Leica LTM Getting rewound film out of a Barnack...

[david werbeloff]

Hi All: I find that as the years have gone by, my fingers have become too thick to grab onto the end of the plastic spool of the film cassettes to extract them from the bottoms of my Barnacks. The film is rewound, the leader has come off the take-up spool, and if it weren't for the friction of the leader, the cassette should just drop out, but it doesn't.
I don't want to shake the camera for fear of upsetting the rangefinder adjustment, so I've resorted to grabbing the cassette spool with a pair of tweezers. Anyone encountered this problem/ use this method? I wonder if this is something to do with Fuji cassettes having a slightly shorter spool... I never use Kodak. Surely they're a standard length...

I've been following the lengthy thread about LOADING film into a Barnack.
I sometimes trim the leader, and sometimes use T to seat the film by reaching through the film mask. No problems there.

David

 

[richard_l]

I always carry a small multitool on my keyring - the Leatherman P4. Its main tool is a tiny pair of pliers which are perfect for pulling out reluctant cassettes or spools.

Richard

 

[erikhaugsby]

Have you tried to rotate the film rewind knob to loosen the film tension inside of the cassette? I often have problems with my M2 not wanting to give me my film, and a simple twist of jiggle of the rewind knob frees the cassette up nicely.

 

[john neal]

I guess it depends on whether you rewind the film completely, or leave the leader sticking out. If the leader is between the prssure plate and the guide rails, the cassette is unlikely to drop out. However, if you rewind all the way, gravity should be your friend

 

[payasam]

As John says, if some of the leader is still out of the cassette, it will prevent the cassette from dropping out. It's generally wise to leave the leader out so you can cut it short, because long leaders can throw processing labs into a spin.

 

[laptoprob]

Sometimes it is hard indeed to get a cassette out. Pliers help.

 

[richard_l]

...I've been following the lengthy thread about LOADING film into a Barnack.
I sometimes trim the leader, and sometimes use T to seat the film by reaching through the film mask. No problems there.

David

I don't like to trim the leader, so I just insert a thin playing card between the film gate and the pressure plate before loading the film. I know this is a no-no, but I think it is okay if one is careful. The way I do it, it certainly works.

Richard

 

[Xmas]

Remember to pack the pliers (or swiss army knife) in hold luggage.

Noel

 

[payasam]

Come to think of it, while pulling out a cassette has only sometimes been a bit of a bother, getting the take-up spool out has several times been a terrific headache when pliers have not been to hand.

 

[david werbeloff]

Extracting cassettes and take-up spools

Extracting cassettes and take-up spools

Hi All: Thanks for your responses. I see I'm not alone here! I also see a Leatherman P4 in my travel kit in the future, remembering as Noel says, to put it in checked luggage. Mukul, does your take-up spool not have a spring loaded and knurled stem onto which one can grab?

David

 

[ZorkiKat]

An elderly German lady photographer once showed me how they extracted cassettes from the Leica: grabbing it with the thumb and pinky fingers.

You can also use the baseplate's protruding tab to 'hook' the cassette out. This can also be used to latch out the take-up spool.

Jay

 

[payasam]

David, the take-up spool of my M3 had a spring-loaded, knurled cap of the kind you describe: but those of the IIIc I had until recently and my present Zorki are plain.