Who Knows Shirley Wellard?

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>A really classic accessory, the Shirley Wellard "Universal" 35mm Cassette.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Quite possibly the most intricate and ingenious reloadable cassettes ever devised, and certainly marvellous examples of metal-age craftsmanship. The "Universal" tag is stretching things a little, as they suit only cameras with a rewind knob that pulls out from the body to allow film loading, thus excluding many back or bottom-loading classic cameras. These are not your everyday cassettes with a felt light trap, but work on the labyrinthine principle with a rotating shield that retracts or closes within the camera. Furthermore, the cassette has to be fitted to each camera, with a range of adjustments:</p>

<p>A backlash adjustment ( the little chromed arm visible in the images) which has to be rotated and set to ensure a snug fit against the back of the camera, to prevent the cassette rotating.</p>

<p>A tracking adjustment, (the big machine screw on the end), to position the emerging film exactly over the film track.</p>

<p>A spool length adjustment concealed within the spool which adjusts the length of the spool to the reach of the camera's rewind shaft .</p>

<p>Once the adjustments are complete, the spool is a perfect fit to the camera, in this case a rather nice old Agfa Ambi Sillette I used to experiment on. Here's a pic of the cassette in place.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>In the above image the cassette in the camera is in the open position. The spool beside the camera shows the components. The brass end cap screws on, not into the external casing but into the revolving shield which opens or closes the cassette, though it renders the cassette light-tight when in place. Film must be wound onto the spool in the dark, the trimmed and shaped end being secured by a rat-trap slit. The loaded spool is fitted into the open cassette and the end retrieved through the opening, then the brass end cap fitted and revolved to close the shield, leaving a length of film protruding ready for trimming prior to loading into the camera. The first image shows this.</p>

<p>In the second pic the end of the spool displays four "pimples". This end is inserted into the cassette against a very slight spring pressure. When pushed firmly in, the "pimples" engage with "dimples" in the fitting that operated the rotating light shield, and a rotation of the spool then opens or closes the shield. This is what happens in the camera; once the film is loaded and the camera back closed, one presses down on the rewind knob and rotates it anti-clockwise about 270 degrees until is comes to a stop. The cassette is now open. Similarly, after rewinding, pressure is exerted on the rewind knob and clockwise rotation closes the shield.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>The only drawbacks: the rewind knob sits about 1 mm. clear of it's flush position, (really only a cosmetic situation), and one must remember to open and close the cassette... On my first attempt I didn't get the shield properly open, and the scratches resulting from the film being drawn over the surface of the shield were remarkable. Other than that, the cassettes work very well, but were always very expensive, costing 5 British Pounds in 1955. There are over a dozen parts to each cassette, and at least half a dozen different metals ranging through brass, stainless steel, blued steel, die-cast alloy... A possibly apocryphal explanation for the odd name suggests that the designer came from the town of Shirley in the Midlands, and half-way through the project he was heard to remark that, "If we make a profit from these it will be well 'ard-earned..." The cassettes were distributed by the renowned English photographic company, K.G.Corfield Ltd.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>Those are marvelous little contraptions. Never heard of 'em before. The only way they could be better is if they were polished brass and steam operated.</p>

[James G. Dainis]

Back in 1955 five British pounds was worth 13.95 USD.

 

$13.95 in 1955 had the same buying power as $121.76 in 2014.

 

I think I would stick with reloadable cartridges with snap caps at about $1 each.

[John Seaman]

<p>That's interesting, thanks for posting Rick. I have heard of these, but never saw one or realised they were so intricate and expensive.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

I just bought a couple of these, with box and instructions, for £3 apiece (a bit of luck since on eBay they

seem to go for £20 or more). They're neat little items, and a hell of a big improvement over the plastic felt-trap reloadables I've been using up 'til now. The hard bit is finding cameras into which they'll fit.

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>Seems to me th hard bit is opening and closing the light trap. They may also be fussy with the bulk loader. While not every 35mm I have has the the liftable rewind know, most do. I'm still a bit vague how you open and close the trap once you get it fitted to the camera. </p>

 

[JDMvW]

<p>Thanks muchly.<br>

Never heard of 'em before, but now I want one.....<br>

Even though it's not all that shiny. :)</p>

[tony_lockerbie]

<p>What a fabulous piece of kit, and I must admit that I thought that Shirley was going to be a famous photographer, turned out she was just a cassette, although a nice one!<br>

Thanks for showing this interesting piece of kit.</p>

[jean_yves_mead]

<blockquote>I'm still a bit vague how you open and close the trap once you get it fitted to the camera.</blockquote>

<p>

To open - press down on the rewind knob and turn it anticlockwise (looking down on it) as far as possible.

<br/>

To close - same as above, except turning clockwise (the same direction as you turn to rewind the film).

<br>

 

(Adjust direction for cameras that load backwards)

</p>

[marcantel]

<p>I think they're neat and and adds to a nice collection.Good picking.</p>

[User_4136860]

<p>The name was Shirley - Wellard Instrument Company who was a engineering company at 20, Park Street Croydon Surrey U.K who ceased trading decades ago ,I still have about six of these from way back in the fifties that I still use sometimes.</p>