Film not winding properly

[earthmanbuck]

Hi folks, long time no see! Hope everyone is well.

I've been having a weird problem for a while now, and I wanted to run my self-fix idea past you folks before actually doing it.

About a year ago I bought a bunch of expired Kodak Elite Chrome 100 slide film off eBay—about 12 rolls, if I recall. I'm down to about six now, but at least four of the rolls I've used have come off the tracks after about five shots. I've been able to save a couple of these by heading into a dark bathroom and realigning everything by feel, but with others I've been out camping or something with no way to fix it without losing those shots.

I think I've only ever used these rolls in one of my cameras (a Pentax K1000), and that camera has never had this problem with other films, as far as I can remember. I'm not sure if it's the camera, the film, or the combination, but the moral of the story is that it happens.

SO, to hopefully prevent this from happening when I shoot the remaining rolls, I was wondering if it would work to tape the film leader to the uptake spool to stop it from slipping out. When I rewound the roll, I'd then just have to open it up once it stopped winding, take off the tape, and shove the rest of the film in the canister. It's not like I'd be losing any pictures, since everything exposed when I open the back up would already have been exposed when I loaded it, right?

Would this work, or is there a reason not to do it this way? If not, do you have any suggestions?

 

[Designer]

Remember; you'll have to open the back again to release the tape when winding it back into the canister.

You could also try crimping a fold into the leader when inserting it into the takeup spool. Just a little bit of the end being folded sharply in the direction that it wants to go when it is being wound.

(edit) I should mention that the fold should be inserted all the way into the slot of the takeup spool so that it is on the opposite side from the input side.

Thanks, Derrel, for the clarification.

 

[Derrel]

Learn how to thread the take-up spool PROPERLY. I used to work at a camera store, and have instructed many,many people in the proper way to thread a camera.

Not sure if your K1000 has the newer multi-slotted takeup spool...the IDIOTIC, useless system Pentax invented to help people. (He laughs!) Pentax came up with this "magic" system, and it caused almost nothing but mis-loading for a substantial percentage of users...

The key is to put the film leader in thruy the spool allllllll the way through a slot in the takeup spool, and then to wrap the following film over that little "lip" or "tag" of film, and then, you're golden. Many people try not to "waste" any film, and just gingerly slip a bit of film intot he spool, and fail to make sure that the inserted bit of film leader is WRAPPED OVER with the trailing film, so that it stays in position. If you like, you can insert the film and put a little "crimp" in the inserted part. If your Pentax has that multi-slotted system, you'll want to simply practice loading the right way, in daylight, and maybe sacrificing one roll of cheap film in learning how to thread the camera properly.

 

[earthmanbuck]

Thanks, guys.

I have tried "counter-crimping" (a very proper photographic term, I'm sure :roll, where I bend the tip of the film leader the opposite way it's turning to create a sort of anchor as it spools, but that doesn't always work.

My Pentax does indeed have the multi-slot thing, but I actually had no idea the slots were all connected; I've never been able to get any film to go all the way through. It's funny that it's only with this film I have a problem. I have a roll of Fuji 200 in there right now that I just inserted the tip into (and didn't even crimp it) and it's working flawlessly.

Thanks for the help, though—I'll definitely practice once the roll in there right now is done.

 

[webestang64]

Learn how to thread the take-up spool PROPERLY. I used to work at a camera store, and have instructed many,many people in the proper way to thread a camera.

Not sure if your K1000 has the newer multi-slotted takeup spool...the IDIOTIC, useless system Pentax invented to help people. (He laughs!) Pentax came up with this "magic" system, and it caused almost nothing but mis-loading for a substantial percentage of users...

The key is to put the film leader in thruy the spool allllllll the way through a slot in the takeup spool, and then to wrap the following film over that little "lip" or "tag" of film, and then, you're golden. Many people try not to "waste" any film, and just gingerly slip a bit of film intot he spool, and fail to make sure that the inserted bit of film leader is WRAPPED OVER with the trailing film, so that it stays in position. If you like, you can insert the film and put a little "crimp" in the inserted part. If your Pentax has that multi-slotted system, you'll want to simply practice loading the right way, in daylight, and maybe sacrificing one roll of cheap film in learning how to thread the camera properly.

Good advise here....!
Also you may want to snap a few frames with the back open and make sure the film has caught the take-up spool, you might lose 1 or 2 frames but at least you would be sure it is connected.

 

[vintagesnaps]

That's what I would try, and make sure the film is anchored on the spool well.

I wonder since the film is expired if the emulsion could be starting to get somewhat dried out, just enough to slightly cause the film to curl enough to keep it from laying flat as it advances so it's not staying on the sprockets.

I don't know if a small piece of black gaffer's tape would help to hold it on the spool to prevent it slipping, but I don't know if that would throw off the framing as more and more film gets wound around the spool (not sure if the tape has enough thickness to it to make a difference). Or I might try ruby tape, that's similar to scotch tape as it's pretty thin. (Well, that's what I have around to use!)

I don't know if you're fairly new to film, if so you could look on Film Photography Project | An Internet Radio Show & On-Line Resource for Film Shooters Worldwide, they have videos on basics like how to load film etc.