Curious - advance 120 roll 2 rounds

rayonline_nz · May 21, 2019

Just a thought. Can you with a 120 camera. Wind the film to the end so it's on the take up spool. Then you wind it again to the end, would you be right at the start again? Assuming the lens cap was on.

Cheers.

Jerevan · May 21, 2019

Yes, if you mean that you just rewind it from spool B where it ended up, back to spool A.

rayonline_nz · May 21, 2019

Thanks! Yep, spool A to B and back to A.

Mr Bill · May 21, 2019

In practice the 120 film is only taped to the leader at the leading edge. So you can have problems trying to wind it backwards.

etn · May 21, 2019

As far as I know the film is only taped to the backing paper at the « beginning end » of the roll, not at the end. For this reason it might not roll correctly in the reverse direction.
Just a thought, I never tried it myself.
Etienne

etn · May 21, 2019

Mr Bill said:
In practice the 120 film is only taped to the leader at the leading edge. So you can have problems trying to wind it backwards.

Lol, same post one minute apart, is this telepathy?

bernard_L · May 21, 2019

I have sometimes re-wound 120 film to transfer it mid-roll to another camera. In the dark! (or in a changing bag, which I don't have). Because, as has been pointed out by others, the film is taped at the leading edge, the positions of the film and paper at the taping positions might not agree when reverse-rolling; even a millimeter will create a bulge with dire consequences on the light tightness of the roll (don't ask...). So: unstick and re-stick the tape to absorb any position mismatch. Separate the adhesive tape slooowly to avoid tribo-electricity and luminescence, even if it seems to me that manufacturers made some progress in that respect since when I was a beginner in MF.

tezzasmall · May 21, 2019

bernard_L said:
...when reverse-rolling; even a millimeter will create a bulge with dire consequences on the light tightness of the roll (don't ask...). So: unstick and re-stick the tape to absorb any position mismatch.

Exactly what I was going to say,as one who has done it in the past.

Terry S

thuggins · May 21, 2019

It is more than just a bulge. The film will most likely not catch at all when reverse rolling, but will coil around itself separate from the backing paper. This is a common problem when respooling for 620.

itsdoable · May 21, 2019

OK, being someone who actually tried it back in my youth, the answer is No. The end of the film is not taped to the backing paper. The film retains a tight curl. When the backing paper is unspooled backwards in the magazine (or by hand), the film stays curled to the role, and wraps around to the back side of the backing paper, works it's way to the pressure plate, and since it is on the back side, runs into it, and gets jammed. However, if by chance it manages to push it's way under the pressure plate, then it gets pushed into the opposite take-up chamber, and if the chamber is smooth enough for the film to get pushed all the way around, then it might to get picked up in between the take-up spool and backing paper. Then you are pulling the film between the backing paper and the pressure plate, which scratches it up. It's also got a significant loose loop compared to the backing paper by now, so you get another jam when you get to the beginning of the film where it's taped, and if you manage to wind it through that, there will be a big bulge there, which tends to leak light.

That's my experience. Better to hand roll it back.

bdial · May 21, 2019

It is possible to do if you can arrange to guide the untaped end onto the spool. The easiest method depends on the particular circumstance. For example, if the roll hasn't been completely rolled onto the take up spool and the untaped end is still captured in the roll, you can take the film out of the camera, place the supply spool onto the camera's take-up side and wind it back onto the supply spool. You can do it in a similar way if the roll is completely wound on the take up side, but you have to deal with the untaped end as other posters have mentioned.

It's not always worth the trouble, but is possible.

Sirius Glass · May 21, 2019

The bulge is a problem. I have done this to put 120 on a 620 spool and then using the film, and the bulge is a problem.

shutterfinger · May 21, 2019

Rewinding 120 onto a spool: In total darkness place the spool to be wound onto (transfer to spool) next to the one with film. Insert the backing paper into the empty spool, pull taught and wind until 1 turn of film is around the transfer to spool. Unwind the backing paper on the transfer to spool until the film will just fit between the paper and spool. Pull the film and paper taught and wind the transfer to spool until it is against the supply spool. Continuing winding the film with backing paper onto the transfer to spool keeping the spools within 2 inches of each other and the paper/film taught. If you did it correctly there will be no bulge to less than 1mm. If bulged wind back onto the supply spool allowing the transferred to spool to lay free and pull the slack out of the supply (taped end) spool keeping it tight as you wind then try again.
If the end of the film has not come off the original supply spool by more than 1 full turn then rewinding it onto that spool keeping the film/backing paper taught and the spools close together should result in a non bulged reroll.
The further apart the spools the greater the risk of a bulge at the taped end.

As you wind check that the film is flat against the backing paper, if it is not wind back onto the supply and pull the slack out of the film so that it lays flat against the backing paper from beginning to end.

MattKing · May 22, 2019

For 620 re-spooling I first use a Mamiya C330 to wind the entire 120 roll on to a 120 take-up spool.
The C330 is great for this because of the simple, straight film path.
I then rewind from that 120 take-up spool on to a 620 spool, using a technique similar to what shutterfinger describes above.
Once i have the film started on to the 620 spool, I hold both spools together in the palm of my left hand and keep them together as I rotate the 620 spool with my thumb. That keeps everything close and taught, and I'm usually able to avoid a bulge.

donkee · May 22, 2019

As mentioned above, the film will not be in the same start position. I roll 620 from 120 and never had a problem with the tape coming off or bulges. Might be better off just doing multiple exposures if your camera has a way of doing that.

Curious - advance 120 roll 2 rounds

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