Blitzkapsel?

[ho_co]

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A couple years back, someone posted on the forum some scans of the IIIf red-dial instruction manual, one page of which is presented here.

 

The last entry on the flash compatibility chart (bottom of page 9 below) is for a "Blitzkapsel." Anyone know what that is?

 

Doesn't that translate literally as 'flash capsule'? The footnote indicates that there were three brands (Syntax, Seuthe and Kissling), each with different characteristics regarding top synch speed.

 

Thanks for any ideas.

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[lars_bergquist]

You know, I remember them! They were a little larger than a tea bag, complete with a string loop by which you suspended the thing from the ceiling lamp. It also had a fuse. It was in effect a parlour-size illumination bomb.

 

You arranged the Christmas dinner party against the far wall for shooting, set up your folding roll film camera with the shutter on T, put out the light, lighted the fuse and opened the shutter, waited ... and then BANG! A fine rain of magnesium oxide (a.k.a. talc) fell gently on the table offerings, but the horrified countenances of the guests were now documented on a piece of 6x9cm film.

 

The real fun was when the fuse went out, and you had the choice of discarding the fireworks, or try to light it again. Today, U.S. Holeinthehead Security would probably send you to Guantanamo for using one of these things.

 

The old man from the Age of Flashpowder

[giordano]

You know, I remember them! They were a little larger than a tea bag, complete with a string loop by which you suspended the thing from the ceiling lamp. It also had a fuse. It was in effect a parlour-size illumination bomb.

 

You arranged the Christmas dinner party against the far wall for shooting, set up your folding roll film camera with the shutter on T, put out the light, lighted the fuse and opened the shutter, waited ... and then BANG!

 

Pointless publishing sync settings for that device. But Vom Pulverblitz zum Elektronenblitz mentions the 1913 "Geka Blitzkapsel Elektro", a "danger-reducing capsule with compressed flash-powder, torch* bulb screw thread and low-voltage detonation" (my translation).

[lars_bergquist]

Well, they did burn long enough that I can imagine releasing the shutter when the flash started. Though I never saw anyone using that technique.

 

The old man from the Age of Flashpowder

[ho_co]

My gosh, thanks to you both!

 

I wonder if we had these things in the US, and if not, why not?

 

I knew of flash powder, bulbs and electronic flash, but I had no idea that the history was so much more complicated than that. John, thanks for the link!

 

 

BTW, I know they're not pronounced similarly, but it just occurred to me that the spelling of "Geka" is similar to that of 'gecko.' I envisage the Geka trademark as a lizard ready to light a fuse and dash to the table with a wink.

 

 

Curious, Lars: Did one buy these things singly, or in packages of 12 like flash bulbs? Doesn't sound like the kind of thing one would use a lot of. Or have a large collection of in the gadget bag!

[jaapv]

Here is one of the things, it is for sale here:

Enter-net Photographica, SEUTHELIN BLITZLICHT-BEUTEL

 

And you'll find more on this site, including a film of one of the things exploding.

 

Prof. Blumes Tipp des Monats

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[ho_co]

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Jaap--

More and more wondrous!

 

Do I read correctly, the package includes both the Blitzkapsel and a single match?

 

What an amazing world went before mine.

 

Thanks!

[lars_bergquist]

Howard, as I remember, you bought them or could at least buy them singly. They were certainly not intended for habitual flash photographers, who would invest in synched cameras and in flashbulb gear.

 

The old man from the Age of Flashpowder

[giordano]

Thanks for the links, Jaap. Fascinating to see the thing going off. It was exactly what Lars described, but the text says Blitzbeutel (flash-bag) not Blitzkapsel.

 

This made me look a bit further. It seems there were two distinct devices,

• Blitzbeutel: something like a teabag with a fuse
  
• Blitzkapsel (or Kapselblitz): compressed flashpowder in some sort of capsule with an electric detonator and (usually or always?) a screwed base like a light bulb.

Blitzlicht – Wikipedia bears this out. Apparently Blitzbeutel remained on the market until the 1960s because they were cheaper than big flashbulbs (that's easy to believe) and the Kapselblitz was patented in 1900 by one Erwin Quedenfeldt (q.v.).

 

It also illustrates a wonderful "breathlightlamp", like some sort of oriental pipe except that when you blow into it a dose of flash-powder is puffed up into a spirit flame and WOOF! Those were the days.

[lars_bergquist]

John, you may be right there. I did not even know of the separate existence of the 'Kapselblitze' though I have set off a couple of 'Blitzbeutel' in younger days. So I presumed that these were different words for the same thing.

 

But in the late 1950's I had graduated into flashbulbs. I can still recall the distinct smell of scorched cellulose laquer that emanated from them after firing.

 

The old man from the Age of Flashpowder

[giordano]

But in the late 1950's I had graduated into flashbulbs. I can still recall the distinct smell of scorched cellulose laquer that emanated from them after firing.

 

Hi Lars,

I don't remember the smell - maybe they'd switched to a plastic coating by the time I was given my first flash camera about 1962 - but I remember the bubbles in the coating of a spent bulb. One of my regrets is that I never had the chance to use big flashbulbs:(

[lars_bergquist]

One of my regrets is that I never had the chance to use big flashbulbs:(

I never really felt that way. I had my blasting and demolition urges satisfied during my stint in the Royal Swedish Air Force.

 

Early flash photography demanded quite a lot of oomph, because of slow emulsions and lenses. Jacob Riis used flashpowder for survival when he did his famous social reportages in the slums of New York c. 1900. He rushed into a thieves' den, erected his large plate camera quickly on its tripod, fired off (I am tempted to say 'detonated') a skillet full of flashpowder and was out of the place before its denizens had time to recover. Modern SWAT detachements, as you know, have adopted this tactic.

 

The old man from the Age of Singed Eyebrows

[jaapv]

From Wikipedia:

 

Erwin Quedenfeldt (* 1869 in Essen; † 1948 in Bischofswiesen) (in der Literatur auch in der Schreibweise Quedenfeld; vgl. Sachsse 2003, Heidtmann 1978, beide aau.) war promovierter deutscher Fotochemiker, Fotograf und Erfinder. 1900 entwickelte er einen Kapselblitz mit komprimiertem Blitzpulver und erhielt darauf ein Patent. Er erfand den Haushalts-Lampensockel mit Schraubgewinde, gepresstes Blitzpulver, die Schmelzsicherung und die elektrische Zündung.

 

...."in 1900 he invented a Kapselblitz with compressed flashpowder and had it patented. He invented the screw-in lightbulb, compressed flashpowder, the electrical fuse and the electrical detonator.

[ho_co]

... I don't remember the smell - maybe they'd switched to a plastic coating by the time I was given my first flash camera about 1962 - but I remember the bubbles in the coating of a spent bulb.

I remember the odor and the bubbles and the fact that the thing was HOT! My thrill was peeling the blue bubbled layer off the (daylight) bulb.

 

I should say I remember that it _had_ an odor, but I won't debate its chemical makeup.

[wstotler]

You know, I remember them! . . . lighted the fuse and opened the shutter, waited ... and then BANG! The old man from the Age of Flashpowder

 

Lars--just wanted to let you know thanks for your postings in general and here specifically--I was rolling on the floor when I read your description of this flash device! Thanks, Will.

[robert_parker]

 

And you'll find more on this site, including a film of one of the things exploding.

 

Prof. Blumes Tipp des Monats

 

Interestingly it not only gives a good strong light, but burns down to nearly nothing, which makes disposal easy

 

Interestingly the flashpowder seems to be a Magnesium / Potassium Chloride Mix, which differs from the stage flashpowder we used to make at school, which was a Potassium / Aluminium powder mix, which we triggered with a resistance wire and a match head. (Won't mention the Thermite bomb and the school gates right now )

 

I have actually had the experience of triggering the old style flashbulb, which I found in my Dad's photo kit, together with a round reflector, designed to hold the bulb and a

handle made like the body of a flashlight, which took two standard flashlight cells.

 

The bulb itself was about the size of an ordinary lightbulb and seemed to be filled with fine wire, though it may or may not have had some powder as well.

 

It detonated beautifully when the switch on the body was slid up, though infortunately I did not manahge to take a photo at the same time.

 

Later I moved on to the blue Kodak flashbulb with the two little wire terminals at the bottom and lastly to the 'flashcube' which contained four single use bulbs on a rotating base.

[lars_bergquist]

Robert, your school days seem to have been as interesting as mine. We used homebrewed nitrocellulose (gun cotton). Good clean fun. There was also that incident with the valeric acid in the ventilation system.

 

There were two types of filling in the large flashbulbs (Edison thread and bayonet). One type was wrinkled foil, the other was very fine thread, like fluffy Brillo. Definitely no powder, but there was a small initiation or priming charge which was ignited by the hot filament.

 

And yes I remember those little Kodak or Philips wire-socket all glass bulbs. They were indeed burning hot after firing, so thyere was a pin at the center rear of the reflector which popped them out so you didn't have to touch them. Fortunately homes in those days had ashtrays so disposal posed no problem. -- But reliable these glass socket bulbs were not!

 

The old man from the Age of Nitro