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35mm film container logbook


brendannewell

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I was thinking of hiding some 35mm film containers and I was wondering what anyone would suggest to use as a logbook?

All the film containers I've found so far have had a long thin log book but I have no idea where I'd get one.

I live in England if that makes any difference.

Many thanks for any suggestions :-)

I bought some rolls of cash register tape a while back for real cheap at an office supply store (it was a partial pack). Makes it real easy to create logs for small container.

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I just make my log sheets using a spreadsheet. Check the depth of you film cann, then decide whether to go one column or two. I print the whole 8x11 sheet then cut the columns into strips and then just staple it like a log book. Roll it up and stuff it in the container.

 

If you have a spare little baggie from a travel bug or something you can put the paper in there for some extra protection.

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If you are going to hide film canisters, try to locate the translucent ones from Fuji, rather than the black ones from Kodak. The Fuji cans with the snap_IN lids are waterproof, the others with snap_ON are not.

 

Check your nearest photo store for a possibly free supply.

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If you are going to hide film canisters, try to locate the translucent ones from Fuji, rather than the black ones from Kodak. The Fuji cans with the snap_IN lids are waterproof, the others with snap_ON are not.

 

Check your nearest photo store for a possibly free supply.

I haven't the same experience with the Fuji ones.......

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If you are going to hide film canisters, try to locate the translucent ones from Fuji, rather than the black ones from Kodak. The Fuji cans with the snap_IN lids are waterproof, the others with snap_ON are not.

 

Check your nearest photo store for a possibly free supply.

I haven't the same experience with the Fuji ones.......

 

I've rarely found a dry logbook in either kind of film canister. Terrible containers.

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And some more in various sizes:

 

http://home.austin.rr.com/candylind/caching/stashnotes/

 

And to reiterate...unless your canister is protected from the elements, it's probably not going to be watertight, so plan accordingly.

 

My webpage was obliterated by RoadRunner so I have created a new webpage with these stash notes:

 

http://geocaching.perklind.com/stashnotes

 

I'm happy for anybody to use them. If you have trouble with any of it, please email candylind@gmail.com. Thanks.

 

Happy Trails,

Candy

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I just make my log sheets using a spreadsheet. Check the depth of you film cann, then decide whether to go one column or two. I print the whole 8x11 sheet then cut the columns into strips and then just staple it like a log book. Roll it up and stuff it in the container.

 

If you have a spare little baggie from a travel bug or something you can put the paper in there for some extra protection.

 

This is exactly what I do and I've made hundreds.....adding a small ziplock from a craft store is even better.

 

The film can has become the poster boy of bad containers and it just isn't true....in the rainy swamps of LA I've hid a bunch with good results and even had one submerged for 2 years....they are not the best micro's but far from the worst ( any kind of tin, key holder, fake rock, etc )...I paint them which helps re UV......the tops will eventually fail but after hundreds of finds the majority will be fine.

 

For the best micro go with a preform or baby soda bottle.....a match holder with good gasket is almost as good.

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I think film canister is GREAT. There are plenty of them aorund for cheap or free, add a simple ziplock bag and a little yearly check-up and your water sin't a problem, and they are very universal

 

Hide on the ground it's fine if it gets dirty

Hide in the air, perfect size for a homemade strap/holder

Hide anywhere it's small and compact for a great hide ANYWHERE

Any container that requires a ziplock to keep the log dry has already failed. About half or more of the film cans with ziplock bags I have found that have been in the wild for more that a month have wet logs. The other problem is CO's or helpful cachers replacing torn bags use what seems to be the quart size bag for a small log. You can't get the whole mess back in the container and get the lid on tight. The only other container that is worse than a film can is a gladware container.

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Film containers are awesome cache containers...You can get them for free at your local drug/film developing stores.

 

Using a tiny plastic bag to put the log inside, will help the log stay dry.

 

I have several film containers out for a battleship game and haven't had any problems with them at all in over a year. The logs get full before the logs get wet. And even so...I maintain them every year regardless.

Edited by Lieblweb
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I think film canister is GREAT. There are plenty of them aorund for cheap or free, add a simple ziplock bag and a little yearly check-up and your water sin't a problem, and they are very universal

 

Hide on the ground it's fine if it gets dirty

Hide in the air, perfect size for a homemade strap/holder

Hide anywhere it's small and compact for a great hide ANYWHERE

 

They're not waterproof and will get wet this way. Plastic baggies don't help; they keep water in, not out.

 

If you're going to take the time to make a custom strap, please make a quality custom container that won't leak and break.

 

I've never seen a great film can hide anywhere. I've seen plenty of crappy ones, they seem to be the standard.

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If you're going to take the time to make a custom strap, please make a quality custom container that won't leak and break.

 

 

I make my straps/holsters out of electrical wire, wound around the container until its about half down. This is a sturdy holster, it bends into place, but takes force so the hook wont un-bend. And the wire can withstand the elements.

 

And please don't reply with why this is wrong. My reply would be: I enjoy finding film containers more than any other. You know almost all large ones are on the ground hidden by logs sticks or leaves. The small ones are what I find fun to hunt for. And when I find one my favorite part is seeing there creative way to hang it or hide it.

When you finally decide to place them (you have no hides out yet), please let us know how they held up after a few seasons.

The posts that may seem negative towards these crappy containers are from quite a few years of long-time cachers finding soggy, often moldy pulp of a log in them.

We learned (after many trips to fix) and now our few micro hides are all matchstick containers. You could perform your wire trick on those as well.

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If you're going to take the time to make a custom strap, please make a quality custom container that won't leak and break.

 

 

I make my straps/holsters out of electrical wire, wound around the container until its about half down. This is a sturdy holster, it bends into place, but takes force so the hook wont un-bend. And the wire can withstand the elements.

 

And please don't reply with why this is wrong. My reply would be: I enjoy finding film containers more than any other. You know almost all large ones are on the ground hidden by logs sticks or leaves. The small ones are what I find fun to hunt for. And when I find one my favorite part is seeing there creative way to hang it or hide it.

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with liking to find challenging and interesting micros. Your wire idea is a good one. None of that changes the poor quality of film canisters. There are plenty of containers that work wonderfully, one of which is mentioned in the post above mine. Soda bottle preforms are stellar. I've seen people use halves of contact lense cases. Decon containers are a little larger but very easily cammo'd and are great against the elements. Lock'n'lock's seem to come in pretty small sizes. The possiblities for good quality micros that can be cleverly camoflaged are pretty extensive. Heck, if you know anyone who's diabetic the test strip containers work really well too...

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The posts that may seem negative towards these crappy containers are from quite a few years of long-time cachers finding soggy, often moldy pulp of a log in them.

We learned (after many trips to fix) and now our few micro hides are all matchstick containers.

 

You can't blame the containers on CO's who don't maintain their caches. And by putting out 'better' containers, is just an excuse for them not to visit/maintain the caches.

 

Poor CO's can make any container look bad......

Edited by Lieblweb
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Poor CO's can make any container look bad......

+1

 

The replies in this forum suppose typical cache maintenance (none, for example). Think of all the times you've found a film canister and said "Man, the CO is maintaining the HECK outta this thing!" :anitongue:

 

I've had a 35mm film canister cache in place for three years, still the same container. It's got "leaf" coverings which are water repellent -- like a little cache raincoat. It's hanging up, so never sits in water. And I'm using Nat Geo waterproof paper for the log. Merely opening the container fills it with thick Atlanta humidity (which then gets sealed back up inside). But it's right on my walking route, so no big deal to keep it in decent shape. I could have used an Altoids tin, just swap it out every few weeks.

 

As for the log book, mine's a rolled-up sheet. But a few pieces of paper carefully cut to size, folded, and stapled, make a nice little booklet in a micro, leaving room for tiny Swag. That may be what I do for my replacement log.

Edited by kunarion
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The posts that may seem negative towards these crappy containers are from quite a few years of long-time cachers finding soggy, often moldy pulp of a log in them.

We learned (after many trips to fix) and now our few micro hides are all matchstick containers.

 

You can't blame the containers on CO's who don't maintain their caches. And by putting out 'better' containers, is just an excuse for them not to visit/maintain the caches.

 

Poor CO's can make any container look bad......

We placed "much better" containers after bimonthly hiking/biking the eight mile round trip to poor water out of and replace the logs in the film containers in a series. We maintain our hides. The matchstick holders have held up since 6/11 without need for log replacements. We know because we visit.

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The posts that may seem negative towards these crappy containers are from quite a few years of long-time cachers finding soggy, often moldy pulp of a log in them.

We learned (after many trips to fix) and now our few micro hides are all matchstick containers.

 

You can't blame the containers on CO's who don't maintain their caches. And by putting out 'better' containers, is just an excuse for them not to visit/maintain the caches.

Poor CO's can make any container look bad......

 

That's probably one of the uh.... silliest statements in this whole thread. You're saying that I shouldn't use quality containers because their quality means I don't have to check on them once a week? That's ridiculous.

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That's probably one of the uh.... silliest statements in this whole thread. You're saying that I shouldn't use quality containers because their quality means I don't have to check on them once a week? That's ridiculous.

 

Bad CO's are ridiculous no matter what containers they use. That about sums it up.

 

The container is only as good as the CO is willing to maintain it.

Edited by Lieblweb
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That's probably one of the uh.... silliest statements in this whole thread. You're saying that I shouldn't use quality containers because their quality means I don't have to check on them once a week? That's ridiculous.

 

Bad CO's are ridiculous no matter what containers they use. That about sums it up.

 

The container is only as good as the CO is willing to maintain it.

 

Your first statement it absolutely correct. I do take issue with your second statement. Take an ammo can and set it under a tree and let it sit there unmaintained for a year. Do the same with a black film can with a gray lid. All things being equal, the ammo can outlasts the film can every single time. Of course maintainence will help either one, but to say one is the same is the other is pretty off the mark.

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All things being equal, the ammo can outlasts the film can every single time. Of course maintainence will help either one, but to say one is the same is the other is pretty off the mark.

A plastic container outdoors will get brittle and crack. So you can expect to need to replace a 35mm film canister a few times over the life of a metal ammo box. But change the canister on a schedule (every week is silly, do that every two weeks :anibad:), and that may be perfect in a spot the requires a Micro.

 

And I've seen quite a few ammo boxes that were wet inside (they seal water in), hidden in unappealing spots, raided and containing questionable items, complete with inattentive CO. More or less a film canister drop cache, only bigger. And permanent. <_<

Edited by kunarion
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Your first statement it absolutely correct. I do take issue with your second statement. Take an ammo can and set it under a tree and let it sit there unmaintained for a year. Do the same with a black film can with a gray lid. All things being equal, the ammo can outlasts the film can every single time. Of course maintainence will help either one, but to say one is the same is the other is pretty off the mark.

 

Not all ammo cans are created equal..... I've seen water & mud inside ammo cans before.

 

Again - Just because you hide a 'quality' container, doesn't give you the excuse to not maintain them.

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Film containers are awesome cache containers...You can get them for free at your local drug/film developing stores.

 

Using a tiny plastic bag to put the log inside, will help the log stay dry.

 

I have several film containers out for a battleship game and haven't had any problems with them at all in over a year. The logs get full before the logs get wet. And even so...I maintain them every year regardless.

 

This is basically true of film can hides....I've been putting them out for almost 10 years with good results in a wet environment.

All my film cans survived hurricane Katrina....a couple of ammo cans didn't ( crushed )

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If you're going to take the time to make a custom strap, please make a quality custom container that won't leak and break.

 

 

I make my straps/holsters out of electrical wire, wound around the container until its about half down. This is a sturdy holster, it bends into place, but takes force so the hook wont un-bend. And the wire can withstand the elements.

 

And please don't reply with why this is wrong. My reply would be: I enjoy finding film containers more than any other. You know almost all large ones are on the ground hidden by logs sticks or leaves. The small ones are what I find fun to hunt for. And when I find one my favorite part is seeing there creative way to hang it or hide it.

 

One of my favorite caches to seek is a micro in the woods....a real challenge.

Some would say you should hide a regular size in the woods.....heck, you could hide a school bus in the woods ( one big pile of sticks ) but where's the challenge.

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One of my favorite caches to seek is a micro in the woods....a real challenge.

Some would say you should hide a regular size in the woods.....heck, you could hide a school bus in the woods ( one big pile of sticks ) but where's the challenge.

 

Challenging yes...

 

People talk about how bad film containers can be... What about bison tubes & blinkies??

 

You have to use write-in-the-rain logs and keep a stockpile of o-rings.

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I used to use them as waterproof match containers, for camping and hiking.

 

Just as a matter of interest, do any films still come in the old aluminium, screw top, canisters? I came across a couple when we were clearing out stuff before we left South Africa a couple of years ago.

 

I saw those a few years ago on Ebay where I picked up a hundred or so plastic cans. Nothing I've ever tried with screw threads only, including pipe, has been water tight. Where a gasket or o-ring is incorporated in to the design ( bison or match holder) you have a really good chance of being waterproof.

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