Keep That Spool Fool

This post is to explain what keeping the original Holga spool means for your film.

My advise is that if you want to get some burnt edges, and more light leaks on your film then make sure you hold on to it. If you don't then ditch it as soon as you use your first film.

How Does It Help?

Due to the poor manufacturing of the Holga, the take-up spool that is provided is actually a little bit too long for 120 film.

As a result, the ends of your film can be exposed to light when you take it to the developers. If you don't understand, this very very basic diagram will help to explain:



As you can see the Holga spool is slightly too long and therefore, when you are transporting your finished film to be processed light can get in. The gap isn't actually this big but you get the idea.

This will not happen with take-up spools from more expensive cameras and popular films, because they are manufactured more accurately.

Increase light leaks and burns by holding on to your original take up spool that comes with your Holga. Ask your lab to keep hold of it. Maybe you could paint the end a bright color so they know which one it is!

Hope you enjoyed the tip and thanks for reading!

Labels: Increasing, Light Leaks, Spools, Tips