film negative mouth kazoo?

Subject: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: GUEST,macjoven
Date: 07 Jan 09 - 07:09 PM

This is strange and I haven't been able to find any information on it. I was in Seoul about a year ago and wandered into a music instrument shop where a gentleman was playing ukulele and humming on what sounded like a very loud kazoo. When he stopped he showed me that it was a piece of photo film negative that he cleaned up cut into the shape I think of a guitar pick, and then put in his mouth somehow and hummed on. I thought it was pretty nifty but I didn't get a hold of any negative film till I came back to the states. Now I am not sure how it works.

Have anyone here done this or seen it done and have any tips on how to make it work?

Any help would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: Melissa
Date: 07 Jan 09 - 07:19 PM

maybe you can nudge your memory by looking at the 'calls' in a hunting store? Some of those are sort of triangular and you put them in your mouth..

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: GUEST,Mr Health'nSafety
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 12:09 PM

Toxic chemicals in film neg !!???

which'd be safest, color or B & W, undeveloped, or developed !!!???

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: open mike
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 12:40 PM

ditto on the chemical dangers...find some other piece of plastic.

how about a comb and tissue paper?

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 01:37 PM

There isn't much that's toxic in film, developed or not.

But the emulsion will go gooey in your mouth and will stop anything buzzing. It's easy to strip it off - soak the film in warm sodium bicarbonate solution and then drop it in vinegar. The result will be a clear strip of film base.

Polyester-based films, like Kodak Tech Pan, might buzz better since the base is harder and tougher. But they've never been much used except by professionals.

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: Skivee
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 03:08 PM

I'm seconding Guest Jack Campin's non-toxic film note.
There's nothing in undeveloped film that is toxic. Completely processed B&W has nothing of note in it besides the plastic film base, gelitan, and silver.
Processed color film has a slight bit of formadihyde, no silver, color dyes, gelitan and film base.
Best stock up if you want to go this way, as your supply of kazoo diaphrams is dwindling with the switch to digital imaging.

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: Pauline L
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 09:27 AM

I thought that undeveloped and developed black and white film contain silver in the form of silver nitrate, which is toxic. However, I have not seen any studies on the extraction of silver nitrate from film by saliva. ;-)

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 09:35 AM

The silver in film is bromide and iodide. There isn't very much of it and it isn't very toxic.

Subject: RE: film negative mouth kazoo?
From: GUEST,macjoven
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 08:15 PM

Thanks. I have actually did clean all the chemicals off before I tried it. It just took a bit of soaking in a cleaner, and it all came off quite easily so all that was there was the clear plastic film. Then I rinsed it in water and dried it. No problems.

I did check bird calling sites but I don't think it was it. Ah well. I will just have to figure it out the old fashion way...