FIlm Failure

[Andrew McK]

Something weird has just happened to me.
I thought the film in my Zorki was never ending and I realised it wasn't right.
SO
I opened it up in my changing bag in the dark to check and found that the film had reached the end, but instead of stopping it had snapped.
So I had all the film wound on ok on the Zorki takeup spool but none in the film cannister.
Now if this was normal B&W film I wouldn't be that bothered. I'd just wind it onto my developing reel and all would be ok.

but this is C41 film. Ilford XP2 to be exact.
I'm not sure what to do about it. I can't feed it back into the film cannister without destroying the whole film because it only goes in so far and then you have to force it, bending it in the process.

Does Anyone have an suggestions or is my film too far gone already?

Andrew.

 

[rogue_designer]

pop it all into a daylight tank and drive over to your lab?

 

[ChrisN]

Don'tpanic! If you want to save the roll, you need a cassette you can wind the film onto. If you don't have a reusable cassette (for bulk-loading) you can sacrifice a cheap roll of film. Pull all the film out of the canister and cut it off square, leaving 25mm or so outside the canister. Then, inside the changing bag, tape the end of your film to the short end of film protruding from the cassette, then rewind the film into the cassette. Good luck!

 

[Ash]

if you took the back off the camera (I'm guessing in light-tight conditions) then yea, pop the back on the camera, take the whole thing to a lab and have them take it out in their own light box and load it into their processing machine.

Otherwise, if you have a spare film, run off a roll of film, cut it off with a lip out of the canister, tape the film to the lip, and reel it back in the can á la bulk rolling.

oops, Chris got there first!

 

[Andrew McK]

thanks folks.

It worked a treat though I'm worried I destroyed the film in the process but I'll see.

Thanks for your help regardless. I'll remember that next time. That has never happened to me before.

I owe you a pint for that 🙂