Trying to identify source of marks on images

[Captain Kidd]

Hi,

Im hoping someone can help me identify the source of marks appearing on my negatives. Im using a Leica M6. This has affected the last 3 rolls. The first roll once or twice, more so on the second roll and almost every image on the 3rd roll. Though it does completely disappear occasionally (though this could be due to shutter speed)

Its definitely on the negative and not a scanner issue.

It looks to me like a frayed thread, has anyone experience with this? or is this quite common?

Any help would be hugely appreciated, some examples are attached,

Thanks

 

[Captain Kidd]

another example.

Any reason why it only appeared once on the first roll and almost 20 times on the third roll, it worries me that that means its getting worse if it is a case of something fraying.

 

[Captain Kidd]

Sorry, those images seem to have been resized, ive attached a close up here.

 

[benmacphoto]

Looks like something in the shutter.
Put the camera on bulb and open the back and take the lens off and fire the shutter to see if something is stuck inside.

 

[PaulCooper]

As it is well out of focus I suspect there's some hair, or thread hanging in the light path inside your M6. I suggest try to set the shutter speed to B, and without the film, open the back, press the shutter and look inside against the strong light. You should be able to see it. Good luck.

 

[brbo]

That's the hair that lived in my Xpan for the past two years. Glad to see it decided to move on...

 

[Captain Kidd]

Thanks everyone, ive opened it up and inspected, unfortunately its not a hair but some bristles that are reaching up from the top of the viewfinder, its very difficult to see them but with the lens removed and the shutter set to B they become quite clear, ive tried puching them down gently using a card, but winding on a few times and they seem to reappear.

 

[JoeV]

Since the artifact is at the top of the image, and the lens image is projected upside down at the film plane, the problem should be somewhere near the bottom of the shutter curtains or film gate.

~Joe