The Lemon Fool

jfgw wrote:
Well done everyone, I hope you enjoyed identifying the mystery objects. I will see if I can find ten more for you to identify.
Julian F. G. W.

Thank you for the effort you put in setting up this enjoyable thread. I look forward to the next ten!

malkymoo wrote:Thank you for the effort you put in setting up this enjoyable thread. I look forward to the next ten!

Thank you malkymoo. I see it has been nearly two years since my original mystery items thread. I will try not to leave it so long before the next one.

Julian F. G. W.

Yes, thanks from me also. Most enjoyable.
(The single most enjoyable mystery on the o!d TMF site was someone who wanted a harbour identified from a watercolour. The poster had no idea where it was, or if it was actually painted from life. Someone actually found it amazingly! From memory it was Goes in the Netherlands)

AleisterCrowley wrote:Yes, thanks from me also. Most enjoyable.
(The single most enjoyable mystery on the o!d TMF site was someone who wanted a harbour identified from a watercolour. The poster had no idea where it was, or if it was actually painted from life. Someone actually found it amazingly! From memory it was Goes in the Netherlands)

To this day I'm still bugged by a question somebody on TMF asked about a scene from a film they remembered, but not the film. I remember the exact same scene - but I've never been able to recall the film to this day.

XFool wrote:To this day I'm still bugged by a question somebody on TMF asked about a scene from a film they remembered, but not the film. I remember the exact same scene - but I've never been able to recall the film to this day.

Which was (or you could start a Topic at Curiosity Corner)?

PinkDalek wrote:

XFool wrote:To this day I'm still bugged by a question somebody on TMF asked about a scene from a film they remembered, but not the film. I remember the exact same scene - but I've never been able to recall the film to this day.

Which was (or you could start a Topic at Curiosity Corner)?

I think it was done to death at the time without any success.

Though I did have success in eventually identifying the name of another film I was wondering about at the time.

6 Was this answered fully?

I would say they are film clips but not for hanging as suggested.

When processing FILM film (as opposed to PUNY still film) the processing chamber needs to run without interruption otherwise catastrophe results!

The easiest way to maintain continuity was to clip a film on to the previous. If I am right about the clips, judging by the size, they are probably for 16mm film.

One interesting aside relates to a relation of mine who was blinded during the war. In those days the work options were rather limited to piano tuner (requires a sighted person as a guide/driver to jobs!), telephone exchange operatives and physiotherapists.

However in certain geographic areas they did have other work opportunities. North of London is where most of the film processing labs were based and they employed quite a number of blind people as line operatives and trouble shooters.. It meant that the processing darkroom could be kept going in total darkness.

Regards,
ep

eepee wrote:6 Was this answered fully?

I would say they are film clips but not for hanging as suggested.

When processing FILM film (as opposed to PUNY still film) the processing chamber needs to run without interruption otherwise catastrophe results!

The easiest way to maintain continuity was to clip a film on to the previous. If I am right about the clips, judging by the size, they are probably for 16mm film.

That is an interesting idea and I am not familiar with cine film processing.

I am aware that still film (at least, in larger labs) is usually processed continuously, with one roll being spliced onto the next, so there may not be much difference between the processing of still and cine film. I have seen a small, high-street machine in use where the film was spliced, using tape, onto a plastic leader that was drawn through the tanks. I can see how a metal clip could have been similarly used.

I do not think that my clips were used in this way as they only clip one end; they cannot be used to clip one end of film to another. Another clue is that the smaller clip is weighted. The points are about 15.5mm apart. I found an old piece of 35mm film and cut some to 16mm wide to see if the clips would grip. The film pulls out very easily so it seems these clips will only work on wider film.

One thing I do not know the purpose of is a couple of slots at the top of the hook part of the larger clip. The ears on the smaller clip will, sort of, link with these slots but I do not think that they are secure enough to be relied upon. It is likely that two of the larger clips would link more securely but I do not have another one so cannot check.

It is possible that these were sold for more than one purpose. Similar items are available today for hanging film for drying, https://www.firstcall-photographic.co.u ... -of-2/p788 .

I had no idea that blind people were employed in darkrooms. It makes a lot of sense.


Julian F. G. W.

jfgw wrote:They are for hanging rolls of developed film for drying. I think they may also have been used commercially for hanging film for processing in deep tanks but I have not found any reference except for one comment that the lead weights in one brand dissolved in C41 chemistry.

After a bit of research, I find that this method of processing film is called "dip and dunk". An advantage of this method is that nothing other than the solution touches the film (except the ends, obviously) so the risk of damage is minimised. There is a video of it in action in a pro lab here, https://fstoppers.com/education/go-behi ... lab-277294 .

Larger labs splice the individual rolls of film together into one large reel for batch processing so this would be very similar to cine film processing, https://petapixel.com/2016/09/06/video- ... labs-work/ .

Julian F. G. W.