Graflex.org

[camz]

Does anyone have an instruction sheet/manual for the type 50/51/etc.
roll film holder?

[Les]

No but it should be straight forward as long as you know that the roll was reverse wound compared to today. So instead of having the leader coming off the roll away from you and close to the pressure plate, have it come off the roll toward you and make a graceful bend over the pressure plate. After it's threaded, close the back and use the window to wind to #1.

Now can you tell me where you found usable Graflex roll film?
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"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

[camz]

I bought the film and some plates as part of a camera deal.

[Stephen Furley]

Is this the holder for the Graflex cameras, where the film ran vertically when the back was in landscape orientation? If so, could you post some pictures of it somewhere, I'd be interested to see it. All I've ever seen is a bad photocopy of a drawing of one.

What format is your holder for, and is it the full size of the camera?
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Stephen Furley

[camz]

Stephen,

What I have is a #53 Graflex Roll Holder, and you can find it listed in Graflex catalogues. It fits all the 4x5 RB Graflex cameras, such as the Series, B/D/Tele/Auto, etc. You will need type 53 roll film for this holder,
which is 4x5 roll film. The film rolls from the bottom to the top spool, similar to a tlr, using a small key winder on the right-hand side. As already noted, the film is not wound on the spool like 120 film, but has the film wound on top of the backing paper.

[Stephen Furley]

That's interesting. When were these things made? were they made to fit all sizes of Graflex cameras? How many exposures did you get on a roll? I've never seen film that was wound that way.
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Stephen Furley

[Les]

They were made from at least the teens, and might go back as early as '07. I think you got 8 exposures on a roll. The nice thing about running the film the "wide way" was tension was kept on the long dimension so it didn't curl. I've seen a couple of these modified to take either 120 or 35mm . Well in those days it would have been considered a "Kodachrome" back.
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"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

[camz]

My 1921 Graflex Catalogue lists nos. 50 through 54 covering, 2x3, 3x4, 3x5, 4x5, and 5x7 respectively. The film for each holder has the same numerical designation. I only have experience with #53 film, and it is about the same thickness as 120 film. Perhaps aero roll film could be adapted for use in this way. You would still need to find a source for the backing paper, and then cut it to size.

[45PSS]

[Stephen Furley]

I'll have to look out for a 53; would make a nice addition to my collection.
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Stephen Furley

[Stephen Furley]

If anybody is interested there's a type 51 on Ebay at the moment, item No. 320259660054. Its $25 with no bids yet and five days to go. If it had been a 5x4 I would have bid for it, but I don't have a camera this size.

There are several pictures, including one of the inside.
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Stephen Furley

[Stephen Furley]

Well, I've got a 53 in front of me at the moment. I won it on Ebay in October, and finally received it today.

A couple of years ago they changed the procedure for international parcels arriving in the UK; if there is tax or customs duties to pay Parcelforce pay them, then hold the item at their depot. They then send the addressee a letter stating the amount due, including a handling fee, and once that has been paid they will either deliver the parcel, or you can collect it from their depot. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks, though it can be less, or more. By mid-December I was thinking that it ought to have arrived, but by then it was the run-up to Christmas, so I thought that it might take longer than usual. By January I still hadn't received the letter, and I was about to contact the seller when he wrote to me, to say that the item had been returned to him as I hadn't paid the tax due on it. I then had to pay another lot of postage to have it sent back to me again. The letter arrived about a week ago, but I wasn't able to go to the depot to collect it until after work today as the trams weren't running in Croydon last week due to some of the track being replaced. The parcel depot is in a very inconvenient place to get to.

Anyway, I've got it at last. It wasn't cheap, but it's about the only type of holder for my Graflex and Graphic cameras that I didn't have an example of in the collection, so I really wanted one. It actually contains both an empty wooden spool, and a roll of Verichrome film. The holder seems to be complete, and in pretty good considering its age, there's some paint scraped off the metal plate with the light-trap groove in it, but that's about all.

It's quite different to a modern roll holder. The first thing that struck me about it was how light it is, being made mainly of wood. Then there's the way that the red window to view the frame number is recessed at the bottom a a sort of 'tube'; rather difficult to read the number I would have thought.

the diameter of the roll of film, and of the wooden core it is wound on are about the same as for 120 film, so presumably the length is similar. How was this film developed; did they make a tank for it, or was it just 'see-sawed' through a dish of developer?

Interesting device, but it held less film than a pack adapter, was probably slower to use, and seems to be quite awkward to get the insert out and back in again to load. It's not to bad on the table in front of me, but outside, in cold weather, in a hurry, I think there are probably easier ways to load film. It's a pity that the film is no longer made; I'd like to actually try the thing, but at least I've got an old roll in it for display purposes.

When was it finally discontinued? Within my memory there's only been 828, 127, 120, 220 and 620 roll film, so it must be a long time ago now; I'm guessing maybe '50s.

What's the purpose of the small knob, which seems to lock the feed spool? Did you lock it, and then turn the winding key to pull the film tight, or something?
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Stephen Furley

[Les]

The small knob was to tension the film. Also note that 5x4 roll film was available for other cameras as well, but Graflex designed their back to wind backwards to the now standard--instead of the film coming off the spool on the inside and making a hairpin turn to the platen, Graflex film comes off the spool on the outside and makes a gentle turn to the platen. The deep red window reminds me of early non-auto Hassy backs.
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"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

[mopar_guy]

A while back I got a Type 51 Rollholder and now I was able to find a roll of Kodak Super XX. Yellow and Green box is still sealed. Package is labeled as follows:

KODAK
SUPER-XX
HIGH SPEED PANCHROMATIC FILM
FOR 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. GRAFLEX ROLL HOLDER

This roll is for six exposures and it expired Nov. 1, 1943.

Inside the rollholder a two spools for the film so I guess that I would have a take-up spool. These spools have metal ends attached to a wooden core. The spools are about 4 1/2 inches long.

Regards,
Dave

[Stephen Furley]

When I bought my holder on Ebay it had an unexposed roll of film in it. the paper seal on the roll is still intact. This is a 5x4 holder.
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Stephen Furley