CRYSTAL TAPES FOR SPLICING 16 MM AND 35 MM FILM: FROM CIR TO TESA

Those of us who have spent a lifetime working with film know that splicing is both an art and a headache. For many years, my absolute standard for 16 mm and 35 mm film was the Crystal tape from CIR in Italy. Designed specifically for their superb splicers, designed by Leo Catozzo,  it was transparent, strong, and carried an adhesive that could last for decades. They were, without question, the gold standard.

But around 2014 — with the collapse of 35 mm — CIR Crystal tapes disappeared from the Spanish market. And so began the search for alternatives.

The most practical and affordable option I found was 3M’s Scotch Crystal tape from the U.S. Like CIR, it was perfectly transparent, worked well in splicers, and had one great advantage: it left no adhesive residue, even after years. But there was a clear drawback: its mechanical strength simply wasn’t the same. Compare a Scotch splice to a CIR splice under tension — a tight loop, a sudden projector start — and the Scotch would almost always show its weakness.

Tesa polyester PET tape for a CIR splicer

THE SURPRISE: TESA CRYSTAL

I recently discovered that Tesa Crystal tape is manufactured from polyester (PET),  a material far stronger and more stable than the polypropylene used in Scotch. This is the very same base once used by Fujifilm’s legendary splicing tapes for Fuji splicers in Super-8: flexible, transparent, with outstanding strength, and an adhesive that holds perfectly without bleeding, even after more than half a century. (Back in 2014, when Fujifilm discontinued it, I stocked up in Japan with enough rolls to last me the rest of this lifetime… and perhaps the next.)

With Tesa, the only question that remains is how its adhesive will perform over the very long term. But knowing Tesa’s impeccable reputation — and the fact that they maintain ties with Fujifilm — I have little doubt it will prove worthy.

An added bonus: Tesa Crystal is made from recycled polyester. Who knows — perhaps even from recycled 35 mm prints! For years, after their commercial life ended, film copies were shipped to Germany (where Tesa’s factory is located) for repurposing.

Fujifilm polyester tape for Fuji splicers

BACK TO RELIABLE SPLICES

From now on, my CIR splicers will once again deliver splices of the quality and reliability they deserve for 16 mm and 35 mm, thanks to this new Tesa Crystal tape. For Super-8, I’ll continue to rely on my beloved Fujifilm rolls.

It may seem like a small discovery, but for archivists and filmmakers alike, this new polyester Tesa tape restores confidence in something as essential as joining two fragments of film. After all, in that humble gesture of splicing lies the continuity of our cinematic passion.

3M Scotch tape (left) Vs Tesa PET tape