Can Opener or Can't Opener?

[Roger Hicks]

What you need is one of these. Click on it and you'll see it's a souvenir of Jerusalem, complete with crucifix. You can open the film canister and bless the film simultaneously. I've never tried making up the developer with holy water.

Even non-Christians may feel slightly uneasy about this one.

Cheers,

R.

 

[JoeV]

Roger: I might need that, to help my photography!

I've opted to purchase the purpose-built opener from B & H, I'll update this thread as to how I get along with it.

~Joe

 

[sebastel]

Trust me 😀

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AP-METAL...=item2c96b98000:g:9mUAAOSwxH1UEtiE&rmvSB=true

confirm. that one works.

 

[bmattock]

I've opened many dozens of canisters by simply using fingernails to enlarge the slot for the film, and then peeling them apart with thumb and fingers. The canister body will peel away from the ends quite easily, all you have to do is then gently pull the ends away from the body to slip the film out spool and all. Mind the edges of the body, as the metal is thin, so cuts are possible. But this is normally for rolls I have developed for other people. As has been mentioned, I generally leave the leader out when I rewind my own films, which is the best solution of all because you eliminate the issue altogether.
Cheers
Brett

This is what I do. Since the canisters are not of any particular use afterwards, I just rip them open by the film slot. If you rip far enough, the spool comes out; the film is not damaged in any way.

Doesn't require any particular amount of strength, it's just a tearing motion.

 

[MrFujicaman]

JoeV-

Walmart still sells the kind of opener you want in housewares. I saw them just the other day.

 

[B.J.Scharp]

I always use the bottle-opener on my Swiss Army Knife...

 

[Dogman]

Just buy one of the Swiss Army knives with a bottle opener. Pick the model that has other tools you will find useful.

Or buy a small Leatherman multi-tool with a bottle opener.

Either one of these little pocket tool kits will become your favorite and most trusted companion for years to come...as long as you don't carry it in your pocket or pack it in your carry-on luggage when going through the TSA check prior to flights. It will then become the property of the State.

(You can also just put the rim of the cassette on the edge of a table or cabinet and pop it off that way. Works with some brands better than others.)

 

[gbealnz]

Years ago, we were able to get these from most grocery stores, not so now.

On my last forage through the Freestyle website I found one. I've only used it the once so far, but gosh it's great to have one again.

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/226060-Film-Cartridge-Opener-Church-Key-Style

Gary

 

[Roger Hicks]

Just buy one of the Swiss Army knives with a bottle opener. Pick the model that has other tools you will find useful.

Or buy a small Leatherman multi-tool with a bottle opener.

Either one of these little pocket tool kits will become your favorite and most trusted companion for years to come...as long as you don't carry it in your pocket or pack it in your carry-on luggage when going through the TSA check prior to flights. It will then become the property of the State.

(You can also just put the rim of the cassette on the edge of a table or cabinet and pop it off that way. Works with some brands better than others.)

My Leatherman is technically illegal in the freedom-loving UK (though not anywhere else in the wicked fascist law-riddled EU) because it has a locking blade. See http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/analysi...s-in-need-of-re-examination/49253.fullarticle

Cheers,

R.

 

[Bill Clark]

I use a pliers.

It's only used for the very few rolls of film I bought already in the canister.

For my bulk film the canisters are reusable and no church key or plier needed!

 

[ForestCap]

I use the bottle cap opener on my Swiss tool knife if I have to open the can. Clumsy prying job.

I usually listen to and wait for the "pop" sound near the end of rewinding so I can leave the film leader out. I like my Canon rangefinder for the film transport indicator.

 

[Steve M.]

I often prefer to pull some of the film out of the cartridge, get it started into the reel, roll up that slack, then pull some more film out of the canister and roll up onto the reel, etc until I have it all rolled up. Then snip it at the end w/ some scissors. Seems just as easy to do it this way as popping the film out of the cartridge. You just have to remember to leave the leader out when you rewind the film in the camera, or fish it out w/ a little tool that's made for that.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I often prefer to pull some of the film out of the cartridge, get it started into the reel, roll up that slack, then pull some more film out of the canister and roll up onto the reel, etc until I have it all rolled up. Then snip it at the end w/ some scissors. Seems just as easy to do it this way as popping the film out of the cartridge. You just have to remember to leave the leader out when you rewind the film in the camera, or fish it out w/ a little tool that's made for that.

Dear Steve,

The drawback to this approach is that you run it through the velvet light trap for a third time (use-rewind-pull out again) thereby increasing the risk of scratching by 50% or probably rather worse ('cos it's had more time to pick up grit).

Cheers,

R.

 

[DNG]

The easiest way for me to get a roll on a reel is by not winding the roll completely. Some fancy, auto rewinding cameras have an option to leave the leader out. Or I use the film puller. Never use a bottle opener anymore.

Yes...Easy, and assures the film is placed correctly in the reels guides

... As has been mentioned, I generally leave the leader out when I rewind my own films, which is the best solution of all because you eliminate the issue altogether.
Cheers
Brett

How I do it, I stop as soon as I feel the leader break away from the winding spool

I often prefer to pull some of the film out of the cartridge, get it started into the reel, roll up that slack, then pull some more film out of the canister and roll up onto the reel, etc until I have it all rolled up. Then snip it at the end w/ some scissors. Seems just as easy to do it this way as popping the film out of the cartridge. You just have to remember to leave the leader out when you rewind the film in the camera, or fish it out w/ a little tool that's made for that.

Works great too......

Dear Steve,

The drawback to this approach is that you run it through the velvet light trap for a third time (use-rewind-pull out again) thereby increasing the risk of scratching by 50% or probably rather worse ('cos it's had more time to pick up grit).

Cheers,

R.

NEVER had an issue with scratches... this must be a hypothetical theory from a science guy who developes film.

I know Roger is an accomplished photographer...... but, I have never had an issue with this. Maybe I am lucky 🙂

 

[Bob Michaels]

..............NEVER had an issue with scratches... this must be a hypothetical theory from a science guy who developes film............🙂

In the past I worked with the lab I used to determine why 35mm E-6 they processed for me had scratches but I never did with b&w at home. Nor did I have scratches on 120 E-6 they processed. We concluded that it was them pulling it back out through the light trap being scratched by grit on the felt light trap from my simply shoving the rewound roll in my pocket. That never happened with b&w I processed since I always use a church key to pry open film canister. They suggested that I always place the rewound spool back in the plastic can to keep the felt light trap clean. Viola! I never had a scratched slide after that.

So I believe you can pull it out through the felt light trap but ONLY if you keep your used film canisters spotlessly clean.

 

[DNG]

I don't use a church key, my hand coordination in a change in bag is poor. When I was younger under 20, I tried that method with the church key and it would take over 30 minutes for me to load the film.
So my solution was too not to rewind the leader back into the canister. I would then take the leader and trim it with rounded edges and in daylight start the film around the developing reel.

Then I would load everything up in the changing bag and finish loading the developing reel and just tear the film off the spool. I still use that method to the day.
IE: pulling the film backwards through the light trap as I load the film on the reel in a changing bag.

I believe what you're witnessing in the lab that you worked in was dirt on the rollers and that was causing the scratches. I have had color film processed locally with these one our lab developers.
And when I scanned the negatives there were hairline scratches. They were not visible to the naked eye, they were visible when I scanned them.
This is one of the largest errors that these labs make when processing film in these 1 hour developing machines. They do not take the rollers out and clean them often enough,
and a buildup of dirt and just becomes problematic when processing films.

Although Bob, I do put my exposed film back in the canister after I rewind it, with the leader out.

Send from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk

 

[sevo]

This is an exact copy of the original Kodak opener. I have opened thousands of rolls with this simple device.

http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/ap-film-cassette-opener-bench-mounted/p858

These are supposed to be screwed to the darkroom table - if you want to use them in a dark bag, you'd have to add a handle.

 

[Steve M.]

Roger, I understand that remote possibility, but it's not as if I have the film canister sitting around in the sand. It's as clean as when it came out of the camera, and I have never scratched any roll of film using this approach in over 20 years, so if it ain't broke don't fix it. However, I HAVE scratched film when taking it out of a film canister, either on a teeny tiny sharp edge of the canister after popping off the top, by rubbing it accidentally against the bottle opener, or by having the film hit against the sharp edge of the top in a change bag when getting the film into the reel. My approach is a good one....straight out of the can and right onto the reel. It may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

The less you handle the film, the less likely you are to scratch it, that's my motto.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Be a man. Use your teeth.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I don't use a church key, my hand coordination in a change in bag is poor. ..............

You young guys grew up with twist off bottle caps and pop tops for cans. Some of us had much early in life practice with a church key levering off caps of beer bottles or punching triangular holes in the top of beer cans with the other end. But it seems we are a dying breed.