advance lever acting up?

[khaki123]

Hello! I was shooting with my Pentax k-1000 yesterday and when I want to advance the film (I was about 7 shots in) I found that the lever wasn't moving smoothly. (This is like my 3rd roll with the camera.) It is kind of "bumpy"— not a constant, gliding transition but moving in increments. It takes more force to advance, too. I don't know if it's because I loaded the film wrong maybe? Usually when I load it I advance it a couple times before closing the door, but for some reason I feel like I may have skipped that step and just shut the door. Could the film being a bit slack cause this? The film is still advancing... I think. At least I can see my shot count number increasing. Has this happened to anyone? Will my shots still turn out if I finish the roll? What do you guys think the cause is?

 

[timor]

Hi. Maybe film is stuck in the cassette. Go to the darkroom, open the camera back and check if you can pull the film easily from the cassette. If ir is stuck eventually you will rip the perforation.

 

[jcdeboever]

You can also check the film advance by observing to rewind knob, if it ain't moving while advancing, you have loaded it wrong. It happens.

 

[compur]

The frame counter on the K1000 (and many other cameras) will advance whether the film is actually advancing or not.

As jcdeboever said, the rewind knob tells the tale.

 

[orf]

It sounds like incorrect loading.

 

[earthmanbuck]

Yep, I think you loaded it incorrectly—I've done the same thing many times. I love the K1000, but the spool is a piece of trash. Make sure the film is taut and lined up with the little catches before you close the door—and don't drop the camera, because I think sometimes that will knock the film loose.

 

[khaki123]

You can also check the film advance by observing to rewind knob, if it ain't moving while advancing, you have loaded it wrong. It happens.

It ain't moving, darn! Thanks for the insight. How can I remove this half-used roll of film? Can I just manually rewind it like I usually do with finished rolls? Or will I have to remove wrestle with it in the darkroom?

 

[orf]

How far into the roll are you? If the lever on top isn't rotating, you're probably still near the start. I'd open it up, junk the wastage and cut a fresh leader.

 

[jcdeboever]

You can also check the film advance by observing to rewind knob, if it ain't moving while advancing, you have loaded it wrong. It happens.

It ain't moving, darn! Thanks for the insight. How can I remove this half-used roll of film? Can I just manually rewind it like I usually do with finished rolls? Or will I have to remove wrestle with it in the darkroom?

That's your call. Probably just do what orf said.