Film Holder Hinge Tape

[David Gardner]

I've just gotten into LF over the last year. Overall I am enjoying the experienc e immensely, and even the technical challenges are just that, challenges rather than deterents.

I have five old wooden 4x5 film holders. In general, they work well, but the hin ge tape is loose on most of them, and light leaks along the bottom edge of my fi lm is, I suspect, being caused by hinge tape that doesn't stick to the holder pa rts. Is there a specific hinge tape that I need to buy to replace the old tape? I asked several local camera stores and was told to use duct tape. Will it work just as well?

And while I have your attention <g>, all of my reading says that wooden and plas tic film holders are pretty much interchangeable, and that neither has a distinc t advantage. I took my setup on a camping trip to the Smokies last summer, and i t rained the entire time I was there. The wooden holders swelled and were diffic ult to open and close, but I'm guessing that plastic holders would not suffer fr om this problem. Are there any downsides to using plastic holders that I need to know about?

Thanks David

[sheldon hambrick]

I had the same problem with some old 5x7 holders a while back. The original tape looks like what a bookbinder would use on the spines of old books. Not being able to find any (I didn?t look too hard), I resorted to duct tape and contact cement.

I cut the tape to size, placed contact cement on the holder, and the tape, let it dry, then CAREFULLY placed the tape on. Make sure to ONLY put the cement on surfaces where the tape touches, and to open and close the hinges a few times BEFORE the cement dries completely. After more than a year, these holders are still performing just fine.

[Don Sparks]

I don't know about wooden holders, but on my plastic ones I use black electrical tape. Load them with 4x5 print paper...lay then out in the sun awhile, then develope...if the paper is still white..no leaks!

[Roger Rouch]

I posed a similar question with regard to tape for 4X5 plastic holders a while back. I ended up using Gaffer's tape at about $8.00 a roll from Adorama. It worked well over the summer. I put the new tape on wax paper for cutting, and used the old tape as a template. There is another reference in the Archives that refers to an "official" tape from Fidelity that can be ordered from on the Calumet website. This may be even better. I would be careful using duct tape or electrical tape, as these may get gooey around the edges in hot weather and get gunk on other stuff.

[David F. Stein]

How about checking out upholsterers for the fabric tapes or remnants I am sure they have

[Pete Andrews]

If cost isn't an issue, then dump the wooden holders and get plastic ones, you won't regret it. Wooden holders rarely have an accurate or consistent film-plane distance.I'm all for using older equipment when there's no advantage in the modern replacement, but IMHO wooden holders have had their day.

[E.L.]

Various widths of book tape are available from Gaylord Archival in New York. They have a web page, too. It is listed under the Archival section. I use it for books, but have not needed it yet for film holders. I have used a metal foil tape, very flexible, on holders. It can be found in some art stores, but I got some from an aircraft supply house. They use it to seal holes in firewalls. I think it is actually a reflector tape. It is also thin enough to put over the original fabric tape and still not protrude.

[John Boeckeler]

I use a one inch wide black tape manufactured by Permacel. Calumet sells it.