The Filmsnips are a specialized tool for cutting microfilm strips to utilise single images from a strip to be adhered to Aperture Cards. The Filmsnips consist of two hinged steel blades with mounted to a scissor mechanism. The blades are spaced precisely to match the width of the microfilm strip used in Aperture Cards. A window between the blades allows the user to hold the Filmsnips up to a light source to align the desired image between the blades before cutting.
The filmsnips have an attached label reading “FILMSNIPS MANUFACTURED BY FILMSORT INC. PEARL RIVER, N.Y.”. This set of snips show extensive wear to the paintwork on the cast steel handles and blade components. The casting testure on the steel handles has also smoothed where the paint has been rubbed indicating the tool was used extensively in the past. Rust is visible on the blades and several machine screws across the tool.
The Filmsort Company manufactured Aperture Cards and equipment for creating and viewing the microfilm elements of Aperture cards. The company underwent several name changes, but acquired the name name Filmsort Company in 1957 [1]. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) acquired the Filmsort Company in 1959 but continued using the brand and trademarks for several decades for Aperture Card products.
1. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company (1966). The Hole In The Card. [online] St. Paul, Minnesota, USA: North Central Publishing Company. Available at: https://spaco.org/History/3M-Graphic-Systems-Hardware-History/TheHoleInTheCard.pdf.
