Lightproofing
If you want your pictures to be free from lightleaks, it's very important that no light at all can get into the camera other than through the pinhole! Black electrical PVC tape is very effective at keeping out light.
The most important places to seal are between the film canisters and the matchbox. Place strips of tape down the front on both sides. Use two layers and make sure it is stuck down firmly all around



Pay attention to the ends of each reel. Add more tape here, trim around the spindles so that the tape adhesive doesnt stick and prevent the film being wound on. Again, use a couple of layers and check all around both joints to make sure they are totally sealed.



The cardboard of the matchbox will also leak a small amount of light, especially in bright conditions. This will give your photos a mottled red effect. If you don't want this, tape all over the back and sides of the box so that no cardboard is showing



Winder
To make it easier to wind the film on, stick something into the top of the empty spool. Here I used the ring pull from the can,



As you wind the film on, the film in the take up spool will tend to keep springing back. To keep some tension on the take up spool, place a little tissue paper on the base of the take up spool and tape over it. Don't make this too tight or it will be difficult to wind the film on.





That's it! The completed camera is now ready to used. Make sure the shutter is closed. To wind the film on, turn the winder on the empty take up spool anticlockwise. Listen for the clicks. Count 6 clicks for each photo if using a 24mm square frame, 8 clicks if using a 36 x 24mm frame. DO NOT try to wind the film back into the other canister with the clciker in place - the clciker will probably tear the film.

Using the camera
The Matchbox Pinhole camera has an f number of about f90. There's no need to be very accurate about exposure times when using colour print film, use the following as a rough guide when using ISO100 or 200 film.

-Outside, sunshine: 1 or 2 seconds

-Outside, cloudy conditions: 5 seconds

-Indoors, normal room lighting: 5 - 10 minutes

When the film can't be wound on any more it's time to unload the film. You can just cut the box open, but if you are careful you can reuse the camera many times. If you are reusing the camera, carefully push back the tape to find the end of the clicker plastic. and remove it. Seal the tape back down again, and wind the film back into the oringinal canister. Remove the tape carefully from around this and cut off the film, leaving enough sticking out of the camera to splice your next roll.

The film can be developed by any normal photo lab. It might be a good idea to tell them that the frame spacings might be a bit irregular when you drop the film off - if the staff are helpful they might take a little more care when printing.

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