Tool for Making 126 Film Holes

The Kodak Instamatic 500 Camea takes good photos, but the 126 film cartridges are no longer made and the amount of expired film cartridges I have is getting down. So, I will try to load an old cartridge with new film. For some instamatic cameras this can be done using 35 mm film successfully, although you may need to take a shot with the lens covered between photos. With the Kodak Instamatic 500, I will attempt to load a cartridge with 120 film which has been sliced to 126 width and perforated with 126-hole spacings.

A couple of ways to slice the 120-film were investigated, along with a couple of ways to make holes into the film. The most successful way found to slice was using a paper guillotine, while holes could be uniformly made using a bespoke tool (step 10).

Roll of 120 B&W Film

126 Film Cartridge

Empty beverage can

Hole punch

Used 35-film

Used 126-film

Black tape

Paper guillotine

Photographic change bag

Small pencil

Blu-tac

The 126-film cartridge takes file the same width as 35mm film, so the idea is to slice a roll of Black and White 120 film to the required width. I had read on line one way to do this was using a cigar cutter. Blunt on of the blades and then rotating it around the roll of 120 film at the required width.

A cigar cutter was purchased and using a rotary tool one of the blades was made blunt.

The modified cigar cutter was tested on a rolled-up length of used 35mm film to see how cleanly it would cut.

The results weren't pretty and so this method of film slicing was discarded.

A test length of used 35mm film was taped to my paper guillotine and it sliced will.

Next a test was down where a ruler was taped to the guillotine to provide the correct film width. The film was held against the edge to the ruler as the guillotine was used, seemed to work fine and looked like the guillotine would fit into a photographic change bag. Looks like I now have a method to slice the 120film to the required width for a 126-film cartridge.

I figured aluminum sheet from an empty beverage can would make for a good material for a hole spacing template. The idea being to make126 photo spacing holes in the aluminum which would then be used as a guild to punch holes into 120-film while it was in a photographic change bag.

The template sheeting was made by:

• Wrap a length of 35mm film around an empty aluminum beverage can (I used a 500m can)
• Mark out with a felt tip marker
• Cut the width using a pair of scissors
• Trim to be straight and smooth

I purchased a hole punch which made 3mm by 13mm holes. These were narrower than holes made by most hole punches. To make the template holes:

• Place a length of used 126-film on top of the aluminum sheeting
• Make holes through the film and aluminum at the 126-fim hole spacings to form a template to be used in the photographic change bag

I found the punch would punch too far into the strip, so a guide was made by placing tape on its mouth which prevented the punch from biting too far into the strip.

Slicing the 120-film and making holes in it needs to be down in complete darkness as film is light sensitive. This was achieved by placing the guillotine, 120 roll of film, hole punch and guide into a photographic change bag.

The roll of film was unwound, held against the ruler guide and cut with the guillotine to the 126-film width.

Using the aluminum hole guide, holes were punched into the film at 126-film hole spacing.

The prepared film was then placed into a light proof film canister, along with the thinner width of film. The prepared film will be loaded into a 126 cartridge at a later time.

The prepared film was loaded into a used 126-film cartridge by following the instructions in this instructable.

I found the prepared film shot reasonably will in the Kodak 500 Instamatic camera. After processing the film at home and looking at the holes, I realize some improvements could be made. A few of the holes were slightly slanted or a little too far in. To improve on this, I will tape some aluminum sheet guides to the side of the punch to improve on from just using tape. I will also try using a stubby pencil as a hole distance guide. This will be done by placing the point of the pencil into a hole just punched and then aligning the punch against the top of the pencil for the next hole.

Making a tool which will punch holes into the film at the spacing required for a 126-film camera can be achieved with a 'name tag' punch and 30mm pencil.

To prevent the punch from punching too far into the film, the bite is restricted by attaching some aluminum sheet (cut form a beverage can) to each side of the punch's jaws with some tape.

The pencil was cut to be 30mm long and attached to the side of hole punch with some blu-tac and tape.

In a change bag, after the film has been sliced to the required width, the film is inserted into the punch's jaws and a hole is made, the aluminum placed earlier ensures the hole is made at the correct distance in and at 90 degrees to the film strip. Next, the punch is slide down the film strip and the tip of the pencil inserted into the hole just made and another hole made. The short pencil ensures the holes are made at the right spacing to each other. Once the entire length of the file has been perforated; the film is loaded into a 126-file cartridge ready for use.

After taking photos with the roll of created film, develop it, then scan it.