Question on Grafmatic film holders

[Brooklyn45]

Another BTW.. I put one of my loaded Grafmatics on a scale to weigh it against the equivalent of 3 Fidelity dark slides.

Result Grafmatic = 490 grams Three DS = 538 grams... also the Grafmatic takes up slightly less space than 2 dark slides.

Whats not to love about these babies. I carry two. in the space of four double slides I have 12 exposures.

Something else . If anyone does do a rebuild, ie to remove the disk, do a little j
Johnson's waxing of the running surfaces. Not the inside of the septums. An almost dry paper towel that has had a light spray of wax rubbed over the moving parts is an invaluable aid to making these things run smoothly, and helps in loading the thing in and out of the camera back.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Grafmatics have a learning curve and/or addt'l ways to screw up 6 sheets all at once. The newest Grafmatics are rapidly approaching 40 years old, with some going back 60 years or more. Bakelite shoe plate of many older ones will be warped, metal shavings from the pot-metal inner frames cause some of them to be worn-out, essentially worthless. Septums need regular inspection to see that they're not bent. But given all this, I do still have and regularly use a couple of them. Truth be told, I'd rather use Quickloads and Readyloads, for the dry dusty places I go, but they've stopped making these (as well, Ektar 100 and the new Portra 160/400 were never available in RL).

[algarzai]

I've owned one but am currently selling it on

great piece of design, though, no practical or personal use

I can appreciate that problems can and will arise

a beautiful piece of kit

andrew

Grafmatics help me carry a lot of film in my pouch. If i were in a studio i think i would not bother with the extra mechanical steps and failure points.

Yes, they have a place...

Look at the wheel edge-on... Left and right... see the two notches? The provision is already there for you to glue a thin tab left or right, which you can code or write on to identify the holder/job... I think you can come in 1/8 inch - same as the wheel - and still meet specifications for 4x5 imageable film area.

found them .. thanks

Well I use Light Meter for Iphone which auto logs into Dropbox.It auto records all my settings location etc and a photo but no notes.(perhaps in a future version). What to do what to do, ah ok I have recently come across this incredible invention.. I think they are calling it "Note pad and Paper" or something like that. If you google handwriting you will be able to learn something of this lost art. Of course there is a bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it I think you will like it. Oh and by the way no batteries.

ha.. i wouldn't be cool then.

Another BTW.. I put one of my loaded Grafmatics on a scale to weigh it against the equivalent of 3 Fidelity dark slides.

Result Grafmatic = 490 grams Three DS = 538 grams... also the Grafmatic takes up slightly less space than 2 dark slides.

Whats not to love about these babies. I carry two. in the space of four double slides I have 12 exposures.

Something else . If anyone does do a rebuild, ie to remove the disk, do a little j
Johnson's waxing of the running surfaces. Not the inside of the septums. An almost dry paper towel that has had a light spray of wax rubbed over the moving parts is an invaluable aid to making these things run smoothly, and helps in loading the thing in and out of the camera back.

thanks for the info .. waxing would be good to do every now and then i guess.

Grafmatics have a learning curve and/or addt'l ways to screw up 6 sheets all at once. The newest Grafmatics are rapidly approaching 40 years old, with some going back 60 years or more. Bakelite shoe plate of many older ones will be warped, metal shavings from the pot-metal inner frames cause some of them to be worn-out, essentially worthless. Septums need regular inspection to see that they're not bent. But given all this, I do still have and regularly use a couple of them. Truth be told, I'd rather use Quickloads and Readyloads, for the dry dusty places I go, but they've stopped making these (as well, Ektar 100 and the new Portra 160/400 were never available in RL).

Dust and heat. sounds like Saudi Arabia
I am always amazed how companies are trying to make our life miserable by killing off the products we want and need. considering that large format shooters still don't have a digital equivalent.

I like my Grafmatics. They are very handy for transporting lots of film ready to shoot, for portrait sessions, and for working press-camera style. They have arguably better film flatness than typical standard filmholders, and once you get used to the sequence, you don't make mistakes anymore.

Kinematics are also interesting, as they can hold 10 sheets in about the same space as a Grafmatic, but they are fiddlier and not as reliable. Still, going out with 20 sheets in two cassettes is handy.

Kinematics sound interesting. My expert drum takes 10 sheets. having 6 sheets increments (1 holder, 2 holders .. n holders) is making necessary to unload into a box of exposed film for storage until the next batch is ready. but i am scared enough by how much movements these things have.
I wish someone picks up producing these things again.

[JChrome]

Fantastic thread! I found some light leaks in my Grafmatics but then after reading this, it's my own fault (great information to have).

Also, the removal of the disk is a great idea along with the use of some wax.

I'll give these things a try and see if I can't make these wonderful gadgets even better.

[mjork]

You should also do a Web search for "grafmatic service manual" and download the pdf that's available for free. That tells you exactly how to assemble/disassemble it and where to apply lubrication.

[Michael Cienfuegos]

You should also do a Web search for "grafmatic service manual" and download the pdf that's available for free. That tells you exactly how to assemble/disassemble it and where to apply lubrication.

You can find the Grafmatic service manual here: www.southbristolviews.com

m

[cdholden]

You can find the Grafmatic service manual here: www.southbristolviews.com

m

Thank you!

[StoneNYC]

I'm looking for additional number wheels, someone sent me two but I need two more, if you are going to remove them, I would take them, if you would like to trade a non-wheel for your wheeled one, I would also consider that.

[Sirius Glass]

Surely the disk numbering is a coding system.. Why do you need to add another one ??

+1

I use the disk number and I find it useful. I know which side of the negative will have the number and the disk does not cause problems. It is about knowing how to use your equipment.

[JChrome]

I use the disk number and I find it useful. I know which side of the negative will have the number and the disk does not cause problems. It is about knowing how to use your equipment.

I know what side the number will be on, but I still don't want to use it. I'd prefer it gone so I can have more room on the negative. I do so much work to setup, get everything just right... I deserve an extra 3-4mm of space on my negative!

The thing I worry about is re-selling them if I take out the disk.