5x8 sheet film inserts for Rittreck View

[Higo]

I have this camera with a 10x 16 back and 5no. 16x10 wood film holders, 3 of which are well used.
I am thinking of modifying of one or more of the latter to take sheets of half a standard sheet of 10x8 film, for reasons of economy i.e. to make 5x8 negatives for contact printing (my darkroom is too small for a large enlarger).
I can probably make 5x8 film inserts out of 0.7 or 0.5 brass sheet, after a few attempts.
My problem is how to attach such inserts to the existing film holder surface. It seems to me I could glue them with cyanoacrylate but that would bring the film surface forward by that amount. Would this destroy my focus accuracy?
Alternatively, I could cut a rectangular hole in the centre of the existing holder surface and try to glue the insert exactly into that. My doubt here is that I would make a decent job without ruining too many of the existing holders.
I would be grateful for any pointers or advice, due to this lack of scope for trial and error.
I know I might acquire other holders, maybe whole plate, to modify, but I cannot afford this at present.

[B.S.Kumar]

I think you mean 6x10? Perhaps cutting 10x12 film in half would be an easier option? Your film choices are a bit more limited, of course.
If you want to use 5x8 inserts, it is best to get a whole plate back for bookform holders, along with a couple of the holders themselves. 5x7 and half plate are other options.

Kumar

[Higo]

I think you mean 6x10? Perhaps cutting 10x12 film in half would be an easier option? Your film choices are a bit more limited, of course.
If you want to use 5x8 inserts, it is best to get a whole plate back for bookform holders, along with a couple of the holders themselves. 5x7 and half plate are other options.

Kumar

Thank you for this. "16x10" was a typo/Freudian slip/senior moment.
My thinking has been: whole plate requires the use of a whole sheet of 10x8 and 2 cuts + waste. Two half plate sheets from an 8x10 sheet requires 3 cuts in the dark instead of one cut and is also wasteful. 5x7 film holders even for Rittreck have become very expensive, and I have to buy them. I am in the UK so though there is a good supply of antiques, large format stuff cheap modern gear above 5x4 is pretty rare; import charges from USA are colossal as is postage.
I have seen standard Rittreck WP holders ( they are similar to the older Fidelity wooden DDS) with an indented area in the metal plate for different (i.e.smaller) formats, with raised edges to hold the film.I cannot remember the detail but presumably this was meant to achieve what I am aiming at, namely a smaller film exactly on the correct plane.
I am an adequate DIYer, but due to desire not to destroy stuff I had to import from Japan, I would love to hear if anyone has tackled just this problem.
Incidentally, the 5x8 format seems quite suitable for what I want to do in landscape.

[B.S.Kumar]

What I meant was that you could make a 5x8 sheath and use it easily with a bookform holder. Thse holders were made for plates, and can use sheaths for smaller size films.
I think you mean this kind of holder: https://www.largeformatphotography.i...0-Film-Holders

If you are willing to wait a month or so, I may be able to offer you a solution.

Kumar

[Higo]

Thank you for this last which I now understand . It turns out that with my Rittreck camera there came a WP wooden back which folds down and has side slots for the film/plate holders, unlike the more modern back (is this book-form?). There also came some wooden holders which look like sliding in if British damp can be reversed. BUT these too turn out to be for film sheets only.
So if what you refer to as possibly available is plate holders which are that same design/size, this would be the solution.
In case this proves troublesome, I think I have a possible fall back which would be to glue side rails made of brass strips on to the metal base of each film compartment with a second overlapping strip glued on top to constrain the 5x8 film. The space to the dark slide allows for this. The convenience of modern glues should enable this and the smaller film would then remain in the right plane.
I think I paid just under $2 dollars each for Fomapan 10x8 sheet film which makes two films for one attractive for someone who is likely to produce 99% duds for the time being.

[B.S.Kumar]

If you have the folding WP wooden bookform holder and the appropriate back, you can make a sheath for 5x8, or whatever size you want. Modern WP plate holders are also available, and will allow the same kind of sheaths to be used. Outer dimensions may differ, of course. You can also glue in brass strips as you describe.

Kumar

[Higo]

Thanks Kumar. Having investigated book-form holders on this forum I find they are a maze of different sizes and you have to compare and measure physically. Ex: the book-form Tachihara WP holders will in no way fit the Rittreck WP book-form back.
I will therefore adopt the brass strip plan.