I have a few (10) wood 4x5 film holders in need of re-taping. When I hold the opend hinge up to a light bulb I can see pin holes. But I've not yet experienced any light fogging. Any suggestions for the best brand to look for?

-- Steve Feldman (steve@toprinting.com), October 29, 2001

Answers

Some use book binding tape, but I have yet to find something that beats Bogen cloth gaffer's tape. This stuff is stickier than the regular Permacel gaffer's tape and wears very well. I re-taped all of my 8x10 holders with the stuff and it works wonderfully.

-- David Munson (orthoptera@juno.com), October 29, 2001.

I asked about this at Calumet and they sold me a roll of their gaffers' tape. Provided you get all the old stuff off there, it works great and seems to be perect for this. Don't forget that pinholes when you have it open don't necessarily equal a light leak. With film in it, the hinge is closed with a light trap in the way of light that might come through the tape. Provided the tape is strong enough to hold the flap securely you probably don't have anything to worry about. If the old tape is not in shreds, you can cut an appropriate strip of gaffers' tape and put it over the old tape. This works fine provided you trimmed it so that it doesn't interfere with the backset of the slide from the camera.

-- Kevin Crisp (KRCrisp@aol.com), October 29, 2001.

Try naphtha or lighter fluid to remove the goo from the old tape. It's safe for most wood finishes (maybe not French polish, but I doubt there are any French polished filmholders).

-- David Goldfarb (dgoldfarb@barnard.edu), October 29, 2001.

I'll give a second to the gaffer's tape. I put it on some wax paper and used the old tape I removed as a template for cutting.

-- Roger Rouch (rrouch@msn.com), October 29, 2001.

As Kevin mentioned, the tape alone does not make the light trap in the hinge. Examine closely and you will see a baffle system such that all the tape must do is ensure the 2 surfaces mate. I would not be concerned about light leaks if all you see is pinholes when the hinge is opened. If the tape is so frayed that it does not shut tightly, it would definitely need to be replaced.

-- Gary Frost (gary.frost@onemain.com), October 30, 2001.

I had light leak problems that were corrected by replacing the original tape with gaffers tape on my holders. There were pinholes on the tape and also short areas where the tape had worn through at the crease of the outer most edges. I think that the wear on the outer edges was probably where the problem was. Rather than fret about whether this is or isn't the problem, I would think it would be worth the $10 investment in tape to see if that helps.

-- Roger Rouch (rrouch@msn.com), October 30, 2001.

A good material for removing adhesive residue is bug and tar remover available from auto supply stores. It doesn't work on all types of adhesive, but most. Be careful and test first on plastics as it will affect some. In general, however, it works very well.

I think B&H sells tape specifically for film holders. Try their website.

-- Jay Wolfe (bigbad810@hotmail.com), October 31, 2001.