120 to 124 Film Adapter Kit
With FAK124 adapters mounted on the 120 spool, your camera will work exactly as it would with original 118 films.
No original 124 spool is needed for this system: you don’t have to respool the film from one spindle to another.
With the 120 film in a 124 film camera you’ll get 6 panoramic-format photographs with a size of about 11x6cm (4¼ x 2½ inches).
KIT COMPONENTS
The KIT comes with four adapters, two for each spool in the camera.
The kit also includes 4 round extenders that are needed if your camera is BOX Brownie Camera or similar. In these cameras the spool has to be of a specific diameter for a perfect alignment of the film advance mechanism with the spool’s hole. To couple the exagonal adapters with its round extensions, press them hard through the hole until they are perfectly aligned on the flat end (i.e. where there’s the metal part).
The one adapter with a different hole is the “Key Adapter”: it features a 1mm laser-cut stainless steel flange that reproduces the same hole that’s in the original 124 spool. This adapter will engage with the camera’s film advance crank.
MOUNTING
- Load the the empty spool (take-up spool) with two adapters mounted at both ends, making sure that the Key Adaper corresponds to the camera’s film advance knob.
- Mount the other two adapters on the unexposed film and put it in the camera.
- Insert the paper leader into the take-up spool and roll up a little until it’s well inserted.
FILM WINDING & FRAME NUMBERING
With the camera open, start winding the film until you see the big vertical arrow, then close your camera.
Turn the film advance knob 8 times (16 half turns) so that the film reaches the correct placing for the first photo.
After the first photo is taken, advance the film by 2,5 knob’s turns (or 5 half turns), and do this for photo 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Then wind the film until the end: the empty spool becomes the take-up spool. Put the key adapter on it and go shoot again!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The No. 3 Kodak have a little red window at the top of the back of the camera: it was used to read the frame number written on the original film’s paper. You will not see those number through the red window on 120 film because it is located off the film’s width. I order to prevent light hitting the film you should cover the window with black tape.
Another problem with film being narrower than the camera’s exposure frame is that the film will tend to lean towards the lens eventually going off of the focus plane. To keep the film flat the best solution is to add guides along the sides of the exposure frame (i.e. making it a bit shoter than the film). Just apply two strips of black construction paper with plain black tape (electrical tape). These strips keep the film flat and in a centered position: a very easy and effective “do-it-yourself” hack at almost zero cost.
FILM ADAPTER KIT 124 & COMPATIBLE KODAK CAMERAS
Load normal 120 film in ANY Kodak camera made for the 124 film:
— No. 3 BROWNIE Camera (1908 – 1934)
— No. 3 BULLS-EYE KODAK Camera Model A (1908 – 1913)
— No. 3 Folding Pocket BROWNIE Camera (1905 – 1909))
Other makers’ cameras that accept 124 film will also work.
OPERATING CONDITIONS
If your camera has not been used for a long time, check that there is no rust, or dry grease, or dust, or dirt… The feed mechanism in cameras that were left unused for a long time could be very tight and cause a strong tension on the spools during the film advancement. Make sure that the mechanisms are properly lubricated before putting the camera back to work!
SHIPMENT methods and times
You can select the preferred shipping method at the checkout page: Registered Mail with tracking, or Priority Mail without tracking. Usually the kits are shipped within a few days, but sometimes it takes a little longer: all kits are produced in small batches, assembled and tested one by one. Check the FAQ page for details.
