35mm Film Leader Cutter / Re-Shaper?

mac_visual · Jan 30, 2015

Hello All,

First time poster, very long time lurker and mass reader - Amazing forum!

I'm appealing to the collective knowledge of this group as to where I might find a film cutter / re-shaper for 35mm leader. I've found a few via eBay for the old and longer leader Leica type but alas, nothing like the images attached:

If anyone could point me to where I might find one.... Oh I would be so incredibly grateful!

If you're thinking "hey, why not just use scissors....." well simply, I need to cut upward of 500 leaders!

gone · Jan 30, 2015

Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes, tops, to make yourself a little cutting jig just like the one shown above. Just use plastic or even wood. You already have the shape to copy it from the one you cut in the pic. Unlike Leica screw mount cameras. it need not be relatively exact, just something to slip into the take up spool.

heespharm · Jan 30, 2015

Well it says neopan so it's Fuji made?

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mac_visual · Jan 30, 2015

Ah, true I can make one with a bit of sheet aluminum. Got 1000's of films to trim

Yes, It's a Fuji cutter but apparently was a promotional product in Japan! Very rare.

I honestly didn't think it would be so hard to find.

Thanks for the input!

gzinsel · Jan 30, 2015

I have used bulk film in the past. I have always cut the leader, by hand with a regular pair of scissors. I make sure the bottom sprocket hole is available and about a 1/4" above that, I cut backwards at a (roughly 45 degree angle) . So that when I load in my camera, the bottom only hole engages. I do not do any fancy cutting or use a template. To this day, I have not had any problems with this system.

mac_visual · Jan 30, 2015

Hi gzinsel, true! I've cut my bulk by hand but I have upward of 500-1000 films that require a leader! Just feels like stamping the film with a preform cutter would be faster.

Sirius Glass · Jan 30, 2015

I do not know whom in the UK would have one for sale, but in the US FreeStyle http://www.freestylephoto.biz/, B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Photography/ci/989/N/4294538916 or Samys Camera http://www.samys.com/.

mac_visual · Jan 30, 2015

Cheers for the links, I've checked all these sites and only found film retrievers. I've been googling for days now!
Most likely I'll make one as such a device seems to be a rare relic from the past.

Thanks for help.

heespharm · Jan 30, 2015

gzinsel said:
I have used bulk film in the past. I have always cut the leader, by hand with a regular pair of scissors. I make sure the bottom sprocket hole is available and about a 1/4" above that, I cut backwards at a (roughly 45 degree angle) . So that when I load in my camera, the bottom only hole engages. I do not do any fancy cutting or use a template. To this day, I have not had any problems with this system.

I do the same... It's just one cut... I think it would be faster than lining up the film to the jig then stamping on the jig...

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Ricardo Miranda · Jan 30, 2015

Got 1000's of films to trim

Why do you need to cut 1000s of film leaders?

Sirius Glass · Jan 30, 2015

Something like this

http://www.jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page345.htm

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/tipster/2013/10/30/snip-it-good-a-diy-film-leader-trimmer

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-115715.html

AgX · Jan 30, 2015

mac_visual said:
Hi gzinsel, true! I've cut my bulk by hand but I have upward of 500-1000 films that require a leader! Just feels like stamping the film with a preform cutter would be faster.

Copy the basic design of the Fuji one and have at a metal workshop the two dies cut by laser from stainless steeel and bent and mount them.

In the most ideal case both parts from the same cutting could be placed in a way to form that stamp.

mac_visual · Jan 30, 2015

Ricardo Miranda said:
Why do you need to cut 1000s of film leaders?

Hi Ricardo, well I'm working with motion picture film that's had it's remjet removed and i'm hand spooling my first batch to send out to testers. I'm aiming to make Kodak Vision3 500t & 250D much like CineStill but much cheaper.... It's just too expensive here in the UK!

I've started a blog on the process here: CineVison Experiment

heespharm · Jan 30, 2015

Ooo I have a bunch of vision 2 and 3 I got from a friend who got the extras from one of the fast and furious movies hahah it's cool stuff but not for me... Remjet sucks

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summicron1 · Jan 31, 2015

mac_visual said:
Hi gzinsel, true! I've cut my bulk by hand but I have upward of 500-1000 films that require a leader! Just feels like stamping the film with a preform cutter would be faster.

it takes about 3 seconds with a pair of scissors. If this is for film testing and is as much film as you are talking about, unless you could mechanize it to the point that it is faster than just whacking off a corner with some scissors, why not send the film out untrimmed and let testers do it themselves?

There's bound to be a few Barnack Leica fans who have to re-trim it anyway, and someone testing film for you won't mind the extra effort. Some folks stress about it being "right", but the way film comes trimmed from the factory is the result of a machine that die-cuts them en masse.

For individuals, just knock off the corner, ur there. I remember one news photographer bulk loading 100 feet of film (20 rolls) and just making a straight cut diagonally off the end of the film. Snip! and it was done. You would take up more time inserting the film end into the machine or whatever else you made.

ruby.monkey · Jan 31, 2015

Sirius Glass said:
Something like this

http://www.jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page345.htm

http://www.lomography.com/magazine/tipster/2013/10/30/snip-it-good-a-diy-film-leader-trimmer

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-115715.html

That won't save any work since the OP would still have to cut the film himself. The item he's after would stamp out the leader in the correct shape.

Ricardo Miranda · Jan 31, 2015

mac_visual said:
Hi Ricardo, well I'm working with motion picture film that's had it's remjet removed and i'm hand spooling my first batch to send out to testers. I'm aiming to make Kodak Vision3 500t & 250D much like CineStill but much cheaper.... It's just too expensive here in the UK!

I've started a blog on the process here: CineVison Experiment

Ah! I was wondering if that was something like that.
Good luck!
I've partially read your blog. Will keep an eye on it and as we are in the same city, if you go to Brick Lane on a Sunday or indeed today for the "March for Homes", you'll see me with an OM in the hand.

mac_visual · Jan 31, 2015

Ricardo Miranda said:
Ah! I was wondering if that was something like that.
Good luck!
I've partially read your blog. Will keep an eye on it and as we are in the same city, if you go to Brick Lane on a Sunday or indeed today for the "March for Homes", you'll see me with an OM in the hand.

Thanks Ricardo! OM seriesMju, my favorite 35mm by far! and likely the system i'll be using to test the film myself along with Olympus Mju II pocket camera.

(there was a url link here which no longer exists) , you're probably right. I'll pass the small effort on to my testers or only cut them as and when I require them.

Thanks for all the input!

John Koehrer · Jan 31, 2015

The assumption is that it's Japanese. Make sense to me.

You might try the Japanese camera hunter. Since he's in Japan he may be able to find one or six.

35mm Film Leader Cutter / Re-Shaper?

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