As I wrote in the last installment of this series the Alden 74 is my favorite of the different 35mm film bulk loaders that I have used. Fortunately when I bought my first example I began using it with my Nikon Reloadable Film Cassettes and Kodak Snap-Cap 135 Magazines. I was very impressed with it. If I had started with a Leica FILCA cassette I would probably have put the Alden 74 in my “mistaken purchases” box and continued using the Watson 100 for all of my bulk loading. Despite suggestions to the contrary in the included instructions an unmodified Alden 74 does not work well with Leica FILCA cassettes. The problem is with the little brass colored knob on the FILCA shown below.
The Alden 74, like the various Watson models, incorporates an external knob (the yellow part in the photo below) that is used to close a Leica, Nikon or Contax cassette before removing it from the bulk loader. The external yellow knob is connected to an internal disk that holds the cassette in place and is supposed to move the little brass colored knob on the FILCA when the big yellow knob is turned. As shown in the photo below, the little knob keeps the disk from properly contacting the end of the cassette which results in the external yellow knob not seating properly. The practical effect is that, in my experience, it does not reliably close the cassette.
The solution I arrived at is to remove the disk from the Alden and use a hacksaw blade and a small diagonal cutter to make a notch to accept the knob on the FILCA.
Here is the notched disk back in the Alden 74.
And here is the interior disk of the Alden in proper contact with the FILCA and the exterior knob properly seated. Note that the knob on the end of the cassette must be aligned with the notch in the disk for the modification to work.
The added notch does not affect the use of the Alden 74 with any cassettes other than the FILCA.
The Nikon Reloadable Film Cassette has a similar small knob on the end but the whole cassette is shorter than the FILCA so there is no need to align the small knob with the notch. The existing pins and depressions on the disk work just as well as the notch to close the cassette.
The newer Leica IXMOO cassette has a similar small knob as the FILCA. (the knob is silver rather than brass colored and is an easy way to distinguish between the FILCA and the IXMOO.) But, like the Nikon cassette, the IXMOO is shorter than the FILCA so aligning the small knob with the notch is not necessary.
The Kodak Snap-Cap cassette or any other reloadable cassette with a felt light seal has no provision for closing the cassette so it works exactly the same way without the notch in the disk.
And finally, I tried the same modification with a Watson 66 bulk loader but never got to the point of attempting to close the cassette because the FILCA is held in place so poorly in the Watson 66 that the whole cassette spins when the crank is turned. I might be able to prevent this with a cardboard shim between the cassette and the removable lid but I like the Alden 74 so much that I haven’t tried.
In summary, the only bulk loaders I have successfully used to bulk load film in a Leica FILCA cassette are a Watson 100 and a modified Alden 74. There other bulk loaders of completely different design. The Lloyd and Bobinquick are examples. But I don’t think any of them has a means of closing the cassette. (If I am wrong about that please let me know.)
Mere Film Photography 