How to open that can?

[shadowfox]

Ok, with two 120 rolls under my belt, I was feeling pretty good about this whole DIY B&W development thingy...

Then I shot two HP5 rolls last week and ready to develop my first rolls of 35mm. Why two? because I have only one tank, the size is for 120, or two 35mm rolls.

Piece o'cake, yes?

No, I gathered all my bottle/can/jar opening aparatus that I can find around the house on the dinner table and about half-an-hour later, I managed to open a sacrifical roll... badly mangled and with "creative" wordings just circles my mind ready to be spewed forth.

So my question to you all is, just how the heck do you guys open that #$!@ film canister? without mauling the film, the canister, or my fingers.

:bang::bang::bang:

 

[feenej]

Old church-key for opening the old-time steel beer cans (the triangular sharp side) and bottles (the square curved side). Either side works like a charm. Bonus, after you exit the darkroom, you can use the church-key in your hand to open a bottle of beer.

 

[MartinP]

I use a similar implement to Feenej, except in my case it is a swiss-army knife bottle-opener. I suggest doing it in four or five actions, spread around the periphery of the 'flat' end of the cassette. Trying to get it open in one movement is a bit optimistic I think - it needs a bit of coaxing.

The refillable cassettes are, of course, much easier as they are designed to be opened.

 

[Ducky]

I use a chrch key as well, usually making two 'lifts' to get them open.
Can we assume you are opening the correct end?

 

[bmattock]

Good lord. You wimps. I just grab it in both hands, put the tips of a couple fingers under the fuzzy edge where the film comes out, and peel it like an orange. Takes like one second. You can peel it a little, then reach inside with two fingers and rotate the spindle until the bitter end of the film comes around again, or you can peel it nearly all the way around, when both end caps usually fall off and the film just falls into your hand.

I prefer the second method - it does not subject the film to passing over the felt (which could scratch it) a third time (it has already been through the felt twice - out of the cannister for exposure and back in again during rewind), or jagged metal edges when the thin tin of the cannister tears like paper, which sometimes happens.

Just grab and peel. Exactly like an orange. No harder, either.

 

[grainy_shadows]

i open it similar to bmattock

when i am using bulk-load film, i use empty canisters from photo labs
to open it, just put fingers between the felt on the canister and rip it apart =)

 

[pesphoto]

When I forget to bring my bottle opener in the darkroom with me I do the grab and peel method too, very easy. But I have an old bottle opener Ive had since I was 13 that works like a charm. Pops the end right off.

 

[nikon_sam]

I use a bottle opener (plastic with metal tab in it) that was a local radio station give-away meant to be placed on your keychain...I have it attached to the scissors I use to cut the film leader...
Normally I have to take two stabs at getting it open...
Now here's the real question...do you place the pieces in the recycle bin or just throw them away..I recycle them...

 

[zgauthier]

My method is a bit different. I firmly grasp the cartridge in my right hand, with the spool pointing downwards, clearing my hand. Then I squeeze and punch the ground so the protruding part of the spool hits the floor. One or two hits always does it, and nothing is damaged in the process. The opposite end just pops right off. I can even reuse the cartridge for bulk film. This did take time(and bruises) to master, but it works every time now.

 

[amateriat]

Two Pics = 2k Words?

Two Pics = 2k Words?

How old is this bottle opener, you might ask...?

- Barrett

 

[sebastel]

barrett,

since the writing on it says "Rheingold", you obviously stole it from the Nibelungen's treasure?

uh oh ...

;-)
sebastian

 

[amateriat]

barrett,

since the writing on it says "Rheingold", you obviously stole it from the Nibelungen's treasure?

uh oh ...

Ssshhhhh...I'm in trouble enough with a certain horned gal over there. (Note to mods: I said "horned", not...eh, never mind...) 😉


- Barrett

 

[sebastel]

:-D

i don't mind either ... but i'm no mod, too.

 

[Blake Werts]

I actually do this quite a bit differently.

When I'm rewinding the film back into the spool I listen for the little "click, click" that happens when the film pulls itself off the takeup spool. At this point I just open up the camera, take out the film, and tape the exposed "leader" around the film can so that I know that this roll has already been exposed...

When I'm ready to spool for development, I pull the film out of the can as I'm spooling onto the reel.

This has worked very well for me.

 

[briandaly]

You could also use a plastic film puller. It retrieves the film header from the canister allowing you to pull the entire film out. Handy if you don't want to destroy the canister.

 

[bmattock]

You could also use a plastic film puller. It retrieves the film header from the canister allowing you to pull the entire film out. Handy if you don't want to destroy the canister.

Not sure why you'd not want to destroy the canister - it's of no use unless designed as a reusable one, and in those cases, you just pop off the end caps.

I suppose you could reuse a commercial can, but I'm not sure why - it would be mislabeled and perhaps even the wrong speed, unless you had a nice bulk roll of the same thing hanging around. In addition, now your film has made three trips through the felt instead of two, increasing the chances of scratches.

Your choice of course, but I destroy my canisters by opening them, and then I throw them away. Er, I mean I recycle them properly. Right.

 

[sweathog]

I have two methods. Either I use a bog standard bottle opener, or I actually take the film leader out using a film lead retriever (like this one http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1461) and then pull the whole film out. Of course if there's even the tiniest scrap of dirt on the light trap on the cansiter the whole film gets scratched...

 

[shimo-kitasnap]

Once you mastered DIY developing you might find it fun to try buying bulk film (100ft roll) and a bulk loader to load your own cassettes. I like the Kalt reusable cassettes which you just twist to open, very easy.

 

[Vics]

Wow! I have a tool made for the purpose. I have no idea where I got it, but here's one. http://www.adorama.com/KRCO.html It works great and what with the price of darkroom gear, i figure...
VS

 

[bmattock]

Wow! I have a tool made for the purpose. I have no idea where I got it, but here's one. http://www.adorama.com/KRCO.html It works great and what with the price of darkroom gear, i figure...
VS

$16.50 versus $0.00 for just ripping the thing open?

No-brainer for me. But hey, that's me. :angel: