[richfrank]

Look at garolyte from McMaster Carr - look here http://www.mcmaster.com/#garolite/=1ncsuz

[Gene McCluney]

Over the years they have been made from various materials, some of the earliest were of a kinda paper impregnated with resin, then Bakelite, and the most modern I think use Carbon Fiber.

[Keith Pitman]

B&H sells replacement Fidelity 8x10 darkslides for about $20/each . . . if they will fit. You might also find raw material at a local plastics supplier. Take one of your current slides and they can tell you what it is.

[Lenny Eiger]

B&H sells replacement Fidelity 8x10 darkslides for about $20/each . . . if they will fit. You might also find raw material at a local plastics supplier. Take one of your current slides and they can tell you what it is.

I don't know if the stuff Rich suggested is an exact match or not, I have to check it out... but $20 for replacement slides is ridiculous, insulting. You can almost get a used holder for that much. McMaster's has the garolite for $3.85 for a 12x12 sheet. It's probably something that's readily available and even less expensive once you get a good match. A friend is going over to a plastics store tomorrow and we'll see what info he can dig up.

Lenny

[Gene McCluney]

Those heavy metal slides are steel. You could make inexpensive aluminum replacements, and anodize them black. Metal will for sure be light tight.

[sanking]

Make sure you check the thickness of your existing slides. The grooves on the holders are probably cut for that thickness and won't alllow anything much thicker. In general metal dark slides are much thinner than ones of phenolic plastic.

Personally the small saving in weight would not be worth the trouble to me.

Sandy



I don't know if the stuff Rich suggested is an exact match or not, I have to check it out... but $20 for replacement slides is ridiculous, insulting. You can almost get a used holder for that much. McMaster's has the garolite for $3.85 for a 12x12 sheet. It's probably something that's readily available and even less expensive once you get a good match. A friend is going over to a plastics store tomorrow and we'll see what info he can dig up.

Lenny

[timsumma]

The cold roll steel dark slide has a distinctive purpose. This form of dark slide is superior to any modern dark slide. They can not be punctured is one of the obvious benefits.

What they are good for is that they will NOT stick under two conditions. In rain extreme high humidity the light trap can expand and be fouled with water/moisture. A conventional dark slide will not pass to seal the film. A steel dark slide will slip in.

The second condition is when dealing with severe cold and high humidity. The only dark slide that will pull under these conditions are the steel dark slide. I know this for a fact because I have shot 8X10 in such conditions. Winter with heavy ground fog; only the steel slides would pull, and they did as if it were 75F and an average day.

So there you have your explanation for their application, hope it helps.

[Brian Ellis]

I don't remember ever seeing steel dark slides so I don't have much of a feel for how heavy they are. But considering the total weight of most 8x10 systems in a back pack and the relatively few 8x10 holders often carried, is the difference between steel and whatever the other material is likely to matter?

[Lenny Eiger]

I don't remember ever seeing steel dark slides so I don't have much of a feel for how heavy they are. But considering the total weight of most 8x10 systems in a back pack and the relatively few 8x10 holders often carried, is the difference between steel and whatever the other material is likely to matter?

It's a fact of basic Physics that weight gets heavier as you get older...

I generally think I am going to take about 6 holders and by the time I put things in my pack there's usually 2-4 more. The other day I had two films to work with and ended up with ten holders in my pack. Add to that two lenses, one 3 and the other about 4 lbs. Light meter & loupe for another pound or so and a lightweight dark cloth and it starts to add up... The holders are the majority of the weight. The weigh just under two pounds so in round numbers that's 16-20 pounds. That's about 25 pounds, another 5 or so for the pack, some lunch or water and its a 30-plus pound pack. Then there's a camera on a tripod that is 8 1/2 pounds plus a tripod at 4 pounds for another let's say 13 on the shoulder. I was carrying about 42-45 pounds.... and going up really steep hills.

If the holders weighed only one pound, as in those nice $300 ones that I can't afford, that would be a nice savings.

I'm 57 and a 40-45 pound pack, give or take, means that I can walk a mile or so from the car, but I'm not going into the deep woods, where I like to be. I can shoot 18-20 shots in a day. I should probably not take more than 8 holders unless its really a big trip... and that would help. But anything I can do within reason to shave weight off is a good thing.

Lenny

[Nathan Potter]

Lenny, titanium sheet is the answer to your weight problem. Buy the sheet stock (Google supplier) then cut to size using a rock saw or so called lapidary saw. Epoxy to the pull bar end.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[Keith Pitman]

Lenny,

There's only one solution: you need the find the fountain of youth. The sooner, the better, too.