Disaster? -NO

squishy

squishy

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Adam
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(Bare with me being inexperienced here)

I've just finished my first roll of film through a pentax MX (thoroughly enjoyed using it), so after taking the 36th exposure, I depress the film rewind button underneath and start turning the crank in the direction indicated. For a couple of seconds it seems to be winding fine, I can hear the film passing through fine, then it starts to get harder to turn and before I realise something is wrong, I hear a snapping noise and the crank goes loose. So I'm certain I must have snapped the film inside, I wasn't winding anywhere near long enough for the film to have come off the spool and properly into it's canister, and it was definitely correctly loaded (the crank spun every time I wound the film on).

Can this be in any way recoverable? Or have I just lost the film completely? :(
I'm not sure what went wrong, the mechanism seems to have been working fine when I'm been shooting with it, but I can't see that I've done anything wrong, the spool must have just jammed and stopped turning so the film went taught?

I suppose I'll at least have learned a valuable lesson: stop winding if you feel the crank get stiffer at all :(
 
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Yes it can be salvaged, you can take the film out in a darkbag if you have one and push it into the canister carefully, or take it to the processing lab and they should be equipped to sort it out for you :)
 
Thanks for the reply (given me hope :)). My dad still has various bits of his equipment for developing and loading film into canisters, so there's a fair possibility we've still got a dark bag somewhere.

Once I've got the back open I'll have a good look at the spool, see if it has jammed or what might of caused it. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it's developed some sort of fault given it's age (albeit gone unused for a lot of that time).
 
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what film is it (B&W or C41)? If you deving it yourself I would get the camera into the changin bag or whatever dark area you are loading your spirals in and try and get it out of the camera and onto the spirals in bits if necessary.

Anyone on here local to you who could lend a hand maybe.
 
If your dad has any reloadable cassettes, try taping the free end of the torn film on to the spool of one, putting into the cassette body and winding it back in. That will be a lot easier than trying to push 30+ frames back into the original cassette. Also when the camera's in the bag with the back open, be extra careful to avoid poking a finger near the shutter curtains.
 
Fuji superia 200, C41. I was going to send it off to get developed, I'm not equipped with the knowledge or kit to do it myself [yet].
 
Adam hi, I'm in Hertfordshire if that's any help, darkbag and spirals ready :)
I've a couple of loadable spools you can borrow/have.
Matt
 
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squishy said:
Fuji superia 200, C41. I was going to send it off to get developed, I'm not equipped with the knowledge or kit to do it myself [yet].
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If you don't have access to a darkroom or changing bag then leave the camera closed and take to a lab who will open it and sort the jam in a suitable light tight environment.
 
MatBin said:
Adam hi, I'm in Hertfordshire if that's any help, darkbag and spirals ready :)
I've a couple of loadable spools you can borrow/have.
Matt
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Ah looks like you may have help at hand!
 
Sounds like you've got a solution.

On some cameras the 'rewind button' needs depressing once (and it locks until the back is opened), on others you need to keep it depressed all the time you are rewinding - don't know which the MX is.
 
MatBin said:
Adam hi, I'm in Hertfordshire if that's any help, darkbag and spirals ready :)
I've a couple of loadable spools you can borrow/have.
Matt
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Many thanks for the kind offer but Hertfordshire is going to be too far away, I'm in the Birmingham area. I'll check with my dad ASAP about a changing bag and if we don't have one I'll find the closest lab I can get it to.


john-oh said:
Sounds like you've got a solution.

On some cameras the 'rewind button' needs depressing once (and it locks until the back is opened), on others you need to keep it depressed all the time you are rewinding - don't know which the MX is.
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I had wondered about that, but the button does click in a stay in on this model. Perhaps the catch that keeps the button in/keeps the spool loose failed.
 
**I'll check with my dad ASAP about a changing bag and if we don't have one I'll find the closest lab I can get it to.**

Once upon a time I used to get under the bed sheet/blankets.......true
 
excalibur2 said:
Once upon a time I used to get under the bed sheet/blankets.......true
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Interesting thought. Could I perhaps leave it till it's dark, then do it in the darkest room of the house with the lights off in a bin bag (or two)? Or would there most likely still be enough potential light leaking in to ruin it?
 
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it only takes the tiniest amount of light to fog a film, that isn't to say that under bed clothes in dark room with bags etc won't work...I've simply never tried it!

If you do try it and find the canister broken and unable to wind the film into it, then what will you do with all the exposed film to keep it away from light whilst getting it to the lab for developing??
 
squishy said:
Interesting thought. Could I perhaps leave it till it's dark, then do it in the darkest room of the house with the lights off in a bin bag (or two)? Or would there most likely still be enough potential light leaking in to ruin it?
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Erm well watch out for static electricity with plastic.
 
I'll cross that idea off the list then, wasn't really expecting it would work. Maybe as a last resort if I can't find a lab close by, I'll try it with a non-plastic bag.

Many thanks for all the helpful advice, I'll be very relieved if I can recover this roll.
 
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If theres the best part of a film then you'll never push it back into a casette, either beg steal or borrow a reloadable casette or load it into a developing tank (in total darkness/changing bag) or take it to a decent lab for them to sort out.
 
Its likely whats happened is that the button has popped out again whilst you were rewinding or it didn't pop in properly in the first place. My Pentax Spotmatic F sometimes does that when I rewind it, just after starting the button pops out again. Next time keep an eye on it and make sure it stays in.
 
s162216 said:
Its likely whats happened is that the button has popped out again whilst you were rewinding or it didn't pop in properly in the first place. My Pentax Spotmatic F sometimes does that when I rewind it, just after starting the button pops out again. Next time keep an eye on it and make sure it stays in.
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That does sound likely. I'm surprised whatever has broken didn't put up more resistance though, it wasn't like I was forcing anything to what felt like braking point.
 
Okay, prepare to laugh. I'm glad I added the inexperience clause at the very start of the thread now.

Turns out the film had just returned to it's cassette completely and properly, it just took a lot less winding than I was expecting (I did say my first roll). That's what I get for being a pessimist.

I'd feel like an utter moron if I wasn't so relieved :D :D :bonk: :bonk:
 
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squishy said:
Okay, prepare to laugh. I'm glad I added the inexperience clause at the very start of the thread now.

Turns out the film had just returned to it's cassette completely and properly, it just took a lot less winding than I was expecting (I did say my first roll). That's what I get for being a pessimist.

I'd feel like an utter moron if I wasn't so relieved :D :D :bonk: :bonk:
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You spanner (y) the bit of resistance you felt will have been the friction of the bent film leader in the felt :p
 
And I feel like an utter moron following this thread !! LOL

Glad all has worked out well after all that.....and of course that the camera works fine, ready for it's next roll!

Hope you enjoy the results when developed!
 
Ah But you now know what to do if your film ever jams in the future :) A birthday or Xmas present would be a changing bag.
 
excalibur2 said:
Ah But you now know what to do if your film ever jams in the future :) A birthday or Xmas present would be a changing bag.
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Every cloud eh? :D

At least out of all the cock ups I could have made, thinking I'd ruined it when I hadn't is pretty much the least damaging (except to my ego and reputation on here of course :LOL: :bonk:).
 
Well you're not the first one to feel like a spanner. I wound a film the wrong way in my F3 last month and thought it was knackered but when I took it to the developers and he opened it up in a bag the film was rewound ok...plank

Andy
 
Andysnap said:
Well you're not the first one to feel like a spanner. I wound a film the wrong way in my F3 last month and thought it was knackered but when I took it to the developers and he opened it up in a bag the film was rewound ok...plank

Andy
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You hadn't told us that Andy! I would love to have seen the look on your face. You were bricking it at the time it happened! ;)

Most important thing I guess is that the film and camera survive what we do to them.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andysnap
Well you're not the first one to feel like a spanner. I wound a film the wrong way in my F3 last month and thought it was knackered but when I took it to the developers and he opened it up in a bag the film was rewound ok...plank

Andy

You hadn't told us that Andy! I would love to have seen the look on your face. You were bricking it at the time it happened!

Most important thing I guess is that the film and camera survive what we do to them.
__________________
bet you thought you'd got past us with that one Andy :D

at least all is well and we can see the pics soon (y)
 
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